Saturday, 8 May 2010
South African police foil white extremist bomb plot
Arms caches seized and five people arrested amid fears of attack on black townships before World Cup
Police in South Africa say they have foiled a plot by white extremists to bomb black townships ahead of the World Cup.
Five suspects linked to rightwing groups were arrested in police raids that uncovered major caches of explosives, illegal guns and ammunition.
Fears of racial violence flared up last month after the murder of the white supremacist Eugene Terre'Blanche. Some members of his group, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (Afrikaner Resistance Movement, or AWB), swore revenge, warning warned foreign tourists and footballers to think twice about their safety at next month's tournament.
Nathi Mthethwa, the police minister, said officers had "swept" a number of areas soon after the 11 April expiry of a three-month firearms amnesty.
He said arrests made in the administrative capital, Pretoria, concerned people who were "manufacturing arsenals of destruction". He added: "They were going to test some of their explosives in any black township."
Zweli Mnisi, a spokesman for Mthethwa, said the five arrests had been made in Pretoria and the western town of Worcester and had a "strong linkage to rightwing operations".
He added: "Police, through our intelligence, swooped on large cache of firearms, including explosives, illegal guns, ammunition. At this stage we won't divulge much as it may compromise investigations. We commend our members for the sterling job."
In 2002, the then president, Thabo Mbeki, blamed extremists for 10 bomb blasts that killed a woman and wounded two others. Nine of the bombs exploded in Soweto, a black township near Johannesburg. But, Mthethwa added, threats of a race war had been blown out of proportion, particularly by British tabloid newspapers. "There is no such thing as a race war," he said. "But we're not taking anything for granted.
"Nobody will disrupt the World Cup … They won't do that because we are monitoring everything in the country."
South Africa has around 44,000 police officers dedicated to the month-long event, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world.
Mthethwa insisted: "Our readiness ranges from personnel to state-of the-art equipment, information communication technology and co-operation with the security agencies from the 31 participating countries."
But the national police commissioner admitted today that a possible World Cup visit by the US president, Barack Obama, is causing a major security headache.
"One challenge is the American president, who is coming, not coming; coming, not coming: it is 50-50," General Bheki Cele told parliament's portfolio committee on police.
"Our famous prayer is that the Americans don't make the second round," Cele said, to laughter from MPs and police officials. "We are told that if it goes to the second or third stage, the US president may come. At the moment we have 43 heads of state provisionally confirmed. That 43 will be equal to this one operation."
Anneli Botha, an expert on terrorism at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, said she did not think white extremists would target the World Cup because they were unlikely to attack foreigners. But Botha said police had to prepare for any possibility.
The Guardian
Five suspects linked to rightwing groups were arrested in police raids that uncovered major caches of explosives, illegal guns and ammunition.
Fears of racial violence flared up last month after the murder of the white supremacist Eugene Terre'Blanche. Some members of his group, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (Afrikaner Resistance Movement, or AWB), swore revenge, warning warned foreign tourists and footballers to think twice about their safety at next month's tournament.
Nathi Mthethwa, the police minister, said officers had "swept" a number of areas soon after the 11 April expiry of a three-month firearms amnesty.
He said arrests made in the administrative capital, Pretoria, concerned people who were "manufacturing arsenals of destruction". He added: "They were going to test some of their explosives in any black township."
Zweli Mnisi, a spokesman for Mthethwa, said the five arrests had been made in Pretoria and the western town of Worcester and had a "strong linkage to rightwing operations".
He added: "Police, through our intelligence, swooped on large cache of firearms, including explosives, illegal guns, ammunition. At this stage we won't divulge much as it may compromise investigations. We commend our members for the sterling job."
In 2002, the then president, Thabo Mbeki, blamed extremists for 10 bomb blasts that killed a woman and wounded two others. Nine of the bombs exploded in Soweto, a black township near Johannesburg. But, Mthethwa added, threats of a race war had been blown out of proportion, particularly by British tabloid newspapers. "There is no such thing as a race war," he said. "But we're not taking anything for granted.
