Facebook defacer unmasked as white supremacist KKK member (Australia)

One of the men responsible for the grotesque defacing of Facebook tribute pages, including that of dead Melbourne teen Cameron Lowe, is a high-ranking Ku Klux Klan member who served two years in jail for viciously beating a 16-year-old Latino boy.

Jarred Hensley, 28, from Cincinnati, Ohio, outed himself to a pair of Australian vigilantes on a website chat room used by his group to organise and gloat about desecrating scores of Facebook tribute pages.

This week, the group was responsible for vandalising the pages of Cameron, 17, who died after being punched in the head, and Chantelle Rowe, 16, from Kapunda, north of Adelaide. Chantelle and her parents, Andrew and Rose Rowe, were stabbed to death.

They harassed grieving family members through private messages and published obscene images on the tribute pages.

Facebook has removed the images and banned the users responsible but the largely US group is outside the reach of Australian law.

Australian law officials say it is not a crime to deface Facebook tribute pages and, while politicians have expressed outrage, they have acknowledged that it is difficult to act as the vandals are based overseas.

Cameron Lowe

But two concerned Australians decided to visit the forum where the vandals congregate and infiltrate their chat room. They purposely baited Hensley on the chat room and he appeared there on webcam to give them the finger.

The identities of the two vigilantes are known to this website, but we have agreed to keep them anonymous in this story.

"He was only too proud to give out his name and he said come and get me, because he knows that international laws aren't there for Australians to do anything," one of the vigilantes said in a phone interview.

Using the webcam image and the name, it was easy to verify the identity of Hensley, thanks to the distinctive tattoos covering his arms. Hensley is pictured online in formal KKK regalia giving a Hitler salute with white power and Nazi flags in the background.

The forum, which contains evidence of numerous other acts of Facebook tribute page vandalism, was quickly locked down when the defacers became concerned that the Australians were trying to break into their system.

In 2006, Hensley and three other members of the Imperial Klans of America, then the second largest KKK group, were on a recruiting mission at the Meade County Fair in Kentucky.

They saw a 16-year-old US boy of Panamanian-Indian descent, Jordan Gruver.They beat him to the ground and kicked him with steel-toe boots. Jordan suffered injuries including a broken jaw, broken teeth and permanent nerve damage and he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Hensley along with several other Klansmen were found guilty of the offences and served two years in prison. In 2008, Jordan was awarded $US2.5 million in damages.

Hensley was the Klan "grand titan" in Ohio, making him the group's second-highest ranking official in the state.

Hensley has both a Facebook and MySpace page and is pictured in his MySpace profile picture with a young, smiling child. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this week, another member of the group who defaced the tribute pages, who did not give a name, called this website to discuss the issue. The American said the group was "motivated by the laughs and the entertainment we get from it" and said the victims of the attacks "deserve it".

He later published an audio recording of the conversation on the group's website, the same one that contains the chatroom where Hensley outed himself.

In internet parlance, antagonising other online users for entertainment is known as "trolling".

Debbie Frost, Facebook's director of communications and public affairs, who is based in the US, said the social networking site was "appalled" by the material the trolls placed on Cameron Lowe's tribute page and extended its sympathies to his friends and family.

"Once it was reported, we removed the offensive material and then disabled the accounts of the people responsible for posting it," she said.

"These so-called 'trolls' are human vandals who deface web pages across the internet everywhere. Unfortunately they are motivated by the level of public outrage they cause and the media attention they gain in doing so, and like other nuisances, they are not easily stopped."

Facebook was criticised for being slow to act to remove the obscene images but Frost said Facebook users could protect themselves against offensive posts.

Offensive content can be reported to Facebook admins, while a person who creates a tribute page can use the controls to remove inappropriate posts and block or ban people who make them. Creators of tribute pages can also choose to classify them as "open", "closed" or "secret".

