Authors of hate speech will face up to four years imprisonment and a BGN 5,000 fine, according to the newly adopted amendments to the Bulgarian Penal Code. The penalty will apply to journalists and authors in the media and in electronic information systems, such as websites. The newly adopted amendments explain in details the forms of discrimination and incitement that will be punishable.
They include discrimination, based on sexual orientation, religion, disabilities and social standing among others. Besides facing jail and fines, violators will also be held up to public censure. The sanctions will be the same for use of violence or property damage, based on race, nationality, ethnicity, religion and political views. Racist or xenophobic murders would be punished with 10 to 20 years imprisonment. The amendments also envision an increase of the penalties for destruction of a protected area, valuable rock formations and cliffs. The fines for perpetrators would range from BGN 2,000 to BGN 10,000. The Penal Code will from now on oblige the Bulgarian state to recognize and apply legal implications of convictions, issued in other EU countries.
Novinite
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Racist yobs attack historic Eastwell church (UK)
Nazi swastikas have been daubed on an historic Kent church - causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
The mindless graffiti - which included anti Semitic abuse and a skull - was painted on the ruins of St Mary’s Church in Eastwell.
Would have been the aisle and exterior walls were covered.
Police in Ashford believe the racist attack happened sometime between October 1 to 15 are now hunting the yobs who did it.
"The graffiti, which is offensive and racial, covers a large area and will cost a considerable amount of money to clean.
"All graffiti is vandalism, however to do this to a church, even if in ruins, is despicable behaviour."
The church in Lenacre Street has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.
It is also a scheduled monument.
Matthew Saunders, director of Friends of Friendless Churches who own the ruins, spoke of his disgust after finding the graffiti.
He said: "To make a church a canvas for spreading racial hatred is appalling.
"We have consolidated the ruins of St Mary's at some considerable expense and to have to spend more money on removing these violent offensive words is not how we expected to have to allocate our very limited resources."
Anyone with information should contact South Kent police on 01622 690 690 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Kent Online
Swedish police link 'racist' shootings to lone gunman (Sweden)
Detectives say they are linking up to 15 gun attacks in the city over the past year that have targeted people of immigrant background.
The investigation comes amid growing tension in Sweden over immigration.
In elections in September, 20 members of a far-right anti-immigration party won seats in parliament.
Police have not revealed exactly which cases the special unit is looking into.
However, Swedish media report that they include one fatal shooting - a 20-year-old woman last October who was sitting in a car.
In recent weeks, two men of ethnic minority background have also been shot and wounded while waiting at bus stops in the city.
And on Thursday evening two women described by police as "immigrants from a European country" were wounded after being shot through their apartment window.
Map locator
"We have established a special unit here in Malmo to investigate between 10 and 15 similar crimes," police spokesman Lars-Haakan Lindholm told AFP news agency.
"It does appear there are racist motives. We are receiving help from profilers from the national police force. This is our number one top priority right now."
The investigation has revived memories of a spate of racially-motivated attacks in and around the Swedish capital Stockholm from August 1991 to January 1992.
John Ausonius, now 57, killed one person and wounded 10 others. He was jailed for life in 1994.
Malmo, which has a significant immigrant population, was the scene of riots in December 2009 following the closure of an Islamic centre.
BBC News
Friday, 22 October 2010
Dutch retrial ordered for Wilders hate speech case (Netherlands)
A Dutch court ordered a retrial Friday for anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, sending the closely-watched hate speech case back to square one before a whole new panel of judges.
The far-right politician faces charges of inciting hatred against Muslims for many remarks, including some equating Islam with fascism and violence and others calling for a ban on the Quran and a tax on Muslim headscarves.
Wilders accused judges at the Amsterdam District Court of bias and called for their dismissal after they refused to recall a defense witness who wrote on a weblog that a member of an appeals panel directly involved in the case had improperly contacted him.
A hastily convened substitute panel ruled Friday that Wilders' objections were valid, which means the trial that began in January must restart from the beginning with new judges.
Wilders welcomed the decision.
"This gives me a new chance on a new fair trial," he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "I am confident that I can only be acquitted because I have broken no law but spoke the truth and nothing but the truth and exercised my freedom of speech in an important public debate about the dangerous totalitarian ideology called Islam."
Judge G. Marcus said the panel understood Wilders' "fear that the court's decision displays a degree of bias ... and under those circumstances accepts the appeal."
Since the charges were filed, Wilders' party has become part of the Netherland's ruling conservative government, making him one of the most powerful politicians in the nation.
Wilders' case pits his right to freedom of speech against the right of Muslims to worship freely. Dozens of complaints had been filed against Wilders by Muslims who said they felt insulted or threatened by remarks such as "let not one more Muslim immigrate" and "I've had enough of the Quran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book."
Prosecutors initially refused to take the case, saying Wilders' remarks are part of legitimate political debate. But they were ordered to do so by appeals judges, who said there was sufficient evidence for a hate speech trial.
Defense witness Hans Jansen, called as an expert on Islamic culture, wrote on his personal website that he had been approached at a dinner party by one of the appeals judges, Tom Schalken.
"He kept steering the conversation back to the Wilders case," Jansen wrote. "He tried to convince me that his decision to drag Wilders in front of the Amsterdam District Court was correct."
Wilders earlier had asked the court to dismiss the judges because one said that Wilders appeared to be dodging debate by remaining silent in court. That motion was rejected.
The politician asked again Friday that the judges be dismissed, calling Schalken's contact with Jansen "scandalous."
"A judge that's part of my process in the sense that he decided I should be prosecuted ... without blinking an eye goes to dinner and tries to convince a witness that he's right," Wilders told a new panel of judges convened to rule on the dismissal. "I wonder which circus I've landed in here."
A conservative government that depends on Wilders' Freedom Party to reach a one-vote majority in parliament took office this month. In return for his support, the government has vowed to turn away more asylum seekers, halve the number of new immigrants from non-Western countries, ban face-concealing Muslim garb for women in public and force immigrants to pay for their own mandatory citizenship classes.
Associated Press
The far-right politician faces charges of inciting hatred against Muslims for many remarks, including some equating Islam with fascism and violence and others calling for a ban on the Quran and a tax on Muslim headscarves.
Wilders accused judges at the Amsterdam District Court of bias and called for their dismissal after they refused to recall a defense witness who wrote on a weblog that a member of an appeals panel directly involved in the case had improperly contacted him.
A hastily convened substitute panel ruled Friday that Wilders' objections were valid, which means the trial that began in January must restart from the beginning with new judges.
Wilders welcomed the decision.
"This gives me a new chance on a new fair trial," he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "I am confident that I can only be acquitted because I have broken no law but spoke the truth and nothing but the truth and exercised my freedom of speech in an important public debate about the dangerous totalitarian ideology called Islam."
Judge G. Marcus said the panel understood Wilders' "fear that the court's decision displays a degree of bias ... and under those circumstances accepts the appeal."
Since the charges were filed, Wilders' party has become part of the Netherland's ruling conservative government, making him one of the most powerful politicians in the nation.
Wilders' case pits his right to freedom of speech against the right of Muslims to worship freely. Dozens of complaints had been filed against Wilders by Muslims who said they felt insulted or threatened by remarks such as "let not one more Muslim immigrate" and "I've had enough of the Quran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book."
Prosecutors initially refused to take the case, saying Wilders' remarks are part of legitimate political debate. But they were ordered to do so by appeals judges, who said there was sufficient evidence for a hate speech trial.
Defense witness Hans Jansen, called as an expert on Islamic culture, wrote on his personal website that he had been approached at a dinner party by one of the appeals judges, Tom Schalken.
"He kept steering the conversation back to the Wilders case," Jansen wrote. "He tried to convince me that his decision to drag Wilders in front of the Amsterdam District Court was correct."
Wilders earlier had asked the court to dismiss the judges because one said that Wilders appeared to be dodging debate by remaining silent in court. That motion was rejected.
The politician asked again Friday that the judges be dismissed, calling Schalken's contact with Jansen "scandalous."
