Kristallnacht memorial stolen from Jewish cemetery in Germany

Police say it's unclear whether deed was motivated by anti-Semitic reasons; Jewish community of Cologne calls upon residents to help retrieve the monument.

A 750-kilogram monument commemorating Kristallnacht has been stolen from the Jewish cemetery in Cologne, less than a week after a memorial event marked 72 years since the German pogrom.

The thieves broken open the backdoor of the cemetery on Sunday night, German police officers told the local Express newspaper. Police believe the perpetrators detached the monument from its pedestal, loaded it unto a vehicle and drove off. It is still unclear whether the deed was motivated by anti-Semitic reasons, police are quoted as saying.

The Jewish community of Cologne released a statement saying it is "very distraught by this outrageous act" and called upon residents of the city to help retrieve the bronze monument.

Community leaders said they would pay a reward of 4,000 euros for clues leading to the recovery of the memorial.

The theft comes almost a year after a group of thieves stole an iconic sign from the entrance of the Auschwitz death camp. That sign was later recovered.

The monument, which stands 2.8 meters high and 1.2 meters wide, memorializes ritual objects that were saved and buried on November 10, 1938, immediately after Kristallnacht. They were discovered by accident in 1978 during construction work and subsequently buried according to Jewish tradition in the cemetery.

Created by sculptor Franz Lipensky, the monument shows six Stars of David, two Torah scrolls and a menorah.

Haaretz

FAR-RIGHT SURGE FEARS AS GUDENUS SET TO HEAD FPÖ VIENNA (Austria)

An up-and-coming right-winger has been elected as executive chief of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) in the city parliament of Vienna. Johann Gudenus received unanimous support by the party board in a summit in Mauerbach near Vienna today (Weds). Gudenus will lead the FPÖ’s delegation in the city parliament after the party’s 10 October election campaign front runner Heinz-Christian Strache decided to remain a member of the federal parliament (MEP). The right-wing party bagged 25.77 per cent in the recent election, up by 10.94 per cent, and Strache – who heads it both on federal level and in Vienna – has been identified as the key to success. Strache is immensely popular among many young people, but also has more and more support among pensioners angered by various decisions of the ruling Social Democrats (SPÖ). Gudenus is regarded as the party’s "crown prince". He has been given the potential to one day succeed Strache – whose chances to become federal chancellor are seen as soaring. Gudenus formerly headed the FPÖ’s federal youth organisation and caused a stir with various controversial claims regarding integration and crime.

"Young Turks unwilling to integrate are the problem (in Vienna). They are more violent and ready to carry out crimes," he said shortly ahead of last month’s city parliament ballot. Some political analysts have accused Gudenus of having used certain terms popular in the German Third Reich which are understood by neo-Nazis as "codes" showing support of their views. All parties but the FPÖ, which campaigned against "immigrants unwilling to integrate", suffered losses in the recent election. Strache claimed his party had the chance to win more than 40 per cent in the 2015 city ballot if the SPÖ did not change its policy which currently rules out any kind of cooperation with the right-wing party. The party headed by Mayor Michael Häupl was expected to approach the People’s Party (ÖVP) for coalition talks after, with 44,24 per cent, it lost its absolute majority in seats in the 10 October ballot. The ÖVP Vienna’s share shrank by 4.78 per cent to 13.99 per cent. The Viennese Social Democrats however invited the Greens (2010 vote result: 12.64 per cent, down by 1.99 per cent) for talks which ended in a coalition agreement earlier this week.

Federal Greens boss Eva Glawischnig said she regarded the cooperation as a "unique chance" for her party, adding that serious changes to the federal political landscape were possible. Many columnists, meanwhile, warned that this coalition may help the FPÖ to more support as a turnaround in favour of cyclists and public transport is expected. The FPÖ has traditionally strong support among motorists pressure groups. Immigration is regarded as the other major crucial issue considering the contrary views of the SPÖ-Greens coalition and the right-wing party which is now led by Gudenus in the federal capital’s parliament.

Austrian Times

OSCE/ODIHR REPORT: HATE CRIME REMAINS A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today released its annual report for 2009 "Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region – Incidents and Responses," concluding that hate crime continued to be a serious problem in many of the 56 countries in North America, Europe, and the former Soviet Union. This is the first study since the passage of the notable 2009 Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, in which participating countries upheld unanimously their commitment to collect and publicize detailed statistics on hate crime. To compliment the intergovernmental report, U.S. international rights groups Human Rights First (HRF) and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a reaction paper that highlights the failure of many of the OSCE states to fulfill commitments to combat the problem.

"While the OSCE member states have adopted meaningful political commitments to combat hate crime, this report reveals that most states still have a long way to go in turning those words into action," stated Human Rights First's Paul LeGendre. "We are calling on States to reaffirm these commitments and their will to act at the highest level when they meet on December 1-2 at the first OSCE Summit meeting since 1999." According to the report of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), 2009 saw instances of intimidation, threats, vandalism, arson, assault, and murder targeted against persons or groups because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other status. The scarcely available official government figures tracking such crimes underscore the importance of strengthening state responses to hate crimes, including through enactment of legislation, data collection, and sharing of best practices.

Human Rights First maintains that authorities continue to underreport the true number of incidents, although the group acknowledges that more countries are taking steps to improve their legislative frameworks and systems of data collection, while requesting international cooperation to train police and prosecutors. "Bulgaria, for example, amended its hate crime provision and submitted data to ODIHR for the first time this year, while also agreeing to participate in the Law Enforcement Training Program coordinated by the OSCE," notes Paul LeGendre. "We hope the ODIHR's report serves as an annual reminder to more governments about the vast resources available to them, as the overall across-the-board response to hate crime remains feeble." The joint analysis produced by Human Rights First and Anti-Defamation League offers specific recommendations tailored to states' varying levels of adherence to commitments to combat hate crimes.

"The ODIHR's annual report confirms nongovernmental and media reports suggesting that hate crime continues to be a serious challenge for governments throughout the region in 2009." noted LeGendre. The beheading of a Kyrgyz man in the Russian Federation, the brutal murder of a Romani man and his 5-year-old son in Hungary, the stabbing of a gay couple in the United Kingdom, the wave of antisemitic violence across many countries in Europe that followed Israeli attacks in Gaza, and the stabbing of a Muslim cab driver in the United States, are among the long list of violent hate crimes that generated shock waves through entire communities.  "Governments must step up their efforts to combat hate violence and enlist the help of ODIHR's experts to improve their legislative frameworks, institute sound data collection mechanisms, and train law enforcement officials." concluded LeGendre.

Human Rights First

Peterborough shopkeepers on EDL route fear for march (UK)

Frank Smith, the operations manager at Rivergate, will meet with police and council chiefs ahead of the meeting today (17 November).

He said: “I am going into the meeting with an open mind and we have not decided on any policy.

“We will decide what action to take, if any, after the meeting.”

Ada Lidzuite, a Lithuanian immigrant, who works at Phone Plus in the Rivergate Centre, said: “I don’t know if we are going to even be open but I don’t want to be here if they are outside.

“It seems like a scary group and I will not be coming into town on the day they are here.

“Since I came to Peterborough people have treated me well but it is not nice to hear this group is coming.”

The EDL is a protest group that is campaigning against a perceived rise in Islamic extremism.

It claims to want a peaceful march but previous protests have descended into violence and multiple arrests.

Leaders of the Peterborough Trade Union Council (TUC) have announced they will have a counter-protest on the same day, but have not confirmed how it will take place.

Traders have been invited to meet with both organisations in the Town Hall tomorrow (Thursday) to be fully briefed.

Superintendant Paul Fullwood said: “We understand that for businesses in the Rivergate area there will be an impact during the protest.

“We are working with those business owners, alongside the council, to minimise this and look at alternative ways of drawing in business over the weekend.

“We have been speaking to and are working closely with the local communities and will do all we can to reassure them.

“We would warn any individuals seeking to exploit the demonstration by behaving in a criminal or anti-social manner that such behaviour will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.”

Police also announced that they are still in negotiations with the Peterborough Trade Union Council (TUC) about a planned counter march on the same day.

Supt Fullwood said: “Negotiations with representatives from Peterborough TUC are underway.

“We are still in the planning stages and at this point have not confirmed a location for the protest in Peterborough.”

Nobody from the Peterborough TUC was available for comment.

Peterborough Today

Racism under cover of the Torah (Israel)

Not only are some rabbis not acting according to guidelines, they are using public bodies to incite, inflame passions and provoke divisiveness in Israeli society.

