A candle-lit vigil for the victims of transgender hate crime will be held today.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance wil be marked at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church in Brighton between 2.30pm and 5pm.
The candle-lit vigil hosted by the Clare Project will be accompanied by the reading of names of the victims of transgender hate crime over the past year.
LGBT liaison officer AliJay Lawrence and PC Rich Bridger from Kemp Town Neighbourhood Policing Team are attending this second annual event.
Ali-Jay said: "Rich and I will be there on behalf of Sussex Police to show our support for the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which remembers those who have been killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.
“It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people and allows us to publicly mourn and honour the lives of those who died. The Day of Remembrance also gives everyone, including non-transgender people, a chance to show their support.”
The Argus
The Argus
Monday, 22 November 2010
Bus passenger attacked after telling racist to be quiet (UK)
A bus passenger in Bath has been assaulted after telling off a woman for making racist remarks.
The incident happened last Monday on a Number 5 bus at around 5.30pm when the offender started making racist comments as it was travelling through Whiteway.
Another passenger stood up and told her to be quiet and the bus driver removed the woman on Twerton High Street.
But as she was getting off the bus she hit the person who told her to be quiet.
The incident was reported to the police by a member of the public, so the victim of the assault has not yet been identified.
Anyone who has information about the attack, either a witness or the person who was hit, should contact Avon and Somerset Police on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
This is Bath
The incident happened last Monday on a Number 5 bus at around 5.30pm when the offender started making racist comments as it was travelling through Whiteway.
Another passenger stood up and told her to be quiet and the bus driver removed the woman on Twerton High Street.
But as she was getting off the bus she hit the person who told her to be quiet.
The incident was reported to the police by a member of the public, so the victim of the assault has not yet been identified.
Anyone who has information about the attack, either a witness or the person who was hit, should contact Avon and Somerset Police on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
This is Bath
Swiss party's campaign ad creates controversy over racism
A Swiss political party has sparked outrage over anti-immigration posters showing naked beauties romping in Lake Zurich compared to a snap of middle-aged Muslim women bathing in filthy water, acccording to Croatian Times.
The newspaper reported that one snap shows a rear view of four stunning white women hand in hand on the edge of the lake, marked Lake Zurich 2010.
"The second picture is supposed to the the same scene in 2030 showing what will happen to the country if immigration is left unchecked.," it said.
"A group of overweight, headscarf-wearing women bath fully clothed while puffing on cigarettes in black, dirty water."
The right-wing Swiss People's Party have rejected to withdraw the poster.
Asia One
The newspaper reported that one snap shows a rear view of four stunning white women hand in hand on the edge of the lake, marked Lake Zurich 2010.
"The second picture is supposed to the the same scene in 2030 showing what will happen to the country if immigration is left unchecked.," it said.
"A group of overweight, headscarf-wearing women bath fully clothed while puffing on cigarettes in black, dirty water."
The right-wing Swiss People's Party have rejected to withdraw the poster.
Asia One
Sol Campbell becomes patron of North's Show Racism the Red Card campaign
The Newcastle United defender has become patron of the North’s Show Racism the Red Card campaign.
The charity is an anti-racist pressure group which uses the public profile of professional footballers as role models to encourage people to challenge bigotry.
Sol, who played 73 times for England and joined Newcastle in the summer, will take part in educational programmes aimed at school children and fans.
Sol said: “Racism touches a lot of people and not only people in sport. It transcends and goes into a lot of different areas of society.
“Racism is something that we have to tackle and I intend to do as much as I can.”
Sol was born in Stratford to Jamaican parents Sewell and Wihelmina. He was the youngest of twelve children, nine of whom were boys.
Throughout his career - including spells at Tottenham, Arsenal and Portsmouth - he’s faced ugly incidents sparked by the colour of his skin.
In September 2008, Sol was the target for racist chants from Tottenham supporters at a match against his Portsmouth team at Fratton Park.
Eleven men were arrested and charged with hurling racist abuse.
Show Racism the Red Card was set up 13 years ago to try to promote racial harmony within the game through education.
Abuse from the stands was not uncommon during the 1970s and 80s and the bigots were usually targeting the oppositions team’s black players.
The campaign has harnessed the celebrity status of both black and white players to produce educational films and visit schools delivering the anti-racist message.
Over the years Newcastle United stars past and present have lent their support.
Big names like Kevin Keegan, Warren Barton, Shola Ameobi, Olivier Bernard and Shaka Hislop have attended events and workshops at schools and clubs.
