Four Staten Island teens are facing hate-crime charges for taunting a Muslim classmate because of his faith, calling him a "terrorist" and repeatedly punching him in the genitals, cops said Monday.
"They took advantage of me because I was quiet," the 16-year-old-victim, whose first name is Kristian, told the Staten Island Advance, which first reported the story of the abuse.
Kristian's emotionally scarring ordeal is part of a disturbing spike in hate crimes across the city that was highlighted by news on Friday that a sadistic Bronx gang tortured three men because they were gay.
Police said the four Staten Island boys - three 14-year-olds who are Latino and a 15-year-old who is black - were collared Sunday night on charges of assault and aggravated harassment, both as hate crimes. They are being charged as minors, and police did not release their names.
The teens tormented Kristian, whose family is from Trinidad, over a months-long period while they were classmates at Intermediate School 51 on Staten Island, police said.
Kristian thought the abuse would end when he began classes at Staten Island's Port Richmond High School this fall. But when he learned that two of the bullies were in his freshman class, he told his parents of the abuse, and they called police, according to the Advance.
Kristian said the abuse has left him with trouble concentrating. He is being treated by a psychiatrist and a neurologist, his parents told the paper.
"The therapist says it's going to take a very long time for him to come back to being normal again," the boy's father told the Advance.
NY Daily News
Monday, 11 October 2010
US Republican candidate Rich Iott in Nazi uniform row (USA)
A Republican politician in the US has been criticised after pictures of him dressed in a Nazi uniform emerged on the internet.
Mr Iott admitted being a member of a group that re-enacted SS battles.
But he said he had been involved in re-enacting from many different eras and did not mean "any disrespect to anyone" in the US military.
Several photographs show Mr Iott posing as an officer in the Waffen SS - the combat wing of Hitler's feared Schutzstaffel.
The pictures first appeared on the website of Wiking, a re-enactment group based in America's mid-west.
Mr Iott, who uses the character name Reinhard Pferdmann, has admitted being a member of Wiking, saying it was a "purely historical interest".
And in a statement on his website, Mr Iott said: "Never, in any of my re-enacting of military history, have I meant any disrespect to anyone who served in our military or anyone who has been affected by the tragedy of war, especially the Jewish community.
"Historical re-enacting is a hobby enjoyed by millions of men - and women - around the world. I have been involved in historical re-enacting from many different eras since I was in college."
Mr Iott also posted several photographs which showed him dressed in a US World War I uniform and also in a Union uniform during a Civil War re-enactment.
Despite this, the situation is now making some in the Republican Party uncomfortable, the BBC's Ian Mackenzie in Washington says.
On Sunday, Republican whip Eric Cantor said he repudiated Mr Iott's actions.
"I do not support anything like this," he told Fox News on Sunday.
The Iott controversy comes amid growing concern in the Republican party about the views of some candidates for the mid-term elections in November, our correspondent says.
He adds that the growth of the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement has left them with one would-be senator who has questioned the civil rights legislation in the 1960s, while another confessed to dabbling in witchcraft and suggested scientists were implanting full human brains into mice.
BBC News
BNP told "stay away from matches" (UK)
The British National Party has been told by football fans to stay way from local grounds after members canvassed support outside the Oval at the weekend.
Graham Moore from the Castlereagh Glentoran Supporters' Club said the BNP was not something fans want to be associated with.
The BBC contacted the BNP office for a response, but no one replied.
Mr Moore said he noticed BNP literature on car windscreens on his way into the football ground.
"I noticed the BNP presence and I have to say I was a little puzzled.
"In the run up to elections we sometimes get mainstream parties outside the ground but this was very unusual, " Mr Moore said.
"I wasn't interested in what they were doing so I didn't go any closer to see what exactly they were doing.
"They were outside the ground so there is nothing the club can do but it's not something the supporters want to have to see."
East Belfast DUP MLA Robin Newton described the presence of the BNP at the football game as uninvited and unwelcome.
Mr Newton said a number of constituents contacted him to "express their disgust" at the presence of the BNP outside their local club.