"Nobody will disrupt the World Cup … They won't do that because we are monitoring everything in the country."
South Africa has around 44,000 police officers dedicated to the month-long event, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world.
Mthethwa insisted: "Our readiness ranges from personnel to state-of the-art equipment, information communication technology and co-operation with the security agencies from the 31 participating countries."
But the national police commissioner admitted today that a possible World Cup visit by the US president, Barack Obama, is causing a major security headache.
"One challenge is the American president, who is coming, not coming; coming, not coming: it is 50-50," General Bheki Cele told parliament's portfolio committee on police.
"Our famous prayer is that the Americans don't make the second round," Cele said, to laughter from MPs and police officials. "We are told that if it goes to the second or third stage, the US president may come. At the moment we have 43 heads of state provisionally confirmed. That 43 will be equal to this one operation."
Anneli Botha, an expert on terrorism at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, said she did not think white extremists would target the World Cup because they were unlikely to attack foreigners. But Botha said police had to prepare for any possibility.
The Guardian
MET OFFICER SUES FORCE ALLEGING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (uk)
A black Metropolitan Police officer is suing the force alleging his career was held back due to racial discrimination. Supt Paul Wilson, 51, claims he was sidelined after he highlighted bias in the Met in a 2008 race inquiry report for the Metropolitan Police Authority. Mr Wilson, a former chairman of the Met's Black Police Association, will go to an employment tribunal next week. The Met said it "does not recognise the position Mr Wilson describes" and "will robustly defend the claim". Mr Wilson joined the Met in 1979 and is currently responsible for Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Lambeth.
Lawrence inquiry
He claims he faced bias after he wrote the race inquiry report commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Authority following several high profile race claims against the force. The officer, who will appear before the tribunal in West Croydon, gave evidence at Sir William Macpherson's inquiry following Stephen Lawrence's murder. A Met spokesman said: "Supt Paul Wilson is bringing an employment tribunal claim against the Met citing race discrimination over the handling of his professional development review for the reporting period 2008/09. "The Met does not recognise the position Superintendent Wilson describes and will robustly defend the claim." A spokesman for the Employment Tribunal confirmed that Mr Wilson has lodged a claim of racial discrimination.
BBC News
Lawrence inquiry
He claims he faced bias after he wrote the race inquiry report commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Authority following several high profile race claims against the force. The officer, who will appear before the tribunal in West Croydon, gave evidence at Sir William Macpherson's inquiry following Stephen Lawrence's murder. A Met spokesman said: "Supt Paul Wilson is bringing an employment tribunal claim against the Met citing race discrimination over the handling of his professional development review for the reporting period 2008/09. "The Met does not recognise the position Superintendent Wilson describes and will robustly defend the claim." A spokesman for the Employment Tribunal confirmed that Mr Wilson has lodged a claim of racial discrimination.
BBC News
TWO SONS OF FORMER BISHOP OF ROCHESTER INJURED IN RACIST ATTACK (uk)
Ross Nazir-Ali, 30, and his brother Shammy, 34, suffered minor injuries in the assault outside a kebab shop. The pair did not need medical treatment after the attack in Rochester and the incident is being investigated by Kent Police. Details have been passed to a hate crime unit which will offer support to the brothers and give them updates on the inquiry. No arrests have been made after the incident last Saturday, a police spokesman said. Ross Nazir-Ali told the Sun newspaper: ''We were in a kebab shop in Rochester when about 20 guys came up to the window. ''One guy called me gay, then others shouted racist abuse. When we left the shop, they chased us round a corner. One punched my brother and I in the head. I thought he was going to kill me but they then ran off.'' A police spokesman said: ''Kent Police were contacted on Saturday May 1 at 8.30pm following an assault which took place in Cossack Street, Rochester. ''Two men, aged 30 and 34, suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident and did not require any medical treatment. ''An investigation into the assault is under way and officers have taken details of the incident from the victims. ''Details have also been passed to the Medway Hate Crime Unit who will provide support and reassurance to the victims as well as giving regular updates on the progress of the investigation.''