Ged Grebby, of Show Racism the Red Card (SRTRC), said: “It is fantastic of the players to support Show Racism the Red Card in educating local school pupils on the dangers of racism.
“SRTRC has been working with Newcastle United since our inception in January 1996.”
Players from Sunderland AFC and Middlesbrough have also backed the SRTRC campaign.
Boro favourite Curtis Fleming, who spent 10 seasons at the Riverside club until 2001, said racist comments were like “a punch in the face”.
“Racism is unacceptable,” he said. “If we all work together we can get rid of it. When I was in football I would always report it on the football pitch because that’s how we get it sorted.
“If it’s unacceptable off the pitch then it’s unacceptable on the pitch.”
In the last year, the charity ran 42 events at football clubs across the country, as well as a national schools competition which engaged over 600 schools.
As well as national work, SRTRC delivers a more intensive programme of community education in partnership with local authorities in the North East.
Sunday Sun
UK police target Internet hate promoters. And we are going to give them a hand.
Recently in the UK a conference was held in Birmingham.
This conference, which was called the National Hate Crime Conference, had representatives in attendance from various police branches and departments, the Crown Prosecution Service and a number of community groups.
During this event the following statement was made by one of the representatives:
“The conference aims to increase the number of hate crimes reported, bring more offenders to justice and fight hate crime on the internet.”
Such a powerful statement and stance by this well represented group could not have come at a better time for those of us fighting racism online.
There is a common myth perpetuated by the UK’s Internet trolls, racists and bigots; that they can post and say anything online and they will not be arrested, prosecuted or convicted
Recently a number of convictions have disproved this myth.
Due to this fact we have now created a step-by-step guide to what laws these idiots are breaking, how to gather the evidence, how to report them and who to report them to.
Several of our supporters are also posting a video on You Tube advertising this guide, to spread the word as far as we can.
We are sure that many of the trolls and racist won’t be too happy about us advertising this, and will try their best to stop us getting this information out there.
Please visit the step-by-step guide here.
Unemployed man faces jail after leaving obscene messages on internet tribute sites (UK)
An unemployed man who trawled the internet leaving obscene messages on tribute sites for dead people is facing jail after being brought to court under a rarely-used law.
Colm Coss found Facebook memorials to victims of high-profile tragedies around the world - and defaced them with sexual slurs.
His targets included a site dedicated to Jade Goody, the reality TV star who died of cancer.
He was prosecuted under the Communications Act 2003, which governs all 'communications networks' including internet, e-mail, mobile phone calls and text messages.
Coss of Ardwick, Manchester, also posted sick comments about a car crash victim in Australia, and a dead baby in the U.S.
Coss targeted the sites purely for his own amusement and to get a reaction, Manchester magistrates were told.
He was only caught when he sent residents on his street photos of himself saying he was an internet 'troll' - a term used to describe someone who posts offensive comments to upset or provoke a reaction from others. The neighbours rang police.
When Coss was arrested, he admitted the offence.
Matthew Siddall, prosecuting, said: 'The defendant told police that he finds the comments amusing. He said it causes reaction.'
Coss, who showed no emotion during the hearing, has previous convictions for harassment and dishonesty, the court heard.
District Judge Khalid Qureshi told Coss: 'This crosses the custody threshold.'
Coss was granted bail and will be sentenced later this month.
Daily Mail
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Tension on the 35th anniversary of Franco's death (Spain)
Anti-fascist and fascist demonstrators met at Franco's mausoleum
Saturday was the 35th anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco, and saw a group of his supporters coincide with a group of those against the dead dictator at his grave at the Valle de los Caídos, at El Escorial, near Madrid.
The groups could not gain access to the site because of building work and held their demonstrations at the gate. There were no serious incidents.
Two coaches carrying some 100 members of the Madrid Region Memory Forum and the Guadarrama Sierra Social Forum, had permission to hold a demonstration under the slogan ‘Truth, justice and reparation for the victims of Franco’.
The other group was of some 20 who had travelled to the Basilica to pray for and praise Franco. They did not have permission but refused to leave on the orders of the Guardia Civil.
There were shouts of ‘Viva Franco!’ on the one side and ‘We will not forget’ on the other. The chanting and stand-off lasted for some 35 minutes.
It comes as left wing collectives have called for the massive cross which stands on the mountain above the mausoleum to be blown up, considering that it extols fascism.