"They go to the Oval to support the Glens and enjoy a game of football; they don't want to be faced with BNP messages of hate," Mr Newton said.
"Glentoran Football Club has a generational tradition of appealing to a broad range of supporters and players, irrespective of race or religion.
"I presume this BNP presence is some sort of campaign to raise their nauseous profile, and I appeal for everyone to stand as one to reject their message," he added.
"I understand they are now seeking to link their actions to some form of support for our troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"How ironic, given the fact that our brave young soldiers are currently fighting those who espouse exactly the same sort of bile and hate as preached by the BNP.
"The BNP should pack up their messages of hate and disappear. They have been rejected time and time again, they represent no-one, and we don't want them in our midst."
BBC News
BELGRADE RIOTS OVER, OFFICIALS CONDEMN VIOLENCE (Serbia)
Thousands of hooligans and skinheads attacked police in downtown Belgrade on Sunday as they tried to disrupt the city’s Pride Parade, leaving one hundred people injured and causing one million EUR of damage. Serbia’s interior minister Ivica Dacic told reporters that 6000 anti-gay protesters clashed with the 5600-strong police force. They threw stones, bricks, glass and Molotov cocktails at police.
Calm has now returned to the city but a heavy police presence remains on the streets, which are littered with stones, broken glass and debris from the riots. Hooligans brandished anti-gay slogans, broke windows of several buildings and demolished buses and cars as riots broke at several locations across Belgrade. In central Belgrade’s main street, Knez Mihailova, two shops, Nike and Djak, were looted. Belgrade's mayor Dragan Djilas told reporters that the total damage is estimated at around one million EUR. During the clashes about 100 people, mostly police officers, were injured. Police arrested 101 people. The Serbian government condemned the vandalism and violence and said that it is taking all measures to ensure public order. Attempts to hold Pride events in Belgrade have previously been marred by violence, and the event was cancelled last year because police could not guarantee the safety of the participants. Serbian President Boris Tadic said in a press statement that the rioters and organisers of the violence will be brought to justice. “The state is fully prepared to deal with vandals and hooligans that endangered public safety.
Serbia will ensure that the human rights of all citizens, regardless of their diversity, will be respected and any violent attempt to deny them that freedom will not pass,” said Tadic. Tomo Zoric, spokesman from the Prosecutor's office, said that prosecution and police will identify those who attacked police officers. He added that cameras, placed across the city, have recorded all critical events, and video footage of violence would be used in criminal proceedings as evidence. "The state will prove stronger than the extremist groups," said Zoric.
Parade escorted by police
“I expected that something like this would happen, maybe not on this scale, but we were aware of the risks," said Boris Milicevic from the Gay Straight Alliance. "The main question is who inspired this and who was the organiser.” The 1000-strong parade was sealed off by police throughout the short march from Manjez park to the Students’ Cultural Centre. The main ceremony started in the park with Abba songs, followed by speeches by several diplomats and activists. "We are here to celebrate this big day which we have been waiting for so long," said the representative of the European Commission in Belgrade, French diplomat Vincent Degert. Middle-aged woman Mirjana Ivancevic was one those waving the rainbow flags. “I am here to fight for the freedom of choice for my five-year-old grandson,” she said excitedly. Dusan Zlokolica from the group “Europe Does not Have an Alternative” believes that the fact the parade took place represented a step towards the EU. “This is one very important step Serbia should take in order to join the EU family,” he said. Dozens of foreigners made their way to Belgrade to express their support for the LGBT community’s fight for their rights. Clare Dimyon from the UK said: “I tried to keep my expectations down as I knew what the situation in Serbia is and what happened with the previous attempts for the parade to be held, but now I am standing here and all I can say is 'wow', this is really happening.” Nuns from a nearby churchyard cursed the procession with big wooden crosses as it passed, but police avoided a confrontation by keeping the parade moving. As participants reached the Students’ Cultural Centre, where a major party with a DJ Tijana T was taking place, the upbeat mood was soon replaced with panic as they learned details of the serious incidents across Belgrade.
