BNP faces legal threat amid new racism claims over redrafted constitution

Nick Griffin could be in in contempt of court for allegedly breaching court order to amend party rules

The British National party faces the prospect of renewed legal action from the government's equalities watchdog over allegations that it has failed to remove potentially racist clauses from its constitution. The court case could potentially see the BNP's leader, Nick Griffin, jailed or fined for contempt of court, or see party assets seized, lawyers believe.
It caps a miserable couple of weeks for the BNP. Griffin came third in the parliamentary vote for Barking, a constituency the BNP had targeted heavily, while his party lost all 12 of its seats on Barking and Dagenham council. That followed a disastrous election campaign in which the BNP website was taken down by its designer, the party's publicity director was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill Griffin and a London candidate was caught on camera fighting in the street with a group of Asian teenagers.

The BNP constitution was challenged in court last year by the government's Equalities and Human Rights Commission. In March, Judge Paul Collins ruled that even after the BNP lifted a direct ban on non-white members, the revised document was indirectly discriminatory because it required applicants to oppose "any form of integration or assimilation of ... the indigenous British", something the EHRC argued could not be endorsed by those in mixed-race relationships.

The constitution additionally required new members to submit to a two-hour vetting visit at their home by a pair of BNP officials, a clause Collins ruled could be seen as intimidating for non-white applicants. He ordered both offending sections be removed.

Following the ruling, Griffin redrafted the BNP constitution, something the party's rules allow him to do without consulting members. However, copies of the new version – officially known as draft 12.2 – show that both clauses have not been removed but moved and slightly amended. The home interview clause returns in near-identical wording as the "annual visit criteria", without which new members cannot attend meetings or vote on party matters.

"This seems like a slightly hapless attempt to get round the injunction by moving the offending section to a different part of the constitution," said Paul Epstein QC from Cloisters Chambers in London, a specialist in discrimination law. "There seems to be no doubt that what they have done goes against the spirit of Judge Collins's ruling at the very least. They're taking a real risk of being found in contempt of court. This is particularly the case for Griffin, given this role he has in changing the constitution."

The section relating to the "indigenous British" remains in the new constitution, under the heading "Temporary amendment". Gavin Millar QC, a specialist in election and discrimination law from Doughty Street chambers, said this appeared to breach the court decision. "The ruling made it quite clear that the reference to 'indigenous British' was discriminatory and had to be removed but the BNP has included it, saying it is only being temporarily removed pending a successful appeal, at which point it will be reinstated. This is a clear breach," he said.

The home visit clause had been slightly reworded but "it is in substance the same", he said, adding: "The approach they have taken is both a civil and criminal breach of the order and I think in the end, unless the courts or the commission give up, which I don't think they will, the BNP and Griffin will in the end face contempt proceedings and possible imprisonment."

Any EHRC action will have to wait until a government is formed, as until then its activities remain constrained by Cabinet Office guidelines on the behaviour of public bodies during election campaigns. An EHRC spokesman said: "At the time of the court ruling, we said that the commission would monitor the BNP's compliance with the ruling. We are currently looking into this matter."

The EHRC is understood to have written to the BNP outlining its concerns about the new constitution and is awaiting a reply. The BNP did not respond to a request for comment.

The Guardian

Far-right party seeks ACT toehold (Australia)

An extreme right-wing nationalist party is seeking to boost its presence in Canberra as it makes a bid to be registered in time for the federal election.

The party, founded by renegade Labor MP Graeme Campbell and spearheaded by contentious nationalist Jim Saleam, is holding a private meeting in Queanbeyan today.

The party supports restricting foreign ownership, reducing and limiting immigration, strengthening the traditional family and ''abolishing multiculturalism'', according to its website.

Dr Saleam, the party's nominal national spokesman, said public notice of its intent to register with the Australian Electoral Commission was imminent barring an ''absolutely marvellous objection'', and the territory had been identified as another possible foothold.

But he acknowledged the history of nationalist organisations in the territory was ''not a happy one''.

''There's a bit of a sub-culture of nationalistic groups that have operated in the ACT over time, and as a general rule they've never had any particular profile,'' he said.

But he argued there were still Canberrans who would identify with the party's far-right doctrine.

''If Australia First got established in the ACT it would have a definable base, a different social base to other groups in the ACT,'' he said.

''And that would be rather inevitable I suspect.''

ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds said while the party recognised Australia First's right to a political voice, their platform resembled ''the politics of fear''.

''We would fight for the right for those voices to be heard, and then we would have a conversation about the value of some of those voices,'' she said. ''It all sounds to me like the politics of fear. The Greens are actually interested in the politics of hope. Do we want to be a country that is guided by justice and compassion, or ... a country driven by fear?''