President of the State Federation for Memory Forums, José María Pedreño, said that the Valle de los Caídos is ‘the only monument which extols fascism to remain in Europe’. He said the grand cross is not a reference to Christianity, but to fascist power – ‘a cross more of crime and bullying’. He said that Franco’s remains, and those of his deputy, Primo de Rivera, should be removed from the site and handed over to their families, and then the archives should be studied to try and identify the remains of the hundreds of people buried at the site, so their remains could also be handed to their families.
Typically Spanish
Saturday was the 35th anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco, and saw a group of his supporters coincide with a group of those against the dead dictator at his grave at the Valle de los Caídos, at El Escorial, near Madrid.
The groups could not gain access to the site because of building work and held their demonstrations at the gate. There were no serious incidents.
Two coaches carrying some 100 members of the Madrid Region Memory Forum and the Guadarrama Sierra Social Forum, had permission to hold a demonstration under the slogan ‘Truth, justice and reparation for the victims of Franco’.
The other group was of some 20 who had travelled to the Basilica to pray for and praise Franco. They did not have permission but refused to leave on the orders of the Guardia Civil.
There were shouts of ‘Viva Franco!’ on the one side and ‘We will not forget’ on the other. The chanting and stand-off lasted for some 35 minutes.
It comes as left wing collectives have called for the massive cross which stands on the mountain above the mausoleum to be blown up, considering that it extols fascism.
President of the State Federation for Memory Forums, José María Pedreño, said that the Valle de los Caídos is ‘the only monument which extols fascism to remain in Europe’. He said the grand cross is not a reference to Christianity, but to fascist power – ‘a cross more of crime and bullying’. He said that Franco’s remains, and those of his deputy, Primo de Rivera, should be removed from the site and handed over to their families, and then the archives should be studied to try and identify the remains of the hundreds of people buried at the site, so their remains could also be handed to their families.
Typically Spanish
FAR-RIGHT FREEDOM PARTY MOST POPULAR AMONG YOUNG AUSTRIANS
The launch of the Freedom Party's (FPO) campaign for the recent local elections in Vienna may seem bizarre but has proven to be successful. Heinz-Christian Strache, the party's leader, stepped into the ring at a suburban shopping center, acting the part of a fighter who will take on all comers but especially left-wingers and Greens. Strache's party went on to win second place in the Vienna election. And a recent national opinion poll says 27 percent would vote for him in a national election. That puts the Freedom Party just ahead of the conservative People's Party and just behind the Social Democrats. Austria no longer has just two major parties - it has three: One on the center-left, the other one on the center-right, and now the Freedom Party, which operates on the far-right. Austria currently has a so-called grand coalition government made up of the Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party. But their popularity is declining in the face of Freedom Party gains.
Anti-immigrant platform
The same situation existed just over a decade ago when former leader Joerg Haider took the party into a coalition government. Before his death in a car accident, Haider campaigned on an anti-immigrant platform. And party leader Strache is tapping into the same rich vein of voters, according to political commentator Herbert Lackner. "If the government threw out all the people that came into Austria over the past 10 or 20 years, if they would throw them all out but one, the Freedom Party would still campaign against this one single person," Lackner told Deutsche Welle. "And a 100,000 people would still believe that there are too many foreigners." One of the most surprising results from the latest survey is the Freedom Party's popularity among young Austrians. It's the number one choice for people under 30. Strache appeals most strongly to young males, as did his predecessor Haider. "He wants to scream, he wants to fight, he wants to yell. That's something for prostate-bearing people - not for women. It's just a male party. It has always been a male party," said Lackner.
Popularity based on austerity measures
Analysts point out that part of the recent surge by the far right is due to the coalition's austerity measures. Their cost-cutting budget is currently working its way through parliament. Lackner believes Austrians will only vote for Heinz-Christian Strache in the next general election in three years if they are sure he won't become part of a government. "If people see that Strache could come into the position to become part of a government I think that would scare many people off."
The Deutsche Welle
HOLOCAUST-DENYING BISHOP HIRES NEO-NAZI LAWYER AHEAD OF GERMANY TRIAL
British Bishop Richard Williamson has appointed a radical right-wing lawyer to defend him in a German trial over his denial of scope of the Holocaust, Spiegel news magazine reported Saturday. The lawyer, Wolfram Nahrath, is a member of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), the magazine wrote. He also led the Viking Youth, a neo-Nazi organization modeled on the Hitler Youth, until it was banned in 1994. Earlier this week, his previous defense lawyer unexpectedly pulled out of the case, indicating that this was due to Williamson's choice of a new lawyer. The case is scheduled before court later this month.
