Neo Nazi bomber loses sentencing appeal (UK)

A NEO Nazi nail bomber who killed three people – including a pregnant woman from Colchester and one of her friends – has failed in a bid to cut his sentence.

David Copeland was given six life sentences in June 2000 for a blast at a Soho pub which killed Andrea Dykes, 27 of Tarragona Mews, Colchester, John Light, 32, of Mill Street, Colchester and Nik Moore, who lived in Suffolk.

Yesterday, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said there was nothing wrong with a sentence that will mean Copeland, now 35, will stay in prison at least until he is in his seventies.

Sitting at the Court of Appeal with Mr Justice Owen and Mr Justice Walker, he said Copeland’s crimes were of the most serious kind.

He said Mr Justice Burton, who set Copeland’s minimum term of 50 years back in 2007, was right to call the murders “exceptionally grave”.

He said: “It is difficult to exaggerate the horror of these appalling crimes, which stemmed, as far as we can see, from the appellant’s abhorrent beliefs.

“Having reflected on this awful case, we have come to the conclusion that the appeal should be dismissed.”

When police searched Copeland’s bedroom they found walls adorned with Nazi flags.

On April 30, 1999 Copeland, who grew up in Hampshire, planted three bombs in London.

The first two, in Brixton and Brick Lane, failed to detonate but the third, at the Admiral Duncan, a gay pub, caused three fatalities and many serious injuries.

At the time, bingo hall worker Mrs Dykes, husband Julian and friend Mr Light, who had just been asked to be their unborn child’s godfather, were having a drink before going to watch Abba musical Mamma Mia.

Mr Dykes, a computer programmer, suffered serious injuries, of including extensive burns and nails lodged in his lungs.

He had been left in a coma for weeks, unaware his wife and child had been murdered.

Daily Gazette

EDL Jewish division leader Roberta Moore quits (UK)

The hardline activist at the forefront of the "Jewish Division" of the extreme right-wing English Defence League has announced that she does not wish to be a part of it any longer because of Nazi elements within it.

Roberta Moore, who has led the Jewish Division since it was launched more than a year ago, was accused earlier this month of being a divisive figure in the EDL.

Ms Moore had attempted to co-ordinate her efforts with those of the far-right American Jewish Task Force, whose leader Victor Vancier has been imprisoned for terrorism offences. The move, in February, was heavily criticised by the EDL leadership.

In a statement which she posted on Facebook, the Brazilian-born Ms Moore said she had been offered work on "an international level" elsewhere and so had decided to step down from the Jewish Division.

Although she described the EDL as "doing a fantastic job" she said the party had been hijacked by elements who wanted to use it "for their own Nazi purposes".

Ms Moore said she still supported the EDL leaders and "all the genuine patriots out there who struggle to get their voices heard" but added that she no longer wished to be a part of it.

"I sincerely hope that the leaders will get the strength to squash the Nazis within," she said.

"They will destroy this movement if allowed to remain."

Jewish Chronicle

DUTCH LAWMAKERS VOTE ON RITUAL ANIMAL SLAUGHTER

Animals have to be stunned before being slaughtered in halal or kosher rituals, except if it could be proven they would suffer less without it, Dutch lawmakers decided Tuesday. Dutch law states that all animals must be stunned before being butchered, but has previously made an exception for halal and kosher ritual slaughter. Tabled by the country's Party for the Animals (PvdD), which has two seats in the 150-seat parliament, a majority of the Dutch lower house adopted an amendment abolishing this exception. Parliamentarians, however, also adopted a separate amendment stating that ritual slaughter can be performed without stunning if "independent proof" could be shown that an animal would suffer less if it was not dazed.

Jewish and Muslim representatives insist that ritual slaughter respects animal welfare, citing methods used to limit suffering and arguing that ritual butchers receive expert training. They implored the Dutch government, unsuccessfully, not to change the law as it would impact on their freedom of religion. More than two million animals -- mainly sheep and chickens -- were ritually slaughtered in the Netherlands every year, the PvdD said. Abdelfattah Ali-Salah, director of Halal Correct, the organisation that issues halal certificates in the country, has called this figure "inexact", saying it was closer to 250,000.

