Neo-Nazi rally provokes outcry in Dortmund (Germany)

At least 160 people were arrested or held by police in Dortmund on Saturday as up to 15,000 people tried to block a neo-Nazi rally in the city to mark the anniversary of the start of the Second World War.

The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe granted an application for the neo-Nazi demonstration on Saturday morning after the court in Gelsenkirchen refused permission on Friday and the organisers appealed.
Police had banned a proposed march after thez arrested a 19-year-old man in the Aachen area, fearing he had been building an explosive device. The far right extremist, who is said to have connections to Dortmund, was found to have ammunition in his flat.

After the Constitutional Court allowed the march to take place, the police restricted it to a car park.

Around 1,000 neo-Nazis turned up to the rally, which drew around 15 times as many people in largely peaceful opposition.

Police had their hands full with around 500 of the far-right group who, on arriving in Dortmund, raced off the train and started marching towards the city centre rather than to the car park where the rally was being held.

Fighting broke out as the police stopped them and redirected them to the car park, where around 460 others were waiting.

Further violence broke out as the police broke up a sit-down blockade of around 1,000 anti-fascist demonstrators.

One police officer was seriously hurt during the day and at least 160 people – mostly counterdemonstrators – were either arrested or taken into preventative custody.

The Local Germany

'Sweden discriminates against Roma'

The Roma people are the most discriminated in Europe and Sweden is no exception, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights argued on Saturday.


Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg, and archbishop Ander Wejryd argue in a debate article in the Dagens Nyheter daily on Saturday that Sweden's deportation of 50 Roma EU citizens is evidence that the country is complicit in the ongoing discrimination of the ethnic group.


The deportations have been defended by the migration minister Tobias Billström who has argued that the EU rules on the free movement of labour are not intended to encourage begging.

The deportations have been carried out despite the uncertain legal framework, Hammarberg and Wejryd argued.

"They are identified as a danger to society by politicians who seek to win political points on demands of a tough line against this already vulnerable group. They are subjected to arrest and collective deportations."

Hammarberg and Wejryd wrote that the growing "anti-Romaism" has to be fought across the whole European continent. They maintain that the legal rights of the Roma has to be taken seriously and that their citizens' rights within the EU have to be given the same importance as other EU citizens.

The Local Sweden

Protests against Roma expulsions held in France

Thousands of people have attended rallies in Paris and 130 other French towns to protest at the government's policy of deporting Roma people.

Police say turnout across France was slightly more than 77,000 while organisers put the figure nearer 100,000.

With polls suggesting at least 65% of French people back the policy, the government played down the protests.

The EU parliament is to debate the Roma situation in Europe next week
About 1,000 Roma (Gypsies) returned to Romania and Bulgaria from France last month, while official figures record that 11,000 Roma were expelled from France last year.

The League of Human Rights, which called for the demonstrations, said it wanted to counteract government "xenophobia" and what it described as the systematic abuse of Roma in France.

The rallies were backed by the opposition Socialist Party and the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), France's second largest trade union confederation.

'Pushed away'
Trade unionists, students, anarchists, illegal immigrants and others turned out in Paris to the sound of whistles and drums.
Cities such as Marseilles and Nantes saw similar marches, and there were solidarity rallies in neighbouring countries like Spain and Belgium, as well as more distant states with significant Roma minorities such as Hungary and Serbia.

Addressing the demonstration in Paris, actress Jane Birkin said it was up to the French public to stand up for the rights of the Roma people.

"We are pushing away people that have a history of being pushed away," she said.

"We have to defend them because they don't have enough of a voice. We have more of a voice than them. We have to be supportive."

In the south-western city of Bordeaux, more than 1,000 people took part in a two-hour march calling for an end to "xenophobic" policies, AFP news agency reports.

"It is a right and a duty for us to take part in this demonstration, because if we let them crush us, you wonder where this will lead," said Antoinou Jimenez, a representative of a group of travellers in the area.

'Disappointment'
Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux dismissed Saturday's protests, describing the turnout as a "disappointment" for the organisers.

"Today's so-called 'defence of human rights' demonstrations only managed to bring out, in total, across the whole of the territory, a few tens of thousands of people," he said.

France began a high-profile campaign of clearing large numbers of illegal Roma camps last month, as part of a security crackdown announced by Mr Sarkozy.

The move was announced after a number of incidents of violence targeting the police, including involving travellers in the Loire Valley town of Saint Aignan in July.

The mass expulsions have drawn criticism from the Vatican and the UN, and President Sarkozy has also faced dissent from within his own cabinet.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon hinted that he disliked the crude links being made between foreigners and crime, while Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he considered resigning over the issue.

Earlier this week, the European Commission criticised France over its expulsions of Roma, saying it did not put enough emphasis on the individual circumstances of those facing expulsion.

