Persistent troublemakers should be kept away from the rest of the population in special ‘scum villages’, Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam PVV says in an interview with the Telegraaf on Thursday.
‘Repeat offenders should be forcibly removed from their neighbourhood and sent to a village for scum,’ Wilders said. ‘They will then be put into converted containers as homes. If juveniles are involved, their families should be moved too. Put all the trash together.’
They would only be allowed to return after working or studying for at least a year, Wilders said.
According to the Telegraaf, the idea comes from Denmark, where several cities have set up ‘skaeve huse’ to house people who cause a public nuisance.
There have already been several small-scale experiments in the Netherlands, including in Amsterdam, where several shipping container homes were set aside for persistent offenders.
Dutch News
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Church edges nearer to ban on clergy joining right-wing BNP (UK)
A ban on clergy joining the British National Party has moved a step closer after receiving the support of the Church of England despite warnings that the move could create “martyrs” to free speech.
Calls for members of the Church to be barred from joining the right-wing political party have escalated during the last two years, and the General Synod yesterday gave a clear indication that the proposals will become a reality.
Members of the General Synod, the Church’s national assembly, voted to press ahead with an amendment to discipline procedures making it “unbecoming” or “inappropriate” conduct for clergy to be members of a political party with policies and activities declared “incompatible” with Church teaching on race equality.
Under the proposals, Church of England bishops would make a declaration on parties or organisations deemed incompatible with Christian teaching.
The move came as the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, claimed the economic crisis gripping the nation was eroding faith in the Church. He also called on the Christian community to help provide support to the most vulnerable members of society as the welfare state is under threat from the Government’s cuts.
Giving his presidential address to the General Synod, Dr Sentamu stressed that there were “worryingly” high levels of unemployment and a gulf between “those who have and those who don’t” and are struggling to make ends meet. He said there were deep cuts in public expenditure and rising levels of student and trade union unrest.
Dr Sentamu said: “We live in fractious and uncertain times, in which the role of the national church, like other elements in the social fabric, is constantly questioned and often attacked.”
He added: “For me, and I’m sure for many others, a major concern is the extent to which the social compact which the welfare state represented is now under threat.
“There is an urgent need for the Church once more to rise to the challenge and to lead reflection on how the social compact can be re-fashioned in ways that make sense in the light of today’s serious social and economic realities.”
The Archbishop also warned the General Synod that in a world focused on power, success and celebrity, the “entirely counter- cultural” Christian vision would not be universally welcomed, and said: “Those who adopt this vision as their own are not promised a life of ease but of criticism, even persecution.”
He added: “As we try to re-articulate in today’s circumstances how the moral order should be reflected in the compact underlying our society, we cannot expect to be universally welcomed or applauded.
“But to do these things is, quite simply, our God-given duty and our particular calling. For we must reconnect and refresh the wellsprings of solidarity in England.”
Metropolitan Police civilian worker Vasantha Gnanadoss, a General Synod member who first won backing for the BNP ban two years ago, welcomed the amendment and a new statement on race equality.
This put the Church’s mission to “resist racism” on a firm footing, she told the Synod.
“It is very important when the English Defence League and others are posing a fresh threat to the well-being of our diverse society. I hope that this statement will be used widely,” she added.
Dr Philip Giddings, a General Synod member from Reading, said he “deplored” racism, but warned that such groups could “re-form” to get round the ban.
“Even worse, is the ability of these kinds of proceedings to create martyrs who do more damage to the cause which we are seeking to fight, because we appear to be invading their right to free speech, a very important human right which is now well entrenched in British and European law,” he added.
The BNP’s spokesman on Christian affairs, Robert West, who said he was a minister in an independent church, predicted that the ban would be found to be illegal. He said: “It is not for the bishops to interfere with what is a fundamental right – that is the freedom of political association and freedom of politics.”
Yorkshire Post
Calls for members of the Church to be barred from joining the right-wing political party have escalated during the last two years, and the General Synod yesterday gave a clear indication that the proposals will become a reality.
Members of the General Synod, the Church’s national assembly, voted to press ahead with an amendment to discipline procedures making it “unbecoming” or “inappropriate” conduct for clergy to be members of a political party with policies and activities declared “incompatible” with Church teaching on race equality.
Under the proposals, Church of England bishops would make a declaration on parties or organisations deemed incompatible with Christian teaching.
The move came as the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, claimed the economic crisis gripping the nation was eroding faith in the Church. He also called on the Christian community to help provide support to the most vulnerable members of society as the welfare state is under threat from the Government’s cuts.