AFP

Brons accuses Griffin of Euro fraud (Hope Not Hate, UK)

Relations between the two BNP MEPs hit an all-time low yesterday when Andrew Brons accused Nick Griffin of attempting to defraud the European Union. In a statement posted on his website, Brons claimed that Griffin has been using European Union funds to bankroll the BNP and support his friends in a clear violation of EU rules.

Brons claimed that in 2009 Griffin asked him to pay half of the office costs for the BNP-front trade union Solidarity, run by Griffin loyalist and former National Front leader Patrick Harrington. Brons refused but he has still been sent a bill to cover 18 months of rent.

He also alleges that Griffin has tried to get him to pay the wages of Christopher Barnet “who was in charge of the Party’s Alfred programme to put canvassing returns onto a data base for future elections.”

Brons refused but was still sent an invoice for £2,000.

The Yorkshire MEP has also revealed that the party is already under investigation for using an EU-funded MEP office as the party headquarters.

It appears that Brons has exposed this alleged corruption ahead of a series of claims of financial mismanagement against him by Griffin.

With the BNP leadership election only weeks away it is clear that the acrimonious split between the two MEPs is going to result in one, undoubtedly Brons, leaving the party.

Hope Not Hate

EDL protesters banned from city centre pub (UK)

English Defence League protesters planning to march on Cambridge have been banned from a city centre pub.

The group tried to book a huge number of breakfasts at The Regal in St Andrew’s Street, but bosses of the biggest bar in the city refused to cater for them, saying the pub will be closed during the demonstration.

The EDL wanted to meet at the pub before its march on Saturday, July 9 – the same day as Big Weekend celebrations on Parker’s Piece.

The group has previously used other pubs in the JD Wetherspoon chain as meeting points.

Sarah Hemingway, The Regal’s manager, said: "They tried to book the pub and were asking for breakfasts for anything from 500 to 1,000 people. We do not want anything to do with this group and refused. We will be closing that day until about 4pm or whenever the police give us the all clear."

She added they had been talking to police and would keep in contact with them throughout the day.

"The EDL have been associated with our pubs in other parts of the country but we do not want to be associated with this group."

Officers are planning how to police the march but have not been told what route the EDL will take.

The group is protesting against the building of a mosque in Mill Road and it is expected the street, which is home to many of the city’s 7,000 Muslims, will be on the route.

Officers expect a city centre protest around noon. A counter demonstration by Unite Against Fascism and the Trades Union Council will meet outside the Guildhall at 11am.

Police have warned protesters they will not tolerate violence.

Inspector Robin Sissons said: "We understand people may be concerned but there will be a police presence on the day and we are planning for a variety of circumstances."

City MP Julian Huppert, Cambridge City Council leader Cllr Sian Reid, mayor Ian Nimmo-Smith and Lib Dem city and county councillors have signed a statement saying the EDL is not welcome.

Cllr Reid said: "There is no place in our city for anyone who does not share our view that diversity enriches our city.

"We are proud to welcome people from different nationalities and different faiths; we believe this is what makes Cambridge such a wonderful city in which to live."

Cambridge News

White-supremacist 'general' gets life for killing (USA)

An East Texas man said by prosecutors to have been a "general" in the white-supremacist Aryan Brotherhood of Texas has been sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering the death of a man and woman.

Prosecutors say Carl Carver ordered the killings of Aryan Brotherhood member David Mitchamore and his girlfriend, Christie Rochelle Brown, over a drug debt Mitchamore owed him. The bodies of the pair were found in Nacogdoches County in August 2007.

The killers, Brent Stalsby and Charles Cameron Frazier, have already been sentenced to life in federal prison. Stalsby's wife, Terry Stalsby, was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for aiding and abetting the killings.

Chron

Israeli police arrest top settler rabbi in racism row

Israeli police detained a leading settler rabbi on Monday in connection with an investigation into his endorsement of a book justifying the killing of non-Jews in some cases, settler officials said.

Several months ago police issued an arrest warrant for Rabbi Dov Lior, the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba and the settlements in Hebron on the West Bank, after he failed to present himself for questioning in an incitement probe.