Under EU rules, the state can expel people who have been in the country for at least three months without a job or are a social burden. They can also be expelled within three months of their arrival if they are deemed to be a threat to public security.

BBC News

FRENCH DOCTORS' GROUP DENOUNCES ROMA POLICY

A French aid organisation has accused the government of 'declaring war' on Roma migrants saying the destruction of illegal camps was forcing many in the minority to sleep rough. 'This summer, there has been a veritable declaration of war which has manifested itself in the systematic destruction of the places in which they live,' said Dr Philippe Rodier of Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World). Dr Rodier was speaking ahead of a demonstration against the crackdown in the southern city of Marseille. According to the organisation, nine of the 14 main Roma camps in the city have been destroyed, with hundreds of people forced to live in the streets. 'Our teams have heard that things are very hard for (Roma) families, who have been gravely insulted,' said Dr Rodier. French authorities have linked the Roma to crime and expelled nearly 1,000 to Romania and Bulgaria since announcing a high-profile crackdown in July, sparking international criticism. More than 8,000 have been deported since the beginning of the year, with 9,875 expelled throughout last year. Elsewhere, unions have launched a week of protests with a Paris rally that could provide an early measure of resistance to pension reforms on which President Nicolas Sarkozy has staked his political reputation. Unions and human rights groups gathered to protest against security measures, including the repatriation of the Roma. Critics see that action as part of a drive by Sarkozy to revive his popularity before 2012 elections and divert attention from painful pension reforms and spending cuts. Mr Sarkozy faces a bigger test on Tuesday when workers hold a nationwide strike and protests over the pension reforms he says are essential to cut the country's budgetary deficit. He said yesterday that he was determined to stand by the reforms, which among other things will raise the retirement age to 62 from 60. Unions say everything from schools and public transport to telecommunications will be disrupted. The National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, begins debating the pension reforms that day.


RTE

Arrested white supremacist behind alleged identity theft scheme (USA)

An alleged identity theft scheme by a white supremacist who federal prosecutors describe as a "perpetual criminal" was dismantled this week across the Spokane area.
Wayde Lynn Kurt, 52, is in the Spokane County Jail awaiting a decision from U.S. Magistrate Cynthia Imbrogno on whether he can be released pending trial on a federal weapons charge.

The judge is expected to rule by noon today after a hearing Thursday in which prosecutors called Kurt a dangerous criminal who flees police and is skilled at counterfeiting identification materials.

"No matter what you tell this defendant, he is not going to comply with court orders," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl Hicks. "He has never complied with court orders."

Kurt's lawyer, Pete Schweda, pointed out that Kurt successfully completed three years of federal probation with just one reprimand.

Kurt was arrested Monday on a warrant charging him with unlawfully possessing two assault rifles and a handgun. He also recently used fake identification to open a post office box in north Spokane, then used the identity to place an order with a gun and ammo store in Kentucky over the Internet, Hicks said in court Thursday. Authorities have not said what Kurt purchased.

An FBI agent testified in court Thursday that because of Kurt's criminal history and penchant for guns, he didn't give the suspect chance to surrender.

"I tackled him, rolled him over, and placed him in the vehicle," said FBI agent Joseph Cleary. "I did not want him to get in his vehicle and drive away."

Kurt has fled law enforcement many times and once rammed a police vehicle, then tried escaping federal custody by removing screws from a jail cell window, Hicks said. He's also one of the few people with a federal conviction for failing to appear in court in the Eastern District of Washington.

The arrest is the latest for a convicted currency counterfeiter whose experience with the criminal justice system dates back to at least 1988, when he was acquitted of murder in Snohomish County.

He was under investigation for counterfeiting when he removed a government tracking device from his car in 2004, then hid it in a storage unit he'd rented under a fake identification, Hicks said.

Kurt was sentenced to 18 months for theft of government property and completed three years probation. His only probation violation came in April 2009 when he contacted a jailed white supremacist leader and convicted felon. He'd been prohibited from contacting felons.

"This defendant has been a perpetual, persistent criminal who had endangered the public," Hicks said. "When he was not in prison he was out committing new crimes."

Authorities have not released details about the investigation but say they searched at least two locations Tuesday in connection with Kurt's case, including Lance Pounder Excavation, 2611 E. Lincoln Road, where Kurt has lived.

He was charged with possession of guns on Aug. 21, but the investigation is ongoing. Hicks submitted photographs of counterfeit driver's licenses, Social Security cards and an application to receive mail that Kurt completed using a false name.

When federal agents searched his home in 2004, they recovered at least 24 counterfeit Social Security cards, 24 counterfeit driver's licenses and 21 counterfeit employment cards, said John Neirninckx, a former Secret Service agent who investigated the case.

Each license had Kurt's photo but a different name, Neirninckx said.

The News Tribune