"A judge that's part of my process in the sense that he decided I should be prosecuted ... without blinking an eye goes to dinner and tries to convince a witness that he's right," Wilders told a new panel of judges convened to rule on the dismissal. "I wonder which circus I've landed in here."
A conservative government that depends on Wilders' Freedom Party to reach a one-vote majority in parliament took office this month. In return for his support, the government has vowed to turn away more asylum seekers, halve the number of new immigrants from non-Western countries, ban face-concealing Muslim garb for women in public and force immigrants to pay for their own mandatory citizenship classes.
Associated Press
Two more immigrant shootings in Malmö (Sweden)
Malmö police have recruited the detective who played a decisive role in apprehending "Laser Man" gunman John Ausonius as a new double shooting has further raised fears of a repeat of 1991's racist attacks.
The news comes as a further two women were hurt in a new shooting in Malmö on Thursday evening. The women, aged 26 and 34, were shot while in an apartment in the Kroksbäck neighbourhood of the city.
"They are immigrants from a European country," said Calle Persson at Skåne police.
Detective inspector Eiler Augustsson is credited with having played a decisive role in the investigation and arrest of John Ausonius, who terrorized Stockholm’s immigrant population in the beginning of the 1990s.
Ausonius received his "Laser Man" moniker because his victims were targeted with a red dot from a rifle equipped with a laser sight.
Police fear that the shootings are the latest in a wave of attacks which are deliberately targeting people of immigrant origin. A total of 50 shootings have been recorded in the city this year, and police fear a number of these may have been carried out by a lone gunman.
Aside from the two women, there was also a child in the apartment when the shootings occurred.
"The child has been taken care of, I think by relatives," Persson said.
The apartment is located on the first floor of the apartment building.
The police have completed their forensic inspection of the apartment but are as yet uncertain as to the firearm used.
"Forensic evidence has been recovered from the location," said Jesper Ingvert at Malmö police to the local Sydsvenskan daily.
While no suspects have yet been identified, police confirm that they have a witness who could have seen the perpetrator.
"We have witnesses which we have interviewed. One of the witnesses has seen a man who left the location running," said Ingvert.
Malmö police plan to review their resources on Friday morning.
"We are going to put together a team here in the morning which will look at our operation in a little longer perspective," said Peter Martinsson at Malmö police.
Integration minister Erik Ullenhag, in an opinion article in the Expressen daily on Friday, called the attacks "alarming".
"Everyone has a responsibility to defend the open society where all, regardless of background, can be safe on our streets and town squares," Ullenhag wrote.
Ullenhag plans to visit Malmö on Friday to gather information on the atmosphere in the city after the shootings.
Meanwhile Juan Fonseca, former MP and head of the Discrimination bureau in Stockholm, has called on "all immigrants and ethnic Swedes" to call a five minute strike next Thursday, in support of the victims.
Gellert Tamas, the author of a renowned book about the "Laser Man" attacks told DN on Thursday that there are clear parallels.
"John Ausonius has been very clear in the interviews that I have conducted with him that he was inspired by the debate about immigrants which was conducted in the beginning of the 1990s," Tamas told DN.
"He felt a moral support, that people stood behind him. But he also felt a political support, from (populist anti-immigrant party) New Democracy primarily, but even from other political parties such as the Sweden Democrats."
Between August 1991 to January 1992, Ausonius, today 57, shot 11 people -- most of them immigrants -- in and around Stockholm. He killed one person and seriously wounded the others.
He was sentenced to life behind bars in 1994 and remains in prison.
The Local Sweden
The news comes as a further two women were hurt in a new shooting in Malmö on Thursday evening. The women, aged 26 and 34, were shot while in an apartment in the Kroksbäck neighbourhood of the city.
"They are immigrants from a European country," said Calle Persson at Skåne police.
Detective inspector Eiler Augustsson is credited with having played a decisive role in the investigation and arrest of John Ausonius, who terrorized Stockholm’s immigrant population in the beginning of the 1990s.
Ausonius received his "Laser Man" moniker because his victims were targeted with a red dot from a rifle equipped with a laser sight.
Police fear that the shootings are the latest in a wave of attacks which are deliberately targeting people of immigrant origin. A total of 50 shootings have been recorded in the city this year, and police fear a number of these may have been carried out by a lone gunman.
Aside from the two women, there was also a child in the apartment when the shootings occurred.
"The child has been taken care of, I think by relatives," Persson said.
The apartment is located on the first floor of the apartment building.
The police have completed their forensic inspection of the apartment but are as yet uncertain as to the firearm used.
"Forensic evidence has been recovered from the location," said Jesper Ingvert at Malmö police to the local Sydsvenskan daily.
While no suspects have yet been identified, police confirm that they have a witness who could have seen the perpetrator.
"We have witnesses which we have interviewed. One of the witnesses has seen a man who left the location running," said Ingvert.
Malmö police plan to review their resources on Friday morning.
"We are going to put together a team here in the morning which will look at our operation in a little longer perspective," said Peter Martinsson at Malmö police.
Integration minister Erik Ullenhag, in an opinion article in the Expressen daily on Friday, called the attacks "alarming".
"Everyone has a responsibility to defend the open society where all, regardless of background, can be safe on our streets and town squares," Ullenhag wrote.
Ullenhag plans to visit Malmö on Friday to gather information on the atmosphere in the city after the shootings.
Meanwhile Juan Fonseca, former MP and head of the Discrimination bureau in Stockholm, has called on "all immigrants and ethnic Swedes" to call a five minute strike next Thursday, in support of the victims.
Gellert Tamas, the author of a renowned book about the "Laser Man" attacks told DN on Thursday that there are clear parallels.
"John Ausonius has been very clear in the interviews that I have conducted with him that he was inspired by the debate about immigrants which was conducted in the beginning of the 1990s," Tamas told DN.
"He felt a moral support, that people stood behind him. But he also felt a political support, from (populist anti-immigrant party) New Democracy primarily, but even from other political parties such as the Sweden Democrats."
Between August 1991 to January 1992, Ausonius, today 57, shot 11 people -- most of them immigrants -- in and around Stockholm. He killed one person and seriously wounded the others.
He was sentenced to life behind bars in 1994 and remains in prison.
The Local Sweden
Wilders' inciting hatred trial enters final day (Netherlands)
Friday is the final day of the trial of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders on inciting hatred and discrimination charges, with Wilders himself expected to take the stand later in the day.
Wilders' lawyer Bram Moszkowicz told the court on Thursday the MP's controversial statements are part of the right to free speech and the public debate.
The public prosecution department, which was forced to to take the case by the appeal court last year, has also said the MP should be found not guilty on all charges.
The judges will give their verdict on November 5.
Dutch News
Wilders' lawyer Bram Moszkowicz told the court on Thursday the MP's controversial statements are part of the right to free speech and the public debate.
The public prosecution department, which was forced to to take the case by the appeal court last year, has also said the MP should be found not guilty on all charges.
The judges will give their verdict on November 5.
Dutch News
Woman charged with hate crime against Muslims (UK)
A Burien woman has been charged with two counts of malicious harassment, the state's hate crime statute, after she allegedly yelled racial slurs and assaulted two Muslim women.
Jennifer Leigh Jennings, also known as Jennifer Leigh Adams, was charged Thursday in King County Superior Court on what happened to be her 37th birthday. Her arraignment, in which she is expected to enter a plea, is scheduled for Nov. 2.
The incident happened about 6 p.m. Saturday at an AM/PM gas station at 15252 Tukwila International Blvd. The two women -- both U.S. citizens -- were trying to pump gas into their car.
"Jennings was watching and said, 'Suicide Bomber,' and 'Hey you don't know how to pump go back to your country,'" Detective David Heckelsmiller wrote in a probable cause document.
Jennings slammed the car door on one of the woman's legs and pushed the other woman, according to police. She also allegedly kicked the first woman when she got out of the vehicle.
A Tukwila police detective viewed a recording made by a AM/PM surveillance camera and investigators are waiting for a copy to be made for the case, police spokesman Mike Murphy said Thursday.
