Here's a video report from ITV Wales about the BNP Koran burning member Sion Owens.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Far-Right party offers only return to a hate-filled past (UK)
Northern Ireland must reject the BNP's politics of division, says Matthew Collins
The British National Party (BNP) has announced that it is going to put forward candidates in the May 5 elections in Northern Ireland. As a registered political party, it is entitled to take part in the democratic process like any other party.
After 10 days of stark reminders for the people of Northern Ireland of the return of dark histories, the BNP is itself another unwelcome throwback to conflict and hatred.
From the very top of the party right down to the shallow bowels of its diminishing membership, the BNP represents ideals of hatred, division and conflict.
Sadly, for Northern Ireland, the hate party has taken it upon itself to offer its own brand of poison to the electorate at a time when it is being driven out of its home in England by mounting debts, internal division and allegations of corruption.
The BNP ran its fundraising in Belfast for three years, while making an element of political headway in England. Now the party is on the brink of extinction in England, decimated by infighting and financial scandal, while its Belfast operation has ended in acrimony.
The BNP wants to put itself forward to voters in spite of owing people here thousands of pounds in unpaid bills and salaries, having taken advantage of local people's goodwill and Northern Ireland's low-wage economy.
When the BNP did a vanishing act from its premises in Dundonald just before Christmas, it left behind its local workforce facing the festive season without money.
One exasperated printer from Belfast, owed money by the BNP, is reported to have travelled to Wales last month in the desperate hope that they could receive payment for the work carried out in good faith for the BNP.
In spite of this, the BNP now wants to cash in again on the local economic climate. This time the party is hoping it can gain from the misdemeanours of the global banking industry and lay the blame for cuts in services and jobs on the heads of Northern Ireland's migrant community.
The BNP is likely to try to position itself in the unionist community and play on difficulties and competition over the allocation of services, like housing and schools, while further dividing and splitting the unionist vote.
Can we really trust a party that does not even pay the local printer who produced its previous divisive and hateful promises?
We've seen the likes of the BNP before in Northern Ireland. When its leader, Nick Griffin, was the leader of the National Front in the 1980s, his Ulster organiser was imprisoned for his part in firebombing the homes of RUC officers and was lauded as a 'prisoner of war' by Griffin's party.
Later, Griffin turned up in Libya and was photographed posing under a portrait of his then political hero, Colonel Gaddafi, again in a search for money.
He and his party were shown the revulsion they deserved by the community here which they believed held their electoral hopes.
Of course, that was all a long time ago. Yet two months ago, the BNP's civil rights group, Civil Liberty, praised the views of Gerard Mc Geough, the former IRA man who had just been convicted for the attempted murder of an off-duty UDR man in 1981.
It seems that, wherever there is hatred and wherever there is darkness, people like the BNP will try and make gains from it.
On May 5, they'll be trying to do it at the expense of people who have come to Northern Ireland for new lives to work in hospitals, drive taxis, work the land and live as our friends and neighbours.
They come in search of a new start and - like the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland - they want to live in peace.
No amount of flag-waving, expediency and IOUs from the BNP can disguise the fact that they are a step back into the darkness and have only come here to hate.
Belfast Telegraph
The British National Party (BNP) has announced that it is going to put forward candidates in the May 5 elections in Northern Ireland. As a registered political party, it is entitled to take part in the democratic process like any other party.
After 10 days of stark reminders for the people of Northern Ireland of the return of dark histories, the BNP is itself another unwelcome throwback to conflict and hatred.
From the very top of the party right down to the shallow bowels of its diminishing membership, the BNP represents ideals of hatred, division and conflict.
Sadly, for Northern Ireland, the hate party has taken it upon itself to offer its own brand of poison to the electorate at a time when it is being driven out of its home in England by mounting debts, internal division and allegations of corruption.
The BNP ran its fundraising in Belfast for three years, while making an element of political headway in England. Now the party is on the brink of extinction in England, decimated by infighting and financial scandal, while its Belfast operation has ended in acrimony.
The BNP wants to put itself forward to voters in spite of owing people here thousands of pounds in unpaid bills and salaries, having taken advantage of local people's goodwill and Northern Ireland's low-wage economy.
When the BNP did a vanishing act from its premises in Dundonald just before Christmas, it left behind its local workforce facing the festive season without money.
One exasperated printer from Belfast, owed money by the BNP, is reported to have travelled to Wales last month in the desperate hope that they could receive payment for the work carried out in good faith for the BNP.
In spite of this, the BNP now wants to cash in again on the local economic climate. This time the party is hoping it can gain from the misdemeanours of the global banking industry and lay the blame for cuts in services and jobs on the heads of Northern Ireland's migrant community.
The BNP is likely to try to position itself in the unionist community and play on difficulties and competition over the allocation of services, like housing and schools, while further dividing and splitting the unionist vote.
Can we really trust a party that does not even pay the local printer who produced its previous divisive and hateful promises?
We've seen the likes of the BNP before in Northern Ireland. When its leader, Nick Griffin, was the leader of the National Front in the 1980s, his Ulster organiser was imprisoned for his part in firebombing the homes of RUC officers and was lauded as a 'prisoner of war' by Griffin's party.
Later, Griffin turned up in Libya and was photographed posing under a portrait of his then political hero, Colonel Gaddafi, again in a search for money.
He and his party were shown the revulsion they deserved by the community here which they believed held their electoral hopes.
Of course, that was all a long time ago. Yet two months ago, the BNP's civil rights group, Civil Liberty, praised the views of Gerard Mc Geough, the former IRA man who had just been convicted for the attempted murder of an off-duty UDR man in 1981.
It seems that, wherever there is hatred and wherever there is darkness, people like the BNP will try and make gains from it.
On May 5, they'll be trying to do it at the expense of people who have come to Northern Ireland for new lives to work in hospitals, drive taxis, work the land and live as our friends and neighbours.
They come in search of a new start and - like the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland - they want to live in peace.
No amount of flag-waving, expediency and IOUs from the BNP can disguise the fact that they are a step back into the darkness and have only come here to hate.
Belfast Telegraph
Carlisle man who burned Koran due to be sentenced on Monday (UK)
Andrew Ryan, who claims to be a member of the English Defence League, will appear at Carlisle Magistrates Court.
Ryan, 32, of Summerhill, London Road, has pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated harassment and theft of a copy of the Koran from Carlisle Library.
The court previously heard he set fire to it on January 19.
News & Star
Ryan, 32, of Summerhill, London Road, has pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated harassment and theft of a copy of the Koran from Carlisle Library.
The court previously heard he set fire to it on January 19.
News & Star
Mum who spat in bus driver’s face during racist attack was caught by DNA (UK)
A bus driver used a ‘spit kit’ to bring a foul-mouthed young mum to justice.
