Officials in western Austria say exhumations are to take place at a psychiatric hospital thought to contain the remains of Nazi victims.
The remains of 220 people are buried at a cemetery in Hall in Tyrol province.
The Nazis murdered thousands of disabled people they thought unfit to live, deeming it "euthanasia". The hospital believes many died there as part of the programme.
A planned construction project has been halted to allow a full investigation.
Some 30,000 people were killed at one psychiatric hospital alone - Schloss Hartheim, near Linz in upper Austria.
Tilak, the company responsible for the Hall hospital, said the graves contained the remains of people buried between 1942 and 1945.
There were, it added, "suspicions that the dead [were] at least partially victims" of the programme of murders the Nazis referred to as "euthanasia".
'Dark chapter'
Exhumations are to begin when the ground thaws, probably in March.
Announcing that a commission of experts would be formed shortly to investigate, Guenther Platter, governor of Tyrol province, said he had been "deeply shaken" by the discovery.
"This dark chapter of history must now be carefully brought to light," he added.
Investigators would be seeking to identify the remains and establish the cause of death, Tilak representatives were quoted as saying by Austria's Die Presse newspaper.
Hospital historian Oliver Seifert said it was already clear that not all of those buried had been victims of the Nazis.
"We know that active killing went on at other institutions in Austria... but there are no indications of this at the moment in Hall," he told Reuters news agency.
Hall Hospital remains a functioning psychiatric hospital, with beds for 500 patients.
BBC News
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
MUSLIM GROUPS OFFER TO PROTECT THREATENED COPTIC CHURCHES (Netherlands)
Three Dutch Muslim organisations have offered to help protect three Coptic churches in the Netherlands from possible terrorist attack, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday. The names of the three churches – in Eindhoven, Utrecht and Amsterdam - are listed on a website which is considered to have links to Al Qaida. The Muslim organisations have called on all Muslims to denounce the threat. 'We are the ones who should do this because Al Qaida claims to operate in the name of Islam,' the Telegraaf quoted the organisations as saying. 'Christian Copts, ourselves and all the Dutch have a common enemy: terrorists.' Police have already taken action to increase security around the church in Utrecht and the counter-terrorism service is monitoring the situation, the paper says. The Coptic church celebrates Christmas on January 7, and the website had called for bomb attacks on targets around Europe on that date.
Dutch News
Dutch News
UKIP and BNP seek to woo voters in Oldham by-election (UK)
The leaders of both the BNP and UKIP have been campaigning in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, bidding to woo disenchanted voters.
Nick Griffin, whose party came fourth in the seat at the general election, said a BNP win would boost the area.
But the UKIP leader Nigel Farage said his party wanted to "thrash the BNP in this constituency."
The poll, on 13 January, was triggered by a court ruling annulling the general election result from May.
The BNP gained 5.7% of the poll in the 2010 General Election while UKIP came fifth with 3.9% of the votes cast.
"To get the British National Party elected in a place like this would be such a huge shock to the political system without a shadow of a doubt, the government would try and pour money into the place to try and bribe voters back with their own money," said Mr Griffin.
"We're saying vote for us and finally they'll stop ignoring Oldham."
Mr Farage said: "I was absolutely determined on behalf of our party that we chose a strong candidate for the big campaign.
"I want us to thrash the BNP in this constituency, there is no room for that kind of extremism in British politics.
"With UKIP you have a party that is patriotic, proud to be British but not extreme in any way."
The election was called after an election court found that victorious MP Labour's Phil Woolas had made false statements about his Liberal Democrat opponent Elwyn Watkins.
The full list of candidates (in alphabetical order) is:
* Debbie Abrahams (Labour)
* Derek Adams (British National Party)
* Kashif Ali (Conservative)
* Peter Allen (Green Party)
* David Bishop (Bus-Pass Elvis Party)
* The Flying Brick (Monster Raving Loony Party)
* Loz Kaye (Pirate Party of the United Kingdom)
* Stephen Morris (English Democrats)
* Paul Nuttall MEP (UK Independence Party)
* Elwyn Watkins (Liberal Democrats)
BBC news
Nick Griffin, whose party came fourth in the seat at the general election, said a BNP win would boost the area.
But the UKIP leader Nigel Farage said his party wanted to "thrash the BNP in this constituency."