"I have spoken to police and asked them to free him immediately," Malachi Levinger, the head of Kiryat Arba regional council, told AFP. "This is very serious." Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lior, who also heads the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria, Israel's term used for the West Bank, is one of the main spiritual ideologues of the settlement movement.

Right-wing activists called on supporters to gather outside various police headquarters for protests later on Monday, an AFP correspondent said.

Levinger said police had told him the detention was in connection with the investigation into the book "The King's Torah."

A settler rabbi who co-authored the book was arrested last August on suspicion of incitement to violence but freed without charge days later after a court said police had not followed proper procedure.

Written by Yosef Elitzur and another rabbi, the book reportedly says that babies and children of Israel's enemies may be killed since "it is clear that they will grow to harm us."

It also said non-Jews were "uncompassionate by nature" and that attacks on them "curb their evil inclination."

"Anywhere where the influence of gentiles constitutes a threat to the life of Israel, it is permissible to kill them," the rabbis wrote.

The book, published earlier this year, has drawn sharp criticism from numerous rabbis who say it contradicts the teachings of Judaism.

Ahram

SURPRISE POLL SHOWS WIDESPREAD MUSLIM SUPPORT FOR GAY RIGHTS (uk)

The poll, conducted by think tank Demos in preparation for a forthcoming essay collection, shows that Muslims are more likely to strongly agree with the statement 'I am proud of how Britain treats gay people' than people of no religion. Only Sikhs were more likely to strongly agree. "British Muslims are far more enlightened and proud of our liberal values than they are often given credit for," Max Wind-Cowie, head of the Progressive Conservatism Project at Demos, commented.Overall, fewer than one in four British Muslims disagreed with the statement.

The poll found a high degree of pride in being British among Muslims, with four in five saying they were proud to be a British citizen and two-thirds saying they were proud of Britain’s culture. Only one in five said they were not proud of Britain's role in the world. The findings mark a significant change since a Gallup poll in 2009 found that zero per cent of British Muslims were tolerant towards homosexuality.

Politics

Man sprays anti-mosque graffiti at West Bridgford site (UK)

A 25-year-old English Defence League member has pleaded guilty to daubing hate graffiti on land being considered as a site for a mosque.

Christopher Payne of Hucknall admitted spraying the graffiti but denied putting a pig's head on the site in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court and will be sentenced on 21 July.

Police went to the property on 23 June where the slogan "No Mosque Here" was found spray painted on the ground.
Pig's head

Payne pleaded guilty to causing racially or religiously aggravated alarm, dissent or distress and causing racially aggravated criminal damage.

Three other men aged 19, 21 and 31, have been arrested and questioned about the incident.

Payne, of Beardsmore Close, Hucknall, who is an events planner for the English Defence League, told the court that he sprayed the slogan but did not put the pig's head on the grassland.

He was granted bail with a curfew but ordered to stay out of West Bridgford and not to go within 200m of a mosque.

He has also been told not to have any public association with the English Defence League.

A member of the public reported finding the graffiti near Collington Way in West Bridgford on Thursday.

BBC News

New Book Reveals Secret Meaning of Neo-Nazi Codes (Germany)

Openly Nazi symbols such as the swastika are banned in Germany, so neo-Nazis get around the law by using coded combinations of letter and numbers such as 14 and 88. A new book explains the meaning of such codes, and reveals that far-right style is becoming increasingly diverse and hard to spot.

If you were at a German soccer game and saw fans holding up the numbers 14 and 88 in cardboard numerals, you might imagine them to be, say, the shirt numbers of fans' favorite players. But you'd be wrong. In fact, the numbers hold a much more sinister meaning: They are actually neo-Nazi symbols.

It's just one example of how right-wing extremists in Germany use hidden codes to get around a legal ban on Nazi symbols such as the swastika. Very few people know the real meaning of such codes, says Michael Weiss, a German expert on right-wing extremism.

Weiss, who has been researching right-wing clothing and symbols for 10 years, is one of the authors of a new brochure titled "Das Versteckspiel" ("Hide and Seek"). The publication, which is aimed at teachers, social workers and youth group leaders, is designed to raise awareness of right-wing codes, which are often displayed at football games. "We want the soccer teams and the major fan clubs to be able to recognize the codes," Weiss told SPIEGEL.