Mohammed Tawasin used the DIY forensic equipment to trap Hayley Warburton after she spat on his face during a racist tirade.
The 21-year-old mum objected to the £2 fare after boarding the First Bus service with her baby daughter.
Warburton screamed racial abuse at Mr Tawasin for more than 12 minutes in front of around 20 passengers during the incident last June.
Sean Brady, prosecuting, said furious Warburton ended up squirting a sun oil bottle at the driver’s face as she exited the bus on Ashton Old Road, before spitting and fleeing with the baby in a buggy.
Warburton, of Horstead Walk, Levenshulme, told Manchester magistrates court that she had sprayed and spat at the driver but denied using racist language.
However, she was convicted of racially aggravated assault and sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work for the community, as well as being ordered to pay £150 compensation to the driver and £100 costs.
Mr Brady said Mr Tawasin had used his spit kit, which is issued to drivers to prevent abusive incidents, to swab his face and the sample matched
Warburton’s DNA.
In a statement to the court, the driver said the attack had left him questioning whether to carry on with the job.
He said: “I believe she did this because she is racist and didn’t want to pay the fare and wanted a fight.
“This has left me terrified and angry. The fact she squirted oil into my face has shook me up – it could have been anything.”
Passing sentence, the chairman of the bench said: “What you did was very serious and aggravated by the racial abuse.”
Manchester Evening News
Mohammed Tawasin used the DIY forensic equipment to trap Hayley Warburton after she spat on his face during a racist tirade.
The 21-year-old mum objected to the £2 fare after boarding the First Bus service with her baby daughter.
Warburton screamed racial abuse at Mr Tawasin for more than 12 minutes in front of around 20 passengers during the incident last June.
Sean Brady, prosecuting, said furious Warburton ended up squirting a sun oil bottle at the driver’s face as she exited the bus on Ashton Old Road, before spitting and fleeing with the baby in a buggy.
Warburton, of Horstead Walk, Levenshulme, told Manchester magistrates court that she had sprayed and spat at the driver but denied using racist language.
However, she was convicted of racially aggravated assault and sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work for the community, as well as being ordered to pay £150 compensation to the driver and £100 costs.
Mr Brady said Mr Tawasin had used his spit kit, which is issued to drivers to prevent abusive incidents, to swab his face and the sample matched
Warburton’s DNA.
In a statement to the court, the driver said the attack had left him questioning whether to carry on with the job.
He said: “I believe she did this because she is racist and didn’t want to pay the fare and wanted a fight.
“This has left me terrified and angry. The fact she squirted oil into my face has shook me up – it could have been anything.”
Passing sentence, the chairman of the bench said: “What you did was very serious and aggravated by the racial abuse.”
Manchester Evening News
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Scottish election: National Front profile (UK)
It was founded in 1967 from a number of racist groups including the Racial Preservation Society, with the aim of opposing immigration and multi-culturalism in Britain.
The NF describes itself as a "Racial Nationalist Party" - and says it wants a halt to all non-white immigration to Britain and the forced repatriation of all people of non-European descent.
Its website attacks the BNP for "admitting the Holocaust in the face of the evidence".
In the 1970s it was known for its violent demonstrations, particularly in London, where it often faced anti-fascist protesters from opposing left-wing groups.
Hundreds of police officers and demonstrators were injured in marches during this period, when the party was led by John Tyndall, a white supremacist who later went on to form the BNP.
The party says it stands for "white family values" and the "Fourteen Words", a white nationalist slogan that states: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."
Split in two
Its policies include the recriminalisation of homosexuality, repealing the 1967 Abortion Act and the withdrawal of Britain from the EU and Nato.
The prison service and police currently forbid its employees to be members of the party.
After the 1979 general election, where the NF received 0.6% of the vote, the party was nearly bankrupted when more than 300 candidates' deposits were lost.
In the 1983 general election the National Front vote fell from 191,000 to 27,065, and the party effectively split in two.
On one side were young members such as future BNP leader Nick Griffin, who had little interest in contesting elections and wanted to devote all their time to bringing about nationalism through "revolution".
The other faction argued that the NF should continue fighting elections and playing on populist and racist sentiments.
Mr Tyndall was expelled over the NF's financial difficulties. He went on to form the British National Party.
The National Front fielded little more than a dozen candidates in each of the general elections in the 90s, and its vote share dropped from 0.1% in 1992 to 0% in four ballots from 1997.
In February 2010, when the British National Party had to change its constitution to allow non-whites into the party because of a High Court decision, the NF claimed to have received more than 1,000 membership inquiries from BNP members.
The party is this year standing for the first time in a Scottish election, fielding five candidates, four in the north east and one in the Livingston constituency.
BBC News
BNP activist’s Facebook threats (UK)
James Winstanley, an active member of the BNP who stood in last year’s general election, made the comment on his Facebook webpage along with a crude racist slur.
Shaven-headed Winstanley, 21, boasted that a woman had shouted at him as he leafleted for the forthcoming local elections and then joked about how he would return later that day to post excrement through her letterbox instead.
Winstanley, of Poynter Street, Thatto Heath, was a key member of a gang of party activists who stormed Birkenhead Magistrates’ Court last month and threatened to arrest a judge.
He has also stood in several local elections for the party, recently contesting the Haydock by-election - where he only mustered 141 votes.
And his latest outburst is unlikely to win many votes in the Bold ward - where he is standing in the May 5 local elections.
Winstanley, who is part of the North West BNP security team and has acted as a bodyguard to party leader Nick Griffin, could not be contacted for comment and there was no answer when the Reporter visited his home.
But a BNP spokesman jumped to his defence.
He said: “I’m sure James was merely figuratively speaking. When the BNP membership list was leaked a couple of years ago the comedienne Jo Brand said something similar - what’s the difference?
“If our guy (Winstanley) had called the police to report the lady for a public order offence he would have been a laughing stock. Lots of comments like this go on Facebook every day.”
Other messages posted by Winstanley included offensive remarks about Muslims and told how he had stormed into Birkenhead Magistrates’ Court as part of a “lawful rebellion” to arrest a judge for not acting under common law.
Simon Cressy, of Searchlight Magazine, who first came across Winstanley’s posts, told the St Helens Reporter: “Winstanley’s disgusting comments represent the true face of the British National Party. This goes to show the contempt that the BNP have for the voters of the area.”
Admitting that the language Winstanley used about Muslims was “not something I approve of”, the BNP spokesman added: “Searchlight is a publicly funded body which receives a lottery grant and spends all its time following our members on Facebook. Why can’t they attack us on policy instead?”
St Helen's Reporter
Dirty rotten racist (BNP)
And Steven Moore, who will contest both the East Antrim Assembly and council elections, also has a fascination with Hitler
The party’s Ulster Organiser is one of the first BNP candidates to finally put themselves at the mercy of the electorate.