On her way to the Tukwila police holding facility, Jennings told an officer, "Ya, I shouldn't have called them sand (expletives) or other stuff like that," according to the probable cause document.
At the holding facility, Jennings continued to be upset, telling an officer with a dark complexion, "You're only doing this because he's the same race and religion as those two ladies."
Jennings, whose criminal history includes a fourth-degree assault conviction and four convictions in the 1990s for exposing herself or illegal touching, has been released on bail.
Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he believes the incident is a symptom of the anti-Muslim hysteria being stirred up in mainstream media.
"I hope we can stand up against that kind of fear promotion that can lead to this stuff," he said. "We fear that this may just be one of the many incidents that may be happening, and people are suffering in silence."
Seattle Pi
Jennifer Leigh Jennings, also known as Jennifer Leigh Adams, was charged Thursday in King County Superior Court on what happened to be her 37th birthday. Her arraignment, in which she is expected to enter a plea, is scheduled for Nov. 2.
The incident happened about 6 p.m. Saturday at an AM/PM gas station at 15252 Tukwila International Blvd. The two women -- both U.S. citizens -- were trying to pump gas into their car.
"Jennings was watching and said, 'Suicide Bomber,' and 'Hey you don't know how to pump go back to your country,'" Detective David Heckelsmiller wrote in a probable cause document.
Jennings slammed the car door on one of the woman's legs and pushed the other woman, according to police. She also allegedly kicked the first woman when she got out of the vehicle.
A Tukwila police detective viewed a recording made by a AM/PM surveillance camera and investigators are waiting for a copy to be made for the case, police spokesman Mike Murphy said Thursday.
On her way to the Tukwila police holding facility, Jennings told an officer, "Ya, I shouldn't have called them sand (expletives) or other stuff like that," according to the probable cause document.
At the holding facility, Jennings continued to be upset, telling an officer with a dark complexion, "You're only doing this because he's the same race and religion as those two ladies."
Jennings, whose criminal history includes a fourth-degree assault conviction and four convictions in the 1990s for exposing herself or illegal touching, has been released on bail.
Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he believes the incident is a symptom of the anti-Muslim hysteria being stirred up in mainstream media.
"I hope we can stand up against that kind of fear promotion that can lead to this stuff," he said. "We fear that this may just be one of the many incidents that may be happening, and people are suffering in silence."
Seattle Pi
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Racist thugs in acid attack (UK)
The two sisters and their brother, whose parents originally came from Bangladesh, have been subjected to a hate campaign over the last six months.
In the latest incident, a gang of five men wielding golf clubs broke the windows and dented the bodywork of the sisters' vehicles as they sat watching X Factor on television.
The siblings, who were too scared to give their names, said they were worried the vandalism agai nst their cars would escalate into violent assaults.
Each of the attacks took place in Whitson Place East in Saughton where one of the sisters and her brother live in separate flats.
Police today said they were treating the incidents as "racially motivated" and pledged that they would be "robustly investigated".
The older sister, who is in her 30s, said: "The first attack happened on April 14 when someone poured what seemed to be battery acid on his (her brother] Vauxhall Corsa. It was across the bonnet and the rest of the car, and removed the paintwork. It cost him about £700 to repair.
"Then on October 14, exactly six months later, my Toyota Yaris also had battery acid poured over it. But when I called the police they told me we would need witnesses and suggested we install CCTV."
The family said they had also suffered from racial abuse.
The older sister, who moved to Edinburgh from England five years ago, added: "My sister came round to my flat on Sunday night and parked her Citroen C3 outside my flat. We were watching X Factor when she heard a noise and went out to see what it was.
"She saw around five men wearing hoodies smashing our cars with golf clubs. They had broken the windows and were denting the bodywork.
"My sister shouted at them to stop and her husband tried to run after them. They shouted, "f****** p*** b*******" as they ran off.
"We're very worried about our safety. They've attacked our cars four times but what happens if it escalates and they attack us next? I have an eight-year-old son so I'm worried.
"It's left us very frustrated, stressed and angry. It's pathetic people behind these attacks."
A police spokesman said officers were still investigating the earlier attacks on the family's vehicles.
He added: "Enquiries are ongoing and anyone who witnessed anything suspicious or who has information is asked to contact police immediately."
A 43-year-old man has been arrested with a racially-motivated breach of the peace.
Scotsman
Case dropped against man at EDL rally (UK)
A police investigation has been launched after a case against a 63-year-old anti-fascist protester was dropped when new evidence came to light.
Alan Clough, of Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, was due to stand trial at Bolton Magistrates Court yesterday accused of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at the EDL and UAF rally in March.
But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) made the decision not to proceed with the case on Monday after viewing footage of the rally.
Justice4bolton, a campaign group which claimed police used heavy-handed tactics on the day, allege the footage shows Mr Clough being pushed by police officers and hit on the head with a baton, before being pushed to the ground and arrested.
A spokesperson for Justice4bolton said the organisation had received “an overwhelming number of reports” alleging “violent behaviour on the part of the police on March 20”.
A spokesperson for the CPS said: “Having viewed footage received from the defence team, we felt that there was no longer a realistic prospect of securing a conviction.
“Given this, the correct decision was to drop the charge against Mr Clough.”
A police spokesman said: “GMP has received a complaint in relation to footage which appears to show a man being inappropriately struck during his arrest at the EDL protest in Bolton in March, 2010.
“The footage is now being viewed by officers from Greater Manchester Police’s professional standards branch.
“An internal investigation is now under way, as a result it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
Bolton News
Alan Clough, of Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, was due to stand trial at Bolton Magistrates Court yesterday accused of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at the EDL and UAF rally in March.
But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) made the decision not to proceed with the case on Monday after viewing footage of the rally.
Justice4bolton, a campaign group which claimed police used heavy-handed tactics on the day, allege the footage shows Mr Clough being pushed by police officers and hit on the head with a baton, before being pushed to the ground and arrested.
A spokesperson for Justice4bolton said the organisation had received “an overwhelming number of reports” alleging “violent behaviour on the part of the police on March 20”.
A spokesperson for the CPS said: “Having viewed footage received from the defence team, we felt that there was no longer a realistic prospect of securing a conviction.
“Given this, the correct decision was to drop the charge against Mr Clough.”
A police spokesman said: “GMP has received a complaint in relation to footage which appears to show a man being inappropriately struck during his arrest at the EDL protest in Bolton in March, 2010.
“The footage is now being viewed by officers from Greater Manchester Police’s professional standards branch.
“An internal investigation is now under way, as a result it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
Bolton News
GERMAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES 'SWEEPING STATEMENTS' ON INTEGRATION
Germany's president Christian Wulff has warned that blanket generalizations about Muslim immigrants are wrong. The comments come as he begins a tour of Turkey, with the debate about integration rumbling on in Germany.
German President Christian Wulff has criticized "sweeping statements" about a failure of Muslim immigrants to integrate, ahead of a visit to the Turkish parliament on Tuesday. The president arrived in Turkey on Monday to begin a five-day trip that has been overshadowed by a national debate in Germany about Muslim integration. "I believe it is a mistake to maintain that a whole group is unable and unwilling to integrate," Wulff told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet's Tuesday edition.
Seizing opportunities
Wulff said, adding that the state and society had to offer opportunities to integrate. "In return, individuals must accept these opportunities," Wulff said. Wulff was set to meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, before giving a speech in the Turkish parliament. His comments to the newspaper came after Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that multiculturalism in Germany had "failed completely" and that immigrants should do more to integrate. The debate about Islam and integration reached a new level in Germany when a then member of the country's central bank, Thilo Sarrazin, launched a book claiming that Muslim immigrants were undermining German culture. Although Sarrazin subsequently resigned from the bank, his book has proved to be a bestseller.