Secret Codes 'Everywhere'
The brochure, which is published by a Berlin-based anti-racism group, Agentur für Soziale Perspektiven, lists 150 codes that are used by right-wing extremists, including certain clothing labels such as Thor Steinar and letter and number combinations. According to Weiss, the number 14 is a reference to the so-called "14 Words," a phrase coined by the American white separatist David Lane ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"). The meaning behind "88" -- often found in conjunction with 14 -- is slightly more complicated. Here, the number eight stands for the eighth letter of the alphabet, forming "HH" -- an abbreviation for "Heil Hitler," a phrase which is banned in Germany. Similarly, the number 28 signifies "BH," standing for "Blood and Honour," a far-right network that was banned in Germany in 2000.

The secret code numbers can be found "everywhere," says Weiss, including on license plates, tattoos and on signs at football games. "There are fans who travel 400 kilometers (250 miles) to a game just to hold up the four numbers that form 1488," he says.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, estimated that in 2009 -- the most recent year for which figures are available -- there were 195 far-right organizations in the country with around 26,000 members. The agency can shut down Kameradschaften, gangs or brotherhoods which are deemed violent. But many other groups in the neo-Nazi scene -- such as rock bands with suggestive lyrics or clothing companies with coded symbols -- often fly under the legal radar, provided they don't openly display symbols like swastikas or explicitly support Adolf Hitler or his party.

Borrowing Symbols
The number of codes has increased since the first edition of the brochure was published in 2001. That publication only listed around 100 symbols. "The image of neo-Nazis is much more diverse today," says Weiss. Right-wing extremists used to wear bomber jackets and have skinheads, he explains, but now their style incorporates elements from pop and rock culture. "Now they have piercings," he says.

Similarly, old symbols are given new meanings, Weiss explains, giving the example of the kaffiyeh scarf, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. "That is used nowadays simply as a symbol of struggle against Israel," says Weiss, pointing out that neo-Nazis ignore the broader meaning of the garment when they co-opt it as a symbol.

The increasingly diverse image of right-wing extremists mean that neo-Nazis can often blend in at left-wing demonstrations or in a sports stadium, Weiss explains. "The problem is that many of these people no longer stand out."

Spiegel


Admin comment. The majority of these codes and symbols are explained at this ADL site.

.

FAR-RIGHT AUSTRIAN PARTY AMBIVALENT ON HITLER DEBATE

A debate over surviving honorary titles to Adolf Hitler in Austrian towns shows up the far-right Freedom Party's ambivalence as it eyes the chancellor's post in 2013, analysts say. In late May, the town of Amstetten, 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Vienna, voted to remove the still-existing title of honorary citizen awarded to Hitler after Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938. The Freedom Party (FPOe) deputies abstained from the vote. "The FPOe is sending signals," said political expert Anton Pelinka. "This strategy shows that the party's radical pan-German core has not weakened." Braunau, the Fuehrer's birthplace, has also launched an inquiry to determine whether he remains an honorary citizen. But FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache argues that the titles disappeared with Hitler's death in the last days of World War II and that the Allies removed all honorary titles in a 1946 ruling. "In the weeks following the Anschluss (annexation of Austria by Germany), many towns named Hitler as an honorary citizen, named a street after him or planted an oak tree in his honour," said Green deputy Karl Oellinger. Oellinger said the Allied ruling removing honorary titles only applied to Germany. Moreover, Austria experienced a very different occupation from its northern neighbour and has yet to come to terms with its Nazi past, he said. "The suppression (of honorary titles) after death is absurd: we have examples of towns that still lay flowers on the grave of their former Nazi mayor who has been named an honorary citizen," he told AFP.

Peter Ulram, a political scientist, said the FPOe's actions showed it wanted to consolidate the party around its leader, whose new programme centres on the idea of Austria as a community with a Germanic people, language and culture. Under the party's charismatic former leader Joerg Haider, killed in a car crash in 2008, such ideas were abandoned to make the FPOe more presentable. Having taken in many former Nazis after 1945, the party has not been able to distance itself entirely from the pan-German line, despite its official rhetoric. Strache himself has faced accusations -- backed up by photographs -- of having had ties to neo-Nazi or closely-related movements in his youth. In a sign that the honorary title debate has hit a nerve, the FPOe leader lashed out during a recent press conference in Strasbourg with France's far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, when an Austrian journalist asked what she thought of the FPOe deputies' abstention in the Amstetten vote. Strache accused him of sullying the image of Austria abroad. Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger later commented: "This is an Austrian debate that should be discussed in Austria and that we should not internationalised," sparking a furious reaction from the Foreign Press Association in Vienna, which insisted the press could not be muzzled. For Oellinger, Spindelegger's comments were proof that the conservative OeVP party leader was considering a coalition with the FPOe, a move he has never formally rejected.

