Sweden has drawn up a plan to fight extremism in response to attacks in neighbouring Norway that killed 77 people last month, government ministers wrote in an opinion piece published Friday.
The national plan was needed to safeguard Sweden against similar attacks, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and two ministers wrote, describing the Norway killings as a “catastrophe of unimaginable dimensions”.
They identified the fringes of three extremist groups as the most dangerous: the white-power far-right, the far-left and Islamists.
“We need to have a broad concept of violent extremism and not limit our line of vision,” Reinfeldt, Justice Minister Beatrice Ask and Democracy Minister Birgitta Ohlsson wrote in the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
“There are many similarities in the processes that lead individuals to use violence to reach political goals, regardless of the political or religious content of their extreme ideas,” they wrote.
The plan calls for close cooperation and expanded intelligence and information sharing between all strata of society, including police, national and local authorities, schools, social services and civil society.
The rightwing extremist who confessed to the twin July 22 attacks in Norway had much in common with the Islamic extremist behind the first ever suicide bombing in Sweden in December last year, the ministers said.
The Sweden attacker, 29-year-old Taimour Abdulwahab, was killed when apparently detonating his bomb by mistake in a deserted Stockholm side street. Two people were injured when his car exploded in an earlier blast.
Citing a report that around 20 percent of Swedish high school students showed intolerance towards minorities, the ministers emphasised the importance of reaching people who “risk making up the growth basis for future extremism.”
“It is important that vulnerable individuals who could be drawn to an anti-democratic message stand at the centre of our preventive work so they can be detected in time,” they wrote.
“Battling against violence-prone extremism is not just a task for the state. All of Sweden is needed to protect our democracy.”
They presented their plan two weeks after 32-year-old rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik bombed government offices in Oslo, killing eight people, and then shot dead 69 more on the nearby island of Utoeya where the ruling Labour Party's youth organisation was hosting a summer camp. - Sapa-AFP
IOL News
Monday, 8 August 2011
Twickenham BNP candidate booted out of party (UK)
Twickenham’s BNP parliamentary candidate has been booted out of the party after an undercover newspaper sting caught him giving a Hitler-style salute at a pop concert.
Chris Hurst, of Whitton, was said to have been warned by the BNP not to be seen saluting in public for fear of damaging its image.
However, he was pictured giving the gesture at a festival in Hungary as he watched far-right Swedish singer Saga, whose lyrics were said to have inspired Norwegian killer Anders Breivik.
Mr Hurst, who won 654 votes when stood against Vince Cable in last year’s general election, denied this week that he was a Nazi. He claimed he was drunk and had just copied everyone else in the crowd.
He did not answer his phone yesterday after the Sun revealed the BNP has expelled him.
Twickenham MP Dr Cable said the Sun’s investigation was a “clear warning” to voters in his constituency.
He said: “I don’t have any illusions about the BNP, they are a thoroughly nasty party with links to the neo-Nazi right.
“Fortunately the BNP have very little support in Twickenham, but this is a clear warning to local residents to be aware.
“Six hundred votes is not very much, but if there’s about 600 then probably they need to be more careful who they are voting for.”
Mr Hurst, who was the BNP’s London regional secretary, said he travelled to Hungary alone and friends there invited him to the festival, which was believed to have been attended by thousands of neo-Nazi’s from across Europe.
He described his right-arm salute as “a storm in a tea cup”.
He said: “I went to a concert, I’m 22-years-old, I got drunk and I did what everybody else in the club was doing and put my arm in the air.”
But the BNP took the gesture more seriously and kicked him out, the Sun reported.
The party told the tabloid newspaper, which sent an undercover team to the Hungarian festival, that Mr Hurst had put the BNP in an embarrassing position.
Rrichmond and Twickenham Times
Chris Hurst, of Whitton, was said to have been warned by the BNP not to be seen saluting in public for fear of damaging its image.
However, he was pictured giving the gesture at a festival in Hungary as he watched far-right Swedish singer Saga, whose lyrics were said to have inspired Norwegian killer Anders Breivik.
Mr Hurst, who won 654 votes when stood against Vince Cable in last year’s general election, denied this week that he was a Nazi. He claimed he was drunk and had just copied everyone else in the crowd.
He did not answer his phone yesterday after the Sun revealed the BNP has expelled him.
Twickenham MP Dr Cable said the Sun’s investigation was a “clear warning” to voters in his constituency.