The poll, on 13 January, was triggered by a court ruling annulling the general election result from May.
The BNP gained 5.7% of the poll in the 2010 General Election while UKIP came fifth with 3.9% of the votes cast.
"To get the British National Party elected in a place like this would be such a huge shock to the political system without a shadow of a doubt, the government would try and pour money into the place to try and bribe voters back with their own money," said Mr Griffin.
"We're saying vote for us and finally they'll stop ignoring Oldham."
Mr Farage said: "I was absolutely determined on behalf of our party that we chose a strong candidate for the big campaign.
"I want us to thrash the BNP in this constituency, there is no room for that kind of extremism in British politics.
"With UKIP you have a party that is patriotic, proud to be British but not extreme in any way."
The election was called after an election court found that victorious MP Labour's Phil Woolas had made false statements about his Liberal Democrat opponent Elwyn Watkins.
The full list of candidates (in alphabetical order) is:
* Debbie Abrahams (Labour)
* Derek Adams (British National Party)
* Kashif Ali (Conservative)
* Peter Allen (Green Party)
* David Bishop (Bus-Pass Elvis Party)
* The Flying Brick (Monster Raving Loony Party)
* Loz Kaye (Pirate Party of the United Kingdom)
* Stephen Morris (English Democrats)
* Paul Nuttall MEP (UK Independence Party)
* Elwyn Watkins (Liberal Democrats)
BBC news
Jews Were Top Targets Of Bigots In ‘09 (USA)
As counties comply with mandatory reporting to Albany, disturbing trend emerges.
Anti-Semitic incidents made up the largest share of New York hate crimes reported in 2009, according to statistics just released by the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services. The number of incidents involving Jewish victims also rose 15 percent from 219 in 2008 to 254.
Statistics for 2010 have not yet been compiled by the division.
Attacks against Jews amounted to 37 percent of the total, more than anti-black incidents (21 percent), attacks against gay men (12 percent) or attacks against Hispanics (6 percent) in a hateful year that saw a 14 percent increase in all bias incidents in the state, from 599 to 683.
The state’s Jewish number is higher than that of the Anti-Defamation League’s annual audit of incidents here, based on complaints to the organization, which showed 209 incidents. That year the agency decided to change its definition of anti-Semitic incidents to those specifically targeting Jews rather than including swastikas that defaced general targets.
The state figures did not break down the types of crimes directed at each group, but did list 39 swastika incidents, slightly down from 43 in 2008. The number of aggravated harassment incidents described as physical contact due to race or religion more than doubled, from 41 to 83.
The report was released as word spread this weekend of a series of threats mailed to New York City synagogues. A letter believed to originate from the same sender arrived by mail and warned of an attack on New Year’s Eve that did not materialize. Congregation Ohab Tzedek in Manhattan received one of the letters, its rabbi, Allen Schwartz, told the New York Post.
The letters are being investigated by the New York Police Department. David Pollock, associate executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and the group’s liaison with police on security issues declined to disclose the contents of the letters to avoid inspiring copycat acts. But he said the letter was printed with the same typeface in all instances and had similar messages with different names signed.
“There is no reason to think this was an international group,” Pollock said Monday.
He added that the spike in anti-Semitic incidents shown in the state report was likely a result of anti-Zionism as well as the recession.
“I think the international vilification of Israel grants permission to carry out anti-Semitic acts,” said Pollock.
Ron Meier, director of the ADL’s New York region, said that while the data “point to how diligent the Jewish community and law enforcement community have to be” the “silver lining” is that more police departments are compiling and reporting statistics to the division of criminal justice as required by the state’s Hate Crimes Act of 2000.
“In 2008 hate crimes were reported by 35 counties, and in 2009 43 of the 62 counties reported them,” said Meier. “We are moving toward full compliance.
The ADL offers tolerance-training programs in public schools in response to bias attacks of any kind. Meier said that the “long-term trend” over the last decade shows fewer bias attacks than in previous years, but said the recent spike in such crimes, despite harsher penalties for them was perplexing.
“One piece of the puzzle is the times we are living in,” he said. “These are very difficult economic times, which causes all kinds of dislocation, which in its own way causes tensions and points of friction.”