The Australia First Party's capital push follows moves to have the party registered for this year's federal election, and similar efforts by the Australian Protectionist Party.
Canberra Times

Philippine gay party on ballot for the first time

A gay political party will be on the ballot Monday for the first time in the Philippines, where eight out of 10 households are Roman Catholics.

The elections will determine whether Ang Ladlad ("Out of the Closet") -- which represents lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender Filipinos (LGBT) -- will get the maximum three seats allowable for a marginalized or underrepresented party in Congress.

"We consider it a milestone in Philippine human rights," said Leila De Lima, head of the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines. "They are really always victims of discrimination, exclusion and even violence."
The Commission sided with Ang Ladlad when its legal fight to stand for elections reached the Supreme Court.
Leading the five nominees under Ang Ladlad's banner is its national secretary of seven years, Bemz Benedito, who is transgender and also works for Senator Loren Legarda, herself a vice presidential candidate and Ang Ladlad supporter.

"We are running a common platform of equal rights, not special rights," said Benedito.
Topping Ang Ladlad's five-plank agenda is support for the Anti-Discrimination Bill that would criminalize discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill has been filed multiple times in the Philippines Congress to no success.

The four other items on Ang Ladlad's platform are:

• Support for LGBT-related and LGBT-friendly businesses

• Setting up of microfinance projects for poor and disabled LGBT Filipinos

• Setting up centers that could provide legal aid and counseling services for poor and aging LGBT Filipinos

• Support for the repeal of the Anti-Vagrancy law, a tool that Ang Ladlad says has been exploited to extort members of the LGBT community.

Absent is same-sex marriage, which has slowly become legalized in other parts of the world. "We've done surveys -- we're going to lose on this one," said Ang Ladlad founder Danton Remoto, pointing to the predominance of Catholicism. "We're not going to push this. We focus on human rights first."
Also absent from the platform is a gender recognition bill, which would recognize transgender people and allow them to legalize the names they identify with.

On the Commission on Elections' (COMELEC) Web site, Benedito and another Ang Ladlad candidate, Naomi Fontanos, are listed under their male birth names. But Benedito prefers the female "Bemz," as opposed to her birth name, "Bembol Aleeh," and Fontanos -- chair of the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP) -- is listed as "Tito Paulo."
"That's our struggle," said Benedito. "Even if our members have gone through gender reassignment surgery, they are not allowed to change their names to male or female, [unless] there is a typographical error."

One of the biggest challenges Ang Ladlad faces are the "immoral" and "abnormal" labels that the Commission on Elections and an official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) have used against them.
"My faith is always direct to God, and I believe he's also created us," said Benedito, a Roman Catholic who once studied at an all-boys Catholic school. "It's not up to these priests [to say] what is moral and what is not."
Speaking with CNN by phone on Tuesday, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, Jr. stood by his earlier well-publicized comments against Ang Ladlad's inclusion on the ballot.

"Personally, I'm not in favor of the party, because it's a group that's of abnormal human persons, according to what we accept as the order that the Creator has made for human persons," said Deogracias, who chairs the CBCP's public affairs permanent committee. "Human society -- we have male and female, so whatever is outside is abnormal. As with any other people, they are members of society. We respect them, we can tolerate them, we are compassionate, but we cannot sanction what they are doing."

In a separate phone conversation earlier, CBCP's media office director Pedro Quitorio said the body has not yet issued a formal statement on Ang Ladlad.

As recently as a month ago, the Commission on Elections had denied Ang Ladlad's registration twice in four years -- first for a lack of members and then on moral grounds. In its latter dismissal, the commission cited Ang Ladlad's tolerance for "immorality which offends religious beliefs" and then quoted the Bible, the Koran and then the Law Department's definition of the civil code.

Is Ang Ladlad the world's only gay political party?

In 2007, an Israeli, Hagai Eyad, announced the formation of the Magi, or "Gay Party in Israel," to run for the Knesset after plans for a Jerusalem gay pride party were quashed. The effort did not materialize, and no party ran.

Between 1999 and 2005 the Gay and Lesbian Alliance, founded by Juan Elys [elsewhere spelled "Uys"], existed as a political party in South Africa, according to EISA, a South African-based nonprofit organization which promotes credible elections, human rights and democracy in Africa.

"The denial of Ang Ladlad's registration on purely moral grounds amounts more to a statement of dislike and disapproval of homosexuals, rather than a tool to further any substantial public interest," the court said in its ruling.

The party has had barely a month to campaign. "So, wherever we go, we say, 'Number 89,'" Remoto said, referring to its placement on the long ballot with 186 other "party-list" groups, which together would comprise one-fifth of the House of Representatives.