Rabbi Dov Domb, the presiding judge in the rabbinical court in Tel Aviv, added his signature to a shameful and outrageous list of rabbis calling on residents of south Tel Aviv not to rent their apartments to foreign workers.

The Torah has never had it so bad. Under its cover, Domb and his colleagues are masquerading as merciful fathers concerned about the poor residents in the south of the city. They are exploiting a worsening social problem to stoke the residents' fears and incite against the foreigners.

They are joining a lengthening list of rabbis in the public service who are cynically and dangerously using their titles and status. Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu issued a call not to rent apartments to Arabs on the grounds that "the ways of life of the Gentiles are different from those of the Jews, and there are those among them who hate us and harass us to the point of mortal danger." He even held an emergency meeting "against assimilation." Kiryat Motzkin's chief rabbi issued a call not to employ Arabs as a response to terrorist attacks.

These rabbis and many others who preach in synagogues, write in journals and publish racist books are public servants who enjoy high status, a good salary and benefits paid for by the taxpayer. Religious judges like Domb are committed to strict ethical guidelines, like judges, and they are not allowed to make statements on political issues. They are supposed to deal with non-legal matters only "with the appropriate caution required by their position."

Not only are they not acting according to the guidelines, they are exploiting their status and using public bodies and the means at their disposal to incite, inflame passions and provoke divisiveness in Israeli society. They use their titles and public positions for dangerous preaching and to give official cover for their defamatory words.

The justice minister, the religious services minister and the mayors where these rabbis serve must warn them that they are abusing their positions and even suspend them if necessary. Otherwise, they too will bear responsibility for turning Israeli society into a tool in the hands of religious racist fanatics.

Haaretz

DISTORTED VIEW 'DEMONISES ISLAM' (uk)

Islam is being "demonised" as a result of atrocities carried out in the name of a "distorted" version of the faith, former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Blair of Boughton has said. The ex-commissioner, who led the Met during the 2005 suicide bombings on London's transport system, described Islam as one of the "great" Abrahamic faiths and a "faith of peace" which had suffered as a result of atrocities carried out by individuals. The religious impulse should be recognised as a source of goodness in spite of the "horrors" inflicted by organised religion, he said at the Theos think-tank annual lecture in central London. Religious people were losing the struggle to make it "clear" that faith impels them to do good deeds, he said. To most people faith looks "irrelevant, clannish, prejudiced, old-fashioned and violent," he said.

But the greatest achievements of history, such as the abolition of slavery and the provision of education or free health care for all had their origins in the religious impulse, he said. "Religion should be the most peaceful of all the agencies of social cohesion," he said. "Its infinite number of unseen and unsung acts of charity and love are not known individually but in total they are part of public consciousness. "They should be and remain the glue that permits modern society to exist, particularly in an increasingly urbanised age - in other words, they are a bulwark of public order, in the sense of orderliness and tranquility." In his lecture, Lord Blair, who is an Anglican, emphasised the importance of doubt in religious faith.

The Press Association

NEW EXTRADITION HEADACHE FOR NORWEGIAN AUTHORITIES?

Russian neo-Nazi and former martial arts fighter could cause Norwegian authorities another extradition headache if he wins his case. Vjatsjelav Datsik has been advised to follow Mullah Krekar’s example and seek asylum in Norway.
Mr Datsik escaped from a Russian mental hospital earlier this year, claiming he was tortured in prison. The Russian neo-Nazi, who is currently in a Norwegian jail for possession of illegal weapons after he turned himself over to police in September, alleges he was handcuffed naked for eight months and electric shocks applied to his testicles, according to one of his Norwegian lawyers, Fridtjof Feydt. If his torture allegations are proven, his case may cause Norwegian authorities another extradition headache similar to Iraqi Mullah Krekar, with Mr Datsik possibly at liberty to wander the Norwegian streets unchecked whilst awaiting extradition himself. Mullah Krekar, the founder of Islamist armed group Ansar al-Islam, has been living with his family in Oslo since 1991, and is considered to be a threat to national security. However, international law obliges Norway to shelter people who risk persecution and death in their home country if returned, and authorities cannot extradite Mr Krekar until the Iraqis provide them with a written statement, guaranteeing he will not face execution upon his return.

Legal nightmare?
Both the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) and Oslo police were ready to extradite Mr Datsik back to Russia following his arrest, but the police psychiatrist said he was not suffering from any mental illness. This allowed him to seek political asylum in Norway for reasons of personal safety. “Datsik claims he has been subjected to extensive torture and fears for his life if he is sent back into Russian captivity,” Bernt Christian Birkeland, his other lawyer tells TV2. Meanwhile, Dimitry Demuskin, leader of the Russian extreme right group Slavonic Strength says it was the organization’s lawyers themselves who suggested Norway to Mr Datsik. Convinced that Norwegian authorities will do everything in their power to extradite the jailed Russian, Mr Demuskin said lawyers representing both Slavonic Strength and Mr Datsik in Norway are ready to put up a fight towards obtaining asylum. “We will go all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. We have seen Mullah Krekar’s case. Therefore, we thought ‘why not try?’ Datsik is neither Chechen nor Muslim, but we are trying anyway,” Mr Demuskin says.

The Foreigner

Mob in Athens abuses Muslims as they celebrate Eid (Greece)

Dozens of far-right activists and local residents threw eggs and taunted hundreds of Muslim immigrants as they gathered to pray in a central square for Eid al-Adha surrounded by a protective cordon of riot police.

Greece, which has become the main immigrant gateway to the European Union, has a growing Muslim community and tensions between locals and incomers have run high in some Athens areas such as Attiki square, the scene of Tuesday's incident.

Athens' Muslim community is without an official mosque and prayers are usually held at cultural centers or community halls or private apartments around the city. The Muslim community in Greece is estimated at about 1 million, in a country where most people are Greek Orthodox Christians.

While the Muslims prayed, some locals shouted obscenities from their balconies and waved Greek flags. Leaflets that depicted pigs -- an animal Muslims consider unclean -- were scattered across the square.

"There is a (unofficial) mosque near here but we're afraid to go there," said a 30-year old migrant from Bangladesh, who gave his name as Shamasul. "Sometimes Greeks in the neighborhood threaten to kill us."

Margarita Vassilatou, 56, who has lived in the square for more than 35 years said she wanted to leave as a result of the immigrants:

"This is not a life ... We are afraid of them. Many of them are criminals, they carry knifes and deal drugs."

In another, more central square in front of Athens university, about 2,000 Muslim men and women prayed peacefully in front of the neo-classical university and ancient Greek statues.

In the past, moves to build a mosque in the capital have been met with opposition from local residents and some priests of the Greek orthodox church.

However, the current archbishop supports the construction of a mosque and the socialist government has set aside a site close to the city center, although building has not yet begun.

The only mosques in Greece are in the northeastern region of Xanthi near the Turkish border, home to a large Muslim minority.

Reuters

Confronting Hate Crimes in the Muslim World

These issues are not particular to Christians in the Muslim world. Muslim minorities experience discrimination in many places in the world, note John L. Esposito and Sheila B. Lalwani.

The attack against Syriac Catholics in Baghdad has renewed questions about religious minorities’ security and rights in Muslim-majority countries. The rights of minority religions in Muslim lands are an oft-discussed topic, but the attack in Baghdad highlights the challenge to Muslims to embrace constructive co-existence that emphasizes mutual respect and equality of citizenship in a globalized world.

It was little more than a week ago when Our Lady of Salvation, a Syriac Catholic church, was the scene of the worst attack on Iraqi Christians since the American-led invasion began in 2003. Reports indicate that armed gunmen in explosive suicide vests jumped the church’s security wall and took more than 100 worshippers hostage. The gunmen identified themselves as members of the Islamic State of Iraq, a group with links to Al Qaeda. By the end of the night, two priests and more than 50 worshippers had been killed.

This tragic event made worse was given more significance when the group pledged more attacks, declaring that Christians everywhere are “legitimate targets.” Its rhetoric threatens the safety and security of religious minorities in Muslim countries. At one time in Iraq, Catholics represented 2.89 percent of the population in 1980; by 2008 they were just .89 percent.

This incident exhorts Muslims to raise the gauntlet of “tolerance” and “mutual respect.” The vast majority of Muslims have and believe in the right to worship as a constituent to human freedom, but, sadly, significant minorities, like fundamentalist Hindus, Christians, and Jews, shun pluralism for a myopic world vision that marginalizes people of other faiths.