Giving his presidential address to the General Synod, Dr Sentamu stressed that there were “worryingly” high levels of unemployment and a gulf between “those who have and those who don’t” and are struggling to make ends meet. He said there were deep cuts in public expenditure and rising levels of student and trade union unrest.
Dr Sentamu said: “We live in fractious and uncertain times, in which the role of the national church, like other elements in the social fabric, is constantly questioned and often attacked.”
He added: “For me, and I’m sure for many others, a major concern is the extent to which the social compact which the welfare state represented is now under threat.
“There is an urgent need for the Church once more to rise to the challenge and to lead reflection on how the social compact can be re-fashioned in ways that make sense in the light of today’s serious social and economic realities.”
The Archbishop also warned the General Synod that in a world focused on power, success and celebrity, the “entirely counter- cultural” Christian vision would not be universally welcomed, and said: “Those who adopt this vision as their own are not promised a life of ease but of criticism, even persecution.”
He added: “As we try to re-articulate in today’s circumstances how the moral order should be reflected in the compact underlying our society, we cannot expect to be universally welcomed or applauded.
“But to do these things is, quite simply, our God-given duty and our particular calling. For we must reconnect and refresh the wellsprings of solidarity in England.”
Metropolitan Police civilian worker Vasantha Gnanadoss, a General Synod member who first won backing for the BNP ban two years ago, welcomed the amendment and a new statement on race equality.
This put the Church’s mission to “resist racism” on a firm footing, she told the Synod.
“It is very important when the English Defence League and others are posing a fresh threat to the well-being of our diverse society. I hope that this statement will be used widely,” she added.
Dr Philip Giddings, a General Synod member from Reading, said he “deplored” racism, but warned that such groups could “re-form” to get round the ban.
“Even worse, is the ability of these kinds of proceedings to create martyrs who do more damage to the cause which we are seeking to fight, because we appear to be invading their right to free speech, a very important human right which is now well entrenched in British and European law,” he added.
The BNP’s spokesman on Christian affairs, Robert West, who said he was a minister in an independent church, predicted that the ban would be found to be illegal. He said: “It is not for the bishops to interfere with what is a fundamental right – that is the freedom of political association and freedom of politics.”
Yorkshire Post
Police prepare for right-wing 'ban the burka' demonstration in city centre (UK)
Devon and Cornwall Police are preparing for a potential flash point with the right-wing English Defence League and anti-fascist campaigners set to converge on Exeter at the weekend.
The controversial group is understood to be taking part in a "ban the burka" protest in the city centre on Saturday while there is expected to be a counter rally by anti-racist campaigners, including the group Unite Against Fascism.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said officers did not anticipate any major disruption.
"Police are aware of the intended EDL protest on Saturday and will police it appropriately to ensure the safety of the public," a spokesman said.
"Similar previous protest meetings held within the force area have not caused major disruption or public disorder."
English Defence League supporter Jim Myers, from Exeter, said the protest was not being organised by EDL.
"We haven't organised it, we're just supporting it," he said. "It has been organised by another group, the United People of Britain."
Mr Myers said the event would be a "peaceful protest" and that police were aware of their plans.
Supporters of the group, which claims to be non-racially or politically motivated, say they will be wearing balaclavas and burkas to emphasise their message.
Meanwhile, Unite Against Fascism (UAF) is planning to meet at Bedford Square, in the city centre, between 11am and 2pm.
Liz Allnatt, of UAF, said: "People of Exeter are more concerned about jobs and pay and what is going to happen to their local services.
"Exeter is a beautiful city and people of all different beliefs and backgrounds usually get along here.
"The Muslim community has added to the city. The annual Respect Festival is a huge, well-attended celebration of Exeter's diversity."
This is Cornwall
The controversial group is understood to be taking part in a "ban the burka" protest in the city centre on Saturday while there is expected to be a counter rally by anti-racist campaigners, including the group Unite Against Fascism.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said officers did not anticipate any major disruption.
"Police are aware of the intended EDL protest on Saturday and will police it appropriately to ensure the safety of the public," a spokesman said.
"Similar previous protest meetings held within the force area have not caused major disruption or public disorder."
English Defence League supporter Jim Myers, from Exeter, said the protest was not being organised by EDL.
"We haven't organised it, we're just supporting it," he said. "It has been organised by another group, the United People of Britain."
Mr Myers said the event would be a "peaceful protest" and that police were aware of their plans.
Supporters of the group, which claims to be non-racially or politically motivated, say they will be wearing balaclavas and burkas to emphasise their message.
Meanwhile, Unite Against Fascism (UAF) is planning to meet at Bedford Square, in the city centre, between 11am and 2pm.