On Wednesday the far-right party announced they would be contesting three Assembly seats and would also be targeting four council seats.
Another of the candidates is former Traditional Unionist Voice candidate Ann Cooper who caused controversy when she gave support to seven customs workers who were sacked for deliberately underpaying ethnic minorities.
She said the sacked workers deserved a medal!
Hooligans
The BNP have cranked up their efforts in Northern Ireland in the run-up to the election on May 5.
Last week before the Northern Ireland soccer match at Windsor Park, BNP activists connected to football hooligans from Leeds handed out sick anti-Muslim leaflets to fans.
The shocking leaflet carried the headline, “Our Children are not Halal Meat” and warned how Muslim paedophile gangs are “preying on vulnerable white girls”.
But we can reveal Moore is a real walking rightwing cliché!
He’s seen here posing in braces, jeans and a Fred Perry t-shirt sporting a pair of dark shades and the obligatory skinhead and tattoo.
Despite attempts from the far-right party, led by convicted racist Nick Griffin, to re-brand themselves as a friendly non-racist party they continue to be run by people like Moore.
Ulster organiser Moore is exposed here as a racist who loves Hitler videos, slagging off ethnic minorities and listening to twisted skinhead bands.
Moore may claim to have all the Protestant credentials needed to run the BNP in Northern Ireland, but he also comes with the usual embarrassment of sectarian hatreds and relaxed attitude towards rape and violence.
Moore has joked online how he had been arrested after raping a female work colleague for an April Fool’s joke and made unsavoury comments about the blind.
And Moore’s grasp of Northern Ireland isues is disturbing.
He described the pogrom against Roma families in south Belfast three years ago as an act against people who are “inherently criminal” and “Stinking Gypsy bastards”.
When Moore isn’t posting videos by white power bands such as Skrewdriver on Facebook, he reveals his fancy for all things “Third Reich” by sharing videos of Adolf Hitler with his online friends.
One apparent favourite is entitled: “Why the world cannot forget Adolf Hitler”.
He also has a penchant for songs and videos of the German Wehrmacht.
Mosque
Elsewhere, Moore has thrown his energies into trying to stop a mosque allegedly being built in Ballymena and more recently launched a campaign to terrify the people of Larne that a proposed detention centre for failed asylum seekers will turn their town into some sort of Asian ghetto.
Like most BNP members, Moore calls Muslims “ragheads” and Catholics “taigs”.
Other pointers to Moore’s opinions are revealed in some of his Facebook entries.
One starts: “Why the f**k do parents allow their daughters to run about at all hours of the night with Asians when these outrages are common knowledge? Bring back the rope.”
And another highlights his loyalist roots: “F**k the Bloody Sunday enquiry.We have always been the victims of republican genocide.”
Last night anti-Fascist campaigner Matthew Collins told the Sunday World that the people of Northern Ireland do not need the BNP.
“The BNP represent a dark age where bigotry is seen as a simple solution to complex issues,” he said while on a visit to Belfast.
“To move forward Northern Ireland has to reject racism as well as sectarianism. The BNP offers nothing on both.
“Their appointment of Steven Moore is a step into the past judging by his warped views and opinions and I don’t think the people of Ulster will be in a rush to get behind this right wing dinosaur.”
Sunday World
Web-based hate activity on the rise; A report (Canada)
Anti-Semitism has gone digital as social media and new technologies provide an easy way to spread hate messages, according to a 2010 audit conducted by a human rights organization.
The League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada released its annual report Monday. The Audit of Antisemitic Incidents has been tracking anti-Semitic incidents across Canada for the past 29 years.
The League received 564 reports of Web-based hate activity with a Canadian connection in terms of content, perpetrators and/or victims last year, up from 435 reports in 2009 and 405 reports in 2008, according to the 2010 report.
"It has become so easy to make a hate comment, there's so much expression on the Internet "said Allan Adel, the League's Montreal-based national chairman.
"There seems to be a banalization of racist or anti-Semitic expressions, (an adoption) of the idea words don't hurt," Adel added. "Our position is that's the wrong approach."
Adel urged policy-makers, police and everyday Canadians to adopt a zero-tolerance policy wherever they see anti-Semitism, whether it be in the community or online.
"This kind of hatred is infectious and insidious," said Frank Dimant, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada. "It destroys the very fabric of Canada's multicultural society, and those that would deny its gravity are part of the problem, not the solution," he said.
A total of 1,306 incidents - 965 cases of harassment, 317 cases of vandalism and 24 cases of violence - were reported to the League in 2010, a 3.3-per-cent increase over 2009 and, a fourfold increase over the past decade.
Although Montreal saw a slight decrease in anti-Jewish hatred with 277 incidents reported in 2010, down from 310 incidents in 2009, the city is in no position to celebrate, the report's authors noted.
One third of all hate crimes reported to Montreal police in 2010 were against Jews. And in a section of the report highlighting anti-Semitic incidents across the country, several examples from Montreal were included.
Among them: the April 2010 mugging of a pregnant Jewish woman in Montreal's Vézina Park; the January 2010 smashing of windows at Hebrew Academy in Côte St. Luc; an anti-Semitic YouTube video posted by a Montrealer in May 2010; and slurs hurled by passersby at a Holocaust commemoration event on the steps of Montreal's city hall in April 2010.
"The paradox is that Canada had made such progress and now the Internet is turning the clock back," said Chaim Steinmetz. Steinmetz is the rabbi of Congregaton Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem in Côte St. Luc, one of six Montreal synagogues that had its windows broken one night this January.
"The footprint of hate on the Internet is very large," he said.
Montreal Gazzette
The League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada released its annual report Monday. The Audit of Antisemitic Incidents has been tracking anti-Semitic incidents across Canada for the past 29 years.
The League received 564 reports of Web-based hate activity with a Canadian connection in terms of content, perpetrators and/or victims last year, up from 435 reports in 2009 and 405 reports in 2008, according to the 2010 report.
"It has become so easy to make a hate comment, there's so much expression on the Internet "said Allan Adel, the League's Montreal-based national chairman.
"There seems to be a banalization of racist or anti-Semitic expressions, (an adoption) of the idea words don't hurt," Adel added. "Our position is that's the wrong approach."
Adel urged policy-makers, police and everyday Canadians to adopt a zero-tolerance policy wherever they see anti-Semitism, whether it be in the community or online.
"This kind of hatred is infectious and insidious," said Frank Dimant, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada. "It destroys the very fabric of Canada's multicultural society, and those that would deny its gravity are part of the problem, not the solution," he said.
A total of 1,306 incidents - 965 cases of harassment, 317 cases of vandalism and 24 cases of violence - were reported to the League in 2010, a 3.3-per-cent increase over 2009 and, a fourfold increase over the past decade.
