Ex BNP Councillor Joins Stoke-on-Trent’s Newest Political Group

Ex British National Party member and Stoke-on-Trent City Councillor Ellie Walker will be confirmed as the latest recruit to the city’s newest political group Community Voice.

Mrs Walker represents the people of the former BNP stronghold Abbey Green. She is the wife of former BNP Group Leader Alby who left the far right party amidst a storm of publicity surrounding the selection of the party’s PPC for Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Mr Walker was defeated in both the General Election, where he lost his deposit, and the local elections, where he was heavily defeated by the Labour Party candidate.

Ellie Walker contradicts the stereotypical image of a BNP activist. She is described as a caring and compassionate person and has often denied being racist.

Many of her fellow councillors are respectful of the work she carries out in both the Abbey Green ward which she represents and her committee work at the Civic Centre.

Some of the electorate may be surprised at the union between members of Community Voice, which is seen as a haven of old socialists and a former far right activist.

Alby Walker is set to join Community Voice in the near future ahead of next year’s all out council elections.

The Community Voice group’s number could be boosted even further in the near future.

Pits n Pots have learned that City Independent Group member Cllr Barbara Beeston could soon be crossing the council chamber.

Emergency talks are due to take place between Cllr Beeston and CIG Leader Cllr Brian Ward.

If those talks fail and Councillor Beeston’s concerns are not addressed, the Community Voice Group will be just one councillor behind the second largest political group on Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

There are growing rumours that the CIG could lose more members when the Budget consultations take place if the group back unpopular cuts that will impact on communities and services across the city.

Community Voice have refused to comment on the on-going speculation that their numbers may well swell in the near future.

Pits-n-Pots

BNP Three Rivers District Council member Seamus Dunne quits in leadership protest

A former British National Party (BNP) councillor has quit the party in protest at the policies of leader Nick Griffin.

Councillor Seamus Dunne, who was elected to Three Rivers District Council in May 2008, announced yesterday that he would now be sitting as an independent member.

Councillor Dunne, of Alva Way, Carpenders Park, insisted he had not “sold out” his political principles but stressed that radical change was now needed if the party is to mount a serious electoral challenge at a national level.

Nick Griffin, who has been party leader since 1999, fended off a leadership challenge last week when his rivals failed to win enough support from other party members.

Councillor Dunne, however, believes the party cannot achieve significant change with Mr Griffin at the helm.

He said: “What I wanted was a leadership challenge so people can stand on a platform and ask some awkward questions and have a proper debate.

“I’m not selling out my political principles, I just want a new direction for the party and that is not going to happen under Nick Griffin. He did a good job for many years but he was found out at the General Election.”

He also raised concerns about the state of the level of the party’s debts – believed to be about £500,000.

His resignation comes just days after that of London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook, who is also now sitting as an independent.

Asked whether he would now seek re-election from voters, Councillor Dunne said he would carry on until 2012 – when he is due for re-election – without a fresh mandate.

He also raised concerns about the state of the level of the party’s debts, reported to be as high as £500,000.

Councillor Dunne said he would remain a member of the party until his membership expired later in the year.

Wattford Observer

Settlement rabbi arrested on suspicion of incitement to racism

Rabbi Yosef Elitzur, from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, was detained by police on Thursday and questioned by investigators from the international crimes unit on suspicions of incitement to racism.

Elitzur and Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira wrote a book "The King's Torah" which condones the murder of non-Jews if they threaten the welfare of Jews, citing Jewish law to support the argument.

On Wednesday, Rabbi Dov Lior, who supported the book and has refused to appear for questioning by police on the matter, had his lawyer send a letter to the deputy state prosecutor explaining his position.
"The rabbi [Lior] asked me to tell you that he does not intend to answer to anybody on his opinion on Jewish law," Lior's lawyer wrote. "Your harassment of rabbis for their opinions on Jewish law contradicts the state's principles of religious freedom and freedom of expression."

"The King's Torah" was published in November. The preface of the book states that it is forbidden to kill non-Jews but the book then describes the context in which it is permitted to do so.

According to the book, it is permissible to kill a non-Jew who threatens Israel even if the person is classified as a Righteous Gentile. The book says that any gentile who supports war against Israel can also be killed.

Haaretz

ManCity's Balotelli speaks out about racism

Young Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli has spoken out about the pain of suffering racial abuse from fans in his homeland, following his big money move to the English Premier League.