These acts of violence underscore the importance of a debate in contemporary Islam focusing on the status of non-Muslims in a predominantly Muslim country. Some believe in reinstating a “protected” status, for Christians and Jews who could practice their faith in exchange for paying a tax. Such a solution, while progressive at its times, now clearly would constitute second-class citizenship today. Reformists argue that religious pluralism is recognized by the Quran as part of God’s design for humanity and reflected by the example of the Prophet Muhammad and thus non-Muslims should have full and equal citizenship rights.

Of course, these issues are not only particular to Christians in the Muslim world. Muslim minorities experience discrimination in the Philippines, Thailand, India and Greece, and in the US and Europe, where discrimination is on the rise. Any form of religious intolerance or violence is unacceptable. Intolerance stands in the way of an integrated and peaceful world; and, fighting these attitudes and the ensuing actions are perhaps one of the great challenges facing us today.

It may not be easy, but it is entirely worthwhile.



John L. Esposito is University Professor and Founding Director of the Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding. He is co-author of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, and author of the newly released book The Future of Islam (2010). Sheila B. Lalwani is a Research Fellow at the Centre.

Middle East Line

Anger at 'Nazi' jibe in sanctuary debate (UK)

Conservatives walked out of a council meeting after they were accused of being Nazis during a debate on plans to make Bristol a "City of Sanctuary".

Sanctuary status is intended to show a city is welcoming to asylum seekers and refugees who are escaping persecution in their home countries.

Around 50 people turned out to support the motion ahead of last night's full Bristol City Council meeting, waving banners and placards.

Liberal Democrats and Labour councillors said they welcomed adopting the title for Bristol.

But the Tories objected, arguing the city already struggled to cater with its existing residents without attracting more.

Group leader Geoff Gollop said: "I and all my group welcome diversity, cohesion and integration.

"But we do not have enough housing for the people that live in Bristol, our social services cannot cope, we do not have enough school places for people who were born or who come here.

"The council is not very good at treating its own BME (Black and Ethnic Minority) employees."

Mr Gollop described the idea as "a manifesto for extremists" because it would drive people to vote for far right groups like the British National Party.

Shortly after, Lib Dem councillor Peter Main interrupted another speaker who mentioned the Nazis to say "you might as well vote for the Conservative Party".

This prompted Mr Gollop to lead his party out of the chamber in protest.

Mr Main said he would withdraw the comment "if it will help the meeting".

The Tories came back in, but there was criticism of the level of debate in Bristol council meetings from another Lib Dem.

Party whip Mark Bailey (Windmill Hill) said: "There is too much of this sort of thing. Peter has overstepped the mark; I have despaired about the level of debate. I've been here seven years and it's getting worse."

This led to a round of applause from the public gallery.

Speaking in support of the proposal, council leader Barbara Janke (Lib Dem, Clifton) said: "This has lots of supporters. If you go to one of the drop-in centres you can hear how some of these people have risen through things we can't possibly imagine.

"Bristol is a place where we welcome people. Some people have said a city of sanctuary won't change a thing.

"It's about Bristol taking a lead – it's already going on."

Labour leader Helen Holland (Whitchurch Park) said: "This reminds me of what they said of the Nazis. 'First they came for the gypsies and I did nothing, then they came for the Jews. Then they came for me but there was nobody to speak up for me'.

"Friendship costs nothing.

The "First they came ..." speech is a famous statement attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller about how German intellectuals stood by while the Nazis rose to power and targeted minority groups one by one.

The proposal was passed after unanimous votes of support from the Labour and Lib Dem groups. The Tories either voted against or made no vote.

Speaking before the meeting, Caroline Beatty of the Welcome Centre in Easton, told the Evening Post why she thought the proposal mattered.

She said: "To make a public declaration is important, to show asylum seekers and refugees they can take part in society.

"Our experience at the Welcome Centre is that diversity means health. There is strength in difference.

"Bristol is diverse already – that is the strength of our city."

This is Bristol

MACEDONIANS DEMONSTRATE VIRTUE OF TOLERANCE (Macedonia)

Hundreds take to streets of the capital to demand a more open society.

Several hundred people attended Tuesday's march for tolerance in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, protesting against all forms of discrimination in the country. Beginning just before midday at the city museum, the marchers proceeded through the main thoroughfare, Macedonia Street. Koco Andonovski, from the Macedonian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, one of the organizers of the march, urged the political parties to stop their "vicious" bickering, which he said was spreading a climate of intolerance among ordinary people. "We are here to raise our voice against all types of intolerance and discrimination, based on racial, ethnic, gender, sexual or other differences," Gordana Nestorovska, head of the Helsinki Committee, said. Support for the march came from Macedonia's Ombudsman. In his public address, Ixhet Memeti said that the principles of tolerance and equality were especially needed in a country as multi-cultural and multi-ethnic as Macedonia. Foreign diplomats on the march included the EU ambassador, Erwan Fouere. In April, Macedonia passed its first anti-discrimination law, which will come into force from next year. But the act has drawn criticism from Brussels for failing to extend its provisions to include people of a different sexual orientation. The low level of political dialogue between parties in Macedonia remains a matter of concern in Brussels. The European Commission singled out the problem again in its latest report on the country, published this month.

Balkan Insight

NEO-NAZI SITE CHARGED OVER READER COMMENT (Sweden)

The site is the online version of Nationellt Motstånd (‘National Resistance’), a quarterly print magazine put out by the Swedish Resistance Movement (Svenska motståndsrörelsen), one of Sweden’s most active neo-Nazi groups. The comment in question, entitled “Immigrants create racist roadblocks”, accompanies an article published in April 2010 about a highly publicized case in which a 78-year-old woman died from injuries sustained from being pushed by a 23-year-old man in a shopping centre parking lot in Landskrona in southern Sweden. The 23-year-old came from a family of immigrants and his arrest led to heightened ethnic tensions in the town, prompting another right-wing extremist group, the National Democrats, to call a public meeting in the town square to “protest against anti-Swedishness”. The article, published on April 15th, 2010, told of how star defence attorney Leif Silbersky was set to defend the 23-year-old in his upcoming trial. The following day, a racially charged comment was published beneath the article which referred to immigrants as “fucking parasites” and encouraged people to “hit back” rather than “back up” when challenged. The commenter added that he or she feels “satisfaction” every time “I can ‘lay’ my hands” on what he or she refers to as a “kulturberikare”, an increasingly common term of derision used in far-right circles in reference to immigrants.

The term, literally translated as “culture enricher”, is a play by the far-right on arguments in support of multiculturalism which often cite “cultural enrichment” as a positive aspect of diversity. “This is about Sweden and the Swedes’ survival,” the commenter wrote. Because ‘Nationellt Motstånd’ reviews reader comments before publishing them, the comment falls under the jurisdiction of Sweden’s libel laws. Following a preliminary investigation launched in May, Sweden’s Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern – JK), concluded that the comment amounts to agitation against ethnic groups (hets mot folkgrupp), and has filed charges against the site’s publisher, 26-year-old Emil Hagberg for violating Sweden’s press freedom laws. When reached by The Local, Hagberg declined to comment on the charges, claiming statements made by him and his colleagues at ‘Nationellt Motstånd’ are too often “misinterpreted” in the media.

The Local Sweden

Popular garage falls victim to graffiti vandals (UK)

Police have launched an investigation after a petrol station in Toddington was daubed with racist graffiti at the weekend.

The busy BP garage and its Spar supermarket in Dunstable Road were targeted by vandals overnight on Friday, with the letters ‘BNP’ sprayed repeatedly on walls, the forecourt, pumps and shop shutters.

It is believed the vandalism happened between 11pm on Friday and 6am on Saturday, when the garage re-opened for business.

A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said the incident was being treated as criminal damage, and on Saturday morning officers were at the scene photographing the graffiti.

The garage, which has several Asian members of staff, last month had one of its pumps damaged when workers tried to stop a motorist driving away without paying for petrol. The garden fence of a house opposite the filling station was also damaged in a similar incident.

Jim Gledhill, chairman of Toddington Parish Council, said he was disappointed with the attack on a business popular with villagers.

He said: “These are people who provide a really good service to the village, and it shouldn’t matter to anybody what their background is.

“It disgusts me. They had managed to clean up a lot of it but it was still very visible on the brickwork.”

Councillor Gledhill said he would be raising the issue at the parish council’s meeting last night (Wednesday), and hoped the council would be able to help the garage with the cost of the clean-up.

Asked whether support for the BNP was an issue in the village, Councillor Gledhill said he thought there were a small number of people in the village with “racist views”.

