Two men have been fined £150 each after pleading guilty to offences committed at protests in Peterborough last Saturday.
Both men admitted the public order offences at Peterborough Magistrates' Court over violence at an English Defence League rally in the city.
Scot Whitehead, 32, from Peterborough, was also ordered to pay £95 costs.
James Black, 22, from Farnham, in Surrey, had to also pay £85 costs and a £15 surcharge.
BBC News
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Travel ban for English Defence League Birmingham men (UK)
Two English Defence League supporters have been banned from joining protests outside their home city for 10 years.
Richard Price, 41, and Collum Keyes, 23, were given Anti-social Behaviour Orders (Asbo) restricting their protests to Birmingham until 2020.
Police said it was the first time the ban had been applied to anyone linked to the group, which says it is against Islamic extremism and terrorism.
The pair previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct at a march in May.
They had also pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour during the protest in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and were sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday.
'Clear signal'
Judge Lord Parmoor sentenced Price to 12 weeks in prison and and fined Keyes £150.
He said both men travelled with the group to foment disorder and gave them a 10-year Asbo to stop them taking part in or controlling any protest more than 10 miles away from Birmingham city centre.
They have also been banned from distributing any material for the group or encouraging others to attend protests outside the city.
Det Con Andy Haworth, of the National Domestic Extremism Unit, said: "While the defence leagues are entitled to protest, violence has been a persistent feature of their demonstrations, and we hope the success of today's application will prevent that violence."
Pc Mike Ellis, of Thames Valley Police, said: "This is a clear signal to those who would use violence and disorder to further their extreme and racist views, to intimidate and create fear within minority communities."
BBC News
Richard Price, 41, and Collum Keyes, 23, were given Anti-social Behaviour Orders (Asbo) restricting their protests to Birmingham until 2020.
Police said it was the first time the ban had been applied to anyone linked to the group, which says it is against Islamic extremism and terrorism.
The pair previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct at a march in May.
They had also pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour during the protest in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and were sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday.
'Clear signal'
Judge Lord Parmoor sentenced Price to 12 weeks in prison and and fined Keyes £150.
He said both men travelled with the group to foment disorder and gave them a 10-year Asbo to stop them taking part in or controlling any protest more than 10 miles away from Birmingham city centre.
They have also been banned from distributing any material for the group or encouraging others to attend protests outside the city.
Det Con Andy Haworth, of the National Domestic Extremism Unit, said: "While the defence leagues are entitled to protest, violence has been a persistent feature of their demonstrations, and we hope the success of today's application will prevent that violence."
Pc Mike Ellis, of Thames Valley Police, said: "This is a clear signal to those who would use violence and disorder to further their extreme and racist views, to intimidate and create fear within minority communities."
BBC News
TOUGHER PUNISHMENTS PLANNED FOR HATE CRIMES (Finland)
A government bill proposes prison sentences of up to four years for hate crimes. The toughest sentences can be imposed on aggravated incitement against a sector of the population - such as urging people to commit murder or genocide. The government wants to add a separate category of aggravated hate crime to the criminal code. The proposal is part of a package of legislation that is going before Parliament on Friday, aimed at clamping down on crimes against ethnic groups, as well as other population groups, such as sexual minorities. In crimes of incitement, the hate crime category would include acts which are motivated by a victim’s ethnicity, religious or other conviction, sexual orientation, disability, as well as similar factors. The emphasis is that the punishments would apply to actual crimes motivated by hate, and not mere acts of racism. In addition to actual human beings, a “legal person”, such as an association or group, could also be held responsible for crimes of incitement against an ethnic group, illegal threats, or aggravated slander or libel.
Minister of Justice Tuija Brax (Green) emphasised on Thursday that the bill is not intended to restrict free speech on socially important issues. She said that it will continue to be legal to voice severe criticism of immigration or policy towards foreigners, and against those responsible for such policies. The bill is also not aimed at placing restrictions on research or science. What would be punishable would be making threats, slander, and vilification, either on paper or online. Punishable acts would include displaying or spreading messages that endorse violence or discrimination against a group. Criminal hate speech would also include comparing people with animals, or labelling entire groups as criminals or of lesser value. The new bill would add a mention of displaying illegal material as a crime itself. At present, the law mentions “distribution”. The change was prompted by the Internet. If the bill passes into law, it will no longer be possible to split hairs about who is actually responsible for what appears on a web page. Ministry official Mirja Salonen says that the clause would apply to someone who deliberately allows or urges another person to post hate messages on his or her website or Facebook page, for instance, and fails to remove them when called upon to do so.