Although Montreal saw a slight decrease in anti-Jewish hatred with 277 incidents reported in 2010, down from 310 incidents in 2009, the city is in no position to celebrate, the report's authors noted.
One third of all hate crimes reported to Montreal police in 2010 were against Jews. And in a section of the report highlighting anti-Semitic incidents across the country, several examples from Montreal were included.
Among them: the April 2010 mugging of a pregnant Jewish woman in Montreal's Vézina Park; the January 2010 smashing of windows at Hebrew Academy in Côte St. Luc; an anti-Semitic YouTube video posted by a Montrealer in May 2010; and slurs hurled by passersby at a Holocaust commemoration event on the steps of Montreal's city hall in April 2010.
"The paradox is that Canada had made such progress and now the Internet is turning the clock back," said Chaim Steinmetz. Steinmetz is the rabbi of Congregaton Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem in Côte St. Luc, one of six Montreal synagogues that had its windows broken one night this January.
"The footprint of hate on the Internet is very large," he said.
Montreal Gazzette
THREE COUNTRIES OFFER TO TAKE MIGRANTS FROM MALTA
hree EU member states this morning offered to take migrants from Malta to ease the migration burden. Sources close to the ongoing meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Minsters in Luxembourg told timesofmalta.com that Belgium, Germany and Hungary have presented offers to Malta to resettle a number of migrants. No numbers have been given yet although Germany has confirmed that it has offered to take up to 100 refugees. Following the civil war in Libya, more than 1,000 migrants arrived in Malta in the past two weeks. Malta has asked for the activation of the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive obliging member states to share the burden with Malta by resettling displaced persons fleeing Libya. However, the Commission has so far refused to make a formal proposal. Commenting prior to the start of the EU’s Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg this morning, Commissioner Malmstrom said: “It is still premature to activate the temporary protection directive and there are other ways to help Malta and Italy.” She said that she will be asking all member states to take migrants from Malta. The ministerial meeting is being attended by Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici.
The Times of Malta
The Times of Malta
Far Right suggests foreigners undergo enforced Norwegian tuition
The Progress Party (FrP) wants to take legal measures to ensure children from a minority background learn Norwegian.
Restrictions
“We want a proactive public integration agency in Oslo that will coordinate information and make sure they comply with the orders the agency gives them,” says former FrP leader Carl I. Hagen.
He suggests giving the “integration agency” powers to cut benefits payments if minority families do not, arguing the right to impose demands for as long as families receive public money.
“When a child is born, the hospital should send the authority a report in cases where it believes parents do not seem to be able to speak Norwegian. The agency will then follow this up, giving instructions, and ensure that these are followed.”
Mr Hagen believes minority children who can speak fluent Norwegian before they start school will be an aid to integration, claiming 2 out of 3 pupils have problems in Oslo’s schools.
Aftenposten says it has documented that 40 percent avoid applying to minority-based schools because of pupils’ poor language skills.
Marginalised
An earlier report by the paper has highlighted that ethnic Norwegians feel like outsiders in their own country amongst increasing numbers of different ethnic minorities that have not been integrated into society.
Patrick Åserud and his wife are one such example. They decided to follow in the steps of 3,000 ethnic Norwegians who have left Groruddalen in the past two years and move out of Oslo with their kindergarten-aged daughter.
“I will not let my children grow up here. I will not take that chance. It has been hard to be an ethnic Norwegian here. [Our decision] is because of huge language problems, as well as a pressure to adapt to the norms that feel totally alien to us who have a Western way of life and thinking,” he told Aftenposten.
The Åseruds claim it has reached a point where they believe they should be the ones who need to be integrated as a minority in their own country. Figures from Statistics Norway confirm Groruddalen’s Norwegian community has sunk by 20,000 in the last 15 years, while the rest of its population has increased. Just over half are now Norwegian.
“There are kindergartens with parents and children that hardly speak Norwegian, and schools where children are threatened with being beaten for having salami sandwiches. Girls are bullied for being blonde, so they colour their hair dark to fit in. It is not okay to be gay at schools, an atheist, and certainly not a Jew.”
Anti-Semitism and racism have been found to be common in Norwegian schools, with some teachers accused of looking the other way.
Meanwhile, multiculturalism does not seem to be an issue for pupils at Oslo’s Mortensrud School in Søndre Nordstrand. 97 percent have immigrant parents, and one pupil told Aftenposten he learns more because of it
“We don’t think so much about where people are from,” said another, 12-year-old Navin Jegakumaran.
The Foreigner
Restrictions
“We want a proactive public integration agency in Oslo that will coordinate information and make sure they comply with the orders the agency gives them,” says former FrP leader Carl I. Hagen.
He suggests giving the “integration agency” powers to cut benefits payments if minority families do not, arguing the right to impose demands for as long as families receive public money.
“When a child is born, the hospital should send the authority a report in cases where it believes parents do not seem to be able to speak Norwegian. The agency will then follow this up, giving instructions, and ensure that these are followed.”
Mr Hagen believes minority children who can speak fluent Norwegian before they start school will be an aid to integration, claiming 2 out of 3 pupils have problems in Oslo’s schools.
Aftenposten says it has documented that 40 percent avoid applying to minority-based schools because of pupils’ poor language skills.
Marginalised
An earlier report by the paper has highlighted that ethnic Norwegians feel like outsiders in their own country amongst increasing numbers of different ethnic minorities that have not been integrated into society.
Patrick Åserud and his wife are one such example. They decided to follow in the steps of 3,000 ethnic Norwegians who have left Groruddalen in the past two years and move out of Oslo with their kindergarten-aged daughter.
“I will not let my children grow up here. I will not take that chance. It has been hard to be an ethnic Norwegian here. [Our decision] is because of huge language problems, as well as a pressure to adapt to the norms that feel totally alien to us who have a Western way of life and thinking,” he told Aftenposten.
The Åseruds claim it has reached a point where they believe they should be the ones who need to be integrated as a minority in their own country. Figures from Statistics Norway confirm Groruddalen’s Norwegian community has sunk by 20,000 in the last 15 years, while the rest of its population has increased. Just over half are now Norwegian.
“There are kindergartens with parents and children that hardly speak Norwegian, and schools where children are threatened with being beaten for having salami sandwiches. Girls are bullied for being blonde, so they colour their hair dark to fit in. It is not okay to be gay at schools, an atheist, and certainly not a Jew.”
Anti-Semitism and racism have been found to be common in Norwegian schools, with some teachers accused of looking the other way.
Meanwhile, multiculturalism does not seem to be an issue for pupils at Oslo’s Mortensrud School in Søndre Nordstrand. 97 percent have immigrant parents, and one pupil told Aftenposten he learns more because of it
“We don’t think so much about where people are from,” said another, 12-year-old Navin Jegakumaran.