AFP

I’m embarrassed, says toilet graffiti dauber at age of 62 (EDL news, UK)

A man has been ordered to pay compensation after graffiting racist abuse on the doors of Hebden Bridge train station.

James Allen, 62, of Wood Villas, Hebden Bridge, appeared unrepresented at Calderdale Magistrates’ Court.

He admitted causing £700 damage and possessing two bags of cannabis.

On seven different occasions between April 23 and June 7, station staff found graffiti supporting the English Defence League daubed on the back of doors in the male toilets.

An undercover officer from British Transport Police went to the station on June 7 to wait for the culprit.

He saw Allen enter the toilets at 1.41pm.

Paul Ramsey, prosecuting, said: “He sat on a bench watching all men who were going in. A minute later Allen was seen to leave his bike on the platform.

“The defendant exited two minutes later with what was believed to be a white marker pen in his right jeans pocket.”

After the officer checked the door, he followed Allen and arrested him. While searching Allen, he found two bags of cannabis.

He admitted both offences to police.

Allen told officers he was not a member of the English Defence League but he wrote grafitti in support of the group to “vent his frustration”.

When asked to explain his actions to magistrates, he said he had nothing to tell them.

“I’m just embarrased about it,” he said.

He was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work, pay compensation of £100 and £85 towards costs.

Halifax Courier

EDL founder denies rally assault (UK)

The founder of the English Defence League (EDL) has denied assaulting a man during a rally of the far-right group in Blackburn.

Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested and charged with the offence this month following the alleged incident at an EDL gathering in Blackburn on April 2.

He is said to have committed common assault against Alan McKee.

Around 2,000 members of the group gathered in the centre of the Lancashire town in April as they were kept about 150 yards apart from a counter-protest by up to 500 anti-fascists.

About 50 EDL supporters gathered at Blackburn Magistrates' Court to support their leader with a visible police presence outside.

Lennon, 28, of Luton, Bedfordshire, will go on trial at Preston Magistrates' Court on September 29. The hearing was listed for one day.

Lennon was granted bail on conditions of residence, that he reports to his local police station on Saturday afternoons and does not participate in public protests that are 12 miles away from his home town.

Garstand Courier

Muslim council vows to oppose extremism (UK)

Cambridge Muslim Council held its official launch last night as the far-right English Defence League (EDL) gets set to march in the city.

The newly formed council has already held an emergency meeting after the News reported the march and counter protest would be held on July 9.

Muslim leaders are calling on the community not to get involved in a counter demonstration and fear for the security of mosques and shops in the city.

Mirza Baig, vice-chairman of the council, told the News: “We held a meeting of our emergency response committee as soon as we heard about the march. We have set out or policy on how we should react.

“We are urging Muslims not to take part in a counter protest and we do not want groups coming from Luton and Peterborough for the march – we can deal with any issues ourselves.

“We do fear for the security of our mosques and some of the shops but are working closely with police.”

He added: “The EDL has every right to protest and we support that democratic right.”

Last night, the city’s MP Julian Huppert, mayor Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith and Farooq Murad, the Muslim Council of Britain chairman, met at the Holiday Inn, Impington, for the launch of the council, which has vowed to fight extremism and violence.

It has been formed because of an increase in the city’s Muslim population to 7,000 and it will become an umbrella group for 28 Islamic organisations in Cambridge.

Mr Huppert said he was delighted to support the formation of the new council and condemned the planned march by the EDL.

The MP is discussing the issue with Chief Superintendent Rob Needle and will shadow him during the march.

Mr Huppert said: “I deplore the fact that these people have targeted Cambridge in this way. They are not welcome here.

