Racist graffiti was spray-painted by a Hucknall man on a site earmarked for a Muslim mosque, a court has heard.
Christopher Payne (25), of Beardsmore Grove, was also with a gang who paraded a severed pig’s head, daubed with an anti-Muslim message, at the same spot.
Payne appeared at Nottingham Magistrates Court this week and pleaded guilty to causing racially or religiously-aggravated alarm, harassment or distress by words or writing.
He also admitted causing racially-aggravated criminal damage.
Payne is an events organiser for the English Defence League (EDL) — a group that claims to protect against “radical Islam’s encroachment into the lives of non-Muslims”.
In court, he admitted spray-painting the slogan ‘No Mosque Here EDL Notts’ on the pavement at the site near Collington Way, off Derby Road, West Bridgford.
He denied placing the pig’s head on a four-foot high, yellow pole at the location. But he admitte he had been part of the group that travelled to the spot with the head.
The graffiti was discovered on Thursday last week (June 23) by a member of the public along with a severed pig’s head. Payne was arrested last Saturday.
The court heard he was in a pub in Clifton with fellow members of the EDL when he received a text-message from a friend who had the pig’s head.
Daniel Pietryka (prosecuting), said: “It was brought to the pub in a bin liner.”
Mr Pietryka said Payne admitted to the graffiti but had wanted no involvement in placing the pig’s head.
Robert Keeble (defending) said: “Mr Payne accepts that, on arrival, he did use a can of spray paint to write the graffiti on the pavement. He says he did nothing else after that.
“He accepts he received communication from another and that he accepted the pig’s head when it was brought to the pub.
“He accepts that he knew what was going on and did nothing to prevent it.”
District Judge Morris Cooper adjourned sentencing of Payne until Thursday July 21 so a pre-sentence report could be produced by probation officers.
But he warned the 25-year-old that all sentencing options were still open, including custody.
He told him: “You were involved in a course of conduct with others which involved the display of this pig’s head on a stake with grossly offensive comments written on it.”
Payne was granted conditional bail, despite police concerns. He is subject to a curfew between 10 pm and 5 am daily.
He has also been ordered to stay out of West Bridgford and must not go within 200 metres of a mosque.
Payne must also have no public association with the English Defence League.
THREE other men, including Wayne Havercroft, of Bestwood Village, have also been charged in connection with the racist behaviour.
Havercroft (31) appeared at Nottingham Magistrates Court alongside Nicholas Long (21), of Arnold, and Robert Parnham (19), of Clifton.
The trio admitted causing religiously aggravated alarm, harassment or distress. But all three denied a second charge of religiously-aggravated criminal damage.
Their cases were adjourned until Monday September 5 when they will appear at the court again.
Hucknall Dispatch
Friday, 1 July 2011
Anti-Islam insults 'not acceptable' in city protest march (UK)
Muslim leaders say insults against Islam during a march in Cambridge by the English Defence League (EDL) will not be acceptable.
The newly-formed Cambridge Muslim Council has issued a policy statement in response to the far-right group’s rally on Saturday, July 9.
It has also called on Muslims not to take part in the counter-protest arranged by Unite Against Fascism and the Trades Union Council.
Muslims are being urged not to resort to violence and to ignore any taunts from the marchers protesting against the building of a mosque in Mill Road.
The group’s emergency response committee said: “We wholeheartedly embrace everyone’s democratic right to freedom of expression. Nevertheless we emphasise that with this right comes responsibility. We hope the sensitivities of the Muslim community will not be infringed.
“The usage of disparaging remarks, insults or any incendiary allusion to our beliefs, values, or to any of what Muslims hold sacred, will not be acceptable.
“The Muslim community will not resort to any counter-protest or deploy any violent means.”
It also announced “routine affairs within the mosques will not be suspended on the day” but added: “We have serious concerns about the safety and security of sites of religious importance, properties and members of our community.
“We are ready to extend all possible co-operation to the police and emergency services to ensure nothing untoward happens in that hour of extreme urgency.
“We request all members of the wider Muslim community (local and national) to show their support through solidarity of ideals rather than violent altercation on the day.
“We encourage them to engage their local community in constructive dialogue.”
It appealed to Muslim groups outside Cambridge not to come for the march.
Mirza Baig, vice-chairman of the council, told the News: “We hope it will be business as usual in Cambridge on the day of the march and ask Muslim groups outside of Cambridge to stay away. We do not want to make this march more than it is.”
Police have said they will not tolerate violence.
EDL leader Tommy Robinson expects around 400 protesters.
A member of the group was refused a breakfast booking for 1,000 people at The Regal pub, St Andrew’s Street.
Cambridge news
The newly-formed Cambridge Muslim Council has issued a policy statement in response to the far-right group’s rally on Saturday, July 9.
It has also called on Muslims not to take part in the counter-protest arranged by Unite Against Fascism and the Trades Union Council.
Muslims are being urged not to resort to violence and to ignore any taunts from the marchers protesting against the building of a mosque in Mill Road.
The group’s emergency response committee said: “We wholeheartedly embrace everyone’s democratic right to freedom of expression. Nevertheless we emphasise that with this right comes responsibility. We hope the sensitivities of the Muslim community will not be infringed.
“The usage of disparaging remarks, insults or any incendiary allusion to our beliefs, values, or to any of what Muslims hold sacred, will not be acceptable.
“The Muslim community will not resort to any counter-protest or deploy any violent means.”
It also announced “routine affairs within the mosques will not be suspended on the day” but added: “We have serious concerns about the safety and security of sites of religious importance, properties and members of our community.
“We are ready to extend all possible co-operation to the police and emergency services to ensure nothing untoward happens in that hour of extreme urgency.
“We request all members of the wider Muslim community (local and national) to show their support through solidarity of ideals rather than violent altercation on the day.
“We encourage them to engage their local community in constructive dialogue.”
It appealed to Muslim groups outside Cambridge not to come for the march.
Mirza Baig, vice-chairman of the council, told the News: “We hope it will be business as usual in Cambridge on the day of the march and ask Muslim groups outside of Cambridge to stay away. We do not want to make this march more than it is.”
Police have said they will not tolerate violence.
EDL leader Tommy Robinson expects around 400 protesters.
A member of the group was refused a breakfast booking for 1,000 people at The Regal pub, St Andrew’s Street.
Cambridge news
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Seven anti-facists face jail for an attack on two 'Nazis' (UK)
Seven anti-fascist protesters are facing jail today for plotting to ambush two men making their way to a 'neo-Nazi' event.
The masked and hooded demonstrators lined a railway platform waiting for their targets to get off a train, and attacked on hearing the command: "Kill the Nazis", the court heard.
Patrick O'Donovan was punched and kicked to the ground and his companion Michael Heihl was chased onto the tracks at Welling station, Kent, the jury was told.
