Lynch mob besets Romani neighborhood, Czech Police let them (Czech Rep)

Rumburk has been the scene of unrest today despite the supposed efforts of authorities to keep the peace. The "Civic Resistance" (Občanský odpor) association, which is linked to someone who has previously organized neo-Nazi events in the town, convened a demonstration for today which the town hall banned. However, the Czech Social Democratic party has held its own public meeting at the same time and same place (17:00 CET) on the topic of security in the Šluknov foothills.

Approximately 800 people attended the officially permitted gathering. The crowd was cool toward Czech MP Foldyna (ČSSD), with some even whistling their disapproval of him. Czech Senator Sykáček (ČSSD), who is also mayor, was whistled away from the podium almost immediately. Josef Mašín, a representative of "Civic Resistance", then took the microphone. The crowd responded to him enthusiastically, with thunderous applause at moments. His speech was a copy of the speeches previously given by members of the Workers' Social Justice Party (Demokratická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) in the towns of Krupka and Nový Bydžov earlier this year. He repeated the ubiquitous lie that the law is not being applied to everyone equally and that police are "minimizing the criminal activity of minorities". He also said local police do not investigate crime because they fear Romani people. His speech lasted eight minutes.

An unidentified demonstrator then plowed through the crowd, reached the microphone, and called for the lynching of the Roma. People set out into the streets as police stood by. When the demonstration was officially over, part of the crowd started marching to the locality where local Romani people live. This provocative march had not been announced to authorities in advance and had not been permitted as part of the demonstration, but that evidently did not bother the police, who did not even bother to accompany the crowd as it proceeded.

This item continues at Romea

English Defence League march through Tower Hamlets banned by Theresa May (UK)

Home secretary agrees to police request for ban of march planned through one of UK's biggest Muslim communities

The home secretary has agreed to a police request to ban the far-right English Defence League from staging a march through one of the UK's biggest Muslim communities in east London.

Theresa May said she would outlaw any marches in Tower Hamlets and four neighbouring boroughs – whether by the EDL or any other groups – for the next 30 days, having "balanced rights to protest against the need to ensure local communities and property are protected".

She added: "I know that the Metropolitan police are committed to using their powers to ensure communities and properties are protected."

Police sought the ban after the EDL – which has seen widespread public disorder at earlier rallies – planned to march on 3 September through Tower Hamlets, which has a significant Muslim community, many of Bangladeshi origin.

In a statement the force said it made the request following information that prompted fears that the march could cause "serious public disorder, violence and damage". It added: "Tactically we believe this is the best option to prevent this."

Chief Superintendent Julia Pendry warned EDL supporters to stay away. "We have made this decision [to seek the ban] based on specific intelligence and information, and our message is clear: we do not want people coming into the areas to attend these events."

The march had been vehemently opposed by community leaders, among them the two local MPs and the borough's mayor, as well as a series of Muslim and Jewish groups. Fears that it could spark violence were exacerbated following this month's rioting in many parts of London.

The EDL emerged in Luton, another strongly Muslim area, in 2009. While it purports to oppose "Islamic extremism" the group insists it is not racist. However, its marches, aimed mainly at Muslim communities, have been seen as extremely provocative. A Guardian investigation into the EDL found repeated racism and threats of violence among supporters.

Nick Lowles, director of the anti-extremist campaign group Searchlight, called May's decision a victory for common sense. He said: "The EDL clearly intended to use the proposed march to bring violence and disorder to the streets of Tower Hamlets. Their plan has been foiled."

The veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell said that while he abhorred the EDL, he believed the blanket 30-day ban was a "complete overreaction" and would prove counter-productive. He said: "I'm not sure we can defeat anti-democratic groups like the EDL using anti-democratic methods like banning marches. A far better tactic would be mass counter protests and exposing the bigoted and violent views of the EDL."

Earlier this month May banned an EDL march through Telford, although the group was still able to congregate. Opponents urged the home secretary to follow suit in east London, particularly after links emerged between the EDL and the Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik.

The gunman repeatedly praised the group in his rambling manifesto and claimed he had hundreds of EDL supporters as Facebook friends.

The EDL insisted any admiration was one way and it did not condone his views.

The group has struggled for legitimacy, even amid evidence it has picked up supporters as the better established far-right British National Party has been beset by internal divisions. According to Searchlight, the EDL has active support from people involved in earlier far-right groups, including the even more extreme Combat 18 and National Front.

In February it attracted some unexpected support from the Daily Star, which tacitly endorsed its views and said 98% of its readers supported them. But this lasted less than a week, with the paper's owner, Richard Desmond, saying it had been done without his knowledge

The Guardian
.

SERB FAR-RIGHT GROUP PREPARES POLL DEBUT

One of Serbia's better known far-right organisations, Dveri, has announced it will compete in next spring's election on a pro-family values ticket.

"Finally there is someone I can vote for," is the slogan of the Serbian far-right organisation "Dveri", [Doors], which for the first time has decided to take part in a general election. Vladan Glisic, a leader of Dveri, says the decision to take part in the spring 2012 election reflects an urgent need to change the system and its values after 20 years of "wrong regimes". "We want to change the system and regime completely," he told Balkan Insight, starting with a renewed emphasis on "family values". The groups intents to put the family in first place and so create a more "pro-life" oriented society. "Our goal is to strengthen the state to become a home of the people, which will exist to protect people from beaurocratic arbitrariness and oligarchy," Glisic explained. Dveri is known for a lot more than family values and hostility to gay rights and abortion.

One of the plethora of far-right groups in Serbia, it has a pronounced nationalist ideology, and it firmly opposed government plans to ease tensions with neighbouring Bosnia by adopting a resolution condemning the massacre committed by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica, eastern Bosnia, in 1995. Parliament passed the resolution in March 2010. It is equally trenchant on the subject of independence for mainly Albanian Kosovo. Meanwhile, true to its anti-gay agenda, Dveri has said it will organise a rival pro-family march if and when a Gay Pride parade takes place in Belgrade this autumn. Branimir Nesic, of Dveri, said the government will bear responsibility if there are anti-gay clashes on Belgrade's streets. Last October's parade, the first since 20001, ended in violent clashes between stone-throwing anti-gay youths and the police. Turning to the elections, Dveri says it has no links to any political parties.

"We are not only anti-regime but also an anti-system party and not a single opposition party has shown any interest in fighting against the [existing] system so far," Glisic claimed. Although Dveri's members are strong supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Dveri says it will not seek any official support from that quarter, either. "Our members' relationship with the Church is their private matter", Glisic said. Ordinary people are the only ones on whose support Dveri counts. Months ahead of the election, analysts are reluctant to estimate the potential impact of groups like Dveri. Political analyst Djordje Vukovic said he believed that Dveri might steal a number of votes from established right-wing parties, such as the Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, and Serbian Radical Party, SRS. But he downplayed talk of a far-right breakthrough in the election. "I do not expect it to register a serious result [in the poll]," Vukovic said.

Balkans Insight