The trial of MP Geert Wilders on discrimination and inciting hatred charges may be delayed, Nos television reports on Thursday. A lawyer representing groups who forced the prosecution department to take legal action against Wilders has gone to the appeal court to fight the department’s call for Wilders’ acquittal. The original court case against Wilders collapsed last year after a number of irregularities involving the judges, which senior legal officials said could give rise to accusations of bias.
Not guilty
But the case had faltered earlier in the trial when the prosecutors called for Wilders to be found not guilty on all charges. The groups want new prosecutors to be appointed who believe in the case, but it is unclear when that case will be heard. The trial is due to resume on Monday, but Wilders’ lawyer Bram Moszkovicz says it will be a waste of time to restart unless the dispute over the prosecutors has been resolved.
Dutch News
Friday, 4 February 2011
GYPSIES AND AFRICANS ARE THE MOST DISCRIMINATED PEOPLE IN EUROPE
The population of African and Roma are discriminated against more often than minorities from the Balkans or Eastern Europe, according to a report released Wednesday by the Agency of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (FRA). The document notes that persons belonging to “visible minorities”, ie those who generally have a different appearance from the rest of the population feel discriminated against more often and for a greater number of reasons compared to other minorities. In particular, the Roma and African Americans have “more likely” to suffer discrimination that people from the former Yugoslavia, Russian-born and native of Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, people of “visible minorities” are more often subject to acts of “multiplediscrimination ” (for various reasons), such as age, sex and religion. For example, young men of immigrant origin tend to have higher levels of discriminatory treatment, according to survey conducted by the FRA.
The results show that one in four respondents from ethnic minorities or immigrants in the EU states have felt discriminated against by two or more grounds for the 12 months preceding the survey. 28% of North Africans claimed to have experienced discrimination on multiple grounds in recent months, compared with 18% of sub-Saharan Africans, 16% of Roma and 15% of Turks. In the case of immigrants from theBalkans or Central European countries, the figures are below 9%. Belonging to an ethnic minority or being an immigrant was the most common reason for multiple discrimination among respondents (93% for both men and women), followed by religion (72% for men and 56% among women ) and sex (24% and 44% respectively). Next, put the old (30 and 29%), other reasons (21% and 15%), disability (13% and 9%) and sexual orientation (11% and 9%).
Coffe Today
The results show that one in four respondents from ethnic minorities or immigrants in the EU states have felt discriminated against by two or more grounds for the 12 months preceding the survey. 28% of North Africans claimed to have experienced discrimination on multiple grounds in recent months, compared with 18% of sub-Saharan Africans, 16% of Roma and 15% of Turks. In the case of immigrants from theBalkans or Central European countries, the figures are below 9%. Belonging to an ethnic minority or being an immigrant was the most common reason for multiple discrimination among respondents (93% for both men and women), followed by religion (72% for men and 56% among women ) and sex (24% and 44% respectively). Next, put the old (30 and 29%), other reasons (21% and 15%), disability (13% and 9%) and sexual orientation (11% and 9%).
Coffe Today
Retrial for neo-Nazi promoters in the Czech Republic
The trial of eight people charged in the Czech Republic with promoting and supporting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms will have to be repeated. Judge Věra Bártová has had to recuse herself as the result of a motion filed at the end of December. Libor Vávra, president of the Prague 1 District Court, told the Czech Press Agency today that he will be presiding over the trial from now on. The case concerns allegations of promoting neo-Nazism and the group called National Resistance (Národní odpor - NO) and organizing neo-Nazi events.
Bártová's recusal is the result of criticisms voiced by the K213 association, which told the court her previous membership in the Communist Party was "incompatible with the fair trial of the so-called neo-Nazis". Bártová admitted to her previous membership in the party in her recusal, writing that as a result of the criticism that she would be incapable of objectivity "she feels so negatively influenced by the conclusions and opinions directed against her that she cannot responsibly guarantee the maximum degree of objective decision-making which is one of the fundamental principles of her work."
The case for the prosecution describes four crimes; the accused have told the court they are innocent. The first crime was allegedly committed by five people: Former chair of the Prague organization of the banned Workers' Party (Dělnická strana - DS), Patrik Vondrák; former DS party member Michaela Dupová; Richard Lang; DS candidate in the EP elections Petr Fryč; and Filip Vávra. They are said to have posted NO promotion materials in the center of Prague during the evening of 4 December 2008.