Ringleader Andrew Baker, 40, Ravinder Gill, 39, Sean Cregan, 44, Philip de Sousa, 37, Austen Jackson, 40, Thomas Blak, 34, and Jonathan Wood, 22, were convicted of conspiring to commit violent disorder.
Four others were cleared after a trial at Blackfriars Crown court. The seven found guilty will be sentenced in August and face a maximum sentence of five years.
Mr O'Donovan and Mr Heihl were set upon as they made their way to a nearby pub in March 2009 which was holding a rock concert organised by the reight wing extremists Blood and Honour.
The defendants had earlier joined up to 35,000 demonstrators on a Put People First march through central London as part of the G20 protests.
They met at London Bridge station before travelling by train to their intended target.
During the trial, Mark Trafford, prosecuting, said: "Whatever these people's actual views about life, politics or anything else, whatever groups they may or may not be members of, they didn't deserve to be attacked in this way. The attack was vicious."
Police later used mobile phone records and CCTV footage to link the attackers to the scene.
Baker, of Basildon, Blak, of Hackney, Wood, of Leeds, Jackson, of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, Gill, of Bedford, Cregan, of Streatham, and de Sousa, of Brighton, were found guilty of conspiring to commit violent disorder.
This is London
The masked and hooded demonstrators lined a railway platform waiting for their targets to get off a train, and attacked on hearing the command: "Kill the Nazis", the court heard.
Patrick O'Donovan was punched and kicked to the ground and his companion Michael Heihl was chased onto the tracks at Welling station, Kent, the jury was told.
Ringleader Andrew Baker, 40, Ravinder Gill, 39, Sean Cregan, 44, Philip de Sousa, 37, Austen Jackson, 40, Thomas Blak, 34, and Jonathan Wood, 22, were convicted of conspiring to commit violent disorder.
Four others were cleared after a trial at Blackfriars Crown court. The seven found guilty will be sentenced in August and face a maximum sentence of five years.
Mr O'Donovan and Mr Heihl were set upon as they made their way to a nearby pub in March 2009 which was holding a rock concert organised by the reight wing extremists Blood and Honour.
The defendants had earlier joined up to 35,000 demonstrators on a Put People First march through central London as part of the G20 protests.
They met at London Bridge station before travelling by train to their intended target.
During the trial, Mark Trafford, prosecuting, said: "Whatever these people's actual views about life, politics or anything else, whatever groups they may or may not be members of, they didn't deserve to be attacked in this way. The attack was vicious."
Police later used mobile phone records and CCTV footage to link the attackers to the scene.
Baker, of Basildon, Blak, of Hackney, Wood, of Leeds, Jackson, of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, Gill, of Bedford, Cregan, of Streatham, and de Sousa, of Brighton, were found guilty of conspiring to commit violent disorder.
This is London
BNP chief leads Mr Monkey protest at town hall (UK)
The leader of the British National Party (BNP) was in South Tyneside yesterday to make a town hall protest over taxpayers’ cash being used to unmask a mystery blogger.
The Mr Monkey blog has made vile and malicious comments about councillors, South Tyneside Council officers, and other figures in the borough, which led to landmark proceedings forcing social network giant Twitter to hand over personal information – including that of Coun Ahmed Khan.
Council chiefs are insisting less than £75,000 was used to fund the fight, and plaintiffs have said that money would be paid back from any proceeds of libel action.
But Nick Griffin and about 30 members of his party – one dressed in a monkey costume – were on the steps of South Shields Town Hall claiming that figure was likely to be £250,000.
Mr Griffin also made allegations about the Shields Gazette, claiming the paper had not covered the issue in depth – despite a number of front-page stories. Mr Griffin, who was in the region for a meeting, said: “I’m here today to let the South Tyneside public know exactly how their money is being spent.
“The council cannot sue for libel, and instead have put their legal action in the names of councillors and an employee. It’s a waste of the taxpayers’ cash, and everyone should be aware of this.
“The support we have received while standing here has been very positive.” Police were present at the demonstration, which lasted about 30 minutes, and one man was arrested for a public order offence after throwing an egg at a BNP member. The 42-year-old was later released with no further action.
However, not all passers-by realised the stunt was in connection with the online blog.
A 28-year-old man said: “To be honest, I saw the BNP and then saw a man in a monkey suit. I just assumed they were being derogatory towards certain races.
“It wasn’t until I stood for a good few minutes and listened to what Griffin was saying that I realised it was connected to the blog, which I admit I don’t know that much about, but had heard of. I guess in a way I do see what they’re trying to achieve, because I do think it was a waste of cash, which could be spent on more worthy things.
“But then it’s also wrong that some people had to put up with awful things being published about themselves. It’s a tricky one.”
Gazette editor John Szymanski said: “The Gazette has continued to inform the South Tyneside public about the Monkey blog and efforts to unmask its author.
“We have carried in-depth and extensive coverage both in the newspaper and online about the fight to stop this blog in its tracks.
“This ludicrous publicity stunt by the BNP shows what a clearly ill-informed and misguided party it really is. Thankfully, the BNP holds little sway in South Tyneside and has very little influence with its nonsensical claims and extremist rantings.”
A police spokesman said: “Police in South Tyneside were informed about a protest and carried out the role of monitoring the situation to ensure all parties involved behaved in a lawful manner.
“As expected, the event was peaceful and passed smoothly.”
South Tyneside Council declined to comment.
Shields Gazette
The Mr Monkey blog has made vile and malicious comments about councillors, South Tyneside Council officers, and other figures in the borough, which led to landmark proceedings forcing social network giant Twitter to hand over personal information – including that of Coun Ahmed Khan.
Council chiefs are insisting less than £75,000 was used to fund the fight, and plaintiffs have said that money would be paid back from any proceeds of libel action.
But Nick Griffin and about 30 members of his party – one dressed in a monkey costume – were on the steps of South Shields Town Hall claiming that figure was likely to be £250,000.
Mr Griffin also made allegations about the Shields Gazette, claiming the paper had not covered the issue in depth – despite a number of front-page stories. Mr Griffin, who was in the region for a meeting, said: “I’m here today to let the South Tyneside public know exactly how their money is being spent.
“The council cannot sue for libel, and instead have put their legal action in the names of councillors and an employee. It’s a waste of the taxpayers’ cash, and everyone should be aware of this.
“The support we have received while standing here has been very positive.” Police were present at the demonstration, which lasted about 30 minutes, and one man was arrested for a public order offence after throwing an egg at a BNP member. The 42-year-old was later released with no further action.
However, not all passers-by realised the stunt was in connection with the online blog.
A 28-year-old man said: “To be honest, I saw the BNP and then saw a man in a monkey suit. I just assumed they were being derogatory towards certain races.
