With each passing year, the enormity of the Holocaust seems to fade from collective memory.
One of the major manifestations of contemporary anti-Semitism is to deny the Holocaust ever happened, or to minimize its impact.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly promises to enact a second Holocaust, threatening to eliminate the state of Israel.
That Holocaust denial often takes place alongside Holocaust glorification does not seem to give anti-Semites logical pause.
But the tragic history of the Jewish experience and the daunting challenges posed by anti-Semitism have not dismayed those committed to fighting it.
Several dozen human rights activists, historians, and government representatives recently gathered in Prague for a conference dedicated to “Confronting Anti-Semitism in Public Discourse.” The conference was sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
“It is deeply embarrassing that we have to deal with anti-Semitism some 66 years after the defeat of Nazi Germany,” said Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Jiri Schneider, whose remarks opened the conference.
Far from being some new ideology, contemporary anti-Semitism is “old poison in new bottles,” he said.
While Jewish stereotypes propagated by anti-Semites may be ancient, participants said anti-Semites have been able to harness new technology to spread and popularize their bigotry.
“Intolerant discourse has never been as global as it is now,” said Lithuanian Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
Though anti-Semitism is a global phenomenon, the conference focused on topics pertaining to the OSCE region.
Read the full item at Radio Free Europe
Sunday, 27 March 2011
St. Charles man ‘I’m no terrorist’ (USA)
Local dog trainer Ibraheim “Abe” Mashal says he might have considered the FBI’s request for him to work as an undercover informant if they’d recruited him openly.
Instead, the American-born Muslim and U.S. Marine Corps veteran charges that agents secretly put him on the federal government’s “no-fly” list and launched an investigation that included his family, friends and clients, then offered to restore his flying privileges in exchange for him spying on area mosques.
“If they had called and been straight up with me, they would have gotten a different answer,” said Mashal. “But this has to be a free country. You can’t go putting people on lists like they did in communist Russia.”
Read more at Beacon News
Instead, the American-born Muslim and U.S. Marine Corps veteran charges that agents secretly put him on the federal government’s “no-fly” list and launched an investigation that included his family, friends and clients, then offered to restore his flying privileges in exchange for him spying on area mosques.
“If they had called and been straight up with me, they would have gotten a different answer,” said Mashal. “But this has to be a free country. You can’t go putting people on lists like they did in communist Russia.”
Read more at Beacon News
Children pose as IRA terrorists at EU-funded centre (UK)
Photographs showing children dressed as IRA terrorists and brandishing weapons provoked fury among victims' groups in Northern Ireland yesterday and prompted investigations by the police, the Children's Commissioner and the European Union.
The controversy involves a community centre in South Armagh that has received millions of pounds from the European Union, including funds intended to promote peace and social cohesion.
Describing itself as "the jewel in the crown of South Armagh tourism", the Ti Chulainn Centre, near Mullaghbawn, hosted a youth event organised by Sinn Fein at which scores of children listened to talks by former IRA terrorists.
Racks of sub-machineguns, rifles, handguns, mounted machineguns, a rocket launcher and even a bazooka were on show in the centre, and children were photographed holding AK-47s, rifles and handguns.
It is not known if the weapons were replicas or had escaped the decommissioning process.
The pictures, entitled "North Armagh Martyrs in South Armagh", were posted online. One, showing a boy cradling an AK-47 and dressed in combat uniform, black beret, sunglasses and leather gloves, is captioned "IRA dude".
The discovery of the photos comes just months after the centre was criticised for using EU money to fund tours promoting the "proud tradition of resisting British rule in Ireland".
The pictures came to light last week after the father of a boy at the event contacted the terrorist victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (Fair).
William Frazer, from Fair, said: "The son asked his father if he could join Sinn Fein Youth. I believe they had a heated discussion and, during this, the man discovered the photos on Facebook. He was distraught and was determined to make sure that no other child should face the same pressure. He did not feel comfortable going to the police and couldn't approach Sinn Fein, so he approached me. He told me, 'You need to try and stop this. They are poisoning those kids and filling them with hate'."
Dominic Bradley, the SDLP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Newry and Armagh, condemned the "elaborate glorification of violence and Provo gunmen involving young children".
Barrie Halliday, Newry and Armagh Assembly candidate for Traditional Unionist Voice in the May elections, said: "We're constantly being told to forget the past, as Northern Ireland has moved into a new era. These disgusting photographs show that to be lies."