“It’s a problem you wouldn’t really expect in Toddington,” he said. “I hope it’s just stupid children who will learn better in the future.”

Dunstable Today

Restaurant workers fear 'racist' attacks (UK)

Staff at an Indian restaurant in Bridgwater believe they are being targeted on religious and racist grounds following a spate of attacks.

This week a man was convicted for religiously aggravated criminal damage and provocation of violence at the Spice Club in Eastover.

But there have been further reports of an assault on a waiter, racial abuse and criminal damage.

Waiter Mehbub Kamali, 19, who claims he was punched on one occasion, told the Mercury: “I have been attacked for no other reason than the colour of my skin.”

Last Tuesday, Sedgemoor Magistrates heard how Ashley Wilson, 24, smashed a glass pane at the restaurant and threatened to cut waiters’ faces because they served Halal meat.

The court heard he asked Mr Kamali and Sultan Ahmet “Are you Muslim?”

When they said yes, he said “I’m going to cut your face” and that it was “because I’m EDL [English Defence League].”

Mr Kamali said: “It’s happening again and again and it’s terrifying. I wonder what’s next?”

Wilson, of Claremont Grove, admitted the attack on September 26 and was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £165 compensation and £85 costs. In mitigation, Crispin Hayllar said he had drunk too much and acted out of character.

Police confirmed this week that a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage for an attack on the restaurant on November 3, and have been released on bail.

Police said there had been allegations of racial abuse but they were keeping an open mind.

Anyone with information about the incident on November 3 can call police on 0845-4567000.

This is the West Country

Racist assault on five Korean men in Bristol (UK)

Two men were punched in the head as part of a racist attack on five Koreans in Bristol.

The incident began with about 10 men making racist comments to the group near the Bovis Homes development on Filton Avenue on Monday evening.

One of the men who was punched suffered three chipped teeth and swelling to his mouth in the incident, which happened between 1830 and 1900 GMT, police said.

The other victim was punched to the back of the head and had his bag

BBC News

'We must stand united against the hatred of a few'

Groups across Portsmouth have vowed to 'stand united against hatred' after a demonstration by a right-wing group in the city.
The English Defence League led a protest outside the city's Jami mosque on Saturday, as reported in The News.
Demonstrators claimed to be campaigning after a small group of Muslim extremists in central London burned poppies on November 11, though no Portsmouth Muslims were involved.

But they were met at the mosque in Victoria Road South, Southsea, by scores of members of the local community who opposed their protest.

Jatin Patel, of Portsmouth's Racial Harassment Forum, said: 'It's good Portsmouth united against the EDL.

'The burning of poppies was nothing to do with the city. So why send people from London, where it happened? We are united against hatred.'

Missiles, including bottles and firecrackers, were thrown by the mosque protesters. A 20-year-old Portsmouth man was arrested on suspicion of affray and was bailed until December 15.

Southsea resident, Linda Spence, 50, who had gone to the mosque to show solidarity against the EDL, said: 'It was terrifying. When they threw things, I wanted to go. But I looked around and thought the more of us there were, the safer we would all be. They were shouting "Go back to where you came from" but we were all from Portsmouth.'

DI Nigel Oliver said the investigation continued, adding: 'This was an unusual event for Portsmouth and for the most part the demonstrations were peaceful.

'We are, however, pursuing those responsible for causing trouble and we'll be dealing with them appropriately. Much of the evidence will come from footage of the protest and we're in the process of collating that from various sources.

'We've got CCTV images but there were also a lot of people taking photographs and videos of the protest and I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has material that may help us.'

City council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: 'A few of these misguided campaigners were from Portsmouth but most seemed to be from outside the city.'

Portsmouth News

VEN DIE IN FIRE IN IMMIGRANT HOSTEL IN DIJON, FRANCE

Seven people have been killed and 11 seriously injured by a fire in a nine-storey hostel housing immigrants in the eastern French city of Dijon. One person died after jumping from the seventh floor of the building, while the other six died from the effects of smoke inhalation. More than 130 people were evacuated from the building, many also suffering from smoke inhalation. An investigation into the cause of blaze has been launched.

Spread rapidly
Two of the dead were from Senegal, one was Algerian and another Vietnamese. The other three were French nationals. "For the moment we are not describing what happened as a crime," senior prosecutor, Eric Lallement, said. Firefighters said the blaze began in a rubbish bin in an adjacent building at around 0130 (0030 GMT). It is said to have spread rapidly from there to the side of the hostel. Insulation in the building helped the blaze spread and also generated large amounts of smoke, fire brigade Commander Jean-Louis Marc told Agence France-Presse news agency. The thick, acrid smoke prevented many of the residents from escaping. "Some people jumped out of windows," Mr Marc added. An official from the mayor's office in Dijon told Reuters news agency: "The winds were unfavourable, blowing the flames against the wall of the building." A number of children were among those receiving medical treatment after the fire. Three of the 93 firefighters who battled the blaze also suffered from smoke inhalation. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux is expected to visit the scene of the blaze on Sunday afternoon. Immigration Minister Eric Besson said: "Last night's fire shocks me because it affected people and families that France has welcomed in, and who were bringing to our country not only their work, but also the richness of their cultures and their origins." The hostel is managed by the state-owned company, Adoma, which specialises in housing facilities for immigrants, according to AFP.

BBC News

We’re joining forces to stamp out hate crime (UK)

Prosecutors and police have signed a series of pledges to crack down on hate crime and ensure culprits are punished properly.

West Mercia Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have drawn up three groundbreaking agreements which will see them work more closely to tackle racial, religious, homophobic, transphobic and disability hate crimes.

Both agencies have vowed to make all hate crimes “high priority” and bring more offenders to justice by providing better support for victims and witnesses.

Staff will be trained to follow the strict guidelines set out in the agreements and performance will be regularly monitored to make sure evidence is gathered properly.

Colin Chapman, chief crown prosecutor for West Mercia CPS and hate crime co-ordinator, said the agreements would allow the agencies to work together more effectively.

He said: “These types of crimes are based on ignorance and discrimination and have no place in an open and democratic society.

“Sadly, a large number of crimes against such communities are still not reported.

“We want to increase prosecutions for these crimes and to do this, we rely on people coming forward and reporting such crimes.

“I hope that through these service level agreements, the community will have the confidence in us so that they can come forward and report these crimes knowing that we will support them every step of the way in the prosecution process.

“The CPS is determined to get justice for every person we serve and, where we have sufficient evidence that a crime was based on hostility towards someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or race, prosecutors will argue that this is an aggravating factor in court.”

Simon Edens, assistant chief constable for West Mercia Police, said the move was a “step forward” in tackling hate crime and would help more victims to come forward.

He said: “Hate crime is different to other forms of crime as it targets people because of their identity. It is a form of discrimination that infringes upon human rights. It creates fear in victims, groups and communities.

“We understand it is sometimes difficult to report it to the police. If you are a victim or know someone who is, there are various agencies in place to give support and offer guidance.”

There were 317 hate crimes reported across the county between April 2008 and April 2009 and 320 were reported between April 2009 and April 2010. Police believe the number of actual crimes committed is much higher.

    * Key points set out in the three agreements:
    * A hate crime is defined as any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race, religion/faith, sexual orientation, transgender or disability.

    * Police must ensure all hate crimes cases are clearly identified and marked before handing over to CPS.

    * Police to record exact wording of any hate language used by offender. Include slang language, even if extremely offensive, in full. Include the name of any organisation.

    * Officers will include the perception of the victim or evidence which indicates the involvement of an extreme organisation.

    * The CPS will deal with hate crime expeditiously, giving prime consideration to the victim.

    * Incidents against disabled, lesbian, gay or bisexual people have been rarely reported or prosecuted – give victims and witnesses of such crime confidence that offences will be investigated sensitively, but with vigour.

    * Police to include specific reference to any scene of crime or nearby location that may relate to hate motivation or relate to a particular community.

Include descriptions of any property, whether belonging to the victim or offender, that could relate to the hatred motivation.

Worcester News

Racist thugs urinate on shop sweets (UK)

Shop owners have been outraged by drunk, racist thugs who urinated on a shop's sweet shelves in broad daylight.
Two drunks burst into newsagent Local in Dalkeith Place, Kettering, and began urinating on the sweets as the terrified female shopkeeper looked on.

Two family members alerted by the commotion came to her aid but were subjected to vile racist abuse.

Kamal Paul, who owns convenience store Paul's Stop and Shop opposite, said: "In the 13 years I have been in business it is the most disgusting, outrageous act I have witnessed."