Bid to calm integration debate
At the start of the month, President Christian Wulff tried to calm the controversy by claiming that - along with Christianity and Judaism - Islam was now also a part of Germany. His comments sparked reaction from conservative politicians, such as Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer who said Germany should not accept more immigration from "foreign cultures" such as Turkey and Arab countries. The president also used the newspaper interview to address the issue of Turkish entry to the European Union. He said it was in Germany's interest that Turkey should continue to adopt European economic, legal and constitutional standards. Wulff said that Turkey's negotiations to join the EU should be handled in a fair and open-minded way, adding that the country had already made considerable progress. Germany has some four million Muslims among its 82 million inhabitants, with some 2.5 million Turks forming the largest ethnic minority in the country.
Deutsche Welle
German President Christian Wulff has criticized "sweeping statements" about a failure of Muslim immigrants to integrate, ahead of a visit to the Turkish parliament on Tuesday. The president arrived in Turkey on Monday to begin a five-day trip that has been overshadowed by a national debate in Germany about Muslim integration. "I believe it is a mistake to maintain that a whole group is unable and unwilling to integrate," Wulff told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet's Tuesday edition.
Seizing opportunities
Wulff said, adding that the state and society had to offer opportunities to integrate. "In return, individuals must accept these opportunities," Wulff said. Wulff was set to meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, before giving a speech in the Turkish parliament. His comments to the newspaper came after Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that multiculturalism in Germany had "failed completely" and that immigrants should do more to integrate. The debate about Islam and integration reached a new level in Germany when a then member of the country's central bank, Thilo Sarrazin, launched a book claiming that Muslim immigrants were undermining German culture. Although Sarrazin subsequently resigned from the bank, his book has proved to be a bestseller.
Bid to calm integration debate
At the start of the month, President Christian Wulff tried to calm the controversy by claiming that - along with Christianity and Judaism - Islam was now also a part of Germany. His comments sparked reaction from conservative politicians, such as Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer who said Germany should not accept more immigration from "foreign cultures" such as Turkey and Arab countries. The president also used the newspaper interview to address the issue of Turkish entry to the European Union. He said it was in Germany's interest that Turkey should continue to adopt European economic, legal and constitutional standards. Wulff said that Turkey's negotiations to join the EU should be handled in a fair and open-minded way, adding that the country had already made considerable progress. Germany has some four million Muslims among its 82 million inhabitants, with some 2.5 million Turks forming the largest ethnic minority in the country.
Deutsche Welle
Mayor of Camden to attend London hate crime vigil (UK)
The event follows last year’s vigil at Trafalgar Square, held after the homophobic murder of Ian Baynham.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the vigil to take a stand against all types of hate crime. During the vigil, the Mayor and Mayoress will be reading a list of all those people who have been victims of hate crime during the past year.
Councillor Jonathan Simpson, Mayor of Camden, said: “It is absolutely essential that we continue to show, peacefully but determinedly, that hate crime against anyone, whatever their sexuality, race or faith, will not be tolerated in Camden, or anywhere else.”
Pink Paper
Neo-Nazi politician sentenced to 10 months over racist remarks (Germany)
A far-right German politician has been sentenced to 10 months in jail on charges of inciting racism over insults he hurled at Turks and Jews during an event in February.The Saarbrücken 11th Court of First Instance yesterday handed down a 10-month sentence to the National Democratic Party’s (NPD) group leader in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Udo Pastörs, and issued a 6,000-euro fine for his derogatory remarks targeting Germany’s Turkish and Jewish communities. Pastörs’ jail sentence will be suspended indefinitely.
The prosecutor had asked for up to four years’ imprisonment for Pastörs, whose appeal required court judges to listen to his speech from February once again. The politician in his speech said Germany should do everything it can do to stop immigration to the country, using disparaging remarks to describe Jews and Turks. The court also found the politician’s remarks had a quality that incited violence. The court also noted that Pastörs did not appear to be remorseful or aware of the seriousness of his remarks. The prosecutor said a one-and-a-half-year sentence and a 10,000-euro fine would have been more suitable in this case. He also said jail sentences in such cases should not be commuted.
In a statement after the verdict, Pastörs said the book recently published by former Deutsche Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin greatly “overshadowed” his speech. A group of NPD supporters protested outside the courthouse during the hearing.
Todays Zaman
Russia seeks extradition of mentally ill neo-Nazi from Norway
The extradition warrant was sent to Norway on Monday, spokeswoman Marina Gridneva told RIA Novosti.
Datsik, 33, was arrested on September 21 when he appeared, armed, at an immigration office in Oslo seeking asylum. The Norwegian authorities denied his asylum request earlier in October and have begun preparing his extradition to Russia, AFP news agency said.
The martial arts fighter was involved in political activities as a member of the ultranationalist Neo-Nazi movement, Slavic Union, which was banned in Russia this year but has reportedly opened its office in Norway.
Datsik, who was repeatedly disqualified for being too violent with his opponents in the ring, retired from mixed martial arts after losing six straight fights between December 2001 and February 2003.
From 1996 to 2001, he faced numerous criminal charges for assault and battery, murder threats, arbitrary behavior and theft, but all the charges were dropped.
Datsik was arrested in 2007 after a series of robberies in cell phone stores. However, psychiatric examinations concluded that he was mentally ill and he was exempted from being held responsible for the criminal charges.
RiaNovosti
Report racial slurs United fans urged (UK)
Oxford United fans are being urged to report any racist abuse they hear at Saturday’s home game.
The club is backing a national initiative that includes a hotline to report racist comments or chants.
The U’s face Northampton Town at the Kassam Stadium.
Club spokesman Chris Williams said: “Racism will not be tolerated at Oxford United.
“Fans can play their part by using the hotline if they hear anything racist and make it a level playing field for all.”
The club are supporting this year’s One Game, One Community fortnight which incorporates the long-running Kick It Out campaign.
Chris Wilder’s men will warm up ahead of the match wearing T-shirts in support of the nationwide initiative.
The Kick It Out campaign began in 1993 to stamp out racism, but the scheme has evolved to put the spotlight on issues of gender, sexual orientation, religion and disability.
Each of the 72 league clubs and 20 premier sides have appointed a One Game, One Community ambassador.
At Oxford United on Saturday, the guard of honour from young fans that greets the players’ entrance to the pitch will feature flags and banners backing the scheme.
And United’s players will throw their campaign shirts into the crowd before kick-off.
Captain James Constable, United’s One Game, One Community ambassador, said: “We are very proud to support the week of action.
“We all wore the T-shirts for the warm-up at Macclesfield and realise the huge impact that the Kick it Out campaigns have had over the last 17 years.
“It is great that the scheme is now able to expand and bring in all the other areas as well.
“We will be more than happy to help spread the word against Northampton.”
The hotline number is 0800 1699414. For more details about the campaign go to kickitout.org
Oxford Times
The club is backing a national initiative that includes a hotline to report racist comments or chants.
The U’s face Northampton Town at the Kassam Stadium.
Club spokesman Chris Williams said: “Racism will not be tolerated at Oxford United.
“Fans can play their part by using the hotline if they hear anything racist and make it a level playing field for all.”
The club are supporting this year’s One Game, One Community fortnight which incorporates the long-running Kick It Out campaign.
Chris Wilder’s men will warm up ahead of the match wearing T-shirts in support of the nationwide initiative.
The Kick It Out campaign began in 1993 to stamp out racism, but the scheme has evolved to put the spotlight on issues of gender, sexual orientation, religion and disability.
Each of the 72 league clubs and 20 premier sides have appointed a One Game, One Community ambassador.
At Oxford United on Saturday, the guard of honour from young fans that greets the players’ entrance to the pitch will feature flags and banners backing the scheme.
And United’s players will throw their campaign shirts into the crowd before kick-off.
Captain James Constable, United’s One Game, One Community ambassador, said: “We are very proud to support the week of action.
“We all wore the T-shirts for the warm-up at Macclesfield and realise the huge impact that the Kick it Out campaigns have had over the last 17 years.
“It is great that the scheme is now able to expand and bring in all the other areas as well.
“We will be more than happy to help spread the word against Northampton.”