Williamson, of the ultra-orthodox Catholic Society of St Pius X (SSPX), denied in a television interview last year that the Nazis had systematically murdered millions of Jews. The interview, for a Swedish television channel, took place in Germany, where Holocaust denial is a criminal offence. Nahrath has reportedly asked the court to postpone the trial, scheduled for November 29, so he can familiarize himself with the material. SSPX - which is seeking official recognition from the Vatican - has distanced itself from the lawyer and said it "could not accept the appointment of a neo-Nazi judge," Spiegel wrote.
Christian Thouvenot, the secretary general of SSPX reportedly said that this choice would inevitably cause them to separate from Williamson. The bishop was fined 10,000 euros (14,000 dollars) in April over his remarks but his lawyer appealed against the fine, invoking a court appearance. Williamson's remarks shook the Catholic Church last year, as Pope Benedict XVI had ended the excommunication of Williamson and three other SSPX leaders weeks earlier. In the TV interview, Williamson stated that no more than 300,000 people had died in concentration camps, and that nobody was killed in gas chambers.
DPA
Hertfordshire Constabulary offer support to victims of disabled hate crime (UK)
Police in Hertfordshire are using the end of Anti-Bullying Week as an opportunity to encourage victims and witness of disability hate crimes to come forward.
If a person is verbally and physically harassed or assaulted because of their disability, they are not only victims of bullying, but are also considered victims of disability hate crime.
The offence is punishable by law and offenders can face a significantly more serious sentence if the case comes to court.
Police have specially-trained hate crime officers that offer victims help, support and advice and will assist the victims if the case goes to court.
Inspector Ian Tycer, who specialises in tackling hate crime, said: "What might seem to others as harmless banter towards at a disabled person, is taken just as seriously by police as if someone had been assaulted or robbed because they are disabled.
"Anti bullying week is a great platform for us to reinforce the message that any form of crime where victims are taken advantage of because they are disabled is totally unacceptable.
"We are committed to reducing the harm disability hate crime causes to victims, their families and to the wider community and it is vitally important that incidents are reported to police so action can be taken.
"It is understandable that many disability hate crimes still go unreported as victims may feel awkward or embarrassed talking to police face to face.”
Forms to report disability hate crime will be available in the following outlets next year:
* The One Stop Shop in the Town Hall in Watford.
* Citizens Advice Bureau, Watford; Thrive Homes.
* Three Rivers House, Rickmansworth.
* Watford Community Housing Trust, Clarendon Road.
*
Witnesses and victims can also call 0845 33 00 222 to contact hate crime officers.
Hertfordshire Constabulary offer support to victims of disabled hate crime
Watford Observer
If a person is verbally and physically harassed or assaulted because of their disability, they are not only victims of bullying, but are also considered victims of disability hate crime.
The offence is punishable by law and offenders can face a significantly more serious sentence if the case comes to court.
Police have specially-trained hate crime officers that offer victims help, support and advice and will assist the victims if the case goes to court.
Inspector Ian Tycer, who specialises in tackling hate crime, said: "What might seem to others as harmless banter towards at a disabled person, is taken just as seriously by police as if someone had been assaulted or robbed because they are disabled.
"Anti bullying week is a great platform for us to reinforce the message that any form of crime where victims are taken advantage of because they are disabled is totally unacceptable.
"We are committed to reducing the harm disability hate crime causes to victims, their families and to the wider community and it is vitally important that incidents are reported to police so action can be taken.
"It is understandable that many disability hate crimes still go unreported as victims may feel awkward or embarrassed talking to police face to face.”
Forms to report disability hate crime will be available in the following outlets next year:
* The One Stop Shop in the Town Hall in Watford.
* Citizens Advice Bureau, Watford; Thrive Homes.
* Three Rivers House, Rickmansworth.
* Watford Community Housing Trust, Clarendon Road.
*
Witnesses and victims can also call 0845 33 00 222 to contact hate crime officers.
Hertfordshire Constabulary offer support to victims of disabled hate crime
Watford Observer
Police disperse unplanned Wolverhampton EDL Protest (UK)
Cops had to disperse a surprise protest in Wolverhampton city centre held by the Far Right English Defence League yesterday.
About 50 members of the extremist organisation marched through shopping areas on Saturday morning before being moved on by police.
Shoppers and city centre staff were forced to flee as the chanting protesters moved along Dudley Street.