Participants were not allowed to leave the centre and had to wait for special police vehicles to drive them to safe areas. Simon Simonovic, 29, said: “This is just confirmation that the state cannot deal with the hooligans.” Jelena Veljkovic, 24, criticised the police response. She said: “I’m so afraid that they [hooligans] could attack me on the way or once they [the police] drop me off. I think it would have been more secure if they had let us walk.” Sunday’s march was viewed as a major test for Serbia's government, which has vowed to protect human rights as it hopes to join the European Union. The first pride parade, in June 2001, was brought to a halt after clashes with protestors left several civilians and policemen injured. The second planned pride rally in Belgrade, which was scheduled to take place in September last year, was cancelled after police declared the risk to the marchers’ personal safety was too great following threats from right-wing groups to disrupt the event.
Balkan Insight
Here's a video of the event.
Video posted on You Tube by schranztech
Calm has now returned to the city but a heavy police presence remains on the streets, which are littered with stones, broken glass and debris from the riots. Hooligans brandished anti-gay slogans, broke windows of several buildings and demolished buses and cars as riots broke at several locations across Belgrade. In central Belgrade’s main street, Knez Mihailova, two shops, Nike and Djak, were looted. Belgrade's mayor Dragan Djilas told reporters that the total damage is estimated at around one million EUR. During the clashes about 100 people, mostly police officers, were injured. Police arrested 101 people. The Serbian government condemned the vandalism and violence and said that it is taking all measures to ensure public order. Attempts to hold Pride events in Belgrade have previously been marred by violence, and the event was cancelled last year because police could not guarantee the safety of the participants. Serbian President Boris Tadic said in a press statement that the rioters and organisers of the violence will be brought to justice. “The state is fully prepared to deal with vandals and hooligans that endangered public safety.
Serbia will ensure that the human rights of all citizens, regardless of their diversity, will be respected and any violent attempt to deny them that freedom will not pass,” said Tadic. Tomo Zoric, spokesman from the Prosecutor's office, said that prosecution and police will identify those who attacked police officers. He added that cameras, placed across the city, have recorded all critical events, and video footage of violence would be used in criminal proceedings as evidence. "The state will prove stronger than the extremist groups," said Zoric.
Parade escorted by police
“I expected that something like this would happen, maybe not on this scale, but we were aware of the risks," said Boris Milicevic from the Gay Straight Alliance. "The main question is who inspired this and who was the organiser.” The 1000-strong parade was sealed off by police throughout the short march from Manjez park to the Students’ Cultural Centre. The main ceremony started in the park with Abba songs, followed by speeches by several diplomats and activists. "We are here to celebrate this big day which we have been waiting for so long," said the representative of the European Commission in Belgrade, French diplomat Vincent Degert. Middle-aged woman Mirjana Ivancevic was one those waving the rainbow flags. “I am here to fight for the freedom of choice for my five-year-old grandson,” she said excitedly. Dusan Zlokolica from the group “Europe Does not Have an Alternative” believes that the fact the parade took place represented a step towards the EU. “This is one very important step Serbia should take in order to join the EU family,” he said. Dozens of foreigners made their way to Belgrade to express their support for the LGBT community’s fight for their rights. Clare Dimyon from the UK said: “I tried to keep my expectations down as I knew what the situation in Serbia is and what happened with the previous attempts for the parade to be held, but now I am standing here and all I can say is 'wow', this is really happening.” Nuns from a nearby churchyard cursed the procession with big wooden crosses as it passed, but police avoided a confrontation by keeping the parade moving. As participants reached the Students’ Cultural Centre, where a major party with a DJ Tijana T was taking place, the upbeat mood was soon replaced with panic as they learned details of the serious incidents across Belgrade.