http://www.hs.fi/english/
Minister of Justice Tuija Brax (Green) emphasised on Thursday that the bill is not intended to restrict free speech on socially important issues. She said that it will continue to be legal to voice severe criticism of immigration or policy towards foreigners, and against those responsible for such policies. The bill is also not aimed at placing restrictions on research or science. What would be punishable would be making threats, slander, and vilification, either on paper or online. Punishable acts would include displaying or spreading messages that endorse violence or discrimination against a group. Criminal hate speech would also include comparing people with animals, or labelling entire groups as criminals or of lesser value. The new bill would add a mention of displaying illegal material as a crime itself. At present, the law mentions “distribution”. The change was prompted by the Internet. If the bill passes into law, it will no longer be possible to split hairs about who is actually responsible for what appears on a web page. Ministry official Mirja Salonen says that the clause would apply to someone who deliberately allows or urges another person to post hate messages on his or her website or Facebook page, for instance, and fails to remove them when called upon to do so.
http://www.hs.fi/english/
Russian police arrest suspected racist killer, riot ringleader
Ilya Kubrakov is believed to be a ringleader of last Saturday's riots on Manezh Square next to the Kremlin and could face life in prison over the stabbing to death of a man from Kyrgyzstan in southern Moscow. His body was found on Sunday.
Court spokesman Oleg Shassayev said all four detainees could be kept in pretrial detention until February 12, adding that if the probe into their crimes is not completed by that time, investigators could ask for their detention to be extended.
In Moscow, a 5,000-strong crowd of nationalists and football hooligans clashed with police at central Manezh Square on Saturday. The fans were protesting police negligence over the death of Yegor Sviridov, 28, who was killed in a brawl with migrants from Russia's North Caucasus region earlier in November.
The clash was followed on Wednesday by further disturbances as ethnic Russians and internal migrants gathered for a confrontation near a major train terminus in Moscow. Race-hate riots also occurred in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities.
President Dmitry Medvedev blamed the outbreak of race-hate violence on investigators who released suspects in the death of Sviridov. He called on Russia's police and prosecutors to take measures to punish all those responsible for the crime.
A spate of race-hate attacks since the weekend and reports of more clashes to come have left the Russian capital on edge.
RiaNovosti
FAR-RIGHT GROUP ELAM APPLIES TO BECOME POLITICAL PARTY (Cyprus)
The nationalist movement ELAM (National People’s Front) is seeking to establish itself as a political party with a view to running in elections – perhaps even the coming parliamentary elections next May. As reported by Politis yesterday, ELAM has filed an application with the Interior Ministry so that its property and assets are deemed tax-free – an exemption which political parties are entitled to. The application was filed in late November. Lazaros Savvides, permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, said a decision on the application should be made by next week. “If it satisfies all the criteria, there is no reason why it should not be accepted,” Savvides told the Mail. The above application is a formality and is separate from registering as a political party, for which other requirements apply – such as having an office in all the major towns or conducting operations in the various districts. The application was filed on ELAM’s behalf by European Party MP Rikkos Erotokritou in his capacity as a lawyer.
Politis yesterday attributed to Erotokritou suspicious motives, and in a double-entendre wondered how a member of one party could be promoting the establishment of a potentially rival political grouping. Later yesterday, the deputy released a statement through his law firm, stating he had no political relation whatsoever to ELAM and that his involvement in no way indicated that he shared the group’s views. Hitting back, he claimed the paper was distorting facts and urged the publication to set the record straight. Erotokritou attached to the statement a copy of an agreement with the Kurdistan Limassol District Office. The MP said his business association with Kurdish immigrants was proof enough that he did not see eye to eye with ELAM. Regardless of whether the application is approved or not, ELAM can still declare itself a party and run as such in elections – which is precisely what the movement plans to do. “We aim to run as a party in the upcoming parliamentary elections,” said Michalis Drakos, a member of ELAM’s Central Committee.
To win a seat in parliament, a candidate must garner 1/56 – or around 1.8 per cent – of the popular vote. ELAM actually ran in the last European elections, winning 663 votes, or 0.22 per cent. The self-professed nationalists, whose members don black T-shirts in demonstrations, deny they are a racist or chauvinist movement. They say they are against illegal immigrants, including asylum seekers living here on benefits paid for by taxpayers – but insist they have nothing against legal aliens. Besides advocating a ‘Greek Cyprus’, the outfit wants all illegal immigrants (“many of whom pose as asylum seekers”) on the island to be summarily deported. “Yes, we are worried about the demographics of our country. Today, there are currently some 200,000 foreigners living here,” Drakos said, temporarily blurring the distinction between legally and illegally residing foreigners. “We have nothing against people who reside here legally. They will stay here, and when their residency expires, they will be on their way back to their countries,” he noted.