“I will be working alongside the police during the march and hope that it will pass off peacefully.

“While I recognise the EDL’s democratic right to protest, I hope that this protest will take place without incident.

“Our city is a very special place where people from a diverse range of nationalities and cultures live and work together. This multi-racial mix makes our city very unique and we are proud of the strong community spirit that exists here.

“We want to promote and protect that diversity and there is no room for people who don’t understand our city’s special qualities.”

Cambridge News

Brazilian Soccer Star Appalled at Racist Incident in Russia

Roberto Carlos had a banana thrown at him during a recent game in the Russian soccer league. The revered footballer is spending the sunset of his career playing on a lucrative contract for the oligarch-backed Anzhi Makhachkala, and it’s a second “banana incident” targeting him in four months. The first intolerant gesture ended up costing Zenit Saint Petersburg—whose fans threw the fruit—a little over $10,000.

“I am used to there being no racism in football,” says Carlos. “Russia should not be an exception.”

In reality, Russia is somewhat of an exception when it comes to racism. The country is home to almost half of the world’s skinheads (according to some experts, there are as many as 100 thousand Russian skinheads), who have made the last decade their own. Racist and other violent attacks by neo-Nazi skinhead groups have been rising since 2004 by some 15 percent per year, a trend that was finally broken in 2009. According to Human Rights First’s partners in Moscow, the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, in 2010, there were at least 37 racist murders, while some 368 people were injured in suspected racist attacks (compared with 71 murders in 2009 and 109 in 2008).

Around 2008, after years of dismissing the alarms by Russian and international civil society groups, the authorities have finally started investigating the bloody trails left by neo-Nazi gangs, or “hooligans,” as they were usually called before. We’re seeing real results: prosecutions are up, and the number of murders has been declining rapidly. SOVA reported “only” 11 murders and 55 injuries during the first five months of 2011. Despite these improvements, the government lacks a comprehensive policy to address hate crime, manifested by poor police training, uneven high-level political rhetoric, and weak popular initiatives.

This year, the Russian justice system has brought closure to several high-profile cases. In April, a divided jury issued a guilty verdict against Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgeniya Khasis, the neo-Nazi couple accused of murdering Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova in downtown Moscow on January 19, 2009. Tikhonov will spend the rest of his life in prison, where he’ll be joined by two prominent ultranationalist leaders from St. Petersburg. A week ago, Aleksei Voevodin and Artyom Prokhorenko had been given life sentences, and a dozen of their associates were also found guilty of committing a series of murders. This Voevodin-Borovikov group was responsible for some of the most high-profile hate crimes in Russia, including the ethnologist Nikolai Girenko and the nine-year-old Tajik girl Khursheda Sultanova.

The incident with Roberto Carlos will be investigated by the Russian soccer authorities, who’ve already promised to do everything possible to “change the situation.” Yet, none of the news outlets who covered the banana-throwing saw the bigger picture of racism in Russia: a bloody tale of fear, violence, and lawlessness.

Roberto Carlos and his teammates, some of whom are also international stars, live the life of luxury in Moscow. It’s too dangerous to reside in Makhachkala, the capital of the North Caucasus province of Dagestan which is represented by Anzhi in Russia’s top soccer league. The team’s owner, the billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, makes sure that his stars are shielded from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It’s likely that Mr. Kerimov treats his stars as well as another oligarch from Dagestan, Gadzhi Makhachev, treated the guests at his son’s three-day wedding that was poetically detailed in a wikileaks cable by a senior U.S. State Department official.

The vast majority of victims of racist violence in Russia could never dream of such riches. Central Asian labor migrants—the top targets—are underprivileged, poor, and socially deprived. Unlike Roberto Carols, these individuals are rarely identified by their names in the media, though they are subjected to the ultimate danger of racism in Russia: violent hate crime.

Human Rights First

EDL founder in court after far-right rally clashes (UK)

The founder of the English Defence League (EDL) will appear in court today accused of common assault.

Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested after a rally of the far-right group in Blackburn, Lancashire, on April 2.

The demonstration saw minor skirmishes among the 2,000 members of the group who had gathered in the centre of the town.

Police kept EDL supporters about 150 metres apart from a counter-protest by around 500 anti-fascists.