“It wasn’t until I stood for a good few minutes and listened to what Griffin was saying that I realised it was connected to the blog, which I admit I don’t know that much about, but had heard of. I guess in a way I do see what they’re trying to achieve, because I do think it was a waste of cash, which could be spent on more worthy things.
“But then it’s also wrong that some people had to put up with awful things being published about themselves. It’s a tricky one.”
Gazette editor John Szymanski said: “The Gazette has continued to inform the South Tyneside public about the Monkey blog and efforts to unmask its author.
“We have carried in-depth and extensive coverage both in the newspaper and online about the fight to stop this blog in its tracks.
“This ludicrous publicity stunt by the BNP shows what a clearly ill-informed and misguided party it really is. Thankfully, the BNP holds little sway in South Tyneside and has very little influence with its nonsensical claims and extremist rantings.”
A police spokesman said: “Police in South Tyneside were informed about a protest and carried out the role of monitoring the situation to ensure all parties involved behaved in a lawful manner.
“As expected, the event was peaceful and passed smoothly.”
South Tyneside Council declined to comment.
Shields Gazette
Minister apologises to Roma gypsy family for police brutality (Serbia)
Serbian police minister Ivica Dacic Tuesday issued an apology to a Roma family for police brutality in a case that shocked the public and sparked protests by human rights organisations. Dacic received a Roma youth, Danijel Stojanovic and his father Gani, after it was discovered that Danijel was brutally beaten by police in the eastern city of Vrsac four years ago. The scandal wound up on the popular Youtube video-sharing website and caught public attention after one of three policemen who took part in the beating sold his mobile telephone on which he filmed the beating in Vrsac police station.
Apologizing to Danijel, now 22, Dacic said two police officers had been arrested over the beating and legal proceedings were under way for a third who had in the meantime retired, Dacic said. Police claimed Stojanovic and his father were involved in criminal activities, but Dacic said these allegations could not justify the policemen’s brutal behaviour. “It is in the public interest that citizens think well of police, not badly,” Dacic said. “I hope this event will be a turning point for police and for the Stojanovic family and that all will draw a lesson from it,” he added. Police brutality was widespread in Serbia due a lack of reform including internal controls, according to Ivan Kuzmanovic, an official from Serbia’s Helsinki Committee for Human Rights group.
His organization had interviewed about 300 prisoners in Serbian jails and more than 200 of them complained that they had been subject to “some sort of torture” by police, Kuzmanovic told Belgrade television B92.
Adnkronos
Apologizing to Danijel, now 22, Dacic said two police officers had been arrested over the beating and legal proceedings were under way for a third who had in the meantime retired, Dacic said. Police claimed Stojanovic and his father were involved in criminal activities, but Dacic said these allegations could not justify the policemen’s brutal behaviour. “It is in the public interest that citizens think well of police, not badly,” Dacic said. “I hope this event will be a turning point for police and for the Stojanovic family and that all will draw a lesson from it,” he added. Police brutality was widespread in Serbia due a lack of reform including internal controls, according to Ivan Kuzmanovic, an official from Serbia’s Helsinki Committee for Human Rights group.
His organization had interviewed about 300 prisoners in Serbian jails and more than 200 of them complained that they had been subject to “some sort of torture” by police, Kuzmanovic told Belgrade television B92.
Adnkronos
Neo-Nazi violence up in eastern Germany: Report
Neo-Nazi violence is on the rise in eastern Germany even though overall national figures are down, Die Welt newspaper reported quoting an official report due out on Friday.
While acts of neo-Nazi violence dropped by 14.5 per cent nationwide in 2010 compared to the previous year, they were up 4.8 per cent in the five eastern states which used to form former communist East Germany, the paper said quoting a yearly report by the Office for the Defence of the Constitution.
Out of a total of 706 violent acts by extremist right-wingers, 306 - or 40 per cent - were carried out in the economically depressed former East Germany which is home to just 15 per cent of the country's population.
The eastern state most affected by violence in 2010 was Saxony-Anhalt where a neo-Nazi party this year narrowly failed to win the five per cent of the vote needed to enter the local parliament.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a domestic intelligence service, said the number of extreme right-wingers had fallen by 1,600 to some 25,000 nationwide.
The Straits Times
While acts of neo-Nazi violence dropped by 14.5 per cent nationwide in 2010 compared to the previous year, they were up 4.8 per cent in the five eastern states which used to form former communist East Germany, the paper said quoting a yearly report by the Office for the Defence of the Constitution.
Out of a total of 706 violent acts by extremist right-wingers, 306 - or 40 per cent - were carried out in the economically depressed former East Germany which is home to just 15 per cent of the country's population.
The eastern state most affected by violence in 2010 was Saxony-Anhalt where a neo-Nazi party this year narrowly failed to win the five per cent of the vote needed to enter the local parliament.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a domestic intelligence service, said the number of extreme right-wingers had fallen by 1,600 to some 25,000 nationwide.
The Straits Times
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Neo Nazi bomber loses sentencing appeal (UK)
David Copeland was given six life sentences in June 2000 for a blast at a Soho pub which killed Andrea Dykes, 27 of Tarragona Mews, Colchester, John Light, 32, of Mill Street, Colchester and Nik Moore, who lived in Suffolk.
Yesterday, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said there was nothing wrong with a sentence that will mean Copeland, now 35, will stay in prison at least until he is in his seventies.
Sitting at the Court of Appeal with Mr Justice Owen and Mr Justice Walker, he said Copeland’s crimes were of the most serious kind.
He said Mr Justice Burton, who set Copeland’s minimum term of 50 years back in 2007, was right to call the murders “exceptionally grave”.
He said: “It is difficult to exaggerate the horror of these appalling crimes, which stemmed, as far as we can see, from the appellant’s abhorrent beliefs.
“Having reflected on this awful case, we have come to the conclusion that the appeal should be dismissed.”
When police searched Copeland’s bedroom they found walls adorned with Nazi flags.
On April 30, 1999 Copeland, who grew up in Hampshire, planted three bombs in London.
The first two, in Brixton and Brick Lane, failed to detonate but the third, at the Admiral Duncan, a gay pub, caused three fatalities and many serious injuries.
At the time, bingo hall worker Mrs Dykes, husband Julian and friend Mr Light, who had just been asked to be their unborn child’s godfather, were having a drink before going to watch Abba musical Mamma Mia.
Mr Dykes, a computer programmer, suffered serious injuries, of including extensive burns and nails lodged in his lungs.
He had been left in a coma for weeks, unaware his wife and child had been murdered.
Daily Gazette
EDL Jewish division leader Roberta Moore quits (UK)
The hardline activist at the forefront of the "Jewish Division" of the extreme right-wing English Defence League has announced that she does not wish to be a part of it any longer because of Nazi elements within it.
Roberta Moore, who has led the Jewish Division since it was launched more than a year ago, was accused earlier this month of being a divisive figure in the EDL.