Patricia Lewsley, Northern Ireland's Children's Commissioner, promised to investigate the incident. "My job is to hold government and organisations to account over their actions," she said.
The images were taken during a weekend to commemorate fallen IRA members. Republicans marched through Mullaghbawn on Sunday 3 October last year to the Ti Chulainn centre, where a monument in memory of IRA men on the "South Armagh Roll of Honour" was unveiled.
The IoS has discovered that the march was not registered with the Parades Commission. Yesterday the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that it had opened an investigation. In addition the Special EU Programmes Body, which has given grants to the centre from an EU Peace programme, is to look into the photographs.
Neither the Ti Chulainn centre nor Sinn Fein responded to requests for comment.
The controversy comes as the British government is about to stop favouring Catholic recruits to the Northern Ireland police force over Protestants, ending a decade-old affirmative action policy undertaken as part of the peace process.
The Independant
Serb ultra-nationalists behind Kadhafi Facebook support
Serbian Facebook page in support of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi which has gathered more than 46,000 "likes" was set up by an ultranationalist movement, its administrator said Thursday.
"It's all simply about support to Libyan people defending their independence," administrator Igor Marinkovic of the minority extreme nationalist movement Nasi 1389 told AFP.
"Libya was attacked as we (in Serbia) were in 1999. Libya and its leader, Colonel Kadhafi, supported us at the time and now we support them," he said.
Thursday marks 12 years since the start of a 78-day NATO bombing campaign to force the troops of then president Slobodan Milosevic out of Kosovo. Serbs have "bitter memories" of their own air strikes, Marinkovic added.
Some 46,516 people have so far liked the group "Support for Muammar al Gaddafi from the people of Serbia" at the Facebook social network, posting messages in favor of Kadhafi and against Western powers and coalition strikes.
"Never forget, never forgive, America kills, Support Libyans !!! 24.03.1999," read a posted Thursday.
"THE COLONEL HEARD ABOUT US!!! Our group was main news on Libyan television!!! Together until victory!," read another post by an administrator on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile a group calling itself the Libyan Youth Movement claiming to be a "leading organisation fighting against the criminal regime" of Kadhafi sent a statement to AFP raising concern over Serbian Internet support for Kadhafi.
"Libyan official state TV has been broadcasting Internet content from Serbian supporters of Kadhafi on a regular basis in order to show that Kadhafi still has supporters in other nations," they said. The claims could not be independently verified.
Google Hosted News
"It's all simply about support to Libyan people defending their independence," administrator Igor Marinkovic of the minority extreme nationalist movement Nasi 1389 told AFP.
"Libya was attacked as we (in Serbia) were in 1999. Libya and its leader, Colonel Kadhafi, supported us at the time and now we support them," he said.
Thursday marks 12 years since the start of a 78-day NATO bombing campaign to force the troops of then president Slobodan Milosevic out of Kosovo. Serbs have "bitter memories" of their own air strikes, Marinkovic added.
Some 46,516 people have so far liked the group "Support for Muammar al Gaddafi from the people of Serbia" at the Facebook social network, posting messages in favor of Kadhafi and against Western powers and coalition strikes.
"Never forget, never forgive, America kills, Support Libyans !!! 24.03.1999," read a posted Thursday.
"THE COLONEL HEARD ABOUT US!!! Our group was main news on Libyan television!!! Together until victory!," read another post by an administrator on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile a group calling itself the Libyan Youth Movement claiming to be a "leading organisation fighting against the criminal regime" of Kadhafi sent a statement to AFP raising concern over Serbian Internet support for Kadhafi.
"Libyan official state TV has been broadcasting Internet content from Serbian supporters of Kadhafi on a regular basis in order to show that Kadhafi still has supporters in other nations," they said. The claims could not be independently verified.
Google Hosted News
Racism in Russian football: Zenit fans let side down
As Russia prepares to host the 2018 Football World Cup can the country's domestic game shake off its reputation for racism?
Last November, shortly before Fifa made its choice of World Cup hosts, the Russian Football Union adopted a seven-point memorandum on fighting racism.
It includes a commitment to producing anti-racist guidelines and establishing a website called Racism Offside.
The need for a strategy was underlined this week after a photograph was published showing a fan of the league champions, Zenit St Petersburg, waving a banana at Roberto Carlos. The former Brazilian star was captaining the visiting team, Anzhi Makhachkala.
We were attending the match as part of an investigation into allegations that Zenit - the only major Russian team to have never signed a player of African heritage - has fostered a culture in which managers have been discouraged from signing black players.