Lennon, 28, of Layham Drive, Luton, will appear on bail at Blackburn Magistrates Court.

This is London

White Wolves associate sentenced to 30 months (USA)

The goal was to increase the Connecticut White Wolves' presence in the white supremacy movement by selling guns to an associate of the Ku Klux Klan.

But the associate was an FBI informant, and all the plan accomplished was landing three suspected Wolves members and followers in federal prison.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall sentenced the last of the trio, William Bolton, 32, a U.S. Army and Navy veteran formerly of Milford and Stratford, to 30 months in prison. He previously pleaded guilty to plotting the robbery of an Ansonia weapons collector and to selling a sawed-off rifle to a convicted felon.

"He's not a bad guy," attorney Alexander Schwartz said of Bolton, his client. "It's unfortunate he got wrapped up in Alex DeFelice."

DeFelice, a 33-year-old Milford man, was convicted last fall on a number of federal weapons charges, including manufacturing hand grenades. Hall sentenced him to 10 years in prison. A third man, Edwin Westmoreland, of Stratford, received a 40-month sentence on three federal weapons charges.

Kenneth Zrallack Jr., the 29-year-old reputed head of the White Wolves, now known as Battalion 14 Connecticut Chapter of North East White Pride, was acquitted of all charges by the jury.

And the judge was not convinced that Bolton fell completely under DeFelice's spell.

"For a person who served his country," Hall said, "I don't understand how he could have a conversation contemplating a home invasion."

On Jan. 31, 2009, Bolton, DeFelice and the informant drove past the collector's apartment and discussed their plans, which included "shanking" the man on the back of the head if he was home. "In context of all the evidence in this case, it's pretty chilling," the judge said. "Obviously if he had gone through with this ... he'd probably be looking at life."

Bolton also was part of a late fall 2008 White Wolves discussion as to how a race war might result if President Barack Obama were assassinated. While the discussion occurred, it did not involve any claims of planning or participation in any attack on the president.

Bolton, a short, stocky balding man, admitted he was "wrong and sincerely apologize."

He said his involvement with DeFelice was out of "sheer stupidity and desperation. I didn't have friends at the time."

Bolton has been in custody since his arrest on March 20, 2010, at an Army base in Virginia.

CTPost

Arrests after Yorkshire anti-racism gig stormed (UK)

Police are continuing to investigate after an anti-racism concert was stormed by protesters chanting support for the English Defence League.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of affray after a hail of rocks and bottles were thrown into the 150 strong crowd of music fans and at windows at The Well venue, Chorley Lane, near the city centre.

Two people were injured at Saturday’s all day Rage Against Racism event. One man had teeth knocked out.

Kevin Berry, assistant manager at The Well, formerly Joseph’s Well, suffered an injured wrist during the fracas while shielding himself from a missile as he stood behind the bar. He said: “A group of around 15 people, estimated to be aged between 16 and 23 barged into the premises shouting and chanting ‘EDL’. They were throwing bottles and rocks. The police attended quickly and arrests were made.

“Despite the incident, the event continued without a problem. We had to carry on. It would mean that these people would have stopped the benefit gig and all the hard work done to arrange it.

The group also allegedly posted their plans on Facebook and afterwards boasted on the internet about what had happened.”

Organisers today said that the concert continued as planned until the early hours of Sunday morning.

Star guests at the punk, ska and reggae event included The Mighty Oppressed, Low-Life UK and DJs Jon Firth and Jamie Headcharge.

Four windows were broken, including one at offices above the venue. Two people were injured in the attack.

All money raised at the event will be donated to the Unite Against Facism organisation and local projects.

The EDL claims to be a street protest movement which opposes what it sees as the spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Officers were called shortly before 2.40pm on Saturday to reports of a disturbance at The Well.

“One man received a serious facial injury and others received minor injuries, with damage also caused to the premises.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of affray, and were bailed pending further enquiries, which are being led by City and Holbeck CID.”

Witnesses are asked to call 0845 6060606.

Yorkshire Evening Post

Dutch MP acquitted in 'hate' trial (Netherlands)

Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders has been acquitted by a court in Amsterdam where he was on trial for inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims.

Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party, has described Islam as a "fascist ideology", comparing the Quran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. He was acquitted on all five charges that were pressed against him.

