Jobbik leader to wear banned Gárda outfit in parliment (Hungary)

Jobbik leader Gábor Vona will wear the black vest and white shirt of the banned Magyar Gárda paramilitary organisation at the inaugural session of Parliament, he told Socialist chairwoman Ildikó Lendvai at a meeting of the parliamentary parties on Tuesday.

Vona said he will wear the black vest in solidarity with those" who were impeded undemocratically" by the previous government. Vona said he will be the only Jobbik MP to wear the black vest.

Deputy chairman Zoltán Balczó said Jobbik MPs will take the oath of office at the royal crown in the Parliament building on Friday.
Socialist caucus leader Attila Mesterházy said "Hungary is not a monarchy but a republic, for the time being" and oaths should be taken where determined by regulations.

politics.hu

Former German soldier sentenced for anti-Semitic graffiti

An 83-year-old native of Germany has been sentenced to six months in jail for scrawling anti-Semitic graffiti in a Canadian city in Ontario.


"This may be the last opportunity for a Canadian court to look into the eyes of a German military (subject) and state clearly to him what all Canadians think of this type of act that led to the death of six million Jews," Judge Norman Douglas said Monday before sentencing Max Mahr on charges of willful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group.
Mahr was arrested and charged last September in connection with hateful remarks against Jews found in various locations in the city of Guelph, located an hour southwest of Toronto. He pleaded guilty in March.

The court was told about 19 instances of graffiti that urged the killing of Jews.

Mahr also was sentenced to two years probation and 40 hours of community service. He served as a German soldier during World War II.
"As I see the case, the crime wasn't committed 65 years ago," Douglas said. "Mr. Mahr has brought this poisonous hatred into the 21st century."
The Canadian Jewish Congress issued a statement in support of the sentence, whose "unequivocal message speaks volumes about the importance of protecting minority communities in this country."

JTA News

France moves closer to a ban on full-face veils

The French parliament unanimously passed a resolution which condemns the full-face veil known as a burqa on Tuesday. The measure could set the stage for a total ban.

The French parliament unanimously approved a resolution that would declare the full facial veil known as a burqa as an affront to French values, paving the way for a full-fledged ban on the garment worn by a small minority of French Muslim women.

The proposals also condemn the wearing of the niqab, a veil that covers the face but allows a slit for the eyes, in contrast to the burqa, in which the eyes are covered by a layer of netting or lace.
The resolution had the backing of both French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party and the opposition Socialists. It passed with a vote of 434 to 0 in the 577-seat National Assembly. About 30 members of the Communist Party walked out before the vote in protest.
The non-binding resolution passed on Tuesday declares that "radical practices which violate the dignity and equality between men and women, such as the wearing of the full veil, are contrary to the values of the republic."
The parliament is to discuss draft legislation that would actually ban the attire next week. It is expected to be put to a vote in July.
The draft legislation would criminalize the wearing of the veil in public, including at institutions like schools or government offices, as well as on the streets. It would also apply to tourists from outside of France.

Under the draft law, women who wear veils covering the face could face fines. Men found guilty of forcing their wives or daughters to wear it could face prison sentences. But the bill has less support from French lawmakers, including Socialist Party leader Martine Aubry, than the resolution.
Aubry said a complete ban would not be feasible, and "risks being a source of stigmatization and mostly [being] inefficient because it cannot be implemented."

Criticism for proposals

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The niqab, which allows the eyes to be seen, is also covered under the proposals
The movement to ban the wearing of face-covering veils in public has drawn criticism from both a French government body which promotes interreligious dialogue and the Council of Europe.

"We do not want Islam to be stigmatized as a result of this law banning the full veil," Mohamed Moussaoui, who heads the Council of the Muslim Faith, told news agency AFP on Tuesday. "Rather than enacting a law barring women from expressing their malaise, we should think about what prompted them to want to cover themselves."
The Council of Europe, a 47-nation body which oversees and promotes human rights in Europe, is to discuss burqas and similar coverings at its plenary meeting in June.

A statement isssued by the council on Tuesday acknowledged that the veil is often seen as "a symbol of the subjugation of women to men," but that a blanket ban would deny the right to religious freedom for women "who genuinely and freely desire" to wear it.
If the bill becomes law, France would be the second country in Europe after Belgium to prohibit the wearing of the full veil in public.
According to the French Interior Ministry's estimates, fewer than 2,000 women in France wear the burqa.
DW World

Permit likely for neo-Nazis Gettysburg Rally (USA)

Aryan Nations plans to hold June rally at Gettysburg battlefield

A permit will likely be granted for the neo-Nazi group Aryan Nations to hold a rally at the Gettysburg National Military Park, according to park spokeswoman Katie Lawhon.

Aryan Nations - which identifies itself as a white-supremacist organization - applied for the permit last week and park officials are expected to approve the request, Lawhon said. The rally would take place on the park's lawn west of the Cyclorama Center, she added.

"Because the land is publicly owned, we're obligated to make it publicly available for exercising First Amendment rights," she said.

Although the approval is likely, Lawhon says the park doesn't support the views of Aryan Nations, which has been called a "continuing terrorist threat" by the FBI.
According to a statement from Lawhon, "The Park Service's mission in preserving and protecting the historic resources at Gettysburg includes making them available to all Americans, even those whose views are contrary to the majority of the public."

In response, the YWCA plans to hold a "celebration of diversity" on June 19, the expected date of the Aryan Nations rally, said YWCA Missions Director Ashley Andyshak Hayes.

"There are some people who feel it's better to ignore (Aryan Nations), but people around here aren't going to tolerate this and it's important for us to speak out and send a positive, proactive message," Hayes said.

A meeting will be held May 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the YWCA to discuss exactly what will take place at the "celebration of diversity."

In 2006, the YWCA held a similar event called "Community Unity Day," which was organized to counter a battlefield rally held by the World Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

Michael McQueeney, who leads the Wisconsin chapter of Aryan Nations, said Gettysburg is a popular location for white-supremacy groups because of the prevalence of sympathizers in the region.

"We're going to all the old Civil War battlefields to bring in recruits because there are a lot of white patriots in this area," he added.
But McQueeney attended the 2006 Ku Klux Klan rally and was a bit disappointed with the turnout, he said. The 2 1/2 hour rally was attended by about 30 Klan members, seven re-enactor counter-protesters and more than 100 spectators.

For Hayes and the YWCA, low turnout means mission accomplished.

"That's good to hear," she said, "because I know a lot of people came to (Community Unity Day) so it's definitely encouraging that more people came to our event."
If approved, the Aryan Nations rally will last two to three hours and will include speeches and discussions on current events, according to McQueeney.

"You're going to see 50 to 100 of us show up and there will be speakers talking about how our children and children's children should grow up white and not mixed race," he said. "We're protesting illegal immigration and President Barack Obama's birth certificate and the Jews who are running the banks and making all the white man's money.

"I have my speech all ready," he said, adding, "There will be no skinheads coming because they're the ones that cause the problems."
Following the rally, there will be either a burning of "Jewish" books, a cross lighting or bonfire, according to McQueeney.
"Afterward, everybody gets together and we have a barbecue and it's just a fun meet-and-greet type thing," he added.
But any events taking place after the rally will be held at a private site just outside of Gettysburg, according to McQueeney.

The Evening Sun