The hotline number is 0800 1699414. For more details about the campaign go to kickitout.org
Oxford Times
Two decades of neo-Nazi and racist violence in Central Europe Czech)
The following is a summary of the basic information available regarding neo-Nazi and racist attacks on Roma committed in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. We start with a chronology of last year's arson attack in Vítkov before moving on to a selection of verdicts handed down in other attacks by right-wing extremists against Roma, including arson attacks on Roma homes committed by neo-Nazis and promoters of the extreme right in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia.
Vítkov:
2009: 19 April - Arsonists throw three Molotov cocktails into the home of a nine-member Roma family in Vítkov. During the subsequent blaze, three people are injured, including a two-year-old girl who suffers burns over 80 % of her body. Her 27-year-old mother and 30-year-old father escape with lesser injuries. The house is completely destroyed.
The injured father is later transferred to a hospital in prison, as it is discovered that he has been avoiding serving jail time for a previous offense. Czech Human Rights Minister Michael Kocáb asks Czech President Klaus to grant him clemency.
20 April - The government announces the adoption of measures through which the state will start to fight against right-wing extremism. Roma activists and others protest the attack. Then-European Commissioner Vladimír Špidla says the European Commission is disturbed by the rise in violence against Roma in the Czech Republic and the EU as a whole.
22 April - The Vítkov town hall announces a public collection in support of the family.
23 April - Czech President Václav Klaus decides to immediately suspend the prison sentence of the burned girl's injured father. He had previously been convicted of theft, property damage, and driving a car without a license.
25 April - The Roma family receives clothing and other items from a humanitarian collection organized by the Life Together civic association.
29 April - The injured mother's health improves. She is transferred to a regular hospital unit and sees three of her children for the first time since the fire. Her fourth, the two-year-old, is still in a very critical condition.
30 April - Doctors release the father. His partner and daughter remain in hospital.
12 August - Police arrest 12 people in relation to the Vítkov attack, eight of whom are later released.
14 August - Policie charge four right-wing extremists from the Bruntál and Opava districts with racially motivated attempted murder. They are taken into custody. The suspects are all said to be promoters of the extreme right: Jaromír Lukeš and Václav Cojocaru are from Opava, while Ivo Müller and David Vaculík are from Horní Benešov.
4 November - Vaculík is convicted by the District Court in Bruntál of having assaulted audience members at a heavy metal concert in Rýmařov and is given a half-year suspended sentence. In April 2010, an appeals court overturns this verdict.
16 November - The victimized family moves into a new house in Budišov nad Budišovkou, purchased with money from the public collection. A total of CZK 890 000 was donated from around the country and around the world.
Czech President Klaus grants the father of the injured girl clemency.
2010
5 February - The investigation of the arson is completed, police ask the state prosecutor to proceed against the four right-wing extremists.
9 February - The state prosecutor files suit with the Regional Court in Ostrava. Police charge the four men with racially motivated attempted murder against more than one person, one of whom was a minor.
3 May - The Czech government's report on extremist incidents during 2009 mentions the Vítkov arson as the most serious case of the year.
11 May - The trial begins. The proceedings are accompanied throughout by disagreements between the defense attorneys and presiding judge Miloslav Studnička. The defense criticizes Studnička for handling the hearings in what they allege is an illegal manner.
16 September - The court finishes hearing evidence.
5 October - The state prosecutor asks for extraordinary sentencing (between 15 and 25 years in prison) for three defendants. She recommends normal sentencing (15 years) for Ivo Müller.
6 October - During closing arguments, Ivo Müller and Václav Cojocaru apologize to the victims for their crimes.
20 October - The Regional Court in Ostrava sentences the four extremists to extraordinary prison sentences: David Vaculík, Ivo Müller and Jaromír Lukeš 22 years, Václav Cojocaru 20 years, to be served in a maximum-security facility. They will also have to pay many millions of crowns in compensation.
Previous verdicts in cases of right-wing extremist attacks against Roma in the Czech Republic
Murder of a 17-year-old Roma boy in Písek
On 24 September 1993, skinheads attacked a group of Roma in the town of Písek and drove them into the river Otava. A 17-year-old Roma boy drowned during the attack. The case was ruled on by the District, Regional and High Courts. The final verdict was handed down in 1999. Three skinheads received prison sentences of eight years, seven-and-a-half years and six-and-a-half years respectively for racially motivated murder and attempted murder.
Murder of a Roma man in Žďár nad Sázavou
On 14 May 1995, four skinheads attacked a 42-year-old Roma man in his own home in Žďár nad Sázavou. He died as a result of his injuries. The Regional Court in Brno first sentenced Zdeněk Podrázský to 12 years in prison for murder but did not find for racial motivation. A second perpetrator was sentenced to 18 months in prison, while two other juvenile perpetrators were given suspended sentences of six and two months respectively. In 1996, the High Court found for racial motivation and increased the sentences: Podrázský received 13 years and the second perpetrator received 20 months.
Violent death of a Roma man in Orlová-Lutyně
On 17 May 1998, four skinheads attacked a 40-year-old Roma man in Orlová-Lutyně and left him lying in the middle of a road. Several minutes later a police officer ran him over, for which he received a suspended sentence. The man died as a result of his injuries. In 2001, the Ostrava Regional Court sentenced two of the skinheads to three years and one year in prison respectively. The other two skinheads were given suspended sentences. The court qualified the crime as grievous bodily harm resulting in death.
Murder of a 30-year-old Roma man in Svitavý
On 21 July 2001, 22-year-old Vlastimil Pechanec, a known skinhead, verbally attacked a local 30-year-old Roma man at a disco in Svitavý before stabbing him to death. In 2003 the High Court in Prague sentenced Pechanec to 17 years in prison for racially motivated murder. The length of the sentence was determined by the racial motivation of the crime and by the evaluations of experts who labeled Pechanec an unlikely candidate for rehabilitation.
Previous selected verdicts in cases of arson attacks on Roma homes in the Czech Republic
- In February 1996 in the town of Krnov, five youths threw Molotov cocktails into the apartments of two Roma families. Firefighters managed to put out one of the fires. The youths repeated their crime several days later, throwing a Molotov cocktail into another apartment. The Roma family living there managed to put out the fire. In 2002, four of the youths were given suspended sentences, while a fifth was sent to prison for three years.
- In January 1998 a group of perpetrators threw a Molotov cocktail into a Roma family's apartment in Krnov. A 48-year-old woman suffered severe burns and a man was lightly injured. Police charged three youths with the attack. In February 2002 the District Court in Krnov sentenced neo-Nazi Radek Bedrim to two years in prison. His two accomplices were released for lack of evidence.
Previous selected cases of arson committed by neo-Nazis or promoters of the extreme right elsewhere in Central Europe, including verdicts (where reached)
23 November 1992 - Neo-Nazis in the town of Mölln in northern Germany murdered two Turkish women and a 10-year-old girl when they threw Molotov cocktails into two homes. In December 1993, two perpetrators were sentenced to life in prison and 10 years in prison respectively.
28 May 1993 - An arson attack on a building in which Turkish families were living in the town of Solingen in western Germany took the lives of five victims, three women and two little girls. After the attack, angry Turks from all over Germany clashed with police in Solingen for several days. The attack prompted anger abroad and outrage in German officialdom. In October 1994, four young Germans were sentenced to prison sentences of between 10 and 15 years for the arson. The prosecution said they had been motivated by "hatred of foreigners".
25 March 1994 - Unidentified perpetrators threw explosives into a synagogue in Lübeck where six families were living. The subsequent fire was spotted in time, so everyone was saved and no one was injured. In May, police arrested four young right-wing extremists who were then given sentences of between two and four years in prison. It was the first attack on a Jewish synagogue in Germany since the end of WWII. Several other synagogues have been attacked since then.
28 September 1994 - A home for refugees in the town of Herford in northern Germany was intentionally set on fire, killing an 11-year-old boy and his 23-year-old physically disabled sister. Both were from the former Yugoslavia.