The 20-year-old of Ghanaian origin, an often controversial figure in Italy, moved to England from Inter Milan last week, just a few days after making his Italy debut in a friendly against Ivory Coast.

And having settled into his new home in Manchester, where he has been reunited with his former Inter boss Roberto Mancini, Balotelli spoke about the trauma of being racially abused, in particular from certain sections of the Juventus crowd.

"There were two or three incidents which are always annoying," he told Wednesday's La Gazetta dello Sport.

"I had to learn to live with racism in Italy, to pretend it was nothing, but it burnt.

"In England that doesn't happen. But it shouldn't happen anywhere."

Despite the racial abuse he suffered, Balotelli claimed it was not that but journalists that drove him away from the country of his birth.

And it was an incident after a Champions League match that for Balotelli was the last straw.

"Right after Inter-Barcelona (I decided to leave Italy). There were pages written about me in the newspapers, it was difficult to live in Milan and I told my agent: I want to go," he said.

Balotelli had been jeered by his own fans during that game, a crucial 3-1 victory in which he made a lacklustre 20-minute cameo appearance, and he further enraged them by throwing his shirt to the ground after the final whistle.

He was allegedly attacked by his own team-mates after the incident and was roundly criticised in the Italian press.
But he defended his reputation as a troublesome character.

"They say it in Italy but I'm not a bad boy. I'm an unusual guy, neither bad nor particularly good, very lively but normal."

And now that he is back working for the man who gave him his Inter debut, Balotelli had nothing to say about the coach with whom he regularly fell out last season: Jose Mourinho, now at Real Madrid.

"Mourinho is no longer my coach and I don't want to talk about him. Really, I don't care, I'm not interested in the reputation I had in Italy."

Looking at his new home in Manchester, Balotelli said he is hoping to score lots of goals.

"Apart from the paparazzi who are always following me, it seems a calm city and I like that.

"The only real problem is the weather.

"For a striker it's almost easier than in Italy where football is more tactical.

"I hope I'll feel good here, I can't wait to start playing and I'll do everything to be in the first team

Aboriginal victims remain fearful of racist attacks (Australia)

The families of five young Aboriginal men, who were ambushed by two car-loads of men wielding baseball bats, say there is deep fear in the community despite reassurances from police.

The men told police a group of caucasian men smashed their car windows near Wyndham on Saturday night, before chasing them through bush for hours with baseballs bats and torches.

Concerns were raised that police were not taking the incident seriously enough by ruling out race as a factor.

One of the men's relatives, who has asked only to be known only as Sissy, says those concerns remain despite a meeting with police yesterday.

"There's going to be probably a lot of fear for a long time, until these people are caught," she said.

"It's going to be sitting in the back of their minds, especially for local Indigenous people, there's going to be that fear."

However, she says yesterday's meeting with Police gave them hope.

"The boys have been on edge, waiting for the police," she said.

"There's been a lot of anger and frustration due to the reaction time, so that was disappointing, but after yesterday's meeting I can understand where the police are coming from."

ABC News

HMRC Northern Ireland Racist Staff Systemic Underpayment of Benefits To Ethnic Minorities (Northern Ireland)

The HMRC sacked seven of its Belfast workers with an additional 2 workers having already resigned for systemic racist abuse of ethnic minority benefit claimants by tampering with their computer records so that people from an ethnic minority background were paid less money then they were entitled to receive.

The Inland Revenue started the investigation in January following a complaint by customers that their records had been changed so as to result in less benefits being paid with investigations revealing many more similar cases.
This is a truly shocking development as people tend to trust what they receive from the Inland Revenue as being truthful and accurate and do not usually dispute the calculations and awards made.

This may represent the tip of the ice-berg as Northern Ireland having endured decades of sectarian violence is far more prone to xenophobia and racism as repeatedly illustrated over the years such as the recent case of several hundred Roma settlers being forced to leave Northern Ireland due to a campaign of violence, and also reflective of a persistent campaign of bombs and attacks despite all of the time, effort and cost expended on the peace process.

It seems there are a number of elements within Northern Ireland that are hell bent on spreading their sectarianism ideology throughout the UK. In response to which the HMRC should pull all tax and benefit activities out of Northern Ireland as it brings the whole tax and benefits system into disrepute, with other government departments in an atmosphere of cuts should seek to similarly revaluate whether they should continue to have a UK wide serving presence from within Northern Ireland.

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