Tips for keeping tribute pages safe (Source: Facebook)

1. Limit what others can post on your page: If you go to edit your page and select “Wall Settings”, you can choose what types of content fans can post to your page under “Fan Permissions”. For example, you can prevent people from posting videos or photos.

2. Remove content: Administrators have the ability to remove any content from a page. To do so, just select “remove” next to the piece of content.

3. Ban fans who are being abusive: If a fan of your page is repeatedly posting inappropriate content, you can go beyond reporting the fan by banning them from your page by following the instructions here.


Sydney Morning Herald

Even in prison, Roanoke Neo Nazi Bill White's tenants claim he still chaos (America)

WSLS10

North West Leicestershire BNP parish councillor in racism probe (UK)

Police have advised a BNP councillor to apologise over a posting on his website which has been condemned as racist.

Wayne McDermott, a parish councillor in North West Leicestershire, posted a comment supposedly said by a Scottish councillor on a radio talk show.

The comment, which has now been removed from Councillor McDermott's website, used insulting racist terms and suggested it was okay to torture terrorists.

A Leicestershire police spokeswoman said: "Police were contacted at around 9.30am on Monday by a member of the public expressing concerns about comments posted on a website blog.

"Officers have investigated the incident and discussed the comments with the owner of the blog and advised him to remove the post and issue an apology."

On his website the councillor, who is a member of Ellistown and Battleflat, says he works as an engineer, is married with three young children, is a BNP member and the party's East Midlands election officer.

The BNP was contacted yesterday but did not respond. The Mercury also attempted to contact Coun McDermott directly and left him messages but he did not respond.

The incident has caused outrage among Conservative and Labour politicians.

The Conservative North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said: "The British National Party has tried to project an image that they are a normal mainstream political party.

"However, as this incident shows, you don't have to scratch hard at the surface to find out that they are still the same old BNP.

"There is no place for such racism and intolerance within our national or local politics. We will continue to fight and oppose what Mr McDermott and his friends stand for."

Labour county councillor for Loughborough East, Jewel Miah, said: "These are very racist comments and they are not welcome in a civilised society.

"I'm angry that this man put this up on the internet, it's absolutely right that they should be taken down – this just shows the contempt that the BNP holds for civilised society."

Mr McDermott has been nominated to become a governor at Ellistown Primary School.

Leicestershire County Council said it had been made aware of the website article.

At the school, there were two vacant governor positions and two nominated candidates, including Mr McDermott.

A county council spokesman said last night: "Wayne McDermott was nominated to the position of parent governor at Ellistown very recently. The governing body will be assessing what the situation is and how to proceed."

This is Leicestershire

Jews against EDL launch unity voice (UK)

The first joint initiative to combat Jewish support for the English Defence League within the community has been launched.

The "Not in our name - Jews against the EDL" campaign is backed by more than a dozen organisations, including the Board of Deputies, Community Security Trust, the Israeli Embassy, and Jews for Justice for Palestinians.

More than 500 people have already pledged their support.

But Roberta Moore, head of the EDL Jewish Division, claimed the campaigners had "betrayed the Jewish community" and challenged them to a filmed public debate. She said: "Let's have it all out in the open once and for all."

The initiative of the Union of Jewish Students, the campaign is a response to the creation of a "Jewish division" by the extreme right-wing anti-Islamic-fundamentalist group earlier this year, and the EDL's pro-Israel protest outside the Israeli Embassy last month, which was supported by American rabbi Nachum Shifren.

The "Not in our name" group's founding pledge states: "The Jewish community has always been at the forefront of anti-fascism. From Cable Street to defeating the BNP at the ballot box, we have been unafraid to speak out against those who seek to spread fear and hatred in our communities.

"Now our community faces a new threat. The EDL claims to be our allies in the fight against extremism. In reality, they are violent racists with BNP members and Nazi sympathisers among their ranks.

"It is time for the Jewish community to come together as one to expose the EDL as the racist thugs they are."

UJS campaigns director Carly McKenzie said: "We felt this was a prime opportunity to bring the whole community together with one loud voice."