Ang Ladlad, which estimates 25,000 members, has received an "outpouring of support" from politicians, as well as from nuns and priests who cannot outwardly express it, Remoto said.
"Whether they win or lose, what's important is, they're on the ballot, and people are given the chance to vote for them and other parties," Senator Chiz Escudero said by phone of Ang Ladlad.

Escudero, an independent, rallied the party to endorse presidential candidate Senator Benigno Aquino and vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay. Such a combination is a mixed-ticket, considering Aquino belongs to the Liberal Party, and Binay is on the PDP-Laban ticket as Aquino rival and former President Joseph Estrada's running mate.
Remoto pointed to corruption as the Philippines' main problem and referred to Aquino as the "Mr. Clean of Philippine politics." Binay, the mayor of Makati, has a track record as a human rights lawyer and a gender rights agenda in his platform, Remoto added.

That Ang Ladlad may be the only gay political party in the world hasn't been disputed so far.

Sam Cook, communications and research director, of the New York-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, said he was not aware of any other.

The Washington-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute, which supports LGBT candidates to all levels of office, said there has not been an equivalent in the United States, where same-sex marriage and military policy toward gays have generated significant debate.

"Well-known openly gay candidates and elected officials in the U.S. have almost always been affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties, with the Democrats fielding far more out candidates than Republicans," Denis Dison, vice president of external affairs, wrote via e-mail.
Public perception of gays in the Philippines has changed in the past 20 years, said Remoto, who teaches at Ateneo de Manila University.

"We made homosexuality a topic everyone can discuss openly," he said.

CNN

Australia burka armed robbery sparks ban debate

An armed robbery allegedly carried out by a man wearing a burka has sparked a row in Australia on whether the full-face Islamic veil should be banned.

Opposition Liberal Sen Cory Bernardi said the robbery showed the burka was "emerging as the preferred disguise of bandits and ne'er-do-wells".
Both PM Kevin Rudd and Liberal leader Tony Abbott dismissed the comments and said they would not support a ban.

The row follows similar debates on the burka in European countries.
Last week, Belgian politicians voted for a ban which would outlaw the full-face veil in public.

Mr Bernardi, senator for South Australia, made his comments after a man was held up at gunpoint in a car park in Sydney on Wednesday and robbed of a bag of cash.
The victim said his attacker had been a man wearing sunglasses and a burka, meaning he could not be identified.
Writing in his blog, Mr Bernardi said the burka was "un-Australian" and should be banned on safety grounds and for the good of society.

"To me, the burka represents the repressive domination of men over women which has no place in our society and compromises some of the most important aspects of human communication," he said.

"It also establishes a different set of rules and societal expectations in our hitherto homogenous society."

'Confronting'
Mr Abbott said party member Mr Bernardi was "entitled to a personal view" but that he did not personally support the idea of a ban.
"I think a lot of Australians find the wearing of the burka quite confronting and I wish it was not widely worn," he told ABC News.
"But the point is we don't have a policy to ban it and we have always respected people's rights in this area."

Mr Rudd has accused the opposition of expressing contradictory views on the issue.
"He [Bernardi] goes out there and says that's what he wants to do. Mr Abbott then says it's not their policy," he told the Seven network.

"They are walking both sides of the street.''
Belgium's lower house of parliament voted unanimously last week for a law banning the public wearing of any clothing that obscures the identity of the wearer.

If passed by the country's senate, the ban would be the first move of its kind in Europe. France is close to introducing a similar ban.

BBC News

Body of Ukrainian Jew missing since Hitler's birthday found in Kiev

Ukrainian authorities over the weekend found the body of a 25-year-old Jewish man was reported missing more than three weeks ago. It is not yet clear whether local authorities are treating the murder as an anti-Semitic incident.
Aryeh-Leib Misenzon's body was found mutilated and dumped in a Kiev neighborhood late Friday night. Chabad officials identified him as the young man who has been missing since April 20, the anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birthday.

Kiev Police believe Mizenson was kidnapped and murdered, and that his assailants mutilated his body soon after.
Local authorities have asked to delay his funeral pending further investigation, but Chabad has demanded that his body be turned over to his family for a proper Jewish burial.