Pakistani-born Dr Nazir-Ali stepped down as the 106th Bishop of Rochester last year after 15 years in the position. He was the first non-white bishop in the Church of England and during his tenure he courted controversy with some provocative remarks. He received death threats in 2008 for saying in a Sunday newspaper that Islamic extremists were creating ''no-go areas'' for non-Muslims in Britain. He was also quoted as claiming that the Church was not doing enough to convert Muslims to Christianity. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said his decision to step down would create ''a real gap in the ranks of English bishops''.
The Telegraph
Pakistani-born Dr Nazir-Ali stepped down as the 106th Bishop of Rochester last year after 15 years in the position. He was the first non-white bishop in the Church of England and during his tenure he courted controversy with some provocative remarks. He received death threats in 2008 for saying in a Sunday newspaper that Islamic extremists were creating ''no-go areas'' for non-Muslims in Britain. He was also quoted as claiming that the Church was not doing enough to convert Muslims to Christianity. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said his decision to step down would create ''a real gap in the ranks of English bishops''.
The Telegraph
Lithuania overturns ban on gay pride parade
Lithuania's first gay pride parade can go ahead as planned on Saturday, an appeals court has ruled.
Earlier this week, a lower court outlawed the parade after the chief prosecutor argued that anti-gay groups could cause violence.
But the appeals court ruled that the state must ensure the right to peaceful assembly.
Correspondents say that homosexuality is seen as taboo by many in Lithuania, a majority Roman Catholic country.
The original ban was criticised by President Dalia Grybauskaite, some European governments, and the international rights watchdog Amnesty International.
Organisers of Saturday's Baltic Pride 2010 march have welcomed the ruling, which is final.
The parade in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, is expected to draw 350 participants and an even larger crowd of opponents, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Some 800 police officers will be on hand to maintain order, and have been instructed to confiscate harmful objects as well as tomatoes and eggs, the Baltic Pride organisers said on their website.
The ruling issued by the top Vilnius appeals court said: "The state has a duty to ensure the right to peaceful assembly, even of people whose opinions are not popular or represent minorities."
Lithuania, an EU member since 2004, has repeatedly been criticised by rights groups for widespread intolerance toward sexual minorities.
BBC News
Earlier this week, a lower court outlawed the parade after the chief prosecutor argued that anti-gay groups could cause violence.
But the appeals court ruled that the state must ensure the right to peaceful assembly.
Correspondents say that homosexuality is seen as taboo by many in Lithuania, a majority Roman Catholic country.
The original ban was criticised by President Dalia Grybauskaite, some European governments, and the international rights watchdog Amnesty International.
Organisers of Saturday's Baltic Pride 2010 march have welcomed the ruling, which is final.
The parade in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, is expected to draw 350 participants and an even larger crowd of opponents, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Some 800 police officers will be on hand to maintain order, and have been instructed to confiscate harmful objects as well as tomatoes and eggs, the Baltic Pride organisers said on their website.
The ruling issued by the top Vilnius appeals court said: "The state has a duty to ensure the right to peaceful assembly, even of people whose opinions are not popular or represent minorities."
Lithuania, an EU member since 2004, has repeatedly been criticised by rights groups for widespread intolerance toward sexual minorities.
BBC News
SLOVAK ROMA OUTRAGED BY FAR-RIGHT POSTER CAMPAIGN
Posters for the SNS show a dark-skinned man with tattoos and a golden necklace, accompanied by the slogan "Do not feed those who do not want to work." The SNS, a government coalition partner of Prime Minister Robert Fico, has been running low in opinion polls before the June 12 vote. SNS leader Jan Slota's campaign was "disgusting," Frantisek Tanko of the Union of Slovak Roma told reporters. "We hear nothing from Mr Slota but 'Roma are dirty and steal'." Up to 10 percent of Slovakia's 5.4 million people are Roma. Most live on the margins of society in squalid settlements with limited access to education, electricity and running water. In many communities, unemployment runs at well over 50 percent. The euro zone member was criticized by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay in March for eroding the treatment of Roma. The SNS has frequently criticized both the Roma and the country's half-million-strong Hungarian minority. Slovak media firm euroAWK, a unit of Germany's media group AWK whose ad space was used for the campaign, said it would cover up all 29 of the controversial posters in the region of the capital Bratislava. Other firms continued to place the posters in other regions. The SNS said the billboard referred to all Slovaks exploiting the welfare system. "Those who scream the man on the billboard is Roma, or a Gypsy, are racists. How did you come to the conclusion he's a Gypsy?" party Vice-Chairwoman Anna Belousovova said. Fico, whose leftist SMER party is seen as the election front-runner, said last month that boarding schools were the only way to break a cycle of exclusion in which most Roma grow up without any hope of joining mainstream society.