21 July 1995 - A group of skinheads in the town of Žiar nad Hronom in Slovakia attacked an 18-year-old Roma man, Mário Goral, poured fuel over him and set him on fire. The youth died as a result of his injuries 11 days later. The main perpetrator was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for racially motivated murder. Two of his accomplices were also sentenced to prison time, while the rest "got away" with suspended sentences.
18 January 1996 - In the town of Lübeck in northern Germany, a fire was intentionally set at a hostel for immigrants and resulted in 10 deaths, including three children. A Lebanese refugee was suspected of the attack but was released in June of the following year for lack of evidence. The state prosecutor had originally charged him with setting the fire for motives of revenge, basing the charges on the testimony of an emergency responder to whom the youth had allegedly confessed. However, from the beginning the defense was of the opinion that the attack had been committed from the outside, by racists. The defense criticized the German justice system for failing to thoroughly investigate initial suspicions that four German skinheads from nearby Grevesmühlen had committed the crime.
April 1996 - In the town of Hontianské Nemce in Slovakia, skinheads set the home of a Roma family on fire, killing one Roma man and injuring three others. The mayor allegedly refused to call police to the scene.
23 February 2009 - A commando unit of right-wing extremists threw Molotov cocktails into a Roma home in the village of Tatarszentgyörgy and then shot the residents as they fled the fire. The father of the family and his five-year-old son were killed. This gruesome crime was part of a series of dozens of similar attacks throughout Hungary during which six Roma were murdered. A group suspected of committing these crimes was arrested in the summer of 2009. All of them belonged to the right-wing nationalist scene. The investigation was completed this past August and the trial should start soon.
Romea.CZ
Vítkov:
2009: 19 April - Arsonists throw three Molotov cocktails into the home of a nine-member Roma family in Vítkov. During the subsequent blaze, three people are injured, including a two-year-old girl who suffers burns over 80 % of her body. Her 27-year-old mother and 30-year-old father escape with lesser injuries. The house is completely destroyed.
The injured father is later transferred to a hospital in prison, as it is discovered that he has been avoiding serving jail time for a previous offense. Czech Human Rights Minister Michael Kocáb asks Czech President Klaus to grant him clemency.
20 April - The government announces the adoption of measures through which the state will start to fight against right-wing extremism. Roma activists and others protest the attack. Then-European Commissioner Vladimír Špidla says the European Commission is disturbed by the rise in violence against Roma in the Czech Republic and the EU as a whole.
22 April - The Vítkov town hall announces a public collection in support of the family.
23 April - Czech President Václav Klaus decides to immediately suspend the prison sentence of the burned girl's injured father. He had previously been convicted of theft, property damage, and driving a car without a license.
25 April - The Roma family receives clothing and other items from a humanitarian collection organized by the Life Together civic association.
29 April - The injured mother's health improves. She is transferred to a regular hospital unit and sees three of her children for the first time since the fire. Her fourth, the two-year-old, is still in a very critical condition.
30 April - Doctors release the father. His partner and daughter remain in hospital.
12 August - Police arrest 12 people in relation to the Vítkov attack, eight of whom are later released.
14 August - Policie charge four right-wing extremists from the Bruntál and Opava districts with racially motivated attempted murder. They are taken into custody. The suspects are all said to be promoters of the extreme right: Jaromír Lukeš and Václav Cojocaru are from Opava, while Ivo Müller and David Vaculík are from Horní Benešov.
4 November - Vaculík is convicted by the District Court in Bruntál of having assaulted audience members at a heavy metal concert in Rýmařov and is given a half-year suspended sentence. In April 2010, an appeals court overturns this verdict.
16 November - The victimized family moves into a new house in Budišov nad Budišovkou, purchased with money from the public collection. A total of CZK 890 000 was donated from around the country and around the world.
Czech President Klaus grants the father of the injured girl clemency.
2010
5 February - The investigation of the arson is completed, police ask the state prosecutor to proceed against the four right-wing extremists.
9 February - The state prosecutor files suit with the Regional Court in Ostrava. Police charge the four men with racially motivated attempted murder against more than one person, one of whom was a minor.
3 May - The Czech government's report on extremist incidents during 2009 mentions the Vítkov arson as the most serious case of the year.
11 May - The trial begins. The proceedings are accompanied throughout by disagreements between the defense attorneys and presiding judge Miloslav Studnička. The defense criticizes Studnička for handling the hearings in what they allege is an illegal manner.
16 September - The court finishes hearing evidence.
5 October - The state prosecutor asks for extraordinary sentencing (between 15 and 25 years in prison) for three defendants. She recommends normal sentencing (15 years) for Ivo Müller.
6 October - During closing arguments, Ivo Müller and Václav Cojocaru apologize to the victims for their crimes.
20 October - The Regional Court in Ostrava sentences the four extremists to extraordinary prison sentences: David Vaculík, Ivo Müller and Jaromír Lukeš 22 years, Václav Cojocaru 20 years, to be served in a maximum-security facility. They will also have to pay many millions of crowns in compensation.
Previous verdicts in cases of right-wing extremist attacks against Roma in the Czech Republic
Murder of a 17-year-old Roma boy in Písek
On 24 September 1993, skinheads attacked a group of Roma in the town of Písek and drove them into the river Otava. A 17-year-old Roma boy drowned during the attack. The case was ruled on by the District, Regional and High Courts. The final verdict was handed down in 1999. Three skinheads received prison sentences of eight years, seven-and-a-half years and six-and-a-half years respectively for racially motivated murder and attempted murder.
Murder of a Roma man in Žďár nad Sázavou
On 14 May 1995, four skinheads attacked a 42-year-old Roma man in his own home in Žďár nad Sázavou. He died as a result of his injuries. The Regional Court in Brno first sentenced Zdeněk Podrázský to 12 years in prison for murder but did not find for racial motivation. A second perpetrator was sentenced to 18 months in prison, while two other juvenile perpetrators were given suspended sentences of six and two months respectively. In 1996, the High Court found for racial motivation and increased the sentences: Podrázský received 13 years and the second perpetrator received 20 months.
Violent death of a Roma man in Orlová-Lutyně
On 17 May 1998, four skinheads attacked a 40-year-old Roma man in Orlová-Lutyně and left him lying in the middle of a road. Several minutes later a police officer ran him over, for which he received a suspended sentence. The man died as a result of his injuries. In 2001, the Ostrava Regional Court sentenced two of the skinheads to three years and one year in prison respectively. The other two skinheads were given suspended sentences. The court qualified the crime as grievous bodily harm resulting in death.
Murder of a 30-year-old Roma man in Svitavý
On 21 July 2001, 22-year-old Vlastimil Pechanec, a known skinhead, verbally attacked a local 30-year-old Roma man at a disco in Svitavý before stabbing him to death. In 2003 the High Court in Prague sentenced Pechanec to 17 years in prison for racially motivated murder. The length of the sentence was determined by the racial motivation of the crime and by the evaluations of experts who labeled Pechanec an unlikely candidate for rehabilitation.
Previous selected verdicts in cases of arson attacks on Roma homes in the Czech Republic
- In February 1996 in the town of Krnov, five youths threw Molotov cocktails into the apartments of two Roma families. Firefighters managed to put out one of the fires. The youths repeated their crime several days later, throwing a Molotov cocktail into another apartment. The Roma family living there managed to put out the fire. In 2002, four of the youths were given suspended sentences, while a fifth was sent to prison for three years.
- In January 1998 a group of perpetrators threw a Molotov cocktail into a Roma family's apartment in Krnov. A 48-year-old woman suffered severe burns and a man was lightly injured. Police charged three youths with the attack. In February 2002 the District Court in Krnov sentenced neo-Nazi Radek Bedrim to two years in prison. His two accomplices were released for lack of evidence.
Previous selected cases of arson committed by neo-Nazis or promoters of the extreme right elsewhere in Central Europe, including verdicts (where reached)
23 November 1992 - Neo-Nazis in the town of Mölln in northern Germany murdered two Turkish women and a 10-year-old girl when they threw Molotov cocktails into two homes. In December 1993, two perpetrators were sentenced to life in prison and 10 years in prison respectively.