Haaretz

POLICE, PROTESTERS CLASH AT FIRST-EVER LITHUANIAN GAY MARCH

Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in Lithuania's capital Vilnius on Saturday, as homosexual rights campaigners held their first-ever rally in the Baltic state. Officers moved in to disperse around 2,000 counter demonstrators at the end of the Baltic Pride 2010 march, as they hurled stones, bottles and fire-crackers from behind security barriers and shouted "Down with Homonazis". Nineteen protesters were arrested, police said. Gay rights campaigners had Friday won an appeal against a court decision to ban their parade in this overwhelming Catholic and former communist EU nation of 3.3 million people, where homosexuality is largely taboo. "We've made a decisive step towards greater tolerance," Vytautas Valentinavicius, one of the organisers, told AFP. Around 300 people took part in the march, with a heavy police presence protecting them from the protesters. "I feel like I've taken part in an historic event," said Ieva, a medical student, marching with her partner Monika. "My friends know I'm a lesbian, but not my parents. The pressure of the traditional model is really strong. But they'll see the photos and that we're just ordinary people. I hope that it'll be easier to tell them," she said. Participants marched under a huge rainbow banner -- a global symbol of gay rights -- and carried placards reading "Human Rights Are My Pride" and "Different Families, Same Love". Same-sex relations were decriminalised in Lithuania in 1993 -- two years after the country won independence from the crumbling Soviet Union, which had banned homosexuality. But opposition remains entrenched.


"Homosexuality is not part of our traditional values. It's something imported into our country. They should keep it to themselves and not flaunt it," said mother of three Lina Saluckiene, as protesters prayed earlier outside Vilnius' cathedral. Opinion polls indicate that most Lithuanians consider homosexuality a perversion, and many gays in the Baltic state live a double life. "I have several gay friends who hold senior posts," said Ramune Zvirblyte, an administrator at Vilnius University. "I'm here for them. They didn't dare come here because they were afraid of being recognised. They were scared they'd face prejudice in their professional life," she said. Besides representatives of Lithuania's gay community and local supporters, the rally drew foreign participants including members of the European Parliament and Birgitta Ohlsson, Sweden's European affairs minister. "I'm glad to be here. It's important to support others," said Stiofan McFadden, a campaigner from Scotland. After the hour-and-a-half march near Vilnius city centre, participants were escorted to waiting buses to avoid running into their opponents. Lithuania's gay rights record has regularly been faulted by local and international campaigners, the European Union and global watchdogs such as Amnesty International. In 2007 and 2008, local authorities banned EU-sponsored anti-discrimination events -- Lithuania joined the bloc in 2004 -- and have also repeatedly barred local campaigners from holding public gatherings. The story was nearly similar this year.
On Wednesday, a court suspended Vilnius city hall's approval of the march, after Lithuania's chief prosecutor said he had evidence that hardline anti-gay groups were planning potentially violent protests. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite slammed the ban, saying there was a constitutional right to peaceful assembly and it was up to the authorities to ensure public order. The ban also sparked international criticism. On Friday, Lithuania's top appeals court overturned the ruling, citing the country's obligations under European human rights law.

AFP

GERMANY'S MERKEL URGES FIGHT AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Saturday for fresh efforts to counter anti-semitism and to remember the Holocaust on the 65th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi regime in World War II. "Fighting anti-semitism at the root is a challenge for the whole of society, even if the vast majority of people do not think in an anti-semitic way," she wrote in a long piece in the Suddeutsche Zeitung daily. Merkel vowed that she would "always" fight against anti-semitism even if that led to "insulting letters about being a 'puppet of the Jewish conspiracy' and worse". She encouraged Germans to talk unflinchingly about World War II and the Holocaust, when Nazi Germany masterminded and carried out the murder of six million Jews. "It is essential for the understanding of our identity and of our future to talk about Nazism and the extermination of the Jews," she wrote. Denying that the Holocaust took place is illegal in Germany. The Chancellor is due to attend a Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square on Sunday -- though French President Nicolas Sarkozy and reportedly Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have cancelled due to the European financial crisis.


AFP

BNP wipe out - THANK YOU

It is almost unbelievable. But the stain of far-right politics has been wiped off the face of Barking and Dagenham. Not only was the BNP thoroughly beaten in the general election, the council lost 12 councillors.

This means the number of councillors left on Barking & Dagenham council went from 12 to 0 overnight.

We cannot thank those who made this possible enough. Huge respect goes to Nick Lowles, Matthew Collins, Sam Tarry, Caroline Alabi and all those who have worked so tirelessly organising activists against the BNP in the Borough for many months.

And huge thanks to almost 1,300 people who have volunteered valuable time over the course of the election - in Barking & Dagenham (where we put out 130,000 pieces of literature), and in Stoke-on-Trent - where the BNP were also humiliated.

We have had brilliant support from pensioners, black and Asian voters, white voters, young voters, women and men. On Monday 385 people delivered 55,000 leaflets and even on polling day we had 175 people out knocking up the vote.

We also had huge moral and financial support from hundreds of thousands of people across the country, and fantastic support from the Mirror which kept us all going.

As ever our celebrity supporters have been magnificent, from Billy Bragg, Eddie Izzard and Speech Debelle, to the casts of The Bill, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, plus too many more to mention.

Thank you one and all - you've done a wonderful thing.

Daily Mirror -  Hope Not Hate