Reuters
Reuters
POLLING QUEUES LEAVE HUNDREDS UNABLE TO CAST VOTE (uk)
There were angry scenes around the country tonight after hundreds of voters were unable to vote when polling stations closed at 10pm despite queueing for hours, casting a shadow over the results of the election. Up to 200 would-be voters in Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's constituency of Sheffield Hallam were left disenfranchised and a number made their way to Clegg's house to protest. The polling stations affected included parts of the London boroughs of Hackney, Peckham, Lewisham, as well as Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle. Police were reportedly called to deal with disturbances in Islington South after voters began demanding the right to vote, while in Lewisham, police attended a polling station after 300 people were still unable to vote by the deadline of 10pm. Some voters in Hackney – where voters had five votes – said they were turned away after queuing for over an hour-and-a-half. A staged sit-in prompted a visit by the police. One angry would-be voter speaking to Sky News outside Clegg's home said: "It was totally frustrating. It's my right to vote. At 6.45 [the queue] was too long to vote. I made the effort. I came back early. It had been totally inadequately manned." Another said he had left work early to vote and arrived just after 9pm but the long "choc-a-bloc" queues meant the polling station closed before he was able to get a ballot paper. The group said that they estimated as many as 150 to 200 people were queuing and were unable to cast their vote by the deadline at 10pm, but were told it would be illegal if polling station staff took any more votes. They claimed people were returning on a "continual basis" because of long queues but returned to find it was still there. "People were coming along seeing the queue and coming back on a continual basis," said one man. He added: "Why didn't they get more people down?"
David Wheeler, who was turned away at Gleadless Valley polling station in Sheffield, said: "There were hundreds of us queuing up in the rain, but they closed the doors at 10 bang on the dot. We tried to argue with them, told them we had the right to vote, but they said they had been open since seven. About 100 of us were turned away." Emma Dickson, the Green parliamentary candidate for Islington North, said queues at a polling station at a primary school had begun to build at 7.15am. "At 7.15 they were already coming through the playground and into the street. There were queues all day and the council didn't put on any extra staff and polling staff didn't seem to be in any hurry. By 10pm everyone was in the school building and at that point there were 36 to 40 people waiting." Dickson said that 1,500 new voters had come into the area after moving into the newly converted flats at the old Arsenal stadium but that only two or three staff were manning the ballot. She said a request was made to the chief executive of the council to take votes but keep them separate in case of a legal dispute but this was refused. But other polling stations were kept open to deal with the backlog. Lewisham reportedly extended the poll by half an hour, while a polling station in Birmingham reportedly called in people queuing and then locked the doors. Apologies were already being issued tonight for the chaos. Angus Walker, returning officer for Sheffield city council had apologised by 11.30pm. He said: "We anticipated increased demand but not this much. We could not issue ballot papers after 10pm in Ranmore. We were not prepared to compromise the election." He added: "We are deeply sorry that it happened." Deputy Labour leader Harriett Harman admitted legal challenges could follow. It is not clear how many voters were unable to vote but reports from various areas suggest numbers well into the hundreds. Andrew Boff, the Conservative mayoral candidate for Hackney said that although around 150 were unable to vote, the number could be twice that after many had given up waiting and after the situation started "getting ugly."