Participants were not allowed to leave the centre and had to wait for special police vehicles to drive them to safe areas. Simon Simonovic, 29, said: “This is just confirmation that the state cannot deal with the hooligans.” Jelena Veljkovic, 24, criticised the police response. She said: “I’m so afraid that they [hooligans] could attack me on the way or once they [the police] drop me off. I think it would have been more secure if they had let us walk.” Sunday’s march was viewed as a major test for Serbia's government, which has vowed to protect human rights as it hopes to join the European Union. The first pride parade, in June 2001, was brought to a halt after clashes with protestors left several civilians and policemen injured. The second planned pride rally in Belgrade, which was scheduled to take place in September last year, was cancelled after police declared the risk to the marchers’ personal safety was too great following threats from right-wing groups to disrupt the event.
Balkan Insight
Here's a video of the event.
Video posted on You Tube by schranztech
Services face squeeze, says police authority chairman (UK)
The figure was twice the anticipated cost of policing the event and double the amount incurred at a similar rally in Leeds last October.
It means the total cost to the taxpayer for the Bradford event, including £100,000 spent by the Council on work at the Bradford Urban Garden, stands at about £750,000.
But Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood suggested that the final overall cost of the August protest, which also involved a counter-protest by Unite Against Fascism, would be at least £1 million.
The £650,000 policing figure was revealed by Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison at a West Yorkshire Police Authority meeting in response to a question by authority chairman Mark Burns-Williamson.
Councillor Burns-Williamson told the Telegraph & Argus the EDL cost made a difficult financial situation even harder, following £10m budget cuts this year, and a further £5.2m savings being ordered by the new Government in June.
“It is money we wouldn’t have planned to spend in that way at the beginning of the year," he said.
“Obviously, £650,000 over a weekend is an extremely significant amount of money. We are having to find that out of our budget. We are not getting any extra resources from Government, or anywhere else.”
Coun Burns-Williamson said he and the Chief Constable had written to the Home Secretary about the policing of such events and exploring whether organisers of such protests could be accountable under civil law for providing stewards and a contribution towards the costs.
He said it was “inevitable” there would be fewer officers and police staff.
Coun Greenwood said: “My belief is that when we properly evaluate the cost to both police and the Council, the total will come to over a million pounds.
“The money needed to be spent, but if those people had not come to Bradford we would have deployed the money in a more constructive way and more in-keeping with the long-term needs of the community.”
The Telegraph and Argus
Far-right group causes disruption in Harborough (UK)
Market Harborough was brought to a standstill when supporters of a far-right group held an impromptu march in the town centre.
Police cordoned off the High Street on Saturday after several coaches carrying supporters of the English Defence League to a long-planned march in Leicester stopped without warning in Harborough.The protesters held a demonstration in High Street before getting back on their coaches and heading for Leicester to join the main protest march.
The English Defence League (EDL) is an English far-right single issue group which states its aim is to oppose what it considers as the spread of Islamic extremism in England.
Lutterworth Mail
English Defence League fail to show for Coventry march (UK)
Polic have reported a quiet weekend despite threats from the English Defence League that they were planning to march in Coventry.
On Friday a interview with the far-right group’s leader Tommy Robinson was posted on YouTube.
In it Mr Robinson said that there would need to be 1,000 police officers on the streets of the city to cope with a EDL protest in Coventry.
He also suggested the group would march on Nuneaton.
They planned to escort EDL members to a “protest pen” where a static protest could be carried out.
It was a similar story in Nuneaton, where police dog handlers waited at the train station in anticipation of protests.
Shops and market stalls closed early in anticipation of trouble as word spread that protesters were leaving Leicester.
John James, 47, runs the bag stall at the town’s market. He packed up half an hour early due to the expected protest.
“We’ve packed up early because last time when the Gurkhas marched there was a big fight here.”
Coventry Telegraph
On Friday a interview with the far-right group’s leader Tommy Robinson was posted on YouTube.
In it Mr Robinson said that there would need to be 1,000 police officers on the streets of the city to cope with a EDL protest in Coventry.
He also suggested the group would march on Nuneaton.
They planned to escort EDL members to a “protest pen” where a static protest could be carried out.
It was a similar story in Nuneaton, where police dog handlers waited at the train station in anticipation of protests.