He said: “I don’t have any illusions about the BNP, they are a thoroughly nasty party with links to the neo-Nazi right.
“Fortunately the BNP have very little support in Twickenham, but this is a clear warning to local residents to be aware.
“Six hundred votes is not very much, but if there’s about 600 then probably they need to be more careful who they are voting for.”
Mr Hurst, who was the BNP’s London regional secretary, said he travelled to Hungary alone and friends there invited him to the festival, which was believed to have been attended by thousands of neo-Nazi’s from across Europe.
He described his right-arm salute as “a storm in a tea cup”.
He said: “I went to a concert, I’m 22-years-old, I got drunk and I did what everybody else in the club was doing and put my arm in the air.”
But the BNP took the gesture more seriously and kicked him out, the Sun reported.
The party told the tabloid newspaper, which sent an undercover team to the Hungarian festival, that Mr Hurst had put the BNP in an embarrassing position.
Rrichmond and Twickenham Times
Mosque Opens its Doors to English Defence League Members
The UKIM Islamic Centre and Khadijah Mosque (pictured) issued an invitation to local EDL members for a meeting to discuss the misconceptions about Islam.
The EDL styles itself as being against Islamic extremism and Sharia Law, and the mosque's invite drew interest from national leader Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
But a spokesman for the Islamic Centre Fiaz Kauser made it clear that the invitation was for EDL members local to Peterborough, rather than members of the national group.
It follows information stalls the Islamic Centre put up in Peterborough city centre in recent weeks, which prompted debate between mosque members and members of the EDL who approached them, where the mosque sought to dispel some preconceptions people have about Islam.
Fiaz Kauser, spokesman for the centre, : "We held the stall in Bridge Street at the weekend where we gave out information about Islam and the Qur'an on Saturday.
"We have put up the stall across the region on a number of occasions to clear any misconceptions people have of Islam.
"We also hope that people can challenge themselves to learn more.
"We always have a lot of interest because of what is happening elsewhere in the world and reports people hear about what the Qur'an says."
Mr Kauser said a member of the EDL actually stopped to talk with mosque members at the stall on Saturday.
He said: "A member of the EDL approached us and it actually was a very positive incident.
"He was asking questions and listening to the answers we were giving.
"We had a similar incident in Wisbech previously, where a member of the EDL approached us to talk about Sharia law - he did not know what it was, but had a number of misconceptions.
"We were able to explain what Sharia law was and answer all his questions.
"When he left he actually apologised for some of his previous views.
"He was more polite than some other people who approached us, who kept interrupting and not letting us finish.
"Following the day we decided to invite EDL members in Peterborough to come to the mosque for a question and answer session and to learn more about Islam.
"We would also like them to join us for a meal during Ramadan when we open our fast."
The EDL held a large march in Peterborough on Saturday, 11 December last year, with more than 1,000 protesters in attendance.
The protest group was set up two years ago by a group of football fans in Luton to oppose what they perceive as the rise of extreme Islam and Sharia Law.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency)
The EDL styles itself as being against Islamic extremism and Sharia Law, and the mosque's invite drew interest from national leader Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
But a spokesman for the Islamic Centre Fiaz Kauser made it clear that the invitation was for EDL members local to Peterborough, rather than members of the national group.
It follows information stalls the Islamic Centre put up in Peterborough city centre in recent weeks, which prompted debate between mosque members and members of the EDL who approached them, where the mosque sought to dispel some preconceptions people have about Islam.
Fiaz Kauser, spokesman for the centre, : "We held the stall in Bridge Street at the weekend where we gave out information about Islam and the Qur'an on Saturday.
"We have put up the stall across the region on a number of occasions to clear any misconceptions people have of Islam.
"We also hope that people can challenge themselves to learn more.
"We always have a lot of interest because of what is happening elsewhere in the world and reports people hear about what the Qur'an says."
Mr Kauser said a member of the EDL actually stopped to talk with mosque members at the stall on Saturday.
He said: "A member of the EDL approached us and it actually was a very positive incident.
"He was asking questions and listening to the answers we were giving.
"We had a similar incident in Wisbech previously, where a member of the EDL approached us to talk about Sharia law - he did not know what it was, but had a number of misconceptions.
"We were able to explain what Sharia law was and answer all his questions.
"When he left he actually apologised for some of his previous views.