Ms Moore had attempted to co-ordinate her efforts with those of the far-right American Jewish Task Force, whose leader Victor Vancier has been imprisoned for terrorism offences. The move, in February, was heavily criticised by the EDL leadership.
In a statement which she posted on Facebook, the Brazilian-born Ms Moore said she had been offered work on "an international level" elsewhere and so had decided to step down from the Jewish Division.
Although she described the EDL as "doing a fantastic job" she said the party had been hijacked by elements who wanted to use it "for their own Nazi purposes".
Ms Moore said she still supported the EDL leaders and "all the genuine patriots out there who struggle to get their voices heard" but added that she no longer wished to be a part of it.
"I sincerely hope that the leaders will get the strength to squash the Nazis within," she said.
"They will destroy this movement if allowed to remain."
Jewish Chronicle
Roberta Moore, who has led the Jewish Division since it was launched more than a year ago, was accused earlier this month of being a divisive figure in the EDL.
Ms Moore had attempted to co-ordinate her efforts with those of the far-right American Jewish Task Force, whose leader Victor Vancier has been imprisoned for terrorism offences. The move, in February, was heavily criticised by the EDL leadership.
In a statement which she posted on Facebook, the Brazilian-born Ms Moore said she had been offered work on "an international level" elsewhere and so had decided to step down from the Jewish Division.
Although she described the EDL as "doing a fantastic job" she said the party had been hijacked by elements who wanted to use it "for their own Nazi purposes".
Ms Moore said she still supported the EDL leaders and "all the genuine patriots out there who struggle to get their voices heard" but added that she no longer wished to be a part of it.
"I sincerely hope that the leaders will get the strength to squash the Nazis within," she said.
"They will destroy this movement if allowed to remain."
Jewish Chronicle
DUTCH LAWMAKERS VOTE ON RITUAL ANIMAL SLAUGHTER
Animals have to be stunned before being slaughtered in halal or kosher rituals, except if it could be proven they would suffer less without it, Dutch lawmakers decided Tuesday. Dutch law states that all animals must be stunned before being butchered, but has previously made an exception for halal and kosher ritual slaughter. Tabled by the country's Party for the Animals (PvdD), which has two seats in the 150-seat parliament, a majority of the Dutch lower house adopted an amendment abolishing this exception. Parliamentarians, however, also adopted a separate amendment stating that ritual slaughter can be performed without stunning if "independent proof" could be shown that an animal would suffer less if it was not dazed.
Jewish and Muslim representatives insist that ritual slaughter respects animal welfare, citing methods used to limit suffering and arguing that ritual butchers receive expert training. They implored the Dutch government, unsuccessfully, not to change the law as it would impact on their freedom of religion. More than two million animals -- mainly sheep and chickens -- were ritually slaughtered in the Netherlands every year, the PvdD said. Abdelfattah Ali-Salah, director of Halal Correct, the organisation that issues halal certificates in the country, has called this figure "inexact", saying it was closer to 250,000.
AFP
Jewish and Muslim representatives insist that ritual slaughter respects animal welfare, citing methods used to limit suffering and arguing that ritual butchers receive expert training. They implored the Dutch government, unsuccessfully, not to change the law as it would impact on their freedom of religion. More than two million animals -- mainly sheep and chickens -- were ritually slaughtered in the Netherlands every year, the PvdD said. Abdelfattah Ali-Salah, director of Halal Correct, the organisation that issues halal certificates in the country, has called this figure "inexact", saying it was closer to 250,000.
AFP
Brons accuses Griffin of Euro fraud (Hope Not Hate, UK)
Relations between the two BNP MEPs hit an all-time low yesterday when Andrew Brons accused Nick Griffin of attempting to defraud the European Union. In a statement posted on his website, Brons claimed that Griffin has been using European Union funds to bankroll the BNP and support his friends in a clear violation of EU rules.
Brons claimed that in 2009 Griffin asked him to pay half of the office costs for the BNP-front trade union Solidarity, run by Griffin loyalist and former National Front leader Patrick Harrington. Brons refused but he has still been sent a bill to cover 18 months of rent.
He also alleges that Griffin has tried to get him to pay the wages of Christopher Barnet “who was in charge of the Party’s Alfred programme to put canvassing returns onto a data base for future elections.”
Brons refused but was still sent an invoice for £2,000.
The Yorkshire MEP has also revealed that the party is already under investigation for using an EU-funded MEP office as the party headquarters.
It appears that Brons has exposed this alleged corruption ahead of a series of claims of financial mismanagement against him by Griffin.
With the BNP leadership election only weeks away it is clear that the acrimonious split between the two MEPs is going to result in one, undoubtedly Brons, leaving the party.
Hope Not Hate
Brons claimed that in 2009 Griffin asked him to pay half of the office costs for the BNP-front trade union Solidarity, run by Griffin loyalist and former National Front leader Patrick Harrington. Brons refused but he has still been sent a bill to cover 18 months of rent.
He also alleges that Griffin has tried to get him to pay the wages of Christopher Barnet “who was in charge of the Party’s Alfred programme to put canvassing returns onto a data base for future elections.”
Brons refused but was still sent an invoice for £2,000.
The Yorkshire MEP has also revealed that the party is already under investigation for using an EU-funded MEP office as the party headquarters.
It appears that Brons has exposed this alleged corruption ahead of a series of claims of financial mismanagement against him by Griffin.
With the BNP leadership election only weeks away it is clear that the acrimonious split between the two MEPs is going to result in one, undoubtedly Brons, leaving the party.
Hope Not Hate
EDL protesters banned from city centre pub (UK)
English Defence League protesters planning to march on Cambridge have been banned from a city centre pub.
The group tried to book a huge number of breakfasts at The Regal in St Andrew’s Street, but bosses of the biggest bar in the city refused to cater for them, saying the pub will be closed during the demonstration.
The EDL wanted to meet at the pub before its march on Saturday, July 9 – the same day as Big Weekend celebrations on Parker’s Piece.
The group has previously used other pubs in the JD Wetherspoon chain as meeting points.
Sarah Hemingway, The Regal’s manager, said: "They tried to book the pub and were asking for breakfasts for anything from 500 to 1,000 people. We do not want anything to do with this group and refused. We will be closing that day until about 4pm or whenever the police give us the all clear."
She added they had been talking to police and would keep in contact with them throughout the day.
"The EDL have been associated with our pubs in other parts of the country but we do not want to be associated with this group."
Officers are planning how to police the march but have not been told what route the EDL will take.
The group is protesting against the building of a mosque in Mill Road and it is expected the street, which is home to many of the city’s 7,000 Muslims, will be on the route.
Officers expect a city centre protest around noon. A counter demonstration by Unite Against Fascism and the Trades Union Council will meet outside the Guildhall at 11am.