Police raced to the scene and caught the two men as they abused the staff.

Both were arrested but have since been released on bail.

Jaz Singh, who owns the Premier store in Avondale Road, said: "They need locking up.

"It's like they were urinating in someone's home."

Billy Singh, who owns Roundhouse Stores in Argyll Street, added: "It's disgusting.

"I'm shocked. They should be named and shamed."

Insp Neil Dorothy, of Northamptonshire Police, said: "We attended Local after we received reports of two males urinating on confectionary in the store at about 3.30pm on Friday. Six officers attended. There were two or three police cars and foot officers as well.

"There was a disturbance taking place there as we arrived. It was a 999 emergency and we got there very quickly. There were people shouting in the background when the owner called us.

"Two people were arrested for criminal damage and racially aggravated public disorder."

Evening Telegraph

Social Network User Convicted of Racism (Russia)

A 21-year-old Samara resident has been given a one-year suspended sentence for forming a racist group on the popular Vkontakte social network.

The sentence, published on the Samara prosecutors' web site Friday, is raising legal questions because it pits the country’s tough extremism law against a social network.

Media experts voiced doubt that the law could be applied to a site not officially registered as a media outlet, but a prosecutor said it worked because the law also referred to public speech.
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Samara resident Artyom Gnilomyodov founded a user group called “I am Russian and I have had enough of blacks in Russia,” which was linked to his dislike of people from the North Caucasus and Central Asia, in November 2009, prosecutors said in the statement.

In Russian, “black” is a derogatory word used to describe non-ethnic Russians from the North Caucasus and Central Asia.

During an Oct. 20 hearing, Gnilomyodov admitted his guilt, the statement said, adding that the sentence was legally binding.

Article 282 of the Criminal Code prohibits “the incitement of hate, enmity and breaching human dignity” against groups defined on national, racial or religious affiliation. Offenders can be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

The law says it applies to incitements made publicly or in the media, leading media experts to conclude that the court recognized Vkontakte as a media outlet.

Vkontakte spokesman Vladislav Tsyplukhin also said the court decision was odd because the site lacks media registration, but he refused further comment pending a review by company lawyers, RIA-Novosti reported.

But Samara prosecutor Denis Lazarev told Gazeta.ru that the ruling did not mean that social networks were now considered media but that in this case the law had been applied to a public statement.

In 2009, an Arkhangelsk court sentenced a local university student to 150 hours of forced labor for setting up a page with racist content, the news report said. Also, a Samara court in November 2009 ruled a nationalist video extremist, which led to a brief ban of YouTube.com by a court in the far eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Styled like a Russian clone of Facebook, Vkontakte claims to be the country’s largest social network with over 80 million registered users worldwide.

The Moscow Times

Stop and search plans are 'discriminatory', watchdog warns (UK)

Government plans allowing police to stop people on the grounds of skin colour are discriminatory and amount to racial profiling, the official equalities body has warned ministers.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission wants the plans dropped and has warned there is a high risk that British and European laws will be broken, in a letter seen by the Guardian.

Serving officers represented by the Black Police Association have also damned the plans as a "concession to racism" as opposition to the measures intensifies.

The issue threatens to test the credibility of Conservative claims to be an inclusive party and drag the government into a dispute over race.

The Home Office says it intends to press ahead and introduce the guidance allowing race to be taken into account when a police officer stops someone if it is judged to be relevant. It says race cannot be the sole reason for deciding to conduct a search, and the government insists the new measures will "protect civil liberties".

The issue of the police stop-and-search powers is particularly controversial because officers are more likely to target a minority ethnic person than someone who is white. African-Caribbean people are already at least six times more likely to be stopped than white people under powers where an officer has reasonable suspicion to carry out a search.

The Home Office proposals cover stops where officers do not require reasonable suspicion, a power they have under section 60 of the Public Order Act, meaning police have maximum discretion. For these stops black people are 26 times more likely than white people to be targeted. Critics say this is blatant discrimination.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The proposed new guidelines make clear that ethnicity may not be used as the sole basis for stopping and searching anyone under section 60." But in its letter to the government, the commission said: "We consider there is a significant risk that this provision will result in race discrimination."

It adds there is a "high risk" it may lead to "a degree of racial profiling".

The commission says provisions on freedom from state intrusion and discrimination are likely to be broken unless the government backs down: "There is a high risk these powers would breach article 8, and or 14 of the European convention on human rights, and section 29 of the Equality Act 2010."

The Home Office plans to allow police to search people where there is no eyewitness description are also causing alarm. The measure will allow descriptions taken from CCTV images to be used, which is uncontroversial. But the commission and some police officers say the Home Office proposal is too widely drawn and may allow stops on the basis of "outright racial prejudice or hatred".

Opposition also comes in a letter from the Black Police Association, and signed by Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was killed by racists. The case of Stephen Lawrence led to measures aimed to tackle alleged police discrimination, some of which the government will abolish.

This includes the recording of stops and searches by officers, which allows for the gathering of data on the over-targeting of minority ethnic people by police.

In the letter, the black police officers, Lawrence and a coalition of minority ethnic groups say: "The new proposal to widen to widen this area opens the door to racial targeting that could be based on gossip, malice and outright racial prejudice.

"This particular change along with the abolishment of stop and account could vastly increase the stopping of young black men which is already wholly disproportionate, and would worsen police and community relations. By changing the guidance to allow a citizen's ethnicity to provide reasonable cause for the use of this intrusive power will result in the large-scale legitimisation of racism in policing.

"We believe that such a move will be seen as deeply provocative and a dangerous concession to racism."

The Home Office guidance reads: "There may be circumstances, however, where it is appropriate for officers to take account of an individual's ethnic origin in selecting persons and vehicles to be stopped in response to a specific threat or incident, but this must not be the sole reason for the stop. For example, when the authorising officer reasonably believes those likely to be responsible are associated with particular ethnic identities and passes that information on to the officers exercising the powers."

The Guardian has also learned that a national community panel set up to reduce the over-targeting of minority ethnic people was abolished in summer. It had been under the wing of the home office, but the last government transferred it to the National Policing Improvement Agency. Local panels were intended to replace it but they are not yet functioning.

Stops carried out under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have already been dropped after the European court of human rights struck them down. Last year over 100,000 stops were carried out under section 44, without police making a single arrest for terrorism.

The American civil rights leader Rev Jesse Jackson has said Britain's moral authority is being damaged by the government's failure to stop the police discriminating against ethnic minorities

Isabella Sankey, policy director for Liberty, said: "It makes no sense to tighten up section 44 stop and search while making section 60 more discriminatory. A young, black man is already 26 times more likely to be stopped and searched under section 60 than his white counterparts – we urge ministers to think again."



The Guardian

Man jailed for posting racist video clips on YouTube (UK)

A man has been jailed for 15 months for uploading racist video clips on to YouTube.

Gareth Hemingway, 29, of Bognor Regis, earlier pleaded guilty to five offences under the Public Order Act at Leeds Crown Court.

The clips called for a "racial holy war" and were designed to provoke violence against ethnic minorities, particularly in Dewsbury.

When he was arrested, police found Nazi and racist memorabilia at his home.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the material came to the attention of police when a journalist researching Dewsbury on the internet came across videos Hemingway, of Longford Road, had posted and reported them.
Racist imagery

The CPS said they included titles such as 'red, white and blue through and through' and 'Dewsbury needs help'.

They also featured racist references and imagery including an assault on a black man by a white man.

Stuart Laidlaw, reviewing lawyer for the CPS, said: "Gareth Hemingway decided to use the very public forum of YouTube to distribute videos of racist and inflammatory nature which he had edited, and which were designed to provoke violence against ethnic minorities, particularly those living in Dewsbury.

"They called for a 'racial holy war', described acts of violence and made supportive references to far right groups such as Combat 18 and Patriots of White European Resistance."

Mr Laidlaw added: "Freedom of speech carries with it responsibilities.

"Publishing something that is abusive and insulting and that is likely to stir racial hatred is against the law and the CPS will work with the police to prosecute robustly anyone who does so."

BBC News

Austrian intel agency engulfed in neo-Nazi scandal

Verfassungsschutz agent reportedly has close ties to neo-Nazi website; Jewish editor questions country’s ability to combat radical ideologies.

Austria’s domestic intelligence agency, Verfassungsschutz, which is responsible for combating terrorism and neo-Nazi extremism, was plagued by disclosures last week in an APA news report of one of its agents having close ties to the leading neo-Nazi website alpen-donau.info and the Austrian far-right extremist movement.