Those allegations were initially made in 2004 by Vlastimil Petrela, Zenit's then manager. He repeated them in a recent BBC interview:
"I wanted to hire a black player, but I could not," he said.
"I don't know why, but the management did not want it. Whenever I raised the issue, the answer always was, 'Zenit is not interested.'"
The 'Ultras'
Zenit told the BBC that the officials in charge of hiring when Petrela was manager are no longer with the club, so they were unable to comment on his allegations, and Luciano Spaletti, Zenit's current coach, told the BBC he was free to sign any player he wished.
Petrela's successor at Zenit, the current Russian national coach Dick Advocaat, was quoted in 2008 as saying that the fans at the club would not accept a black player - although there has subsequently been some dispute about the content of the recording.
Advocaat's office told the BBC they were unable to contact him for a response.
What is clear, though, is that the leaders of the Ultras, a 5,000-strong group of Zenit supporters, are happy their club has still not signed an African.
Speaking at a genteel hotel in the Swiss capital Bern, before a recent Europa League game, one of the leaders of the Ultras said they did not start the tradition of not having black players, but "we are upholding it and we approve of it".
Another leader, who is an employee of the club, added: "We don't have a problem with black players. No black players - no problem."
The leaders - who did not want their names used - are not peripheral figures.
The Ultras have played an important role in Zenit's success, giving the club the kind of substantial and loyal fan-base which is rare in Russian football.
The Ultras have access to discounted tickets in a part of the stadium reserved for them.
A fan has to prove loyalty and commitment to the club at an informal interview with the Ultras' leaders in order to make the grade.
Intimidation
There was no doubting the Ultras' commitment at the Anzhi Makhachkala match.
It may have been an early season game against modest opposition, but it felt - at times - like a cup final.
The Ultras' section of the ground was a sea of blue and white flags and the choreographed chanting lasted the entire 90 minutes, without a break, creating an intimidating atmosphere for the visitors.
That intimidation also took a different form. When one of Anzhi's African players touched the ball, at times a low rumble of monkey chants could be made out, coming from a small section of the crowd.
When the banana photo was published, Zenit released a statement condemning racial intolerance, and described the incident as a provocative act which had nothing to do with their regular fans.
One of the leaders of the Zenit Ultras concurred, although he told Sovietski Sport newspaper: "We do not consider a banana a racist symbol."
The club says that the culprit has now been found and banned from the stadium for life.
The Russian Football Union says it is taking no further action, because there was no official complaint from Anzhi Makhachkala.
Fighting prejudice
Earlier this year, the Union did put forward the idea of docking points from clubs for racist fan behaviour. This remains at the proposal stage.
Speaking to the BBC before the Anzhi match, Zenit's head of fan relations, Alexei Blinov, said racism was a problem for world football, not just Russia - and maintained Zenit was at the vanguard of fighting prejudice.
"We started a tolerance campaign in this city in 2006, way before Uefa turned its attention to it," he said.
"We've organised a series of lectures in schools and colleges and we're part of Uefa's Show Racism the Red Card campaign."
When he was informed what the leader of the Ultras had told the BBC about not accepting black players, he said it showed the tolerance campaign had not been effective enough.
"Thank you for telling me this, I will talk to these guys. Next time you come, you will see these same guys showing a red card to racism," he said.
Ordinary Zenit fans at the Anzhi game said they had not heard about the club's tolerance campaign, but questioned whether one was necessary.
"We're not racist," said one, "so why would we need an initiative?"
But others beg to differ. Apart from a brief spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Nigerian player, Isaac Okoronkwo, has spent the past decade at teams in former Soviet republics.
He says that he was led to believe Zenit would not buy him because he was black.
Zenit officials say they are unaware of that case - and deny there is a race-based hiring policy.
They give a variety of reasons why the club has never signed an African player, ranging from their scouting policy to St Petersburg's cold weather.
They also point out that they have signed players from a variety of backgrounds, including two South Koreans and the Portuguese defender, Bruno Alves.
But, however swiftly Zenit has dealt with the banana incident, it has provided another example of the cloud that hangs over Russian football, as it prepares to welcome supporters - and players - from across the world.
BBC News
Last November, shortly before Fifa made its choice of World Cup hosts, the Russian Football Union adopted a seven-point memorandum on fighting racism.
It includes a commitment to producing anti-racist guidelines and establishing a website called Racism Offside.