In one of the most serious recent hate crimes against Jews, last month two teenage boys, 14 and 15, were arrested and charged with serious beating attacks against chasidic men in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. One attack left the victim, Joel Weinberger, 26, with a broken jaw, broken leg and facial injuries. Pollock said the two suspects in that case, who were apprehended after a chase following one attack and, police said, confessed to other attacks on Jews, remain in juvenile detention while awaiting trial after a judge refused to remand them to their parents.
Also last month, 200 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Flatbush, Brooklyn, were defaced or overturned.
The Jewish Week.
Anti-Semitic incidents made up the largest share of New York hate crimes reported in 2009, according to statistics just released by the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services. The number of incidents involving Jewish victims also rose 15 percent from 219 in 2008 to 254.
Statistics for 2010 have not yet been compiled by the division.
Attacks against Jews amounted to 37 percent of the total, more than anti-black incidents (21 percent), attacks against gay men (12 percent) or attacks against Hispanics (6 percent) in a hateful year that saw a 14 percent increase in all bias incidents in the state, from 599 to 683.
The state’s Jewish number is higher than that of the Anti-Defamation League’s annual audit of incidents here, based on complaints to the organization, which showed 209 incidents. That year the agency decided to change its definition of anti-Semitic incidents to those specifically targeting Jews rather than including swastikas that defaced general targets.
The state figures did not break down the types of crimes directed at each group, but did list 39 swastika incidents, slightly down from 43 in 2008. The number of aggravated harassment incidents described as physical contact due to race or religion more than doubled, from 41 to 83.
The report was released as word spread this weekend of a series of threats mailed to New York City synagogues. A letter believed to originate from the same sender arrived by mail and warned of an attack on New Year’s Eve that did not materialize. Congregation Ohab Tzedek in Manhattan received one of the letters, its rabbi, Allen Schwartz, told the New York Post.
The letters are being investigated by the New York Police Department. David Pollock, associate executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and the group’s liaison with police on security issues declined to disclose the contents of the letters to avoid inspiring copycat acts. But he said the letter was printed with the same typeface in all instances and had similar messages with different names signed.
“There is no reason to think this was an international group,” Pollock said Monday.
He added that the spike in anti-Semitic incidents shown in the state report was likely a result of anti-Zionism as well as the recession.
“I think the international vilification of Israel grants permission to carry out anti-Semitic acts,” said Pollock.
Ron Meier, director of the ADL’s New York region, said that while the data “point to how diligent the Jewish community and law enforcement community have to be” the “silver lining” is that more police departments are compiling and reporting statistics to the division of criminal justice as required by the state’s Hate Crimes Act of 2000.
“In 2008 hate crimes were reported by 35 counties, and in 2009 43 of the 62 counties reported them,” said Meier. “We are moving toward full compliance.
The ADL offers tolerance-training programs in public schools in response to bias attacks of any kind. Meier said that the “long-term trend” over the last decade shows fewer bias attacks than in previous years, but said the recent spike in such crimes, despite harsher penalties for them was perplexing.
“One piece of the puzzle is the times we are living in,” he said. “These are very difficult economic times, which causes all kinds of dislocation, which in its own way causes tensions and points of friction.”
In one of the most serious recent hate crimes against Jews, last month two teenage boys, 14 and 15, were arrested and charged with serious beating attacks against chasidic men in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. One attack left the victim, Joel Weinberger, 26, with a broken jaw, broken leg and facial injuries. Pollock said the two suspects in that case, who were apprehended after a chase following one attack and, police said, confessed to other attacks on Jews, remain in juvenile detention while awaiting trial after a judge refused to remand them to their parents.
Also last month, 200 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Flatbush, Brooklyn, were defaced or overturned.
The Jewish Week.
Van driver's racist abuse at father and daughter (UK)
A father and daughter were racially abused by a van driver who skidded around the corner of an icy Farnborough road last month.
The man, described as having a "dirty appearance", was turning from Greatfield Road into Ley Road on the morning of December 18 but was apparently driving too fast for the conditions.
At the same time, a 29-year-old woman was walking towards Ley Road to meet up with her father in his vehicle.
As the white van skidded, the father waved to his daughter to warn her about it.
But the van driver then got out of his vehicle and shouted racist abuse at the pair, who retreated into their car, fearing they might be attacked.
The suspect was described as white, aged in his late 20s, around 5ft 8in tall and of medium to stocky build.