Liz Allnatt, of UAF, said: "People of Exeter are more concerned about jobs and pay and what is going to happen to their local services.
"Exeter is a beautiful city and people of all different beliefs and backgrounds usually get along here.
"The Muslim community has added to the city. The annual Respect Festival is a huge, well-attended celebration of Exeter's diversity."
This is Cornwall
FBI investigating possible link between racist pamphlet and Spokane backpack bomb (USA)
A new discovery in Downtown Spokane has peaked the FBI's interest in their backpack bomb investigation. Auntie's Bookstore employees came across a raciest pamphlet hidden inside a book.
While tidying up the current affairs section of Auntie's Bookstore, Melissa Opel made the disturbing discovery. She said she was scanning the shelf and found the pamphlet in the front portion of a book. The pamphlet had a list of printed, anti-Semitic, anti-African American words on it. Opel said an old date was crossed out and another written in. She said she could not recall the dates.
At first she did not think much of it. Then her thoughts turned to the bomb left across the street last month. She called the FBI.
The pamphlet was found in a book titled "Battle for America" which is about the 2008 presidential election. Opel wondered if that was part of the message someone wanted to convey.
"Anything with President Obama at his point in time is controversial for folks who would put that kind of literature in a book. So it didn't surprise me, it was an Obama based book," said Opel.
The FBI picked up the pamphlet Friday and interviewed Opel. She said talk about the bomb among customers is fading away. But FBI agents continue to stop in weekly looking for any new information.
The Seattle Times reports that an unnamed source close to the investigation said progress analyzing the bomb at Quantico is slow. That is because it was wrapped in a lot of duct tape. Lab technicians are reportedly peeling the tape back a fraction of an inch at a time looking for hairs, fibers or fingerprints.
NWCN
BRITISH NEO-NAZIS PLOTTED TO KILL SPANISH JUDGE BALTASAR GARZÓN (Spain)
A British based neo-Nazi group allegedly plotted to assassinate one of Spain's leading judges over his attempt to investigate the crimes of Spanish dictator Gen Francisco Franco, it has emerged.
Judge Baltasar Garzón, best known for attempting to extradite the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from Britain in 1998, revealed the alleged plot against his life in a new documentary film. Members of the violent far-right group allegedly planned to murder the magistrate last summer in The Hague where he took up a temporary post at the International Criminal Court after being suspended from Spain's National Court. The 54-year-old judge was suspended from his high profile job pending trial for abuse of power after he opened a probe into the disappearance of tens of thousands of people during Spain's 1936-39 Civil War and ensuing 36 year fascist dictatorship. The case follows a complaint by far-right groups in Spain who claim the investigation violates an amnesty law passed in 1977, two years after Franco's death, for crimes committed under the dictator's rule. The judge has revealed that he was notified last July of the threat to his life after emails between members of the group were intercepted by the FBI. He was told that one message ordered British members of the group to coordinate with their Dutch counterparts. "We must liquidate the judge investigating the crimes of the Franco regime," were the orders reportedly given.
The details of the assassination plot emerge in the film, Listening to Judge Garzón, which premiers next week at the Berlinale film festival. In it, the judge describes how it took two months to neutralise the threat following co-operation between the FBI, Scotland Yard and Spanish and Dutch police. It is just the latest in a long series of failed attempts to kill the crusading judge, who has battled against Basque terrorist group ETA as well as tackled political corruption in Spain's right wing Popular Party. Two years ago it emerged that ETA had attempted to send Garzón a bottle of French brandy laced with poison. And in 2000 an ETA sniper was discovered setting up a rifle in a flat opposite his Madrid office.
The Telegraph
Judge Baltasar Garzón, best known for attempting to extradite the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from Britain in 1998, revealed the alleged plot against his life in a new documentary film. Members of the violent far-right group allegedly planned to murder the magistrate last summer in The Hague where he took up a temporary post at the International Criminal Court after being suspended from Spain's National Court. The 54-year-old judge was suspended from his high profile job pending trial for abuse of power after he opened a probe into the disappearance of tens of thousands of people during Spain's 1936-39 Civil War and ensuing 36 year fascist dictatorship. The case follows a complaint by far-right groups in Spain who claim the investigation violates an amnesty law passed in 1977, two years after Franco's death, for crimes committed under the dictator's rule. The judge has revealed that he was notified last July of the threat to his life after emails between members of the group were intercepted by the FBI. He was told that one message ordered British members of the group to coordinate with their Dutch counterparts. "We must liquidate the judge investigating the crimes of the Franco regime," were the orders reportedly given.