Police have warned protesters they will not tolerate violence.
Inspector Robin Sissons said: "We understand people may be concerned but there will be a police presence on the day and we are planning for a variety of circumstances."
City MP Julian Huppert, Cambridge City Council leader Cllr Sian Reid, mayor Ian Nimmo-Smith and Lib Dem city and county councillors have signed a statement saying the EDL is not welcome.
Cllr Reid said: "There is no place in our city for anyone who does not share our view that diversity enriches our city.
"We are proud to welcome people from different nationalities and different faiths; we believe this is what makes Cambridge such a wonderful city in which to live."
Cambridge News
The group tried to book a huge number of breakfasts at The Regal in St Andrew’s Street, but bosses of the biggest bar in the city refused to cater for them, saying the pub will be closed during the demonstration.
The EDL wanted to meet at the pub before its march on Saturday, July 9 – the same day as Big Weekend celebrations on Parker’s Piece.
The group has previously used other pubs in the JD Wetherspoon chain as meeting points.
Sarah Hemingway, The Regal’s manager, said: "They tried to book the pub and were asking for breakfasts for anything from 500 to 1,000 people. We do not want anything to do with this group and refused. We will be closing that day until about 4pm or whenever the police give us the all clear."
She added they had been talking to police and would keep in contact with them throughout the day.
"The EDL have been associated with our pubs in other parts of the country but we do not want to be associated with this group."
Officers are planning how to police the march but have not been told what route the EDL will take.
The group is protesting against the building of a mosque in Mill Road and it is expected the street, which is home to many of the city’s 7,000 Muslims, will be on the route.
Officers expect a city centre protest around noon. A counter demonstration by Unite Against Fascism and the Trades Union Council will meet outside the Guildhall at 11am.
Police have warned protesters they will not tolerate violence.
Inspector Robin Sissons said: "We understand people may be concerned but there will be a police presence on the day and we are planning for a variety of circumstances."
City MP Julian Huppert, Cambridge City Council leader Cllr Sian Reid, mayor Ian Nimmo-Smith and Lib Dem city and county councillors have signed a statement saying the EDL is not welcome.
Cllr Reid said: "There is no place in our city for anyone who does not share our view that diversity enriches our city.
"We are proud to welcome people from different nationalities and different faiths; we believe this is what makes Cambridge such a wonderful city in which to live."
Cambridge News
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
White-supremacist 'general' gets life for killing (USA)
An East Texas man said by prosecutors to have been a "general" in the white-supremacist Aryan Brotherhood of Texas has been sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering the death of a man and woman.
Prosecutors say Carl Carver ordered the killings of Aryan Brotherhood member David Mitchamore and his girlfriend, Christie Rochelle Brown, over a drug debt Mitchamore owed him. The bodies of the pair were found in Nacogdoches County in August 2007.
The killers, Brent Stalsby and Charles Cameron Frazier, have already been sentenced to life in federal prison. Stalsby's wife, Terry Stalsby, was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for aiding and abetting the killings.
Chron
Prosecutors say Carl Carver ordered the killings of Aryan Brotherhood member David Mitchamore and his girlfriend, Christie Rochelle Brown, over a drug debt Mitchamore owed him. The bodies of the pair were found in Nacogdoches County in August 2007.
The killers, Brent Stalsby and Charles Cameron Frazier, have already been sentenced to life in federal prison. Stalsby's wife, Terry Stalsby, was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for aiding and abetting the killings.
Chron
Israeli police arrest top settler rabbi in racism row
Israeli police detained a leading settler rabbi on Monday in connection with an investigation into his endorsement of a book justifying the killing of non-Jews in some cases, settler officials said.
Several months ago police issued an arrest warrant for Rabbi Dov Lior, the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba and the settlements in Hebron on the West Bank, after he failed to present himself for questioning in an incitement probe.
"I have spoken to police and asked them to free him immediately," Malachi Levinger, the head of Kiryat Arba regional council, told AFP. "This is very serious." Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Lior, who also heads the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria, Israel's term used for the West Bank, is one of the main spiritual ideologues of the settlement movement.
Right-wing activists called on supporters to gather outside various police headquarters for protests later on Monday, an AFP correspondent said.
Levinger said police had told him the detention was in connection with the investigation into the book "The King's Torah."
A settler rabbi who co-authored the book was arrested last August on suspicion of incitement to violence but freed without charge days later after a court said police had not followed proper procedure.
Written by Yosef Elitzur and another rabbi, the book reportedly says that babies and children of Israel's enemies may be killed since "it is clear that they will grow to harm us."
It also said non-Jews were "uncompassionate by nature" and that attacks on them "curb their evil inclination."
"Anywhere where the influence of gentiles constitutes a threat to the life of Israel, it is permissible to kill them," the rabbis wrote.
The book, published earlier this year, has drawn sharp criticism from numerous rabbis who say it contradicts the teachings of Judaism.
Ahram
Several months ago police issued an arrest warrant for Rabbi Dov Lior, the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba and the settlements in Hebron on the West Bank, after he failed to present himself for questioning in an incitement probe.
"I have spoken to police and asked them to free him immediately," Malachi Levinger, the head of Kiryat Arba regional council, told AFP. "This is very serious." Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Lior, who also heads the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria, Israel's term used for the West Bank, is one of the main spiritual ideologues of the settlement movement.
Right-wing activists called on supporters to gather outside various police headquarters for protests later on Monday, an AFP correspondent said.
Levinger said police had told him the detention was in connection with the investigation into the book "The King's Torah."
A settler rabbi who co-authored the book was arrested last August on suspicion of incitement to violence but freed without charge days later after a court said police had not followed proper procedure.
Written by Yosef Elitzur and another rabbi, the book reportedly says that babies and children of Israel's enemies may be killed since "it is clear that they will grow to harm us."
It also said non-Jews were "uncompassionate by nature" and that attacks on them "curb their evil inclination."
"Anywhere where the influence of gentiles constitutes a threat to the life of Israel, it is permissible to kill them," the rabbis wrote.
The book, published earlier this year, has drawn sharp criticism from numerous rabbis who say it contradicts the teachings of Judaism.
Ahram
SURPRISE POLL SHOWS WIDESPREAD MUSLIM SUPPORT FOR GAY RIGHTS (uk)
The poll, conducted by think tank Demos in preparation for a forthcoming essay collection, shows that Muslims are more likely to strongly agree with the statement 'I am proud of how Britain treats gay people' than people of no religion. Only Sikhs were more likely to strongly agree. "British Muslims are far more enlightened and proud of our liberal values than they are often given credit for," Max Wind-Cowie, head of the Progressive Conservatism Project at Demos, commented.Overall, fewer than one in four British Muslims disagreed with the statement.