The Foreigner
English Defence League attack peaceful French embassy Islamic veil ban protesters in London (UK)
Time and time again the EDL have declared themselves to be not violent and that they are just a peaceful protest movement opposing radical extremist Muslims.
Yet yesterday as a peaceful protest of Muslims and non-Muslims demonstrated outside the French Embassy in London against Frances Islamic veil ban. The EDL stormed into the crowd attacking the protestors.
Any and all claims made by the EDL that they are not violent, or that they are only targeting extremist Muslims can clearly be seen as a total pack of lies, when watching this simple video report from PressTv.
Yet yesterday as a peaceful protest of Muslims and non-Muslims demonstrated outside the French Embassy in London against Frances Islamic veil ban. The EDL stormed into the crowd attacking the protestors.
Any and all claims made by the EDL that they are not violent, or that they are only targeting extremist Muslims can clearly be seen as a total pack of lies, when watching this simple video report from PressTv.
Police reveal rise in hate crime against the elderly (UK)
Police in the Lothians have started recording a new category of hate crime - against pensioners.
The force has been noting age as an "aggravating factor" in crimes committed against the elderly - but also young people - where they believe it was a motive behind an attack.
A total of 43 age-related hate crimes were reported in the force area last year, compared with 23 for the previous year.
Age Concern Scotland welcomed the figures as evidence that police were more aware of crimes being committed against people who were targeted specifically due to their advancing years.
The figures showed that race-related hate crimes had risen to 1241 last year against 1164 in 2009. Hate crime against the disabled and people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) community also increased last year.
Inspector Helen Boyle, from the force's diversity unit, said: "Legally, only hate crimes relating to race, sexuality, religion or disability are covered by legislation as aggravating factors. There is nothing that covers age, but Lothian and Borders Police decided we would start to record that too.
"Although it's not covered by the legislation, an offence which we record as having an age-related element could be taken into account during sentencing in court.
"It's actually a fairly even split between hate crimes committed against the young and older people. In the case of older people, it may be that they are being viewed as vulnerable.
"Because we don't have a set standard, it's often up to the perception of the officer investigating an incident to determine whether age was an aggravating factor."
A spokesman for Age Concern Scotland said: "It is encouraging that people are coming forward and reporting these matters to police.
"When elderly people are the victims of a particular attack, I think it's unlikely they would see it in terms of being a hate crime. Perhaps the police are becoming more aware of the issue of elderly abuse."
The number of hate crimes reported against the disabled also rose to 29 last year, compared with 21 for 2009.
Hate crimes against members of the LGBT community climbed from 103 to 131 over the same period.
The Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009, means that sentencing relating to crimes which are motivated by malice based on a victim's disability or sexual orientation must take into account.
The force's Public Perception Survey 2010 revealed that 60 per cent of hate crime victims did not make a report to police, with many believing that nothing would be done.
The Scotsman
The force has been noting age as an "aggravating factor" in crimes committed against the elderly - but also young people - where they believe it was a motive behind an attack.
A total of 43 age-related hate crimes were reported in the force area last year, compared with 23 for the previous year.
Age Concern Scotland welcomed the figures as evidence that police were more aware of crimes being committed against people who were targeted specifically due to their advancing years.
The figures showed that race-related hate crimes had risen to 1241 last year against 1164 in 2009. Hate crime against the disabled and people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) community also increased last year.
Inspector Helen Boyle, from the force's diversity unit, said: "Legally, only hate crimes relating to race, sexuality, religion or disability are covered by legislation as aggravating factors. There is nothing that covers age, but Lothian and Borders Police decided we would start to record that too.
"Although it's not covered by the legislation, an offence which we record as having an age-related element could be taken into account during sentencing in court.
"It's actually a fairly even split between hate crimes committed against the young and older people. In the case of older people, it may be that they are being viewed as vulnerable.
"Because we don't have a set standard, it's often up to the perception of the officer investigating an incident to determine whether age was an aggravating factor."
A spokesman for Age Concern Scotland said: "It is encouraging that people are coming forward and reporting these matters to police.
"When elderly people are the victims of a particular attack, I think it's unlikely they would see it in terms of being a hate crime. Perhaps the police are becoming more aware of the issue of elderly abuse."
The number of hate crimes reported against the disabled also rose to 29 last year, compared with 21 for 2009.
Hate crimes against members of the LGBT community climbed from 103 to 131 over the same period.
The Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009, means that sentencing relating to crimes which are motivated by malice based on a victim's disability or sexual orientation must take into account.
The force's Public Perception Survey 2010 revealed that 60 per cent of hate crime victims did not make a report to police, with many believing that nothing would be done.
The Scotsman
Naples neighbors targeted by religious hate crimes (USA)
Neighbors in a Naples community have become the victims of a rash of recent hate crimes.
The graffiti plastered on Michael Gilberg's garage door tears open old wounds. A large swastika has been painted there in plain view.
This is the latest attack he's received because of his religion.
"It's unfortunate. It's despicable and it shouldn't happen," Michael says.
Last week, Michael and his neighbor, Rick Mellon, also received hate mail.
"It was a picture of a fist with a raised middle finger with a personalized message," Michael said.
"It was the culmination and the most despicable display of anti-Semitism," said Rick.
They believe someone in their gated Naples community could be to blame for the religious persecution.
"It has to be somebody here, or somebody who has access," Michael says.
The executive director of the Wyndemere Homeowner's Association says this is an isolated incident. They are appalled and Wyndemere values their multi-cultural community.
Rick doesn't agree.
"There is a great degree of anti-Semitism in Wyndemere," he says, "It started because we stood up for the rights of our families and the right of our religious beliefs."
Rick and Michael say they felt a backlash after asking that a menorah be included in the holiday décor and when they questioned the association for not allowing gardeners and other contractors to work inside Wyndemere on Christian holidays.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crimes, and some neighbors have offered to help paint.
Meanwhile, the men worry about what may happen next.
Rick believes, "If we don't address hate crimes, if we don't address the anti-Semitism, if we don't stop it not only for people of the Jewish religion, but for all people of any religion, it's going to escalate."
NBC-2
Police probe racist bullying claim at Bramhall High School (UK)
Police are investigating claims of racist bullying at a school.
Khadeja Fahat,13, has now left Bramhall High in Stockport claiming she was targeted by bullies more than 30 times since September.
The Year Eight pupil claims other children called her racist names, tipped out the contents of her bag, vandalised her school work and, on one occasion, punched her.
Her mum, Saiqa Shabir, claims the school has refused to tackle the problem and has reported the alleged bullying to the police.
Greater Manchester Police confirm they have recorded Khadeja’s complaint as a hate crime and plan to visit the school, which insists it has fully investigated the claims and has done everything to support her.