The details of the assassination plot emerge in the film, Listening to Judge Garzón, which premiers next week at the Berlinale film festival. In it, the judge describes how it took two months to neutralise the threat following co-operation between the FBI, Scotland Yard and Spanish and Dutch police. It is just the latest in a long series of failed attempts to kill the crusading judge, who has battled against Basque terrorist group ETA as well as tackled political corruption in Spain's right wing Popular Party. Two years ago it emerged that ETA had attempted to send Garzón a bottle of French brandy laced with poison. And in 2000 an ETA sniper was discovered setting up a rifle in a flat opposite his Madrid office.
The Telegraph
Marine Le Pen praises Cameron stance on multiculturalism (UK)
The leader of France's National Front has praised David Cameron for what she says is an endorsement of her party's far-right views on multiculturalism and immigration.
Marine Le Pen was elected to lead the National Front last month. She claimed the prime minister's speech on the failures of multiculturalism showed he was taking Britain's Conservatives towards her stance on the issue. "It is exactly this type of statement that has barred us from public life [in France] for 30 years," she told the Financial Times. "I sense an evolution at European level, even in classic governments. I can only congratulate him."
Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, was among European leaders listening to Cameron's speech in Munich at the weekend. He is accused of having played into the hands of rightwing extremists by talking of the failings of multiculturalism within hours of one of the biggest anti-Islam rallies ever staged in Britain.
Cameron called for a new "muscular liberalism", promoting British values and national identity. A policy of "passive tolerance" had only served to encourage Islamist extremism, he argued.
Marine Le Pen is daughter of the former National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. She told the FT it was "indisputable" Cameron was moving the Conservatives closer to the traditional positions held by her party. A Conservative spokesman said she had "clearly failed to understand the prime minister's speech".
Cameron told the Munich Security Conference, attended by world leaders, that state multiculturalism had failed in this country and pledged to cut funding for Muslim groups that failed to respect basic British values.
He warned other European leaders that they needed to "wake up" to the threat of Islamist extremism and the radicalisation of Muslims inside their nations' borders.
He blamed the radicalisation of Muslim youths and the phenomenon of home-grown terrorism on the sense of alienation that builds among young people living in separate communities and the "hands-off tolerance" of groups that peddle separatist ideology.
Muslim and anti-fascist groups questioned the prime minister's judgment and sensitivity to the issues, saying he had handed a propaganda coup to the hard-right English Defence League as 3,000 of its supporters marched through Luton chanting anti-Islamic slogans.
In opposition the Tories began considering the policy on Muslims, which critics say risks branding many as extremists even though they do not espouse violence.
Critics say it is based on flawed neo-Conservative thinking and risks backfiring, while supporters say it is necessary to tackle those who are fellow travellers with violent extremists.
The Guardian
Marine Le Pen was elected to lead the National Front last month. She claimed the prime minister's speech on the failures of multiculturalism showed he was taking Britain's Conservatives towards her stance on the issue. "It is exactly this type of statement that has barred us from public life [in France] for 30 years," she told the Financial Times. "I sense an evolution at European level, even in classic governments. I can only congratulate him."
Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, was among European leaders listening to Cameron's speech in Munich at the weekend. He is accused of having played into the hands of rightwing extremists by talking of the failings of multiculturalism within hours of one of the biggest anti-Islam rallies ever staged in Britain.
Cameron called for a new "muscular liberalism", promoting British values and national identity. A policy of "passive tolerance" had only served to encourage Islamist extremism, he argued.
Marine Le Pen is daughter of the former National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. She told the FT it was "indisputable" Cameron was moving the Conservatives closer to the traditional positions held by her party. A Conservative spokesman said she had "clearly failed to understand the prime minister's speech".
Cameron told the Munich Security Conference, attended by world leaders, that state multiculturalism had failed in this country and pledged to cut funding for Muslim groups that failed to respect basic British values.
He warned other European leaders that they needed to "wake up" to the threat of Islamist extremism and the radicalisation of Muslims inside their nations' borders.
He blamed the radicalisation of Muslim youths and the phenomenon of home-grown terrorism on the sense of alienation that builds among young people living in separate communities and the "hands-off tolerance" of groups that peddle separatist ideology.
Muslim and anti-fascist groups questioned the prime minister's judgment and sensitivity to the issues, saying he had handed a propaganda coup to the hard-right English Defence League as 3,000 of its supporters marched through Luton chanting anti-Islamic slogans.
In opposition the Tories began considering the policy on Muslims, which critics say risks branding many as extremists even though they do not espouse violence.
Critics say it is based on flawed neo-Conservative thinking and risks backfiring, while supporters say it is necessary to tackle those who are fellow travellers with violent extremists.
The Guardian
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