“There were about 50 of them walking up the street,” said one shop worker, who did not want to be named.
“They had banners and were chanting and singing.
“It didn’t last very long but was quite scary.”
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Protesters arrived at 11.45am and dispersed just before 2pm. There were no reports of disorder.
“An additional police presence remained in the city and local officers visited shops to update staff and shoppers.”
The spokesman added the force were aware that the EDL were planning an event and were prepared for it.
Two people were arrested after the protest but cops said they may not have been connected to EDL activities.
Sunday Mercury
About 50 members of the extremist organisation marched through shopping areas on Saturday morning before being moved on by police.
Shoppers and city centre staff were forced to flee as the chanting protesters moved along Dudley Street.
“There were about 50 of them walking up the street,” said one shop worker, who did not want to be named.
“They had banners and were chanting and singing.
“It didn’t last very long but was quite scary.”
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Protesters arrived at 11.45am and dispersed just before 2pm. There were no reports of disorder.
“An additional police presence remained in the city and local officers visited shops to update staff and shoppers.”
The spokesman added the force were aware that the EDL were planning an event and were prepared for it.
Two people were arrested after the protest but cops said they may not have been connected to EDL activities.
Sunday Mercury
RIOT FEAR OVER EDL COURT CASE (UK)
Hundreds of EDL supporters, Islamic extremists and members of anti-fascist groups are set to converge as the EDL’s founder Stephen Lennon appears in the dock.
The far-right leader was arrested on Armistice Day at a demo by Islamic extremists who burned poppies during the two-minute silence.
Violent clashes broke out after members of the EDL reacted angrily to the sick stunt by the group Muslims Against Crusades (MAC).
Lennon – who goes by the name Tommy Robinson – was charged with assaulting a police officer during the fracas.
The 27-year-old is due at West London magistrates’ court tomorrow morning. And he is expected to be supported by hundreds of EDL members who will travel to the capital from across the UK.
The group’s Facebook page has been swamped with messages of support for Lennon.
One EDL fan Paul Szilvasi said: “EDL all the way. We shouldn’t have to stand for this shit in our country right on Tommy. Will be there!”
Violence
Police fear the protest will be hijacked by members of Islamic extremist groups and activists from anti-Fascist groups sparking angry clashes.
One EDL fan, Daniel Smith, threatened violence on his Facebook page, stating: “You bet my white, british, Cross-Flag-flyin’, Bacon Munchin, Jihad-hating, Patriotic ass i’ll be there, ready to take on any MAC/MDL/UAF scum who cross our path trying to take us and our beautiful country down.”
But Islamic extremists are unperturbed by the threats.
Hate cleric Anjem Choudary, 43 – whose group Islam4Uk was banned by the Government – said: “The EDL want to destroy Islam. Wherever the EDL are you can expect protest from Muslims.”
Members of MAC also chanted “British soldiers burn in hell” during their Remembrance Day protest.
Four EDL supporters arrested on suspicion of affray were bailed until December, along with two members of Muslims Against Crusades who were detained for public order offences.
Meanwhile Muslim extremists are celebrating after hearing that jailed hate cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed could be released days after his arrest for training terrorists in Lebanon.
The 54-year-old rabble-rouser will be set free from jail in Beirut on Thursday or Friday, according to his supporters.
Daily Star
Saturday, 20 November 2010
SIX CZECHS SENTENCED FOR RACISM
The Municipal Court in Brno Thursday sentenced six members of the Czech outlawed far-right Workers' Party (DS) to fines and probation over public racist statements they made at the May Day rally in Brno in 2009, state attorney Jan Lata told CTK. The defendants received four to six months' suspended sentences and were fined 20,000-30,000 crowns. Lata said the defendants had incited hatred for immigrants and some ethnic groups, Romanies in particular, with their statements. One of them supported a movement suppressing human rights and freedoms. Former party leader Tomas Vandas said Thursday it was incredible that some people were being tried over expressing their views at a legal public rally. Vandas said the accusations were expedient. At the demonstration last year, Vandas warned of immigration and spoke on behalf of "decent" citizens at the housing project Janov in Litvinov, north Bohemia. Vandas went on to speak about a destructive immigration wave. DS members Jiri Stepanek and Petr Kotab criticised Vietnamese crime.