Rudolf Gollia, a spokesman for Austria’s Interior Ministry, told The Jerusalem Post during a telephone conversation on Friday that intelligence agent Josef Fertschai is continuing to work for the ministry and there is no reason “to sever ties” with him because his son, Benjamin Fertschai, is active on the “right-wing nationalist” scene.

While the Austrian media have not revealed the full names of the agent and his son, the Post obtained them from sources in Vienna. The Austrian Interior Ministry transferred Josef Fertschai this summer from its intelligence division to a new position in the ministry.

According to the APA, there are indications that the neo-Nazi site received sensitive information about the activities of the domestic intelligence agency, leading to Fertschai as the leak. The alpendonau.info website is widely considered to be one of the leading neo-Nazi sites in Central Europe, and frequently incites hard-core hatred against Jews.

Gollia told the Post that although the site is a German-language homepage, the server is in the US. According to Austrian media reports, the police have jump-started searches of homes connected to alpen-donau.info in a number of Austrian regional states. Gollia said the site contains “anti-Semitic content.”

Critics in Austria and Israel have long slammed Austrian officials for failing to crack down on alpendonau.info and its anti-Jewish content.

Samuel Laster, the editor-in-chief of the Vienna-based online Jewish news site Die Jüdische, told the Post on Friday that the site had termed him a “dirty Jew.” Laster, who has over the years published articles documenting and criticizing the anti-Semitic tirades appearing on alpen-donau.info, has been the subject of threats from the extreme right-wing website.

Earlier this year, the neo-Nazi site issued a death threat against the spokeswoman for the Austrian chapter of Stop the Bomb, which seeks to halt the Iran’s nuclear program and promote Israel’s security.

Laster told the Post that “apparently, the people from the Interior Ministry have not told the truth to the media... There is a complaint against the father as well as the son, and both are the subject of an investigation.”

Given the links between Austria’s extreme far-right scene and an agency responsible for fighting the right-wing extremists, “How should people feel protected against the dangers of terror?” Laster asked. “How many other Nazi moles are involved in the security structures?” The Austrian authorities are “insensitive toward the victims“ of Nazis, said Laster. He noted that a representative of Austria’s public prosecutor had said that “it is not our goal to shut down the website.”

Laster raised further question marks over Austria’s ability to combat radical ideologies such as Islamic terror.

One of Austria’s largest political parties, the FPÖ (Austrian Freedom Party), has strong ties to Austria’s neo-Nazi scene. FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache has an affinity for neo-Nazi groups, and has in the past attended events organized by the Viking Youth in Germany, a radical nationalistic group that has since been outlawed.

The FPÖ has associations with Holocaust deniers, and scored dramatic vote results in this year’s Vienna mayoral election.

The party is also represented in the Austrian federal parliament.

The Jerusalem Post 

Neo-Nazis Rally For Arizona Immigration Law (USA)

 A Neo-Nazi march held in favor of Arizona's SB-1070 immigration law in Phoenix over the weekend was disrupted by equal rights activists in what quickly devolved into a mob scene.

Members of the National Socialist Movement were heavily outnumbered by protesters who confronted the Neo-Nazi parade on its way to the federal courthouse. Police arrived in riot gear to separate the two factions, a move that was followed by multiple injuries and the arrests of two protesters who threw rocks at officers.

In the video, the Neo-Nazi march organizer, J.T. Ready, can be seen explaining to a group of protesters that the assault of his members is not acceptable.

Ready reportedly shares a connection to SB-1070 architect and Arizona state Rep. Russell Pearce (R).

Though Pearce denied having knowledge of Ready's involvement with the National Socialist Movement during his alleged proximity to the group's organizer in 2007, when Ready was in the midst of being ousted from a low-level GOP post, a video released last year showed Pearce in attendance at a 2009 rally headlined by Ready.

As ThinkProgress points out, the alliance between white-supremacy groups and Arizona's anti-illegal immigration legislation appears to be more than a matter of personal associations.

According to an immigration report from change.org earlier this year, numerous groups linked to white nationalist causes have provided monetary support to Arizona's SB-1070, both in its early stages as well as to its legal defense fund.

Huffington Post

Birmingham conference to tackle hate crime (UK)

Fiona Pilkington (left) and her daughter Francecca Hardwick

A national conference to tackle hate crime is to get under way in Birmingham later this week.

The event, run by the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit (BRAMU), takes place in the city centre on Thursday.

BRAMU wants to eradicate all forms of prejudice based on race, religion, disability or sexual orientation.

The government has said it wants all different types of hate crime brought under one banner so it is easier to record how many people report abuse.

A spokeswoman for BRAMU said following the death of Fiona Pilkington in 2007 hate crime had become a top priority for police and the criminal justice system.

The 38-year-old from Leicestershire killed herself and her disabled daughter after suffering years of abuse from local youths.

The conference aims to bring individual agencies and victims of crime together to discuss the challenges.

BBC News

Anger as BNP gives speech to kids of 10 (UK)

A Euro Mp from the racist BNP has given a speech to Sea Cadets - sparking outrage among parents.

Former National Front chairman Andrew Brons - who sits with BNP chief Nick Griffin in the European parliament - was guest of honour at a prize-giving ceremony.

Horrified staff and guests watched as Brons shook hands with the cadets - some as young as 10 - and gave the main speech of the evening.

Brons, 63, steered clear of the BNP's more extreme themes but told his impressionable audience in Doncaster, S Yorks: "Preparing from one's youth and even one's childhood to be equipped mentally, physically and by training to protect one's country is about as serious as one can get."

The BNP leadership quickly seized the opportunity to hijack the event - publishing an article about Brons' speech on the party's website.

One member said: "Another example of how the party, and the ideas attached to it, is slowly but steadily becoming more mainstream." Sea Cadets bosses have launched an investigation after condemning Brons' appearance. Brons said : "There were no political messages."

The Mirror

Police to investigate mosque protest (UK)

Police say they will investigate the protests which took place outside a Portsmouth mosque on Saturday.
Scores of demonstrators gathered outside Portsmouth's Jami Mosque. They were protesting after a small group of Muslims - not from the city - burned poppies in London during the two minutes' silence on Armistice Day.

The protest, led by former soldier David Tallard, congregated outside the mosque at midday and numbered about 40.

It broke for Pompey's home game against Doncaster, and gathered again shortly after 5pm this time with about 100 taking part.

Peace protesters who had heard about the protest also gathered outside the mosque.

Shouting between the two groups then ensued with firecrackers, an egg and a golf ball being thrown into the peace campaigners.

There was a strong police presence with one man from the demonstrators being arrested after a confrontation. He has now been bailed.

A 6ft poppy had also been graffitied on the mosque the day before.

Portsmouth police commander, Chief Superintendent Nigel Hindle said: 'The majority of those taking part in the demo's did so peacefully however there were a number of objects thrown and we did make one arrest for a public order offence.

'We will now be reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to find those who did commit offences. People can be assured we will track those responsible down and deal with them appropriately.'

'As a precaution following yesterday's protests additional resources were put in place today (Sunday) as a measured response. This was to make sure the Remembrance Day service in the city passed off peacefully – which we are pleased to say it did.

'Extra officers will continue to be present in the areas around the city's mosques today to ensure public safety and provide reassurance to the whole community.'

The Muslim community in Portsmouth said they condemned the burning of the poppies and that they would have joined any protest, had it not been directed at the Jami Mosque.

Akf Suyeb, of the mosque, said: 'When these people are pointing their fingers at us about this, it's not right.
'We condemn the people who burnt the poppies, and we do show our respect to the people who died in war.

'After all, Indian people, Muslim people, also died during the first and second world wars. We should remember that.

'As Muslims, we are not allowed to wear images of animals, but flowers are fine.

'And we would have been happy to have a poppy painted on the mosque - but it was graffiti, and they should have asked our permission before painting on our building.

'We would have absolutely joined in a protest, because the Muslim community condemns this act, but not when it is against our mosque.'

Former soldier Mr Tallard, 25, who was injured while serving in Iraq in 2004, insisted the protest was not racially motivated despite the location outside the mosque on Victoria Road South.

He said: 'It is a busy road, and someone had already painted a poppy on the outside of the mosque. This protest has nothing to do with religion.

'We just don't want to see poppies being burned. It's just not right.'

A coach-load of members of the English Defence League nationalist group made the trip to Southsea from London to join in the protest.