Police said he had a "dirty" appearance, short light, brown hair and was wearing a waist-length yellow fluorescent jacket.
An older woman of stocky build was also in the van, which police said was a car-derived vehicle with orange writing on the side and a yellow beacon on its roof.
PC Mark Sumner said: "This was a totally unprovoked incident that has left the victim feeling scared and upset.
"If anyone has any information that can help us with this investigation, please get in touch.
"I’d also like to hear from anyone who saw a van driving dangerously in the area that morning."
Anyone with any information should contact PC Sumner at Farnborough police station on 101, via the Hampshire police website or call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555111.
Get Hampshire
The man, described as having a "dirty appearance", was turning from Greatfield Road into Ley Road on the morning of December 18 but was apparently driving too fast for the conditions.
At the same time, a 29-year-old woman was walking towards Ley Road to meet up with her father in his vehicle.
As the white van skidded, the father waved to his daughter to warn her about it.
But the van driver then got out of his vehicle and shouted racist abuse at the pair, who retreated into their car, fearing they might be attacked.
The suspect was described as white, aged in his late 20s, around 5ft 8in tall and of medium to stocky build.
Police said he had a "dirty" appearance, short light, brown hair and was wearing a waist-length yellow fluorescent jacket.
An older woman of stocky build was also in the van, which police said was a car-derived vehicle with orange writing on the side and a yellow beacon on its roof.
PC Mark Sumner said: "This was a totally unprovoked incident that has left the victim feeling scared and upset.
"If anyone has any information that can help us with this investigation, please get in touch.
"I’d also like to hear from anyone who saw a van driving dangerously in the area that morning."
Anyone with any information should contact PC Sumner at Farnborough police station on 101, via the Hampshire police website or call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555111.
Get Hampshire
Soldier shouted racist abuse (UK)
A serving soldier who racially abused two English people in Perth was fined £300 and ordered to pay compensation of £200 for his efforts.
William Yeaman (22) of Kestrel Way, Perth, called a female an “English whore” and yelled “fat English boy” at a youth.
Yeaman also assaulted the youth by punching him on July 10.
On Wednesday, Perth Sheriff Court heard Yeaman had attracted the attention of residents of Dunnock Park in Muirton when they heard a disturbance outside at about 11.30pm.
Two residents, both of whom were born and raised in England, went to investigate.
One of them saw Yeaman and asked him to be quiet. He then shouted back “English whore”.
Yeaman approached the woman’s home and entered the garden, standing face-to-face with a male who he called a “fat English boy” and “English t**t”.
Admitting his racist offences, he told cops: “Cos I’m in the wrong. It’s all against me, I accept that.”
Yeaman’s solicitor described the matter as a “disgraceful incident” for which the accused had since apologised.
He said the actions of Yeaman, a first offender, had been out of character.
He also told Sheriff Michael Fletcher a promotion to Lance Corporal for Yeaman was being held off until the outcome.
Yeaman was among a group of soldiers put forward for the promotion, but the only one not to have received it straight away.
He said Yeaman, an army driver involved in weapons, was currently on stand-by to go to Afghanistan in October 2011.
Perth Advertiser
William Yeaman (22) of Kestrel Way, Perth, called a female an “English whore” and yelled “fat English boy” at a youth.
Yeaman also assaulted the youth by punching him on July 10.
On Wednesday, Perth Sheriff Court heard Yeaman had attracted the attention of residents of Dunnock Park in Muirton when they heard a disturbance outside at about 11.30pm.
Two residents, both of whom were born and raised in England, went to investigate.
One of them saw Yeaman and asked him to be quiet. He then shouted back “English whore”.
Yeaman approached the woman’s home and entered the garden, standing face-to-face with a male who he called a “fat English boy” and “English t**t”.
Admitting his racist offences, he told cops: “Cos I’m in the wrong. It’s all against me, I accept that.”
Yeaman’s solicitor described the matter as a “disgraceful incident” for which the accused had since apologised.
He said the actions of Yeaman, a first offender, had been out of character.
He also told Sheriff Michael Fletcher a promotion to Lance Corporal for Yeaman was being held off until the outcome.
Yeaman was among a group of soldiers put forward for the promotion, but the only one not to have received it straight away.
He said Yeaman, an army driver involved in weapons, was currently on stand-by to go to Afghanistan in October 2011.
Perth Advertiser
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