Mrs Shabir, a Muslim of Pakistani origin, said: “I feel my daughter has been robbed of her education. We can’t believe that in the 21st century this has happened.
“The school has not done enough to stop it happening. The attitude is if those responsible apologise afterwards then it is all okay. The school is letting my daughter down.
“This whole thing has left her very insecure and withdrawn. She used to be a bright confident young girl.”
Mrs Shabir has also contacted her MP George Osborne. His office confirmed he had contacted the school and was waiting for a reply.
Mrs Shabir is now trying to find Khadeja a place at Kingsway School in Cheadle.
She used to be a pupil at Priestnall School, in Heaton Mersey, but enrolled at Bramhall in September when her mum moved to Wilmslow.
Headteacher Heather Cooper said all allegations made had been logged and fully investigated.
She added: “We feel that we dealt with all incidents thoroughly, and have done everything we possibly can to put support in place for Khadeja.
“To ensure that we continue to develop our work on diversity we had meetings with the local mosque and the council’s ethnic diversity team as well as other services for this area – this included involving Khadeja’s parents in ideas for the school's diversity week.
“The school has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and racism, and incidents of that kind are very rare.
“Robust systems are in place to deal any allegations of racism or bullying and we have clear, agreed policies.”
Manchester Evening News
Khadeja Fahat,13, has now left Bramhall High in Stockport claiming she was targeted by bullies more than 30 times since September.
The Year Eight pupil claims other children called her racist names, tipped out the contents of her bag, vandalised her school work and, on one occasion, punched her.
Her mum, Saiqa Shabir, claims the school has refused to tackle the problem and has reported the alleged bullying to the police.
Greater Manchester Police confirm they have recorded Khadeja’s complaint as a hate crime and plan to visit the school, which insists it has fully investigated the claims and has done everything to support her.
Mrs Shabir, a Muslim of Pakistani origin, said: “I feel my daughter has been robbed of her education. We can’t believe that in the 21st century this has happened.
“The school has not done enough to stop it happening. The attitude is if those responsible apologise afterwards then it is all okay. The school is letting my daughter down.
“This whole thing has left her very insecure and withdrawn. She used to be a bright confident young girl.”
Mrs Shabir has also contacted her MP George Osborne. His office confirmed he had contacted the school and was waiting for a reply.
Mrs Shabir is now trying to find Khadeja a place at Kingsway School in Cheadle.
She used to be a pupil at Priestnall School, in Heaton Mersey, but enrolled at Bramhall in September when her mum moved to Wilmslow.
Headteacher Heather Cooper said all allegations made had been logged and fully investigated.
She added: “We feel that we dealt with all incidents thoroughly, and have done everything we possibly can to put support in place for Khadeja.
“To ensure that we continue to develop our work on diversity we had meetings with the local mosque and the council’s ethnic diversity team as well as other services for this area – this included involving Khadeja’s parents in ideas for the school's diversity week.
“The school has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and racism, and incidents of that kind are very rare.
“Robust systems are in place to deal any allegations of racism or bullying and we have clear, agreed policies.”
Manchester Evening News
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Czech court gives Slovak neo-Nazi six month suspended sentence for hate speech (Czech Rep)
Today the Teplice District Court handed down a criminal injunction against a 62-year-old man from Slovakia for a speech he gave on Saturday in Krupka during a rally for the Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS). The court said his speech incited hatred against members of a particular ethnicity. News server Novinky.cz reports that the man left the court with a six month sentence suspended for two years and promised to leave the Czech Republic as quickly as possible.
Presiding judge Roman Dobeš told the Czech Press Agency that the court also confiscated some of the man's property - a t-shirt, a baseball cap, and a badge, all of which displayed banned Nazi symbols. The man also has the eagle of the Third Reich tattooed on his body. However, Dobeš said the court could not punish the man for wearing the symbols, as he had kept them covered up during the rally.
Promoters of the extreme right demonstrated in the streets of Krupka (population 15 000) on Saturday. By marching, they allegedly wanted to draw attention to an incident that took place there not quite one year ago, when two young Roma men brutally beat and raped a 12-year-old [non-Roma] boy. The first-instance court sent one of the assailants to prison for 10 years, but an appeals court reduced the sentence by half. Both courts found the attack was racially motivated. The second assailant could not be criminally prosecuted as he was not yet 15 years old when he committed the crime.
At the entrance to the Maršov housing estate, where a large number of Roma people live in Krupka, the DSSS march was blocked by a group of more than 200 Roma people and chaplains leading prayers who refused to obey police orders to disperse. After several dozen minutes of tense waiting, police units dispersed the worshipers using stun grenades and truncheons. There were 700 officers deployed for the entire event.
According to Miroslav Brož, spokesperson for the "We Don't Want Neo-Nazis in Ústí!" Initiative, which organized the counter-demonstration, organizers are now preparing to take several legal steps against the police, including a constitutional complaint and filing suit in administrative court. Brož believes that in a democratic state it is not possible for police to disperse people who are praying together. Joel Ruml, chair of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, has also condemned the police intervention.
Romea
Presiding judge Roman Dobeš told the Czech Press Agency that the court also confiscated some of the man's property - a t-shirt, a baseball cap, and a badge, all of which displayed banned Nazi symbols. The man also has the eagle of the Third Reich tattooed on his body. However, Dobeš said the court could not punish the man for wearing the symbols, as he had kept them covered up during the rally.
Promoters of the extreme right demonstrated in the streets of Krupka (population 15 000) on Saturday. By marching, they allegedly wanted to draw attention to an incident that took place there not quite one year ago, when two young Roma men brutally beat and raped a 12-year-old [non-Roma] boy. The first-instance court sent one of the assailants to prison for 10 years, but an appeals court reduced the sentence by half. Both courts found the attack was racially motivated. The second assailant could not be criminally prosecuted as he was not yet 15 years old when he committed the crime.
At the entrance to the Maršov housing estate, where a large number of Roma people live in Krupka, the DSSS march was blocked by a group of more than 200 Roma people and chaplains leading prayers who refused to obey police orders to disperse. After several dozen minutes of tense waiting, police units dispersed the worshipers using stun grenades and truncheons. There were 700 officers deployed for the entire event.
According to Miroslav Brož, spokesperson for the "We Don't Want Neo-Nazis in Ústí!" Initiative, which organized the counter-demonstration, organizers are now preparing to take several legal steps against the police, including a constitutional complaint and filing suit in administrative court. Brož believes that in a democratic state it is not possible for police to disperse people who are praying together. Joel Ruml, chair of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, has also condemned the police intervention.
Romea
Neo-Nazi ringleader nabbed in Vienna
An infamous fascist has been put in custody as investigations against a disputed website continue.