The EDL has a reputation for anti-Muslim protests and acts, though the group insists it only opposes Muslim extremists.

Mr Tallard, who served as a private with the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment, added: 'I don't know too much about the EDL but I do agree with some of what they say and it was good to see them here giving us their support.'

Simon Magorian, of the Unite Against Fascism group, said he believed the poppy issue had been 'hijacked' by members of the EDL.

He said: 'They don't care about it, they just want to stir up as much ill feeling against Islam as possible.'

Portsmouth News

Mass. Woman under Police Watch after Video of 'Racist Attack' on Mailman Goes Viral (USA)

A Massachusetts woman was put under police watch Saturday after a video of her allegedly attacking a mailman and using racist language made her the target of an internet hate campaign, the Boston Herald reported.

Erika Winchester, 60, was seen in the video demanding that former mail carrier Jean Hugson take back a certified letter for which she had signed. When Hugson refuses to take back the letter, Winchester is seen repeatedly using the n-word, telling him that African Americans “turn on each other." She also appears to slap Hugson in the face.

After footage of the 2009 incident was uploaded last month to YouTube, users tracked down and posted on the web details of Winchester’s home address in Hingham, Mass., and her phone number. The video was posted on several national blogs last week.

Harassment from users of web forums like 4Chan prompted police to put her under watch. “Because of the attention that this has gotten in the media, we feel she needs to have protection over there right now,” Hingham police Lt. Michael Peraino said.

Entertainment website Gawker called the phone number listed for Winchester on YouTube early Saturday morning and spoke with a woman who sounded like Winchester. The woman told Gawker it had called a pizza parlor.

Hugson was fired from his Postal Service position in November 2009, a month after the videotaped incident. US Postal Services spokeswoman Christine Dugas said his termination had nothing to do with the video.

Winchester is a former off-Broadway actress and singer who has a history of run-ins with the law, including an incident at a fundraiser in which she threatened to shoot people with a machine gun and told the officer who arrested her for disorderly conduct that she would “chop off” his genitals.

MyFoxPhilly.com

War Horse stagehand claims racist bullying behind the scenes (UK)

A stagehand who worked behind the scenes on the critically acclaimed West End production War Horse is pursuing a case for wrongful dismissal after blowing the whistle on an alleged culture of drunkenness and racism, which he claimed was making life traumatic for cast and crew.

Leon Donnelly, who has worked backstage and as a writer and actor for many years, claimed that a number of his former colleagues at the New London theatre – until recently owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber – would come into work drunk. When he complained, he alleged, he was subjected to swearing, threats and racial abuse about his Irish ancestry.

Even more disturbingly, he added, he and others were plagued by mystery "accidents" such as hammers being dropped from platforms above the stage. In one incident, Donnelly alleged, he narrowly escaped serious injury when a full-size replica first world war tank was dropped "intentionally" on his legs.

Donnelly says he was so appalled by the behaviour, and by the management's failure to condemn it, that he made direct contact with Lloyd Webber and the National Theatre, where War Horse made its West End debut in 2007.

He was then sacked for breaching confidentiality with his "damaging and derogatory" remarks and for having recorded conversations with his line manager.

"I have done nothing wrong, yet I was sacked as a malicious troublemaker when all I wanted was for managers in the theatre, the home of liberal arts, to step in and stop what was going on before their eyes.

"I didn't want an actor or member of staff to be injured or killed because we have drunks on the stage crew," said Donnelly, who was offered a £25,000 payoff in return for his silence, an offer which he turned down.

Donnelly is not the only person to have voiced concern over the backstage culture at War Horse, the first world war drama impressing audiences with its depiction of the horrors of war for both men and animals.

Carlos Cruz, a former stagehand who took up a formal grievance with the theatre management and has since left the UK following a financial settlement, claimed to have been ridiculed because of his nationality, called "Manuel" and a "fucking Spanish waiter".

He also said that he had been told his mountain bike was "a bit gay" because of its pink lock, and had one night found it plastered with pink stickers.

Cruz's abuse allegedly climaxed backstage when he was head-butted by one of the gang while being restrained by another. He needed hospital treatment and gave a statement to the police, but the gang produced three witnesses to say that he struck first. He dropped the case when the police warned that he might be charged with assault.

For his part, Donnelly claimed he narrowly missed being seriously injured while working on the play, which has potentially lethal sets, including giant puppet warhorses and a replica tank. He said that, during a performance in November last year, he was underneath the replica tank connecting up hydraulics that make it move. "Before I was finished one of the gang intentionally dropped the tank, hitting me heavily on the knees," he said.

The play, a stage adaptation of the book by former children's laureate Michael Morpurgo that centres on the relationship between a young farmhand and his horse Joey, moved to the New London Theatre last year after two sell-out seasons at the National Theatre.

Two weeks ago Lord Lloyd-Webber's Really Useful Group sold four theatres, including the New London.

It is understood that just one of the men at the centre of Donnelly's allegations is still employed on War Horse.

A spokeswoman for the Really Useful Group refused to comment.

The Guardian

Woman shouted racist abuse at playing children (UK)

A woman told two young Asian children wearing headscarves they were "dumb people from dumb Islam" before swearing at them at a Bristol shopping centre.

Lisa Jarvis made fun of the youngsters, aged nine and 12, in an unprovoked outburst as they played outside a shop in Knowle, Bristol Magistrates' Court heard.

The brother and sister, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were playing on a moving toy machine at the Broadwalk Shopping Centre when Jarvis, 39, began to poke fun at them by mimicking their dancing. Magistrates were told she then began pointing at their headscarves and saying "look at that on your head" to one of the children.

When one of the youngsters ran inside a shop to a parent, the other was mocked by Jarvis, who said "dumb people from dumb Islam" before swearing.

She then swore again and called the child a name before saying: "What a dumb religion to follow."

Jane Cooper, prosecuting, said Jarvis was led away from the siblings by security staff but refused to explain her behaviour when she was questioned.

Jarvis, of Queenshill Road, Knowle West, appeared before court to be sentenced for two counts of using abusive words which were religiously or racially aggravated.

Rodney Wilson, defending, said her client was ashamed of her behaviour.

He said: "She originally pleaded not guilty to these offences and denied them because she believes it's not something she would ordinarily do. Her lack of previous convictions tends to support that.

"On this occasion she had argued with her partner and no doubt alcohol played a part. This is a lady who suffers from psychosis and bipolar problems for which she takes medication and is on a methadone script. She has an argument and has difficulty controlling her anger.

"She's remorseful, disgraced and ashamed by her actions and she insists she's not someone with innate religious or racist feelings."

He said his client should be ordered to pay the two victims compensation "to make them feel good about themselves" in the run-up to Christmas.

Magistrates gave Jarvis a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay £100 in compensation to each of her victims and £125 costs.

This is Bristol

ACTIVISTS CALL ON ARCHBISHOPRIC TO CLARIFY LINKS TO RACIST GROUP (Cyprus)

The Archbishopric needs to make clear whether it has been financing far right organisations or not, said migrant rights’ activist Doros Polycarpou yesterday. Speaking at the presentation of a study on racist crimes yesterday, the head of migrant support group KISA called on the Archbishopric to clarify its link, or not, to extreme organisations like those involved in the attack on a group of festival goers at Larnaca promenade last Friday. Polycarpou said he had “unconfirmed reports” that the Archbishopric was financially supporting racist groups. “We have unconfirmed reports that to some degree these organisations are receiving financial assistance from the Archbishopric for their activities,” he said. He called on the church to deny the charges if they were unfounded, adding that the participation of certain groups with connections to the church at last week’s anti-migrant march was a cause for concern. The under-fire NGO representative has been the subject of criticism for last week’s violent clashes after KISA’s decision to hold an anti-racist festival in Larnaca to counter the planned anti-migrant march by extremist organisations.

The police and Polycarpou have exchanged accusations as to who was to blame, with the latter arguing that police were too ill-prepared, under-equipped and unorganised, failing in their duty to keep the two groups apart. KISA handed over photographic and video material to Larnaca CID in the hope of criminal prosecution, reportedly showing members of the public instigating the violence. Polycarpou yesterday said the people involved in the fracas and allegedly identified in the video material were “people that none of us would suspect”. He proceeded to list a Nicosia high school literature teacher, a judge from Greece, a person with a leading role in the Larnaca scouts and an Agriculture Ministry official. He warned that last week’s events revealed that these fringe organisations have now acquired “access to significant people in decision-making centres”. Justice Minister Loucas Louca said yesterday that the police file on last week’s violent episode has been handed over to the Attorney-general to decide on whether any criminal offences were committed, including possible racist crimes. The police will also evaluate whether any disciplinary offences were committed.