Six people (Vondrák, Dupová, Lang, the former chair of the DS regional organization in Vysočina, Milan Hroch, former DS member Martin Václavek and Daniel Zavadil) are also charged with organizing and holding a gathering and march on 6 June 2009 in Jihlava which town officials had to disperse immediately after it began. The event had been advertised as a memorial march to honor the memory of victims of the Second World War, but its real aim, according to the case file, was to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers of the Wehrmacht and SS. The prosecution charges that the event was planned by Hroch and Lang and announced to the town hall by Zavadil, whose deputy was Václavek. Lang allegedly arranged for a funeral wreath and was present at the event as an organizer, while Dupová agreed with Lang to provide drums and another wreath. Those scheduled to speak at the event were Herbert Schweiger, a veteran of Adolf Hitler's Leibstandarte SS division, and Austrian nationalist Gottfried Küssel. Vondrák is charged with inviting and transporting them to the Czech Republic.
Dupová is also charged with two other crimes. According to the case file, she participated in creating and running the website Resistance Women Unity (RWU), which police say is the women's branch of NO. The prosecution claims she was the administrator of the website and posted articles there authored by herself and others. The state prosecutor says those texts disseminated and promoted Nazi and neo-Nazi ideology. She is also charged with participating in organizing and holding a white power music concert to benefit neo-Nazis who were either being sought by the law or had been sentenced to prison. The concert took place in February 2009 in Srby (Kladno district) and was attended by about 120 people. The prosecution alleges Dupová was aware that the audience and performers would be disseminating the ideology of Nazism and neo-Nazism during the concert and celebrating the NO.
Experts in right-wing extremism say Lang is linked to the NO, while police say Hroch is also actively engaged in its activities. Experts say Vávra, who recently invited former Ku-Klux-Klan leader David Duke to the Czech Republic, was also connected to NO. Vávra admitted to the court that he was a radical at the start of the 1990s, but is said to have gradually become more moderate.
Romea.Cz
Bártová's recusal is the result of criticisms voiced by the K213 association, which told the court her previous membership in the Communist Party was "incompatible with the fair trial of the so-called neo-Nazis". Bártová admitted to her previous membership in the party in her recusal, writing that as a result of the criticism that she would be incapable of objectivity "she feels so negatively influenced by the conclusions and opinions directed against her that she cannot responsibly guarantee the maximum degree of objective decision-making which is one of the fundamental principles of her work."
The case for the prosecution describes four crimes; the accused have told the court they are innocent. The first crime was allegedly committed by five people: Former chair of the Prague organization of the banned Workers' Party (Dělnická strana - DS), Patrik Vondrák; former DS party member Michaela Dupová; Richard Lang; DS candidate in the EP elections Petr Fryč; and Filip Vávra. They are said to have posted NO promotion materials in the center of Prague during the evening of 4 December 2008.
Six people (Vondrák, Dupová, Lang, the former chair of the DS regional organization in Vysočina, Milan Hroch, former DS member Martin Václavek and Daniel Zavadil) are also charged with organizing and holding a gathering and march on 6 June 2009 in Jihlava which town officials had to disperse immediately after it began. The event had been advertised as a memorial march to honor the memory of victims of the Second World War, but its real aim, according to the case file, was to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers of the Wehrmacht and SS. The prosecution charges that the event was planned by Hroch and Lang and announced to the town hall by Zavadil, whose deputy was Václavek. Lang allegedly arranged for a funeral wreath and was present at the event as an organizer, while Dupová agreed with Lang to provide drums and another wreath. Those scheduled to speak at the event were Herbert Schweiger, a veteran of Adolf Hitler's Leibstandarte SS division, and Austrian nationalist Gottfried Küssel. Vondrák is charged with inviting and transporting them to the Czech Republic.
Dupová is also charged with two other crimes. According to the case file, she participated in creating and running the website Resistance Women Unity (RWU), which police say is the women's branch of NO. The prosecution claims she was the administrator of the website and posted articles there authored by herself and others. The state prosecutor says those texts disseminated and promoted Nazi and neo-Nazi ideology. She is also charged with participating in organizing and holding a white power music concert to benefit neo-Nazis who were either being sought by the law or had been sentenced to prison. The concert took place in February 2009 in Srby (Kladno district) and was attended by about 120 people. The prosecution alleges Dupová was aware that the audience and performers would be disseminating the ideology of Nazism and neo-Nazism during the concert and celebrating the NO.
Experts in right-wing extremism say Lang is linked to the NO, while police say Hroch is also actively engaged in its activities. Experts say Vávra, who recently invited former Ku-Klux-Klan leader David Duke to the Czech Republic, was also connected to NO. Vávra admitted to the court that he was a radical at the start of the 1990s, but is said to have gradually become more moderate.