ELAM are against a federation-based solution to the Cyprus problem, and want the crossing points with the north shut. Their bid to break into the mainstream of politics is linked to a desire to shed their image as a fringe extremist outfit. “We are here to stay…not just to emerge whenever there are elections,” said Drakos, explaining ELAM’s intended transformation into a fully-fledged party. “Our goal is to acquire a political role, and to provide a platform to people who disagree with conventional ideas – such as a federal solution for Cyprus – but who have nowhere to turn to now. “We want to be taken seriously,” added Drakos. Established in July 2008, the group currently counts some 800 registered members, and has offices in all the major towns, as well as an associated student organisation in Athens. In the municipal elections in Greece last November, the ultra-nationalist Greek group known as ‘Chrysi Avgi’ got a member elected to the Athens municipality.
According to the charter of ‘Chrysi Avgi’, “only Aryans by blood and Greeks by descent can be candidate members.” The charter also puts the leader in total control of the party, and formalises the use of the Roman salute for party members. Their emblem’s colour and design is eerily reminiscent of the Nazi swastika. ELAM member Petros Georgiou said their outfit has “friendly relations” with a number of nationalist parties in other countries, including ‘Chrysi Avgi’ in Greece and Italy’s Forza Nuova, as well as similar groups in Germany and Russia. Most of their members come from low-income groups, but ELAM’s ranks include people from all walks of life, including doctors and lawyers. And funding comes “from our own pockets,” Georgiou said.
Cyprus Mail
Politis yesterday attributed to Erotokritou suspicious motives, and in a double-entendre wondered how a member of one party could be promoting the establishment of a potentially rival political grouping. Later yesterday, the deputy released a statement through his law firm, stating he had no political relation whatsoever to ELAM and that his involvement in no way indicated that he shared the group’s views. Hitting back, he claimed the paper was distorting facts and urged the publication to set the record straight. Erotokritou attached to the statement a copy of an agreement with the Kurdistan Limassol District Office. The MP said his business association with Kurdish immigrants was proof enough that he did not see eye to eye with ELAM. Regardless of whether the application is approved or not, ELAM can still declare itself a party and run as such in elections – which is precisely what the movement plans to do. “We aim to run as a party in the upcoming parliamentary elections,” said Michalis Drakos, a member of ELAM’s Central Committee.
To win a seat in parliament, a candidate must garner 1/56 – or around 1.8 per cent – of the popular vote. ELAM actually ran in the last European elections, winning 663 votes, or 0.22 per cent. The self-professed nationalists, whose members don black T-shirts in demonstrations, deny they are a racist or chauvinist movement. They say they are against illegal immigrants, including asylum seekers living here on benefits paid for by taxpayers – but insist they have nothing against legal aliens. Besides advocating a ‘Greek Cyprus’, the outfit wants all illegal immigrants (“many of whom pose as asylum seekers”) on the island to be summarily deported. “Yes, we are worried about the demographics of our country. Today, there are currently some 200,000 foreigners living here,” Drakos said, temporarily blurring the distinction between legally and illegally residing foreigners. “We have nothing against people who reside here legally. They will stay here, and when their residency expires, they will be on their way back to their countries,” he noted.
ELAM are against a federation-based solution to the Cyprus problem, and want the crossing points with the north shut. Their bid to break into the mainstream of politics is linked to a desire to shed their image as a fringe extremist outfit. “We are here to stay…not just to emerge whenever there are elections,” said Drakos, explaining ELAM’s intended transformation into a fully-fledged party. “Our goal is to acquire a political role, and to provide a platform to people who disagree with conventional ideas – such as a federal solution for Cyprus – but who have nowhere to turn to now. “We want to be taken seriously,” added Drakos. Established in July 2008, the group currently counts some 800 registered members, and has offices in all the major towns, as well as an associated student organisation in Athens. In the municipal elections in Greece last November, the ultra-nationalist Greek group known as ‘Chrysi Avgi’ got a member elected to the Athens municipality.
According to the charter of ‘Chrysi Avgi’, “only Aryans by blood and Greeks by descent can be candidate members.” The charter also puts the leader in total control of the party, and formalises the use of the Roman salute for party members. Their emblem’s colour and design is eerily reminiscent of the Nazi swastika. ELAM member Petros Georgiou said their outfit has “friendly relations” with a number of nationalist parties in other countries, including ‘Chrysi Avgi’ in Greece and Italy’s Forza Nuova, as well as similar groups in Germany and Russia. Most of their members come from low-income groups, but ELAM’s ranks include people from all walks of life, including doctors and lawyers. And funding comes “from our own pockets,” Georgiou said.
Cyprus Mail
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