Meanwhile, co-author of the report on “Racist and related hate crimes” in Cyprus, Nicos Trimikliniotis, said yesterday that last week’s incident “was not a bolt out of the blue”. Trimikliniotis, from the National Focal Point for Racism and Xenophobia, highlighted the inadequacies of the recording and monitoring of racist related crimes in Cyprus, with real cases exceeding official figures. He estimated that the recent escalation of racist crime was “based on the fact that the measures taken are not effective because the relevant provisions of the law are not being implemented”, adding that the situation was “deteriorating”. Head of the Authority against Racism and Discrimination, Aristos Tsiartas, didn’t hold back in his assessment on the recent violence. “The symbolism of the raw violence shows that the explosion and diffusion of criminal violence unfortunately is winning continuous ground and now taking on alarming proportions,” he said. “Without doubt, the problem of racism and xenophobia is becoming a dangerous issue in Cyprus,” he said, adding that violent racist acts were increasing with the main culprits appearing to be young members of far-right organisations. He said the report compiled by Trimikliniotis and Corina Demetriou was “timely”.

Noting the wide-spread condemnation of last week’s violence, Tsiartas described as “less understandable and somewhat hypocritical” those who, on the one hand, feign surprise and concern, and on the other, systematically reinforce their “bigoted and anti-migrant rhetoric, poisoning society with feelings of insecurity and fear”. A characteristic thread linking all recent cases of racial crime is the lack of punishment of perpetrators. He proceeded to ask: “What sanctions were imposed on those responsible for mass invasion into the homes of migrants in Ipsonas (Limassol) two years ago? What sanctions were imposed on those who attacked en masse, in December 2008, a pupil of African descent in a basketball match? What sanctions were imposed against those who attacked Turkish Cypriots who dared to go down Makarios Avenue (in Nicosia) two years ago? What sanctions were imposed on the perpetrators who attacked an African student on July 20 (2010)? Or the perpetrators of the attack on the building of the Palestinian community in Larnaca last April?” He called on the relevant authorities to record, monitor and tackle racist and hate crimes with decisiveness and resolve. “What comes out of the report is that racist violence against migrants unfortunately is a painful reality of modern Cypriot society,” said Tsiartas. Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou concurred: “From the findings of the report and other studies preceding it, I think you will agree that there is prejudice, there is xenophobia and there is racism.”

Lagging behind
The reort on ‘Racist and related hate crimes’ revealed that Cyprus is lagging far behind in recording, monitoring and dealing with race crimes. “Unfortunately, despite the significant improvements made after EU accession, our country has no tradition of effective recording and monitoring of racist or other hate crimes,” said co-author Nicos Trimikliniotis. The report is based on evidence collected on behalf of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. According to the report, recording racist crime began in 2005 with the police creating “a rather basic mechanism” for recording racial incidents. It notes that the relevant police unit is understaffed and overloaded with other mandates. Co-author Corina Demetriou highlights that since 2005, around five to six racist attacks were recorded on average each year. In reality, cases are much higher but tend to go unreported, either as a result of state inadequacies or the victim’s fear or reluctance to do so. Only two of these cases were prosecuted for racism related offences since 2005 when the recording system came into operation.

Regarding the prosecution of racially motivated crimes, the report notes a number of restrictive factors including: “the dilemma in safeguarding freedom of speech, the wide discretion of the Attorney General to prosecute or not and the negative precedent of the Court acquitting a blatant far right offender in 2005” which made the prosecution authorities reluctant to prosecute offenders for racial crime. “Instead a tendency has developed to prosecute for lesser offences (breach of the peace, assault etc) in order to secure convictions,” it added. Citing research on racial hatred, the report reveals “the negative predisposition of Cypriots towards immigration and towards non-Greek-Cypriots which manifests itself into violence towards particularly vulnerable groups such as the female migrant domestic workers, black footballers at the pitch and Turkish Cypriots”. The study attributes the escalation of racial violence in recent years to the rise in far right extremist elements coupled with the inadequacy of measures to combat racial hatred. “Little is available by way of good practice in this area,” it concludes.

Cyprus Mail

Black and Asian candidates face racism in Westminster, report finds (UK)

Black and Asian people hoping to become MPs face “outright racism” as they struggle to overcome “dinosaur attitudes” among party activists, a report has warned.

In one case a local councillor told a parliamentary candidate, “people like you clean toilets at Heathrow”, while another prospective MP was regularly “marched out” to defend the party against allegations of racism.

The study from Quilliam, the counter-extremism think tank, warned all three major parties that they must work harder to eliminate prejudice from Westminster politics.

Researchers conducted 70 in-depth interviews with MPs, parliamentary candidates, councillors and party members, for the report, Skin-Deep Democracy.

They found that the major parties had made progress in recent years, with a record 27 non-white MPs elected at the May 2010 general election.

However, prejudice and sometimes “outright racism” remained significant hurdles, particularly in the selection of candidates at local level.

George Readings, the report’s co-author, said that promoting the integration of minority groups through involvement in Westminster politics would help tackle extremism in Britain’s “diverse society”.

“It is vital that the parties do all that they can to ensure that everybody who has the talent and desire to become involved in politics can do so, whatever their background,” he said.

“Unfortunately, our report also found a worrying number of examples where dinosaur attitudes held by some individual party members undermined this important goal.”

The study detailed numerous cases in which individuals experienced racism, sexism and religious prejudice during the process for selecting candidates for elections.

One candidate, from a minority background, told the researchers: “A councillor in my local area said to me ‘you’ve come a long way my dear – isn’t it wonderful you’ve been elected [as councillor]? People like you clean toilets in Heathrow’.

“The [local party] officers know about this man and his views – he’s a known bully – but they don’t understand why I’m being so sensitive.”

An Asian candidate described appearing at a selection panel for a predominantly white parliamentary seat as an “absolutely horrific” experience, adding: “Those at the selection were white, middle class, and sneering.”

Another told the researchers that the local party chairman “took me aside and said that they wanted me to stand down because of my gender and my ethnicity”.

More commonly, candidates from ethnic and religious minorities found themselves “pigeonholed” and were deployed in the media to prove that their parties were not racist, the report said.

Some election strategists treated racial or religious groups as a “bloc vote” to be won, rather than addressing the concerns of individual voters.

However, the researchers warned that centrally-imposed positive discrimination in the selection of potential candidates could backfire because it continued to define politicians by their race or religion, rather than ability. Such an approach has been favoured by David Cameron with his “A-List” of candidates for the last election, to the dismay of some grassroots Conservatives.

The report recommended that parties should redouble their efforts to recruit a wide range of new members to bring “new blood” into Westminster politics.

Telegraph

Australian politician Hanson abandons move to UK

Australian anti-immigration firebrand Pauline Hanson on Sunday said she has abandoned plans to move to Britain because "it's overrun with immigrants and refugees".

Hanson, the former One Nation party chief who famously warned that Australia was at risk of being "swamped by Asians", said France was also inundated with foreigners and she had decided to stay in Australia.

"I love England but so many people want to leave there because it's overrun with immigrants and refugees," Hanson, 56, told the Sun Herald newspaper

"France is becoming filled with Muslims and the French and English are losing their way of life because they're controlled by foreigners."

The former fish and chip shop owner in February announced she was emigrating to Britain due to disillusionment with Australia's immigration and trade policies.

The far-right British National Party said Hanson would be "very welcome" in their party, lamenting the "politically correct intimidation and bullying" which had driven her from her home country.

But after a 10-week tour of Europe Hanson said she had decided life in Australia was not so bad.

"Problems are worse over there than they are in Australia," she said.

"Australia is still the best place in the world to live, (though) the same sorts of awful things are happening here too."

Hanson drew international condemnation but briefly won domestic support in the 1990s with her anti-immigration and trade protection policies, before losing her seat in 1998.

She spent several weeks in jail in 2003 for fraudulently spending electoral funds before the judgement was overturned.

In 2007, she ran unsuccessfully for a national Senate seat, switching her target from Asians to Islam and calling for an end to immigration by Muslims to protect "Australian culture".

Last year, Hanson blamed her failure in the Queensland state election on the publication of raunchy photos purportedly taken by an ex-boyfriend. The pictures turned out to be of another woman.

Hanson also hinted at a return to politics, saying she had "constantly" been encouraged by well-wishers in Europe.

"I still haven't got politics out of my system," she said.

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