Romea.Cz
Neo-Nazi group denies it's racist (USA)
A neo-Nazi group planning a New Jersey statehouse rally denied it's racist, saying it wants to spotlight immigration and other political issues, the group said.
"We're basically speaking about the corruption here in New Jersey politics, the immigration problem that faces our nation, and the revolving-door criminal system," National Socialist Movement New Jersey representative Jason Hiecke told The Times of Trenton.
Other issues the April 16 rally will address are high state property taxes, child molesters and an alleged "double standard" in which only crimes by whites against minorities are described as "hate crimes," he said.
"We're all considered racists or white supremacists, but that's not what most of our members are about," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
He acknowledged the organization's symbol is a swastika, used by Nazi Germany during World War II.
"The National Socialist Movement is distinctive in that they will wear Nazi-style uniforms," state Anti-Defamation League regional Director Etzion Neuer told the newspaper.
"One will typically see them dressed in swastikas, even more than most white supremacists," he said. "The visual that we might see of neo-Nazis clad in uniforms on the steps of the Capitol will revolt most New Jerseyans."
He called the gathering "disturbing" and advised people to stay away from the rally.
NSM rallies often attract counter-protests that sometimes turn violent. A Nov. 13 rally and march in Phoenix turned into a rock-throwing melee in which two young men were arrested.
Seventy NSM members demonstrated against illegal immigration in front of Los Angeles City Hall April 17, 2010, drawing a counterprotest of hundreds of anti-Nazi demonstrators.
An Oct. 15, 2005, demonstration to protest alleged black gang activity in Toledo, Ohio, sparked a four-hour riot that prompted a 36-hour citywide curfew.
UPI
"We're basically speaking about the corruption here in New Jersey politics, the immigration problem that faces our nation, and the revolving-door criminal system," National Socialist Movement New Jersey representative Jason Hiecke told The Times of Trenton.
Other issues the April 16 rally will address are high state property taxes, child molesters and an alleged "double standard" in which only crimes by whites against minorities are described as "hate crimes," he said.
"We're all considered racists or white supremacists, but that's not what most of our members are about," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
He acknowledged the organization's symbol is a swastika, used by Nazi Germany during World War II.
"The National Socialist Movement is distinctive in that they will wear Nazi-style uniforms," state Anti-Defamation League regional Director Etzion Neuer told the newspaper.
"One will typically see them dressed in swastikas, even more than most white supremacists," he said. "The visual that we might see of neo-Nazis clad in uniforms on the steps of the Capitol will revolt most New Jerseyans."
He called the gathering "disturbing" and advised people to stay away from the rally.
NSM rallies often attract counter-protests that sometimes turn violent. A Nov. 13 rally and march in Phoenix turned into a rock-throwing melee in which two young men were arrested.
Seventy NSM members demonstrated against illegal immigration in front of Los Angeles City Hall April 17, 2010, drawing a counterprotest of hundreds of anti-Nazi demonstrators.
An Oct. 15, 2005, demonstration to protest alleged black gang activity in Toledo, Ohio, sparked a four-hour riot that prompted a 36-hour citywide curfew.
UPI
Landowner and BNP donor facing court on dog charge (UK)
A landowner who was one of the biggest individual cash donors to the British National Party is facing court action accused of failing to keep his dog under control after it is alleged to have bitten a woman.
Charles Wentworth, 53, who lives at Friston Hall, near Aldeburgh, had his case listed before magistrates in Lowestoft on Monday following the incident on November 17 last year.
It was reported to police that Hannah Burns, a 47-year-old woman from the local area, was bitten on the thigh by a Doberman dog on a footpath between Benhall and Friston.
Mr Wentworth, who also owns Friston Village Hall and the village green, is accused of “being the owner of a dog which was dangerous and was not kept under proper control”.
The complaint was made by Ms Burns, and an application has been made for an order that the dog is to be kept under proper control or destroyed.
The case was adjourned and is next listed for the magistrates’ court on February 28. No plea has been entered yet.
Richard Barker, of Barker Gotelee solicitors, who is representing Mr Wentworth, said his client would be denying the charge.
Mr Wentworth made headlines in 2009 when it emerged he was one of the largest individual donors to the BNP, having handed over more than £38,000 in six cash payments between October 2006 and October 2007.
The largest individual payment was for £9,763 and the smallest was for £5,000.