Edie Friedman, director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality, which is backing the initiative, said: "It's terribly important for different sections of the community, as well as individuals, to stand up and say categorically, 'not in our name'. It's unbelievable that such an organisation can appropriate Jewish support."

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: "At the HET we educate about the dangers of racism and discrimination and it is vital that we stand up against groups such as the EDL who preach hatred and division in our communities."

Ms Moore responded: "We are not bothered by their futile threats and attempts to silence us. We, and much of the Jewish community, know they lack the courage to address the issues we highlight. They have not been doing their job for a long time, and seem to have not only abandoned but betrayed the Jewish community in general."

The Jewish Chronicle Online

Third hate crime strikes Whitewater (USA)

 "KKK" was spray painted on three cars owned by African-American UW-Whitewater students Monday, marking the third hate crime at the university this semester, UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer said.

The incident, in which the tires of the cars were slashed, follows two similar crimes this semester.

Two unknown men approached a female student, pushed her into a fence and made a derogatory comment about her perceived sexual orientation Sunday.

In September, a female student was punched in the face by one of two unidentified men for wearing a "Legalize Gay" shirt. She was also called a "faggot."

"I am dismayed by this incident and the two other hate crimes that have occurred," Telfer said in a statement. "These are senseless acts of violence perpetrated against our community and they must stop. This type of behavior cannot be tolerated on the UW-Whitewater campus."

University administration is in the process of planning a meeting with students, faculty and staff in an effort to change the behavior of some members of the community, according to Telfer. The UW-Whitewater police will conduct an investigation on the current incidents and increase its presence on campus, Telfer said.

The Daily Cardinal

Childcare manager faces kids ban over racist blog posts (UK)

A childcare centre manager who posted racist internet blogs could be banned from working with kids.

Helen McClymont also leaked confidential information about kids.

The manager of Steelrings day care centre in Paisley, she published a daily blog called Helen's Life.

On her web page, she ranted about Muslims, saying "they smell of curry and have a stupid religion".

And she denounced Italians for working in fish and chip shops.

McClymont also posted racist remarks about black people and Venezuelans.

And she breached the confidentiality of kids who attended Steelrings and made "derogatory remarks about the children, parents of children and members of staff of the service".

The blog has now been removed from the internet and McClymont faces six misconduct charges.

At a hearing at the Scottish Social Services Council in Dundee yesterday, it was revealed she admitted making the comments.

In a signed statement, McClymont wrote: "I did not know this was a public blog."

The hearing continues.

The Daily Record

Racist and religiously-aggravated crimes highest in Gloucester (UK)

There are nearly double the amount of racially or religiously aggravated hate crimes in Gloucester than anywhere else in the county.

Latest figures for the 2009-2010 year show that police attended 107 crimes that had a racially or religiously aggravating feature, for example, racist insults.

These compare to 64 hate crimes in Cheltenham, 20 in the Cotswold's, 15 in The Forest of Dean, 28 in Stroud, and 13 in Tewkesbury in the same period.

All figures relate to certain crimes only, grievous bodily harm, grievous bodily harm without intent, actual bodily harm, harassment, public order harassment, assault without injury, and criminal damage.

Gloucester historically has this level of hate crimes, with the average yearly figure for the past five years at just over 100.

Andy Davies, neighbourhood policing sergeant for the county, said: "Gloucester has the biggest population and is home to some of our most diverse communities in the county, which is one of the reasons we would expect figures there to be higher."

He added that he was pleased people were coming forward to report these crimes, saying: "While any incidents of this type are reprehensible, we do believe it is a good sign that people there are willing to come forward and report racially aggravated incidents.

"One of the reasons for this is the good work of our Safer Community Teams in building trust within neighbourhoods and taking swift and firm action to find those responsible for such incidents and giving the right support to victims."

In a bid to improve relations between communities, and promote understanding of other cultures, the Safer Community Team in Matson worked with Gloucestershire County Council and Together in Matson for teenagers to visit the Mosque in Ryecroft Street in Gloucester.