28 May 1993 - An arson attack on a building in which Turkish families were living in the town of Solingen in western Germany took the lives of five victims, three women and two little girls. After the attack, angry Turks from all over Germany clashed with police in Solingen for several days. The attack prompted anger abroad and outrage in German officialdom. In October 1994, four young Germans were sentenced to prison sentences of between 10 and 15 years for the arson. The prosecution said they had been motivated by "hatred of foreigners".
25 March 1994 - Unidentified perpetrators threw explosives into a synagogue in Lübeck where six families were living. The subsequent fire was spotted in time, so everyone was saved and no one was injured. In May, police arrested four young right-wing extremists who were then given sentences of between two and four years in prison. It was the first attack on a Jewish synagogue in Germany since the end of WWII. Several other synagogues have been attacked since then.
28 September 1994 - A home for refugees in the town of Herford in northern Germany was intentionally set on fire, killing an 11-year-old boy and his 23-year-old physically disabled sister. Both were from the former Yugoslavia.
21 July 1995 - A group of skinheads in the town of Žiar nad Hronom in Slovakia attacked an 18-year-old Roma man, Mário Goral, poured fuel over him and set him on fire. The youth died as a result of his injuries 11 days later. The main perpetrator was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for racially motivated murder. Two of his accomplices were also sentenced to prison time, while the rest "got away" with suspended sentences.
18 January 1996 - In the town of Lübeck in northern Germany, a fire was intentionally set at a hostel for immigrants and resulted in 10 deaths, including three children. A Lebanese refugee was suspected of the attack but was released in June of the following year for lack of evidence. The state prosecutor had originally charged him with setting the fire for motives of revenge, basing the charges on the testimony of an emergency responder to whom the youth had allegedly confessed. However, from the beginning the defense was of the opinion that the attack had been committed from the outside, by racists. The defense criticized the German justice system for failing to thoroughly investigate initial suspicions that four German skinheads from nearby Grevesmühlen had committed the crime.
April 1996 - In the town of Hontianské Nemce in Slovakia, skinheads set the home of a Roma family on fire, killing one Roma man and injuring three others. The mayor allegedly refused to call police to the scene.
23 February 2009 - A commando unit of right-wing extremists threw Molotov cocktails into a Roma home in the village of Tatarszentgyörgy and then shot the residents as they fled the fire. The father of the family and his five-year-old son were killed. This gruesome crime was part of a series of dozens of similar attacks throughout Hungary during which six Roma were murdered. A group suspected of committing these crimes was arrested in the summer of 2009. All of them belonged to the right-wing nationalist scene. The investigation was completed this past August and the trial should start soon.
Romea.CZ
'Racist' who abused mixed-race family on Streatham bus faces jail (UK)
A racist who abused and assaulted a Streatham mum travelling on a bus with her mixed-race family faces jail.
Suzanne Long was abused, hit and spat at by Michelle Thomas on a bus ride to Streatham with her children and nieces.
On October 8, Ms Long told Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court: “She called us 'white slags', running around with black men and half-breed kids.
“The children asked me what half-breed was when we got off the bus.”
Ms Long, with her two sisters and five of her children and nieces aged two to 10, got on the 109 service to Streatham on June 5, after visiting a relative in Thornton Heath.
Her sister, Kerry Long, became involved in a heated argument with Thomas at about 9.30pm as the bus passed through Mitcham, after asking Thomas to stop swearing in front of the children although Thomas, 39, later claimed Kerry Long had racially abused her.
Other passengers restrained Thomas as she became agitated and encouraged her to leave the bus.
Three witnesses said she lashed out at Suzanne Long with a clenched fist and spat at her as she was protecting her children.
The court heard nurse and fellow passenger Wendy Jack helped comfort the now hysterical children as the shouting continued – but was also hit and spat on by Thomas.
Giving evidence at the trial she said: “I was angry – very angry. The children didn’t do anything. It just wasn’t right.”
Police were called to the bus and took statements from passengers, but when it eventually continued its journey Thomas tried to get on again at a stop in Streatham Common.
When passengers shouted for the driver not to open the doors she stood in front of the bus shouting for “about five minutes”, a witness said.
The family eventually left the bus outside Streatham Ice Rink, near their home, and Thomas – who lives in St George Wharf, Battersea – was arrested later that night.
Magistrates found Thomas guilty of racially-aggravated threatening behaviour and of assaulting Kerry Long, Suzanne Long and Wendy Jack.
Thomas, who denied all the charges, was told she could be jailed when she is sentenced on October 29.
Your Local Guardian
Suzanne Long was abused, hit and spat at by Michelle Thomas on a bus ride to Streatham with her children and nieces.
On October 8, Ms Long told Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court: “She called us 'white slags', running around with black men and half-breed kids.
“The children asked me what half-breed was when we got off the bus.”
Ms Long, with her two sisters and five of her children and nieces aged two to 10, got on the 109 service to Streatham on June 5, after visiting a relative in Thornton Heath.
Her sister, Kerry Long, became involved in a heated argument with Thomas at about 9.30pm as the bus passed through Mitcham, after asking Thomas to stop swearing in front of the children although Thomas, 39, later claimed Kerry Long had racially abused her.
Other passengers restrained Thomas as she became agitated and encouraged her to leave the bus.
Three witnesses said she lashed out at Suzanne Long with a clenched fist and spat at her as she was protecting her children.
The court heard nurse and fellow passenger Wendy Jack helped comfort the now hysterical children as the shouting continued – but was also hit and spat on by Thomas.
Giving evidence at the trial she said: “I was angry – very angry. The children didn’t do anything. It just wasn’t right.”
Police were called to the bus and took statements from passengers, but when it eventually continued its journey Thomas tried to get on again at a stop in Streatham Common.
When passengers shouted for the driver not to open the doors she stood in front of the bus shouting for “about five minutes”, a witness said.
The family eventually left the bus outside Streatham Ice Rink, near their home, and Thomas – who lives in St George Wharf, Battersea – was arrested later that night.
Magistrates found Thomas guilty of racially-aggravated threatening behaviour and of assaulting Kerry Long, Suzanne Long and Wendy Jack.
Thomas, who denied all the charges, was told she could be jailed when she is sentenced on October 29.
Your Local Guardian
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Police in Derbyshire urge BNP to reveal venue (UK)
Police in Derbyshire have urged the British National Party (BNP) to tell them where in the county they intend to hold their annual conference.
On Tuesday, the party confirmed it would hold its conference in South Derbyshire in December but would not confirm an exact location.
Supt Gary Parkin said the force needed to put in place "appropriate resources" near the venue.
Continue reading the main story
The BNP said Derbyshire had been chosen because of its central location.
Cost implications
John Walker, press spokesman for the BNP, said the actual location had not been finalised.
He said: "We've got quite a lot of members in the Derbyshire area and the east and West Midlands. It is a popular area for us and a central location.
"Things are still in the planning stages and this is the decision the party hierarchy has made, possibly on security grounds."
He added they would be expecting about 500 people to attend the conference.
Mr Parkin said: "We need to know what sort of venue this will be at and how many people will attend so we can start the planning stage and put the appropriate resources in place.
"Every event has a cost but this is a party that attracts a certain degree of protest so there will be costs involved. We are in touch constantly with the BNP to see if we can confirm or deny where it will be held," he said.
For three years Denby in Derbyshire hosted the party's Red White and Blue Festival, which in 2009 cost about £500,000 to police.
BBC News
On Tuesday, the party confirmed it would hold its conference in South Derbyshire in December but would not confirm an exact location.
Supt Gary Parkin said the force needed to put in place "appropriate resources" near the venue.
Continue reading the main story
The BNP said Derbyshire had been chosen because of its central location.
Cost implications
John Walker, press spokesman for the BNP, said the actual location had not been finalised.
He said: "We've got quite a lot of members in the Derbyshire area and the east and West Midlands. It is a popular area for us and a central location.
"Things are still in the planning stages and this is the decision the party hierarchy has made, possibly on security grounds."