Speaking to a national newspaper in 2009, he denied being a racist and said he had joined and helped fund the party because he believed that Britain was “overloaded”.
The Wentworth name has links to the village of Friston and nearby Aldeburgh back to the 18th Century with the family having owned about 100 cottages and farmhouses in the area.
Mr Wentworth’s farm is about 660 acres. He is known to support events in the village and has thrown Christmas parties for the village’s children.
EADT
Charles Wentworth, 53, who lives at Friston Hall, near Aldeburgh, had his case listed before magistrates in Lowestoft on Monday following the incident on November 17 last year.
It was reported to police that Hannah Burns, a 47-year-old woman from the local area, was bitten on the thigh by a Doberman dog on a footpath between Benhall and Friston.
Mr Wentworth, who also owns Friston Village Hall and the village green, is accused of “being the owner of a dog which was dangerous and was not kept under proper control”.
The complaint was made by Ms Burns, and an application has been made for an order that the dog is to be kept under proper control or destroyed.
The case was adjourned and is next listed for the magistrates’ court on February 28. No plea has been entered yet.
Richard Barker, of Barker Gotelee solicitors, who is representing Mr Wentworth, said his client would be denying the charge.
Mr Wentworth made headlines in 2009 when it emerged he was one of the largest individual donors to the BNP, having handed over more than £38,000 in six cash payments between October 2006 and October 2007.
The largest individual payment was for £9,763 and the smallest was for £5,000.
Speaking to a national newspaper in 2009, he denied being a racist and said he had joined and helped fund the party because he believed that Britain was “overloaded”.
The Wentworth name has links to the village of Friston and nearby Aldeburgh back to the 18th Century with the family having owned about 100 cottages and farmhouses in the area.
Mr Wentworth’s farm is about 660 acres. He is known to support events in the village and has thrown Christmas parties for the village’s children.
EADT
Luton braced for violence in far-right's 'homecoming' march (UK)
The EDL has invited its friends from the Dutch Defence League, and other far-right groups from France and Germany are also expected to march under the banner "No Surrender to Militant Islam". Counter-protests are being planned by Unite Against Fascism, and some 1,500 police officers will attempt to keep the sides apart. Bedfordshire Police warned: "The protests mean that there will be disruption to normal life in Luton on Saturday."
Luton is where the EDL was founded and the march is being promoted with the slogan "Back to Where It All Began". It was another homecoming march, by the Royal Anglian Regiment almost two years ago, that led to the group being set up in response to the actions of a small group of extremist Muslims, who had greeted the soldiers with placards reading "Butchers of Basra" and "Anglian soldiers go to hell".
Extremist politics and religious tension were added to Luton's claims to fame, alongside its international airport, the Vauxhall car factory and the town's links to the trade of millinery. That last tradition inspired the nickname of Luton Town Football Club, the Hatters, an institution that is suffering as much as any from the local rise of the EDL.
The far-right group has recruited heavily among football fans. The anti-racist group Searchlight has investigated links between the Luton division of the EDL and the MIGs (Men in Gear), a gang of Luton hooligans. Stephen Lennon, the founder of the EDL and the owner of a Luton sunbed shop, prefers to adopt the pseudonym of Tommy Robinson, the name of a notorious Luton hooligan and author of MIG Crew.
Luton Town have had enough difficulties in recent years. Once a top flight English team, they now find themselves outside the Football League. Their next fixture, against Gloucester City takes place this evening at the club's home at Kenilworth Road in the Bury Park district, which has a large community of Pakistani Muslims.
The club would have preferred to stage the game tomorrow but has been forced to reschedule the kick-off to distance it from the march. Gary Sweet, the managing director, has been deeply concerned by the attempts of the EDL to align the football club with its cause. "We are all very disappointed that the EDL has decided to target football and particularly Luton Town to recruit members. We would like to think that our supporters are a bit above that."
Mr Sweet also said that Luton Town was "disgusted about" the EDL's use of a customised version of the club crest in some of its promotional material. Luton Town has a proud record in overcoming prejudice within football and during the 1980s provided a platform for some of England's outstanding young black players, such as Ricky Hill and Brian Stein.
Meanwhile Mr Lennon summons his followers to Luton tomorrow. The news that Luton resident Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly was behind the Stockholm car bombing in December only strengthened his hand.
"This is the heart of militant Islam," he told a Newsnight reporter last week, posing in a bullet-proof vest which he claimed he needed for protection. Police will tomorrow attempt to ensure that others do not feel similarly at risk.
The Independant
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