"He was more polite than some other people who approached us, who kept interrupting and not letting us finish.
"Following the day we decided to invite EDL members in Peterborough to come to the mosque for a question and answer session and to learn more about Islam.
"We would also like them to join us for a meal during Ramadan when we open our fast."
The EDL held a large march in Peterborough on Saturday, 11 December last year, with more than 1,000 protesters in attendance.
The protest group was set up two years ago by a group of football fans in Luton to oppose what they perceive as the rise of extreme Islam and Sharia Law.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency)
RIGHT-WING MP DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM ONLINE HATE SPEECH (Finland)
The chairman of a far-right political party in Finland has accused the opposition of using the Norwegian terror attacks as a tool to link his party with extremism. Timo Soini said that even though Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik referred to True Finn MP Jussi Halla-aho in his manifesto, it does not mean that the anti-immigration party shares the mass murderer’s views. “We’re talking about an individual fanatic, a psychopath and his murders,” argued Soini in the YLE report. “I understand that this topic has caused turbulence in Finland as well, but in Norway the tragedy has been kept in proportion quite nicely,” he added. “The tragedy has not been made a political bone of contention there, all the parties have come together to help their people through a difficult time.
Politicians are not blaming each other, or demanding statements from each other there.” Breivik, who had strong anti-Islamic and anti-immigration views, has admitted carrying out the double terror attacks in Norway on 22nd July that left 77 people dead. Shortly before the attacks he published a 1,500-page manifesto online, outlining his extremist beliefs. Soini has defended the right to exercise free speech online, but claims that he does not in any way condone Breivik’s actions. He also called for the use of real names in such online debates in order to encourage a moderate tone. “It is clear that I do not accept violence or threats of violence,” said Soini. “Hate is a destructive force, which first destroys the target of the hatred and then the hater himself. I do not accept hatred. It is dehumanising and brutalising and damages others’ human dignity.”
Ice News
Politicians are not blaming each other, or demanding statements from each other there.” Breivik, who had strong anti-Islamic and anti-immigration views, has admitted carrying out the double terror attacks in Norway on 22nd July that left 77 people dead. Shortly before the attacks he published a 1,500-page manifesto online, outlining his extremist beliefs. Soini has defended the right to exercise free speech online, but claims that he does not in any way condone Breivik’s actions. He also called for the use of real names in such online debates in order to encourage a moderate tone. “It is clear that I do not accept violence or threats of violence,” said Soini. “Hate is a destructive force, which first destroys the target of the hatred and then the hater himself. I do not accept hatred. It is dehumanising and brutalising and damages others’ human dignity.”
Ice News
Calls to ban far-right German party pose propaganda risk (Germany)
Right-wing extremist parties in Europe have come under fresh scrutiny in recent weeks, following the twin attacks in Norway which killed 77 people.
In Germany, the attacks re-launched a debate into the political legitimacy of the country's main nationalist party, the National Democratic Party (NPD). Politicians from the main opposition party, the SPD, have made fresh calls for the party to be banned.
But a spokesman for German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told Deutsche Welle that Friedrich could not support another attempt at a ban.
"He doesn't seek a renewed case to ban the NPD," said the spokesman. Friedrich justified his position on the basis that a ban had already failed in 2003.
In 2003, a high-profile case for banning the NPD party came before the Federal Constitutional Court. The case, however, was thrown out after it was revealed that a number of the NPD's inner circle were in fact undercover agents or informants of the German secret services.
Since the government bodies were unwilling to fully disclose their agents' identities and activities, the court found it impossible to reach a verdict and the case was dropped.
This item continues at DW World
In Germany, the attacks re-launched a debate into the political legitimacy of the country's main nationalist party, the National Democratic Party (NPD). Politicians from the main opposition party, the SPD, have made fresh calls for the party to be banned.
But a spokesman for German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told Deutsche Welle that Friedrich could not support another attempt at a ban.
"He doesn't seek a renewed case to ban the NPD," said the spokesman. Friedrich justified his position on the basis that a ban had already failed in 2003.
In 2003, a high-profile case for banning the NPD party came before the Federal Constitutional Court. The case, however, was thrown out after it was revealed that a number of the NPD's inner circle were in fact undercover agents or informants of the German secret services.
Since the government bodies were unwilling to fully disclose their agents' identities and activities, the court found it impossible to reach a verdict and the case was dropped.
This item continues at DW World
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