He added they would be expecting about 500 people to attend the conference.
Mr Parkin said: "We need to know what sort of venue this will be at and how many people will attend so we can start the planning stage and put the appropriate resources in place.
"Every event has a cost but this is a party that attracts a certain degree of protest so there will be costs involved. We are in touch constantly with the BNP to see if we can confirm or deny where it will be held," he said.
For three years Denby in Derbyshire hosted the party's Red White and Blue Festival, which in 2009 cost about £500,000 to police.
BBC News
Czech Court Gives Record Sentence for Racial Crime
A court in the northeastern Czech city of Ostrava Wednesday gave the country’s longest-ever sentence for a racial crime, finding four Czech neo-Nazi sympathizers guilty of setting fire to a Roma family’s house, in which a two-year-old girl suffered severe burns.
After a trial that began in May, the court sentenced the four men to 20 and 22 years in high-security prison for attempted murder and damage to property. They were also sentenced to pay nearly $1 million in damages and hospital costs to the Roma family. All four appealed the sentence.
The arson attack on the Romas, or gypsies, happened in the northeastern Czech town of Vitkov on April 19, 2009 — a day before the 120th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s death.
The attack stoked fears among the public of growing activity of ultra-right and neo-Nazi groups in the Czech Republic. Most of the Czech society of nearly 11 million have been outraged by the assault that intimidated the country’s largely impoverished and ostracized Roma community, estimated at about 300,000 people.
During the televised trial of the four arsonists, prosecutors showed evidence that the four men, between 22 and 26 years of age, were members or sympathizers of illegal Nazi extremist groups, and that they threw homemade Molotov cocktails at the house with an intention to take lives.
“The culprits chose the night, the house and the three centers of the fire with the intention to kill the people in the house, or to make their rescue difficult,” Miloslav Studnicka, a judge from the regional Ostrava court presiding over the trial, said during the sentence delivery.
Two adults were injured during the fire, but a toddler named Natalka suffered burns on 80% of her body and was released from hospital care nearly eight months after the attack. (Photos and a Czech article on the trial here.)
The judge went on to describe the crime as explicitly motivated by racial and ethnic hatred.
“[Perpetrators] committed the crime (…) in an exceptionally cruel and painful way, on people younger than 15 years of age, and because of their ethnicity,” the judge said.
Wall Street Journal Blog
After a trial that began in May, the court sentenced the four men to 20 and 22 years in high-security prison for attempted murder and damage to property. They were also sentenced to pay nearly $1 million in damages and hospital costs to the Roma family. All four appealed the sentence.
The arson attack on the Romas, or gypsies, happened in the northeastern Czech town of Vitkov on April 19, 2009 — a day before the 120th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s death.
The attack stoked fears among the public of growing activity of ultra-right and neo-Nazi groups in the Czech Republic. Most of the Czech society of nearly 11 million have been outraged by the assault that intimidated the country’s largely impoverished and ostracized Roma community, estimated at about 300,000 people.
During the televised trial of the four arsonists, prosecutors showed evidence that the four men, between 22 and 26 years of age, were members or sympathizers of illegal Nazi extremist groups, and that they threw homemade Molotov cocktails at the house with an intention to take lives.
“The culprits chose the night, the house and the three centers of the fire with the intention to kill the people in the house, or to make their rescue difficult,” Miloslav Studnicka, a judge from the regional Ostrava court presiding over the trial, said during the sentence delivery.
Two adults were injured during the fire, but a toddler named Natalka suffered burns on 80% of her body and was released from hospital care nearly eight months after the attack. (Photos and a Czech article on the trial here.)
The judge went on to describe the crime as explicitly motivated by racial and ethnic hatred.
“[Perpetrators] committed the crime (…) in an exceptionally cruel and painful way, on people younger than 15 years of age, and because of their ethnicity,” the judge said.
Wall Street Journal Blog
Wilders has already been found guilty, says his lawyer in 14 hour speech (Netherlands)
Anti-Islam campaigner Geert Wilders should never have been taken to court on inciting hatred charges because he has already been found guilty, the MP's lawyer Bram
Moszkowicz was outlining the defence's case at the MP's trial in Amsterdam.
The lawyer said Amsterdam appeal court had already found the MP guilty in January 2009, when it ruled in favour of a group of individuals and organisations who wanted to see Wilders prosecuted.
Not guilty
The public prosecution department, which last week said the MP should be found not-guilty on all counts, had decided not to take him to court, saying there was no case against him.
Moszkowicz said that appeal court ruling meant Wilders could not have a fair trial. It is a 'scandal' that the court has already ruled Wilders to be an Islamaphobe, the lawyer said.
'Judges, a previous court has already decided that Wilders' statements are insulting to Muslims,' Moszkowicz, who estimates his full testimony will take 14 hours, said.
Galileo
In addition, Moszkowicz said it is important to note that at least some of the statements made by Wilders are true. He likened the MP to Galileo, who went against established church teachings in the 17th century when he argued the sun did not revolve around the earth.
'Do not shoot the messenger,' Nos tv quoted the lawyer as saying.
Moszkowicz spoke for six hours on Tuesday and is expected to speak for eight on Thursday when the trial resumes, Nos said.
Dutch News
Moszkowicz was outlining the defence's case at the MP's trial in Amsterdam.
The lawyer said Amsterdam appeal court had already found the MP guilty in January 2009, when it ruled in favour of a group of individuals and organisations who wanted to see Wilders prosecuted.
Not guilty
The public prosecution department, which last week said the MP should be found not-guilty on all counts, had decided not to take him to court, saying there was no case against him.
Moszkowicz said that appeal court ruling meant Wilders could not have a fair trial. It is a 'scandal' that the court has already ruled Wilders to be an Islamaphobe, the lawyer said.
'Judges, a previous court has already decided that Wilders' statements are insulting to Muslims,' Moszkowicz, who estimates his full testimony will take 14 hours, said.
Galileo
In addition, Moszkowicz said it is important to note that at least some of the statements made by Wilders are true. He likened the MP to Galileo, who went against established church teachings in the 17th century when he argued the sun did not revolve around the earth.
'Do not shoot the messenger,' Nos tv quoted the lawyer as saying.
Moszkowicz spoke for six hours on Tuesday and is expected to speak for eight on Thursday when the trial resumes, Nos said.
Dutch News
POLICE CALL FOR TIGHTENED BORDER CONTROL (Denmark)
Border control officers say large numbers of illegal immigrants come to Denmark via Sweden
Border control police at Copenhagen Airport say they are frustrated at the amount of illegal immigrants who enter Denmark each day from Sweden due to a lack of border control, reports Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Airport police believe that a lack of border control means that between 300-400 people illegally enter the country each day. According to the police, illegal immigrants come to Denmark on the train from Malmö, Sweden. The figures, according to police, have been compiled during an effort to prevent illegal immigration that started in February 2009. As part of the effort, five officers board the train at Copenhagen Airport. On average, they are able to identify five illegal immigrants by the time the train arrives at the next stop. The police also point out that illegal immigrants are likely to be travelling by car over the Øresund Bridge. Airport police have proposed putting 200 police officers into a control department in the capital, which would then monitor activity and make arrests if necessary. The move has already received backing from the right-wing Danish People’s Party.
CPHPost
Border control police at Copenhagen Airport say they are frustrated at the amount of illegal immigrants who enter Denmark each day from Sweden due to a lack of border control, reports Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Airport police believe that a lack of border control means that between 300-400 people illegally enter the country each day. According to the police, illegal immigrants come to Denmark on the train from Malmö, Sweden. The figures, according to police, have been compiled during an effort to prevent illegal immigration that started in February 2009. As part of the effort, five officers board the train at Copenhagen Airport. On average, they are able to identify five illegal immigrants by the time the train arrives at the next stop. The police also point out that illegal immigrants are likely to be travelling by car over the Øresund Bridge. Airport police have proposed putting 200 police officers into a control department in the capital, which would then monitor activity and make arrests if necessary. The move has already received backing from the right-wing Danish People’s Party.
CPHPost
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