The poll found a high degree of pride in being British among Muslims, with four in five saying they were proud to be a British citizen and two-thirds saying they were proud of Britain’s culture. Only one in five said they were not proud of Britain's role in the world. The findings mark a significant change since a Gallup poll in 2009 found that zero per cent of British Muslims were tolerant towards homosexuality.
Politics
The poll found a high degree of pride in being British among Muslims, with four in five saying they were proud to be a British citizen and two-thirds saying they were proud of Britain’s culture. Only one in five said they were not proud of Britain's role in the world. The findings mark a significant change since a Gallup poll in 2009 found that zero per cent of British Muslims were tolerant towards homosexuality.
Politics
Man sprays anti-mosque graffiti at West Bridgford site (UK)
A 25-year-old English Defence League member has pleaded guilty to daubing hate graffiti on land being considered as a site for a mosque.
Christopher Payne of Hucknall admitted spraying the graffiti but denied putting a pig's head on the site in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.
He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court and will be sentenced on 21 July.
Police went to the property on 23 June where the slogan "No Mosque Here" was found spray painted on the ground.
Pig's head
Payne pleaded guilty to causing racially or religiously aggravated alarm, dissent or distress and causing racially aggravated criminal damage.
Three other men aged 19, 21 and 31, have been arrested and questioned about the incident.
Payne, of Beardsmore Close, Hucknall, who is an events planner for the English Defence League, told the court that he sprayed the slogan but did not put the pig's head on the grassland.
He was granted bail with a curfew but ordered to stay out of West Bridgford and not to go within 200m of a mosque.
He has also been told not to have any public association with the English Defence League.
A member of the public reported finding the graffiti near Collington Way in West Bridgford on Thursday.
BBC News
Christopher Payne of Hucknall admitted spraying the graffiti but denied putting a pig's head on the site in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.
He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court and will be sentenced on 21 July.
Police went to the property on 23 June where the slogan "No Mosque Here" was found spray painted on the ground.
Pig's head
Payne pleaded guilty to causing racially or religiously aggravated alarm, dissent or distress and causing racially aggravated criminal damage.
Three other men aged 19, 21 and 31, have been arrested and questioned about the incident.
Payne, of Beardsmore Close, Hucknall, who is an events planner for the English Defence League, told the court that he sprayed the slogan but did not put the pig's head on the grassland.
He was granted bail with a curfew but ordered to stay out of West Bridgford and not to go within 200m of a mosque.
He has also been told not to have any public association with the English Defence League.
A member of the public reported finding the graffiti near Collington Way in West Bridgford on Thursday.
BBC News
Monday, 27 June 2011
New Book Reveals Secret Meaning of Neo-Nazi Codes (Germany)
Openly Nazi symbols such as the swastika are banned in Germany, so neo-Nazis get around the law by using coded combinations of letter and numbers such as 14 and 88. A new book explains the meaning of such codes, and reveals that far-right style is becoming increasingly diverse and hard to spot.
If you were at a German soccer game and saw fans holding up the numbers 14 and 88 in cardboard numerals, you might imagine them to be, say, the shirt numbers of fans' favorite players. But you'd be wrong. In fact, the numbers hold a much more sinister meaning: They are actually neo-Nazi symbols.
It's just one example of how right-wing extremists in Germany use hidden codes to get around a legal ban on Nazi symbols such as the swastika. Very few people know the real meaning of such codes, says Michael Weiss, a German expert on right-wing extremism.
Weiss, who has been researching right-wing clothing and symbols for 10 years, is one of the authors of a new brochure titled "Das Versteckspiel" ("Hide and Seek"). The publication, which is aimed at teachers, social workers and youth group leaders, is designed to raise awareness of right-wing codes, which are often displayed at football games. "We want the soccer teams and the major fan clubs to be able to recognize the codes," Weiss told SPIEGEL.
Secret Codes 'Everywhere'
The brochure, which is published by a Berlin-based anti-racism group, Agentur für Soziale Perspektiven, lists 150 codes that are used by right-wing extremists, including certain clothing labels such as Thor Steinar and letter and number combinations. According to Weiss, the number 14 is a reference to the so-called "14 Words," a phrase coined by the American white separatist David Lane ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"). The meaning behind "88" -- often found in conjunction with 14 -- is slightly more complicated. Here, the number eight stands for the eighth letter of the alphabet, forming "HH" -- an abbreviation for "Heil Hitler," a phrase which is banned in Germany. Similarly, the number 28 signifies "BH," standing for "Blood and Honour," a far-right network that was banned in Germany in 2000.
The secret code numbers can be found "everywhere," says Weiss, including on license plates, tattoos and on signs at football games. "There are fans who travel 400 kilometers (250 miles) to a game just to hold up the four numbers that form 1488," he says.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, estimated that in 2009 -- the most recent year for which figures are available -- there were 195 far-right organizations in the country with around 26,000 members. The agency can shut down Kameradschaften, gangs or brotherhoods which are deemed violent. But many other groups in the neo-Nazi scene -- such as rock bands with suggestive lyrics or clothing companies with coded symbols -- often fly under the legal radar, provided they don't openly display symbols like swastikas or explicitly support Adolf Hitler or his party.
Borrowing Symbols
The number of codes has increased since the first edition of the brochure was published in 2001. That publication only listed around 100 symbols. "The image of neo-Nazis is much more diverse today," says Weiss. Right-wing extremists used to wear bomber jackets and have skinheads, he explains, but now their style incorporates elements from pop and rock culture. "Now they have piercings," he says.
Similarly, old symbols are given new meanings, Weiss explains, giving the example of the kaffiyeh scarf, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. "That is used nowadays simply as a symbol of struggle against Israel," says Weiss, pointing out that neo-Nazis ignore the broader meaning of the garment when they co-opt it as a symbol.
The increasingly diverse image of right-wing extremists mean that neo-Nazis can often blend in at left-wing demonstrations or in a sports stadium, Weiss explains. "The problem is that many of these people no longer stand out."
Spiegel
Admin comment. The majority of these codes and symbols are explained at this ADL site.
.
If you were at a German soccer game and saw fans holding up the numbers 14 and 88 in cardboard numerals, you might imagine them to be, say, the shirt numbers of fans' favorite players. But you'd be wrong. In fact, the numbers hold a much more sinister meaning: They are actually neo-Nazi symbols.
It's just one example of how right-wing extremists in Germany use hidden codes to get around a legal ban on Nazi symbols such as the swastika. Very few people know the real meaning of such codes, says Michael Weiss, a German expert on right-wing extremism.
Weiss, who has been researching right-wing clothing and symbols for 10 years, is one of the authors of a new brochure titled "Das Versteckspiel" ("Hide and Seek"). The publication, which is aimed at teachers, social workers and youth group leaders, is designed to raise awareness of right-wing codes, which are often displayed at football games. "We want the soccer teams and the major fan clubs to be able to recognize the codes," Weiss told SPIEGEL.