The judge on Thursday said that Wilders' statements were "rude and condescending" but not a criminal offence according to Dutch law.

"The bench finds that your statements are acceptable within the context of the public debate," the judge told Wilders, who has been on trial in the Amsterdam regional court since last October.

Wilders has said he has a "problem with Islamic tradition, culture, [and] ideology; not with Muslim people".

The judge interpreted Wilders' remarks as challenging Islam as an ideology, which is not a criminal offence in the Netherlands. "[…] although gross and degenerating, it did not give rise to hatred," the judge said.

Wilders supporters applauded and he smiled as he left the courtroom.

Freedom of speech

A collection of minority groups that view Wilders' comments as having overstepped the boundaries of free speech first pressed charges in 2007; however, the Dutch public prosecution refused to pursue Wilders, saying it did not believe in a successful outcome to the case.

In 2009 an Amsterdam appeals court overturned that decision and ordered an investigation into "Fitna"
("Discord" in Arabic) - a short film Wilders produced on alleged Islamic extremism.

The case against Wilders started in January 2010, but then collapsed following claims that the judges were biased. It was re-started a month later.

Wilders' supporters labelled the case a left-wing conspiracy and a head-on attack on freedom of expression in the Netherlands.

On the other side of the spectrum, anti-Wilders groups warned the plaintiffs of the consequences of giving the politician a platform, fearing it would only raise his profile further.

Wilders formed his Freedom Party [PVV] - now the country's third largest party - after defecting from the VVD [right-wing liberals] in 2004 and has seen his following grow ever since.

Wilders' anti-Islamic and anti-establishment ideas won the PVV 15 per cent of the vote at the 2010 election.

Wilders, who remained silent throughout most of the proceedings, argued in his final statement on 6 May that: "The Netherlands is under threat of Islam. Truth and freedom are inextricably connected. We must speak the truth because otherwise we shall lose our freedom."

He reminded the court of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, who was murdered in 2002 by a left-wing environmentalist for his political ideas, and Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, who was murdered by a Muslim extremist in 2004 after making comments on Islam.

"I am here because of what I have said," Wilders stated, "I am here for having spoken. I have spoken, I speak and I shall continue to speak. Many have kept silent, but not Pim Fortuyn, not Theo van Gogh, and not me."

Aljazeera

BULGARIA SENTENCED IN STRASBOURG FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST 2 RUSSIANS

Bulgaria has been sanctioned by the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg to pay EUR 2 000 each to two Russian citizens, residing in the country, over discrimination.

 The two have filed a claim they have been blackmailed in order to graduate from high school. Anatoliy and Vitaliy Ponomariovi were born in 1986 and 1988 respectively in the Soviet Kazchstan. They were able to prove that Bulgaria has violated their right of free education, after granting their mother permanent status in 1994, but asking them for EUR 800 and EUR 2 600 in order to issue their high school diplomas. The brothers arrived in Bulgaria when their Russian mother divorced their Russian father and married a Bulgarian from the southern city of Pazardzhik. They started school in Bulgaria and learned to speak Bulgarian as a native language. Upon turning 18 they faced bureaucracy in Bulgaria for no longer being minors and dependents of their mother. Anatoliy requested his own permanent residency document and was told he had to go back to Russia, obtain a Bulgarian visa and then file an application for residency.

The family could not afford the trip since the mother had been unemployed and their step-father forced to close his small internet coffee shop. The Foreign Affairs Ministry finally allowed Anatoliy to file for visa from Bulgaria, but his residency papers were returned with the request for a fee of BGN 1 300. With his brother, they turned to the Commission for Forgiveness of Uncollectable State Fees, which made them take a loan of BGN 1 400 each. In 2005, when Anatoliy was about to graduate from high school, the Regional Pazardzhik Inspectorate for Education forced the high school principal to ask the brothers to pay a fee for attending a Bulgarian school in order to issue their diplomas. According to the Education Act from 1991, education is free for foreign citizens without permanent residency status.

The Strasbourg Court ruled that the Russians have been discriminated against and one of their basic human rights the right of education  violated. Bulgaria is sentenced to further pay EUR 2 000 for the Court's expenses.

Novinite