The need for a strategy was underlined this week after a photograph was published showing a fan of the league champions, Zenit St Petersburg, waving a banana at Roberto Carlos. The former Brazilian star was captaining the visiting team, Anzhi Makhachkala.
We were attending the match as part of an investigation into allegations that Zenit - the only major Russian team to have never signed a player of African heritage - has fostered a culture in which managers have been discouraged from signing black players.
Those allegations were initially made in 2004 by Vlastimil Petrela, Zenit's then manager. He repeated them in a recent BBC interview:
"I wanted to hire a black player, but I could not," he said.
"I don't know why, but the management did not want it. Whenever I raised the issue, the answer always was, 'Zenit is not interested.'"
The 'Ultras'
Zenit told the BBC that the officials in charge of hiring when Petrela was manager are no longer with the club, so they were unable to comment on his allegations, and Luciano Spaletti, Zenit's current coach, told the BBC he was free to sign any player he wished.
Petrela's successor at Zenit, the current Russian national coach Dick Advocaat, was quoted in 2008 as saying that the fans at the club would not accept a black player - although there has subsequently been some dispute about the content of the recording.
Advocaat's office told the BBC they were unable to contact him for a response.
What is clear, though, is that the leaders of the Ultras, a 5,000-strong group of Zenit supporters, are happy their club has still not signed an African.
Speaking at a genteel hotel in the Swiss capital Bern, before a recent Europa League game, one of the leaders of the Ultras said they did not start the tradition of not having black players, but "we are upholding it and we approve of it".
Another leader, who is an employee of the club, added: "We don't have a problem with black players. No black players - no problem."
The leaders - who did not want their names used - are not peripheral figures.
The Ultras have played an important role in Zenit's success, giving the club the kind of substantial and loyal fan-base which is rare in Russian football.
The Ultras have access to discounted tickets in a part of the stadium reserved for them.
A fan has to prove loyalty and commitment to the club at an informal interview with the Ultras' leaders in order to make the grade.
Intimidation
There was no doubting the Ultras' commitment at the Anzhi Makhachkala match.
It may have been an early season game against modest opposition, but it felt - at times - like a cup final.
The Ultras' section of the ground was a sea of blue and white flags and the choreographed chanting lasted the entire 90 minutes, without a break, creating an intimidating atmosphere for the visitors.
That intimidation also took a different form. When one of Anzhi's African players touched the ball, at times a low rumble of monkey chants could be made out, coming from a small section of the crowd.
When the banana photo was published, Zenit released a statement condemning racial intolerance, and described the incident as a provocative act which had nothing to do with their regular fans.
One of the leaders of the Zenit Ultras concurred, although he told Sovietski Sport newspaper: "We do not consider a banana a racist symbol."
The club says that the culprit has now been found and banned from the stadium for life.
The Russian Football Union says it is taking no further action, because there was no official complaint from Anzhi Makhachkala.
Fighting prejudice
Earlier this year, the Union did put forward the idea of docking points from clubs for racist fan behaviour. This remains at the proposal stage.
Speaking to the BBC before the Anzhi match, Zenit's head of fan relations, Alexei Blinov, said racism was a problem for world football, not just Russia - and maintained Zenit was at the vanguard of fighting prejudice.
"We started a tolerance campaign in this city in 2006, way before Uefa turned its attention to it," he said.
"We've organised a series of lectures in schools and colleges and we're part of Uefa's Show Racism the Red Card campaign."
When he was informed what the leader of the Ultras had told the BBC about not accepting black players, he said it showed the tolerance campaign had not been effective enough.
"Thank you for telling me this, I will talk to these guys. Next time you come, you will see these same guys showing a red card to racism," he said.
Ordinary Zenit fans at the Anzhi game said they had not heard about the club's tolerance campaign, but questioned whether one was necessary.
"We're not racist," said one, "so why would we need an initiative?"
But others beg to differ. Apart from a brief spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Nigerian player, Isaac Okoronkwo, has spent the past decade at teams in former Soviet republics.
He says that he was led to believe Zenit would not buy him because he was black.
Zenit officials say they are unaware of that case - and deny there is a race-based hiring policy.
They give a variety of reasons why the club has never signed an African player, ranging from their scouting policy to St Petersburg's cold weather.
They also point out that they have signed players from a variety of backgrounds, including two South Koreans and the Portuguese defender, Bruno Alves.
But, however swiftly Zenit has dealt with the banana incident, it has provided another example of the cloud that hangs over Russian football, as it prepares to welcome supporters - and players - from across the world.
BBC News
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