The Guardian
David Wheeler, who was turned away at Gleadless Valley polling station in Sheffield, said: "There were hundreds of us queuing up in the rain, but they closed the doors at 10 bang on the dot. We tried to argue with them, told them we had the right to vote, but they said they had been open since seven. About 100 of us were turned away." Emma Dickson, the Green parliamentary candidate for Islington North, said queues at a polling station at a primary school had begun to build at 7.15am. "At 7.15 they were already coming through the playground and into the street. There were queues all day and the council didn't put on any extra staff and polling staff didn't seem to be in any hurry. By 10pm everyone was in the school building and at that point there were 36 to 40 people waiting." Dickson said that 1,500 new voters had come into the area after moving into the newly converted flats at the old Arsenal stadium but that only two or three staff were manning the ballot. She said a request was made to the chief executive of the council to take votes but keep them separate in case of a legal dispute but this was refused. But other polling stations were kept open to deal with the backlog. Lewisham reportedly extended the poll by half an hour, while a polling station in Birmingham reportedly called in people queuing and then locked the doors. Apologies were already being issued tonight for the chaos. Angus Walker, returning officer for Sheffield city council had apologised by 11.30pm. He said: "We anticipated increased demand but not this much. We could not issue ballot papers after 10pm in Ranmore. We were not prepared to compromise the election." He added: "We are deeply sorry that it happened." Deputy Labour leader Harriett Harman admitted legal challenges could follow. It is not clear how many voters were unable to vote but reports from various areas suggest numbers well into the hundreds. Andrew Boff, the Conservative mayoral candidate for Hackney said that although around 150 were unable to vote, the number could be twice that after many had given up waiting and after the situation started "getting ugly."
The Guardian
Griffin's future in doubt as BNP campaign implodes
The far-right party, led by Nick Griffin, was wiped out in its east London council stronghold of Barking and Dagenham, where its entire complement of 12 councillors lost their seats. In the parliamentary constituency of Barking, Mr Griffin came a poor third. The party had claimed it was on track to win 24 seats on the council, as well as win its first Westminster seat there.
The rout at the hands of the Labour Party, which followed a concerted local campaign by the Hope Not Hate anti-fascist coalition, raised immediate questions about the position of Mr Griffin. In the general election, the extremist group increased its share of the national vote to 1.9 per cent (562,979 votes) but it failed to gain a single MP from 300 candidates. In Stoke South, its other key parliamentary target, its deputy leader, Simon Darby, came in fourth. The party's nationwide tally of 34 councillors also fell – from 34 to 12.
There were calls last night on far-right websites for Mr Griffin to resign after a troubled campaign that started with allegations of a plot by senior members to depose him, and culminated with television footage of one of his most senior lieutenants trading punches with an Asian man in a street brawl.
The BNP leader was pushed into third place in Barking by Margaret Hodge, the tourism minister and Labour incumbent, who doubled her majority to more than 16,000 votes. She told Mr Griffin to "pack your bags and go". The 65-year-old added: "The message of Barking to the BNP is clear: get out and stay out. You are not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy."
Mr Griffin, however, vowed not to resign, saying: "I would say this to the people of Britain: it is going to be too late for Barking but it is not too late for Britain. Get rid of your masters before they get rid of us."
Labour took control of all 51 seats on Barking and Dagenham council, one of London's most impoverished boroughs, completing a strong performance for the party in the English council elections as it rebuilt its town-hall presence. In 2008, Labour suffered its worst municipal result, coming third behind the Liberal Democrats with a net loss of 331 seats.
In this year's council elections, with 125 out of 164 council polls declared, it had seized back control of eight councils – including Liverpool, St Helens and Doncaster – and won an extra 249 councillors.
The Conservatives lost eight councils and 78 councillors, but overall remained the largest party in local government, with 55 councils to Labour's 25. The Liberal Democrats completed their disappointing election performance with a net loss of two councils, including its flagship local authority Liverpool to Labour for the first time since 1998. Nick Clegg's party, which also lost Sheffield to no overall control, lost 62 councillors. However, the narrowness of the margins of victory in council wards – where seats can often be decided on a difference of a few dozen votes – means that legal challenges are likely over the polling-stations queues that prevented some from voting on Thursday night
The Independant
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