Shops and market stalls closed early in anticipation of trouble as word spread that protesters were leaving Leicester.
John James, 47, runs the bag stall at the town’s market. He packed up half an hour early due to the expected protest.
Coventry Telegraph
Management at Silverton garage denies racism and assault (South Africa)
Management at a Pretoria petrol station have vehemently denied allegations of abuse and racism by a group of employees.
Several Silverton petrol attendants have described to Eyewitness News how their employer Whitey Joubert allegedly abused them over many years.
They say the have had to endure public humiliation and private beatings at the garage for years
“He swears at me in front of customers,” one employee said.
Another said, “He slapped me. I went away and I cried. I didn’t fight him or anything.”
But workers said the alleged punching of a female co-worker last week was the final straw.
“He punched me in front of my colleague,” the alleged victim said.
Joubert denied the allegations but refused to give Eyewitness News a response on the record.
Eye Witness News
Several Silverton petrol attendants have described to Eyewitness News how their employer Whitey Joubert allegedly abused them over many years.
They say the have had to endure public humiliation and private beatings at the garage for years
“He swears at me in front of customers,” one employee said.
Another said, “He slapped me. I went away and I cried. I didn’t fight him or anything.”
But workers said the alleged punching of a female co-worker last week was the final straw.
“He punched me in front of my colleague,” the alleged victim said.
Joubert denied the allegations but refused to give Eyewitness News a response on the record.
Eye Witness News
Oz to take action against 15 more police officers over Indian racism scam (Australia)
After sacking four officers and demoting one, the Australian authorites are all set to take action against 15 more Victorian police officers after a hearing for circulating racist email targeting Indians, in order to avoid a diplomatic row with New Delhi.
Fifteen more Victorian police officers are set to face hearings over racist and pornographic emails, including one at the centre of a diplomatic row showing the electrocution of an Indian man.
On Monday, Victoria Police said another fifteen officers would face hearings this month.
Nine will face hearings this week on Tuesday and Friday and six will face hearings next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Stuff.co.nz reports.
Victoria Police has continually denounced the emails as being offensive, extreme, violent and intolerable after they were discovered and an investigation launched early this year.
After August hearings into the scandal and heeding to India's demands of strict action against Victorian Police officers involved in curculating a racist email video, the Australian authorities had sacked four officers and demoted one.
Another five Victoria Police officers have been fined up to 3000 dollars and placed on 12 month good behaviour bonds for taking part in the circulation of the unsavoury material.
After a series of attacks on Indian students in Australia, a racist e-mail scandal broke out showing Victoria Police officers joking about a video, which shows an Indian passenger on the roof of a train getting electrocuted as he touches the high-tension wires.
According to the Herald Sun, the police officers have been implicated for circulating a video of an Indian man getting electrocuted while sitting on top of a train and joking that it could be a way to fix Melbourne's Indian student problem. (ANI)
SIFY
Fifteen more Victorian police officers are set to face hearings over racist and pornographic emails, including one at the centre of a diplomatic row showing the electrocution of an Indian man.
On Monday, Victoria Police said another fifteen officers would face hearings this month.
Nine will face hearings this week on Tuesday and Friday and six will face hearings next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Stuff.co.nz reports.
Victoria Police has continually denounced the emails as being offensive, extreme, violent and intolerable after they were discovered and an investigation launched early this year.
After August hearings into the scandal and heeding to India's demands of strict action against Victorian Police officers involved in curculating a racist email video, the Australian authorities had sacked four officers and demoted one.
Another five Victoria Police officers have been fined up to 3000 dollars and placed on 12 month good behaviour bonds for taking part in the circulation of the unsavoury material.
After a series of attacks on Indian students in Australia, a racist e-mail scandal broke out showing Victoria Police officers joking about a video, which shows an Indian passenger on the roof of a train getting electrocuted as he touches the high-tension wires.
According to the Herald Sun, the police officers have been implicated for circulating a video of an Indian man getting electrocuted while sitting on top of a train and joking that it could be a way to fix Melbourne's Indian student problem. (ANI)
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