Gottfried Küssel was arrested yesterday evening (Mon), prosecutors confirmed this morning. The outspoken neo-Nazi is accused of cooperating with the people behind "Alpe-Donau", a controversial discussion platform of neo-Nazis on the internet. The site was taken offline last month after state prosecutors in Vienna asked their counterparts in the United States for support.
Austrian officials were forced to watch on as anonymous neo-Nazis posted hate messages against foreigners in German on the homepage. "Alpe-Donau" also made headlines for revealing the home addresses and private phone numbers of several journalists and left-wing politicians.
US officials vowed to cooperate with Austria in the matter. Viennese prosecutors failed to find a way to take action against "Alpe-Donau" for months after it became clear that the platform is managed via a server located in the USA.
Küssel’s arrest comes around half a year after investigators confiscated data storage devices and documents at dozens of apartments and offices in Vienna. Around a dozen of users of "Alpe-Donau" – which promoted events held by Küssel in cooperation with Czech neo-Nazis – were identified in the meantime.
Officials said today that, apart from Küssel, another suspect was put in custody. They added that various objects depicting Nazi era logos and slogans – which are banned under Austrian law – were seized as six flats were searched yesterday evening.
Investigators think that some of the suspects may also have links with the Freedom Party (FPÖ), the third-strongest political force in the federal parliament, according to reports from today. FPÖ boss Heinz-Christian Strache has pointed out many times over the past months that he and his party wanted to disassociate themselves from the disputed online forum.
Strache was pressed to speak out on the issue after participators of discussions on the website praised his party for its current policies. The FPÖ sparked outcry among most political competitors for campaigning against members of the Islamic community in Austria who are unwilling to integrate into society. Strache warned of the creation of "parallel societies" in several speeches on the campaign trail in recent years. Surveys show that the right-wing party could come first were Austrians asked to the polls in general elections this month.
Organisers of "Alpe-Donau" and people engaging in discussions in the website’s forum face several years in jail if prosecutors press charges under Austrian anti-Nazi propaganda regulations.
Austrian Independant
Gottfried Küssel was arrested yesterday evening (Mon), prosecutors confirmed this morning. The outspoken neo-Nazi is accused of cooperating with the people behind "Alpe-Donau", a controversial discussion platform of neo-Nazis on the internet. The site was taken offline last month after state prosecutors in Vienna asked their counterparts in the United States for support.
Austrian officials were forced to watch on as anonymous neo-Nazis posted hate messages against foreigners in German on the homepage. "Alpe-Donau" also made headlines for revealing the home addresses and private phone numbers of several journalists and left-wing politicians.
US officials vowed to cooperate with Austria in the matter. Viennese prosecutors failed to find a way to take action against "Alpe-Donau" for months after it became clear that the platform is managed via a server located in the USA.
Küssel’s arrest comes around half a year after investigators confiscated data storage devices and documents at dozens of apartments and offices in Vienna. Around a dozen of users of "Alpe-Donau" – which promoted events held by Küssel in cooperation with Czech neo-Nazis – were identified in the meantime.
Officials said today that, apart from Küssel, another suspect was put in custody. They added that various objects depicting Nazi era logos and slogans – which are banned under Austrian law – were seized as six flats were searched yesterday evening.
Investigators think that some of the suspects may also have links with the Freedom Party (FPÖ), the third-strongest political force in the federal parliament, according to reports from today. FPÖ boss Heinz-Christian Strache has pointed out many times over the past months that he and his party wanted to disassociate themselves from the disputed online forum.
Strache was pressed to speak out on the issue after participators of discussions on the website praised his party for its current policies. The FPÖ sparked outcry among most political competitors for campaigning against members of the Islamic community in Austria who are unwilling to integrate into society. Strache warned of the creation of "parallel societies" in several speeches on the campaign trail in recent years. Surveys show that the right-wing party could come first were Austrians asked to the polls in general elections this month.
Organisers of "Alpe-Donau" and people engaging in discussions in the website’s forum face several years in jail if prosecutors press charges under Austrian anti-Nazi propaganda regulations.
Austrian Independant
Padiham set for UK’s first BNP mayor (UK)
And community leaders have hit out at the appointment of John Cave as deputy mayor of Padiham Town Council for the next 12 months.
The role means Coun Cave, who is married to BNP county councillor Sharon Wilkinson, will take over the mayoral chains from Coun Bob Clark in a year.
Coun Cave said he believed the town council was non-political and that he was entitled, and proud, to serve the town of his birth.
But politicians and campaigners questioned the appointment, and the Bishop of Burnley said a BNP member could not serve the whole community without ‘rejecting his party’s philosophy.’ Coun Shah Hussain, who represents Daneshouse and Stoneyholme on Burnley Council, said: “I have concerns with what the BNP stands for and its policies. It is a party that is divisive to the community.”
Bishop of Burnley John Goddard said: “I always see the role of the mayor and deputy mayor as the chief citizen of the community, and they have a responsibility to uphold and defend the rights of all British citizens of the town, regardless of race, colour or status.
“Given that I look forward to the deputy mayor showing that the BNP are wrong in their racist policies.
“It will be interesting to see if he acts in the best traditions of a mayor in the community, and I pray he does, as he will have to reject the philosophy of the BNP.
“If he retains the BNP political philosophy then how can he expect to serve and represent the whole of the community?”
The appointment of Coun Cave was confirmed at a recent town council meeting, when the majority of councillors voted in favour of him taking over the role of deputy mayor.
A spokesman for the Hope not Hate campaign, which celebrates ‘modern Britain’ and claims to expose the BNP, said: “We are disappointed that anybody holding the views of the BNP can secure a position of this kind.
“The role of mayor in any community is to act as the figurehead of the community and we don’t see how that role can be carried out by anybody who represents a party whose sole aim is to divide communities.”
Coun Cave had previously said some town councillors were trying to find a way around him being appointed to the role.
He said: “I am pleased that it is has all been sorted out and has cleared up a few misunderstandings.
“It is a very proud moment for me. I was born in Padiham and have always been closely associated with Padiham.
“It is a non-political council and my politics have not encroached on what happens in Padiham. It has been easier than I expected to remain non-political in the past 12 months.”
Peter Pike, former Labour MP in Burnley, said: “I think it is unfortunate that we have councillors who represent the BNP and now I think it is unfortunate that we have a deputy mayor in Padiham who represents the BNP.
“But if they are elected on to a council then there is always a chance they could hold a mayoral title.”
It is not the first time this year that the role of mayor in Padiham has attracted controversy.
In January mayoress Carol Stinton appeared on Channel 4 reality show Come Dine With Me and attracted criticism for her over-exuberance.
Burnley Citizen
Arizona immigration law loses in court (USA)
The controversial Arizona law targeting immigrants for police scrutiny has been blocked again in an appeals court ruling.