They got to meet some of the Asian community and understand more about their culture.

Police spokesman Chris Jackson said: "It was a great success and will help improve relationships within the community, both in the short and long term."

This is Gloucestershire

Race row over cop picture (South Africa)

A row has broken out over a “fake” photograph of three black women police officers apparently asleep in the  Mitchells Plain charge office – and the man believed to have taken the picture could face charges of crimen injuria and defamation.

The picture has also focused attention on claims of racism by a group of senior coloured police officers at the station who are accused of using Afrikaans to exclude black officers from being employed there.

The Police and Prison Civil Rights Union (Popcru) claims the officers – a constable and two trainees – were told by an inspector to pose for the picture last week.

“After he finished taking the picture, he laughed and told the three he would expose them in the media,” said Popcru provincial chairman Francisco Fields.

The inspector is believed to be related to DA councillor Grant Pascoe, who at the weekend posted the picture on his Facebook page, which elicited angry responses.

Pascoe has insisted the picture was not “doctored” as earlier claimed by Mitchells Plain police cluster commander Jeremy Veary.

One of the responses to Pascoe’s Facebook page was from the DA’s spokesperson on the police, Diane Kohler Barnard, who commented: “OMG – It’s like Zuma’s three wives at the opening of Parliament”.

Pascoe is one of the candidates to succeed Cape Town mayor Dan Plato after next year’s local government elections should the DA retain control of the city.

Fields said yesterday that all three women had been traumatised, as the picture was published in the Sunday Times and later in other newspapers, and that they would file cases of crimen injuria and defamation against the inspector.

Western Cape police spokesman Billy Jones said no one at the station had been charged for any departmental or criminal offence.

“We are investigating the whole matter. We cannot predict when the investigation will be concluded, but the outcome will determine the course of action,” said Jones.

According to one officer at the station, the picture has exposed an undercurrent of racism at the station from a group of long-serving, mostly coloured, officers who have resisted the employment of “outsiders”.

At a public meeting in August with senior police officers and former community safety MEC Lennit Max, the issue of “service delivery”, specifically Afrikaans proficiency of officers stationed at the charge office, was raised.

Max said yesterday that his reply to the issue was one of inclusivity.

“What I said was that the police should cater for all languages. I said that they had to cater for the majority languages in specific areas, Afrikaans being the case in Mitchells Plain,” said Max.

This response, according to senior black police officer, at the station “emboldened” a group of coloured officers to resist the employment of black police officers at the station on the grounds that they could not speak or write Afrikaans.

Pascoe said yesterday he would not reveal the source of the picture, insisting it had nothing to do with racism.

“They (Popcru) can come with the allegations. I’m not going to reveal my sources. They’ve not proven anything, they’re making wild allegations,” said Pascoe. But he admitted two of his uncles worked at the Mitchells Plain police station, a fact he said was well known in the area.

Pascoe said allegations of racism at the station were a “sideshow” used as a convenient excuse to deflect issues of service delivery there.

“Most of people in Mitch-ells Plain speak Afrikaans. What is racist about all languages being protected in our constitution?” asked Pascoe.

He called on police to investigate Veary for claiming the three officers weren’t working at the station.

Veary insisted he only said the three women were not on duty on Thursday night last week when the picture was purportedly taken.

“The police investigation must determine if the picture was set up. I was accused of doctoring a picture, which is false,” Pascoe said. He said he had hired the services of forensic scientist David Klatzow.

But Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairman Ismail Chotia slammed Pascoe, saying he hardly attended public meetings on policing in the area.

“I don’t go to CPF meetings. It’s a futile exercise. They’ve killed off neighbourhood watches and instead started street committees,” Pascoe said.

Former community safety MEC Patrick McKenzie (ANC) said it would be “regrettable” if the picture was found to be staged. “I would have expected much better from someone like Pascoe who wants to lead the DA. He should have checked his facts.”

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