Secret Codes 'Everywhere'
The brochure, which is published by a Berlin-based anti-racism group, Agentur für Soziale Perspektiven, lists 150 codes that are used by right-wing extremists, including certain clothing labels such as Thor Steinar and letter and number combinations. According to Weiss, the number 14 is a reference to the so-called "14 Words," a phrase coined by the American white separatist David Lane ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"). The meaning behind "88" -- often found in conjunction with 14 -- is slightly more complicated. Here, the number eight stands for the eighth letter of the alphabet, forming "HH" -- an abbreviation for "Heil Hitler," a phrase which is banned in Germany. Similarly, the number 28 signifies "BH," standing for "Blood and Honour," a far-right network that was banned in Germany in 2000.
The secret code numbers can be found "everywhere," says Weiss, including on license plates, tattoos and on signs at football games. "There are fans who travel 400 kilometers (250 miles) to a game just to hold up the four numbers that form 1488," he says.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, estimated that in 2009 -- the most recent year for which figures are available -- there were 195 far-right organizations in the country with around 26,000 members. The agency can shut down Kameradschaften, gangs or brotherhoods which are deemed violent. But many other groups in the neo-Nazi scene -- such as rock bands with suggestive lyrics or clothing companies with coded symbols -- often fly under the legal radar, provided they don't openly display symbols like swastikas or explicitly support Adolf Hitler or his party.
Borrowing Symbols
The number of codes has increased since the first edition of the brochure was published in 2001. That publication only listed around 100 symbols. "The image of neo-Nazis is much more diverse today," says Weiss. Right-wing extremists used to wear bomber jackets and have skinheads, he explains, but now their style incorporates elements from pop and rock culture. "Now they have piercings," he says.
Similarly, old symbols are given new meanings, Weiss explains, giving the example of the kaffiyeh scarf, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. "That is used nowadays simply as a symbol of struggle against Israel," says Weiss, pointing out that neo-Nazis ignore the broader meaning of the garment when they co-opt it as a symbol.
The increasingly diverse image of right-wing extremists mean that neo-Nazis can often blend in at left-wing demonstrations or in a sports stadium, Weiss explains. "The problem is that many of these people no longer stand out."
Spiegel
Admin comment. The majority of these codes and symbols are explained at this ADL site.
.
FAR-RIGHT AUSTRIAN PARTY AMBIVALENT ON HITLER DEBATE
A debate over surviving honorary titles to Adolf Hitler in Austrian towns shows up the far-right Freedom Party's ambivalence as it eyes the chancellor's post in 2013, analysts say. In late May, the town of Amstetten, 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Vienna, voted to remove the still-existing title of honorary citizen awarded to Hitler after Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938. The Freedom Party (FPOe) deputies abstained from the vote. "The FPOe is sending signals," said political expert Anton Pelinka. "This strategy shows that the party's radical pan-German core has not weakened." Braunau, the Fuehrer's birthplace, has also launched an inquiry to determine whether he remains an honorary citizen. But FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache argues that the titles disappeared with Hitler's death in the last days of World War II and that the Allies removed all honorary titles in a 1946 ruling. "In the weeks following the Anschluss (annexation of Austria by Germany), many towns named Hitler as an honorary citizen, named a street after him or planted an oak tree in his honour," said Green deputy Karl Oellinger. Oellinger said the Allied ruling removing honorary titles only applied to Germany. Moreover, Austria experienced a very different occupation from its northern neighbour and has yet to come to terms with its Nazi past, he said. "The suppression (of honorary titles) after death is absurd: we have examples of towns that still lay flowers on the grave of their former Nazi mayor who has been named an honorary citizen," he told AFP.
Peter Ulram, a political scientist, said the FPOe's actions showed it wanted to consolidate the party around its leader, whose new programme centres on the idea of Austria as a community with a Germanic people, language and culture. Under the party's charismatic former leader Joerg Haider, killed in a car crash in 2008, such ideas were abandoned to make the FPOe more presentable. Having taken in many former Nazis after 1945, the party has not been able to distance itself entirely from the pan-German line, despite its official rhetoric. Strache himself has faced accusations -- backed up by photographs -- of having had ties to neo-Nazi or closely-related movements in his youth. In a sign that the honorary title debate has hit a nerve, the FPOe leader lashed out during a recent press conference in Strasbourg with France's far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, when an Austrian journalist asked what she thought of the FPOe deputies' abstention in the Amstetten vote. Strache accused him of sullying the image of Austria abroad. Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger later commented: "This is an Austrian debate that should be discussed in Austria and that we should not internationalised," sparking a furious reaction from the Foreign Press Association in Vienna, which insisted the press could not be muzzled. For Oellinger, Spindelegger's comments were proof that the conservative OeVP party leader was considering a coalition with the FPOe, a move he has never formally rejected.
AFP
Peter Ulram, a political scientist, said the FPOe's actions showed it wanted to consolidate the party around its leader, whose new programme centres on the idea of Austria as a community with a Germanic people, language and culture. Under the party's charismatic former leader Joerg Haider, killed in a car crash in 2008, such ideas were abandoned to make the FPOe more presentable. Having taken in many former Nazis after 1945, the party has not been able to distance itself entirely from the pan-German line, despite its official rhetoric. Strache himself has faced accusations -- backed up by photographs -- of having had ties to neo-Nazi or closely-related movements in his youth. In a sign that the honorary title debate has hit a nerve, the FPOe leader lashed out during a recent press conference in Strasbourg with France's far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, when an Austrian journalist asked what she thought of the FPOe deputies' abstention in the Amstetten vote. Strache accused him of sullying the image of Austria abroad. Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger later commented: "This is an Austrian debate that should be discussed in Austria and that we should not internationalised," sparking a furious reaction from the Foreign Press Association in Vienna, which insisted the press could not be muzzled. For Oellinger, Spindelegger's comments were proof that the conservative OeVP party leader was considering a coalition with the FPOe, a move he has never formally rejected.
AFP
I’m embarrassed, says toilet graffiti dauber at age of 62 (EDL news, UK)
A man has been ordered to pay compensation after graffiting racist abuse on the doors of Hebden Bridge train station.
James Allen, 62, of Wood Villas, Hebden Bridge, appeared unrepresented at Calderdale Magistrates’ Court.
He admitted causing £700 damage and possessing two bags of cannabis.
On seven different occasions between April 23 and June 7, station staff found graffiti supporting the English Defence League daubed on the back of doors in the male toilets.
An undercover officer from British Transport Police went to the station on June 7 to wait for the culprit.
He saw Allen enter the toilets at 1.41pm.
Paul Ramsey, prosecuting, said: “He sat on a bench watching all men who were going in. A minute later Allen was seen to leave his bike on the platform.