The fate of Arizona's controversial Arizona law targeting illegal immigrants remains in limbo, after the state's latest attempt to lift a injunction blocking the law failed.
The Ninth US circuit court of appeal ruled [pdf] that the federal government was likely to win its case that the law is unconstitutional, and so turned down an appeal by Arizona's Republican governor Jan Brewer to lift the injunction imposed last year.
The battle now is likely to go all the way to the US Supreme Court.
The law, known as SB 1070, became a national controversy after Brewer and Arizona Republicans accused the US government of not doing enough to stem illegal immigration and enacted their own, more stringent regulations, which drew bitter complaints from civil rights organisations and immigrant groups.
The new law would require state police to check the immigration status of all arrested suspects and hold indefinitely anyone else they have "reasonable suspicion" of entering the country illegally. It also punishes non-citizens for failing to apply for or carry "alien registration papers", or for seeking jobs.
The law also allows for "warrentless arrest" if the police have probable cause to believe they have committed a public offense that makes them removable from the United States – such as entering the country illegally.
Critics say it gives Arizona authorities the power to harass Hispanic residents, legal or otherwise, while the federal government objected on the grounds that the law encroached on its powers over immigration enforcement.
In July last year a US district court judge issued an injunction against the most controversial parts of the law, and today's appeals court ruling only applies to the injunction, not to the challenge to the law itself.
At the time of the injunction Brewer said: "I will battle all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, for the right to protect the citizens of Arizona."
The Guardian
The fate of Arizona's controversial Arizona law targeting illegal immigrants remains in limbo, after the state's latest attempt to lift a injunction blocking the law failed.
The Ninth US circuit court of appeal ruled [pdf] that the federal government was likely to win its case that the law is unconstitutional, and so turned down an appeal by Arizona's Republican governor Jan Brewer to lift the injunction imposed last year.
The battle now is likely to go all the way to the US Supreme Court.
The law, known as SB 1070, became a national controversy after Brewer and Arizona Republicans accused the US government of not doing enough to stem illegal immigration and enacted their own, more stringent regulations, which drew bitter complaints from civil rights organisations and immigrant groups.
The new law would require state police to check the immigration status of all arrested suspects and hold indefinitely anyone else they have "reasonable suspicion" of entering the country illegally. It also punishes non-citizens for failing to apply for or carry "alien registration papers", or for seeking jobs.
The law also allows for "warrentless arrest" if the police have probable cause to believe they have committed a public offense that makes them removable from the United States – such as entering the country illegally.
Critics say it gives Arizona authorities the power to harass Hispanic residents, legal or otherwise, while the federal government objected on the grounds that the law encroached on its powers over immigration enforcement.
In July last year a US district court judge issued an injunction against the most controversial parts of the law, and today's appeals court ruling only applies to the injunction, not to the challenge to the law itself.
At the time of the injunction Brewer said: "I will battle all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, for the right to protect the citizens of Arizona."
The Guardian
Support for anti-Islam party falls (Netherlands)
The right-wing VVD Liberals remain the biggest party in the latest Maurice de Hond opinion poll and would take 36 seats if there was a general election tomorrow, five more than they currently hold.
Labour remains in second place with 25, down five, and the anti-Islam PVV loses a further two and is on 22. At its height, just after the last election, the PVV was on 30 seats in a string of De Hond opinion polls.
Dutch News
Labour remains in second place with 25, down five, and the anti-Islam PVV loses a further two and is on 22. At its height, just after the last election, the PVV was on 30 seats in a string of De Hond opinion polls.
Dutch News
BNP 'Quran man' to stand in elections (UK)
A BNP member accused of burning a copy of the Quran will still stand in the Welsh Assembly elections, his party has confirmed.
Sion Owens, 41, of Bonymaen, Swansea, had a charge against him dropped today - but was told by magistrates legal proceedings may resume after further investigations.
Owens was arrested last weekend after The Observer newspaper reportedly handed police a video, which appeared to show Mr Owens dousing a copy of the Quran with paraffin before setting it alight.
The alleged incident drew widespread condemnation from political and ethnic groups in Wales - who are urging voters to shun the far-right BNP in the May 5 poll.
Owens is third on the list out of four candidates the BNP is putting up for the South Wales West regional seat.
Plaid Cymru described the alleged incident as appalling but “hardly surprising”.
A party spokeswoman said: “Our advice to the electorate of Wales is to ignore their call for race hate as we have always done, ensure they lose their election deposits and above all quickly recycle their leaflets - as that is all they are good for.”
The BNP issued a 2,000 plus word statement on its website in response to Owens’ court appearance, complaining of “hypocrisy” by the authorities.
A party spokesman said Owens would continue to stand as a candidate in the Welsh Assembly elections.
BNP leader Nick Griffin added: “The British National Party does not favour burning any book, although if there is any repeat of last year’s Poppy burning insult and subsequent lack of police action, we may well review that position.”
He also said the BNP favoured freedom of speech - saying there needed to be a “resistance to the intimidation” encouraged by Muslim extremists.
However, Swansea Bay Racial Equality Council countered the claims, saying the BNP had abused that democratic right.
Chief executive Taha Idris said: “While people have freedom of speech and freedom of action in the UK, it is a privilege that should never be abused.”
Asian Image
Sion Owens, 41, of Bonymaen, Swansea, had a charge against him dropped today - but was told by magistrates legal proceedings may resume after further investigations.
Owens was arrested last weekend after The Observer newspaper reportedly handed police a video, which appeared to show Mr Owens dousing a copy of the Quran with paraffin before setting it alight.
The alleged incident drew widespread condemnation from political and ethnic groups in Wales - who are urging voters to shun the far-right BNP in the May 5 poll.
Owens is third on the list out of four candidates the BNP is putting up for the South Wales West regional seat.
Plaid Cymru described the alleged incident as appalling but “hardly surprising”.
A party spokeswoman said: “Our advice to the electorate of Wales is to ignore their call for race hate as we have always done, ensure they lose their election deposits and above all quickly recycle their leaflets - as that is all they are good for.”
The BNP issued a 2,000 plus word statement on its website in response to Owens’ court appearance, complaining of “hypocrisy” by the authorities.
A party spokesman said Owens would continue to stand as a candidate in the Welsh Assembly elections.
BNP leader Nick Griffin added: “The British National Party does not favour burning any book, although if there is any repeat of last year’s Poppy burning insult and subsequent lack of police action, we may well review that position.”
He also said the BNP favoured freedom of speech - saying there needed to be a “resistance to the intimidation” encouraged by Muslim extremists.
However, Swansea Bay Racial Equality Council countered the claims, saying the BNP had abused that democratic right.
Chief executive Taha Idris said: “While people have freedom of speech and freedom of action in the UK, it is a privilege that should never be abused.”
Asian Image
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