“The defendant exited two minutes later with what was believed to be a white marker pen in his right jeans pocket.”
After the officer checked the door, he followed Allen and arrested him. While searching Allen, he found two bags of cannabis.
He admitted both offences to police.
Allen told officers he was not a member of the English Defence League but he wrote grafitti in support of the group to “vent his frustration”.
When asked to explain his actions to magistrates, he said he had nothing to tell them.
“I’m just embarrased about it,” he said.
He was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work, pay compensation of £100 and £85 towards costs.
Halifax Courier
James Allen, 62, of Wood Villas, Hebden Bridge, appeared unrepresented at Calderdale Magistrates’ Court.
He admitted causing £700 damage and possessing two bags of cannabis.
On seven different occasions between April 23 and June 7, station staff found graffiti supporting the English Defence League daubed on the back of doors in the male toilets.
An undercover officer from British Transport Police went to the station on June 7 to wait for the culprit.
He saw Allen enter the toilets at 1.41pm.
Paul Ramsey, prosecuting, said: “He sat on a bench watching all men who were going in. A minute later Allen was seen to leave his bike on the platform.
“The defendant exited two minutes later with what was believed to be a white marker pen in his right jeans pocket.”
After the officer checked the door, he followed Allen and arrested him. While searching Allen, he found two bags of cannabis.
He admitted both offences to police.
Allen told officers he was not a member of the English Defence League but he wrote grafitti in support of the group to “vent his frustration”.
When asked to explain his actions to magistrates, he said he had nothing to tell them.
“I’m just embarrased about it,” he said.
He was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work, pay compensation of £100 and £85 towards costs.
Halifax Courier
EDL founder denies rally assault (UK)
The founder of the English Defence League (EDL) has denied assaulting a man during a rally of the far-right group in Blackburn.
Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested and charged with the offence this month following the alleged incident at an EDL gathering in Blackburn on April 2.
He is said to have committed common assault against Alan McKee.
Around 2,000 members of the group gathered in the centre of the Lancashire town in April as they were kept about 150 yards apart from a counter-protest by up to 500 anti-fascists.
About 50 EDL supporters gathered at Blackburn Magistrates' Court to support their leader with a visible police presence outside.
Lennon, 28, of Luton, Bedfordshire, will go on trial at Preston Magistrates' Court on September 29. The hearing was listed for one day.
Lennon was granted bail on conditions of residence, that he reports to his local police station on Saturday afternoons and does not participate in public protests that are 12 miles away from his home town.
Garstand Courier
Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested and charged with the offence this month following the alleged incident at an EDL gathering in Blackburn on April 2.
He is said to have committed common assault against Alan McKee.
Around 2,000 members of the group gathered in the centre of the Lancashire town in April as they were kept about 150 yards apart from a counter-protest by up to 500 anti-fascists.
About 50 EDL supporters gathered at Blackburn Magistrates' Court to support their leader with a visible police presence outside.
Lennon, 28, of Luton, Bedfordshire, will go on trial at Preston Magistrates' Court on September 29. The hearing was listed for one day.
Lennon was granted bail on conditions of residence, that he reports to his local police station on Saturday afternoons and does not participate in public protests that are 12 miles away from his home town.
Garstand Courier
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Muslim council vows to oppose extremism (UK)
Cambridge Muslim Council held its official launch last night as the far-right English Defence League (EDL) gets set to march in the city.
The newly formed council has already held an emergency meeting after the News reported the march and counter protest would be held on July 9.
Muslim leaders are calling on the community not to get involved in a counter demonstration and fear for the security of mosques and shops in the city.
Mirza Baig, vice-chairman of the council, told the News: “We held a meeting of our emergency response committee as soon as we heard about the march. We have set out or policy on how we should react.
“We are urging Muslims not to take part in a counter protest and we do not want groups coming from Luton and Peterborough for the march – we can deal with any issues ourselves.
“We do fear for the security of our mosques and some of the shops but are working closely with police.”
He added: “The EDL has every right to protest and we support that democratic right.”
Last night, the city’s MP Julian Huppert, mayor Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith and Farooq Murad, the Muslim Council of Britain chairman, met at the Holiday Inn, Impington, for the launch of the council, which has vowed to fight extremism and violence.
It has been formed because of an increase in the city’s Muslim population to 7,000 and it will become an umbrella group for 28 Islamic organisations in Cambridge.
Mr Huppert said he was delighted to support the formation of the new council and condemned the planned march by the EDL.
The MP is discussing the issue with Chief Superintendent Rob Needle and will shadow him during the march.
Mr Huppert said: “I deplore the fact that these people have targeted Cambridge in this way. They are not welcome here.
“I will be working alongside the police during the march and hope that it will pass off peacefully.
“While I recognise the EDL’s democratic right to protest, I hope that this protest will take place without incident.
“Our city is a very special place where people from a diverse range of nationalities and cultures live and work together. This multi-racial mix makes our city very unique and we are proud of the strong community spirit that exists here.
“We want to promote and protect that diversity and there is no room for people who don’t understand our city’s special qualities.”
Cambridge News
The newly formed council has already held an emergency meeting after the News reported the march and counter protest would be held on July 9.
Muslim leaders are calling on the community not to get involved in a counter demonstration and fear for the security of mosques and shops in the city.
Mirza Baig, vice-chairman of the council, told the News: “We held a meeting of our emergency response committee as soon as we heard about the march. We have set out or policy on how we should react.
“We are urging Muslims not to take part in a counter protest and we do not want groups coming from Luton and Peterborough for the march – we can deal with any issues ourselves.
“We do fear for the security of our mosques and some of the shops but are working closely with police.”
He added: “The EDL has every right to protest and we support that democratic right.”
Last night, the city’s MP Julian Huppert, mayor Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith and Farooq Murad, the Muslim Council of Britain chairman, met at the Holiday Inn, Impington, for the launch of the council, which has vowed to fight extremism and violence.
It has been formed because of an increase in the city’s Muslim population to 7,000 and it will become an umbrella group for 28 Islamic organisations in Cambridge.
Mr Huppert said he was delighted to support the formation of the new council and condemned the planned march by the EDL.
The MP is discussing the issue with Chief Superintendent Rob Needle and will shadow him during the march.
Mr Huppert said: “I deplore the fact that these people have targeted Cambridge in this way. They are not welcome here.
“I will be working alongside the police during the march and hope that it will pass off peacefully.
“While I recognise the EDL’s democratic right to protest, I hope that this protest will take place without incident.
“Our city is a very special place where people from a diverse range of nationalities and cultures live and work together. This multi-racial mix makes our city very unique and we are proud of the strong community spirit that exists here.
“We want to promote and protect that diversity and there is no room for people who don’t understand our city’s special qualities.”
Cambridge News
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