The Prague Monitor
The Prague Monitor
UN-BACKED CONFERENCE RAISES AWARENESS OF EVILS OF ANTI-SEMITISM (Ireland)
In continuing efforts to ensure that the crime of genocide does not occur again, the United Nations co-sponsored on November 18 2010 a conference in Ireland to discuss both the historical and contemporary contexts of anti-Semitism, including Holocaust denial, the UN News Service said. "Holocaust denial is anti-Semitism. It wounds the people who suffer the most – the survivors," said Kiyo Akasaka, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, in a message to the International Conference on Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial in Dublin. "It extends this hurt to every Jewish person, as a heartless reminder of the unspeakable cruelty and the ruthless attempt to eliminate every member of their families," Mr. Akasaka told the conference, which is co-sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information and Holocaust Education Trust Ireland, with the support of the Government of Ireland and other partners. The UN has called for the rejection of the denial of the Holocaust, in full or in part, through resolutions adopted by the 192-member General Assembly. Mr. Akasaka encouraged participants attending the two-day event to make efforts to dispel the myths associated with anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial and to fight discrimination. "We have not fully understood that discrimination against people anywhere hurts people everywhere. Minorities of all kinds continue to be persecuted and murdered. And too often, we have been indifferent," he said. Through its ‘Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme,’ the UN helps to ensure that people everywhere are better educated about the events that led to the Holocaust in order to help prevent genocide in the future.
The Sofia Echo
The Sofia Echo
Mexican Drug Cartels Tied to U.S. White Supremacists (USA)
"The cartels are looking for partners, bridges, to connect their activities inside the United States, and the supremacists have become an important force on the streets and inside prisons," according to Larry Gaines, gang expert and president of the criminal justice department at San Bernardino State University.
Members of the Aryan Brotherhood, the notoriously violent organization founded in the California penitentiary system in 1967, are serving as hitmen for Mexican cartels and offering added protection and intimidation against rival groups, according to a report by the National Gang Intelligence Center.
"Some members of the Aryan Brotherhood (AB) have business relationships with Mexican cartels that bring illegal drugs into California for the AB to distribute. The Aryan Brotherhood is notoriously violent and is often involved in murder for hire," the report says.
Likewise, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirms that its own research indicates that white supremacist gangs are currently collaborating with Mexican cartels in car theft operations and arms trafficking to Mexico, primarily in Texas, California and Chicago.
Although the first investigation into the collaboration between the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia was conducted by the Los Angeles bureau of the FBI, that office told La Opinión that it does not currently have any intelligence supporting their collaboration. This, despite the fact that the National Gang Intelligence Center (which the FBI is a part of) confirms the ties between the two groups.
In 1984, the FBI’s Los Angeles bureau issued a report stating that Aryan Brotherhood gang members were facing longer prison terms than Latino gang members and had become the major force of organized crime inside prisons.
Several prison guards were allegedly killed by AB gang members as a sign of intimidation.
The report also states that both groups came to a "peace" agreement that they would not kill a member of a rival racial group. If the Aryan Brotherhood had a problem with a Mexican, for example, they would pass the case onto the Mexican Mafia who would order his execution; and the AB would be responsible for punishing its own members.
The FBI agents that conducted the six-month investigation warned that many of the AB gang members would be released from prison in a few years, and the alliance between the two gangs would continue on the streets. The theory, according to new reports, has become a reality.
Soldiers in the Service of Criminals
According to a white supremacist doctrine, the Aryan Brotherhood, whose symbol is "666," has shifted from an organization whose mission was to protect itself from other racial groups to a group that seeks power and control over sectors of the drug market.
But the Aryan Brotherhood is also secondarily financing other extremist political groups like the gangs Peckerwoods, Public Enemy Number One and Nazi Low Riders that it has formed alliances with to distribute drugs. "The drug trafficking money is indirectly serving the purposes of supremacists," said Wes McBride, executive director of the California Gang Investigators Association.
The Aryan Brotherhood formed a coalition with the group Nazi Low Riders (NLR) to serve as street soldiers in drug and arms trafficking. But a series of mass arrests of NLR members changed the structure of their business.
In March 2006, Ty Fowles, a resident of Garden Grove and alleged leader of the NLR, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges. Fowles was charged with extortion, conspiracy to
distribute drugs, witness tampering, robbery, murder and attempted murder. The same year, Richard Klein, 35, and his wife Kylie, 25, were convicted of selling methamphetamines on the streets of Orange County to fund the NLR and the families of its incarcerated members.
With members of NLR divided, Donald Reed "Popeye" Mazza, the leader of Public Enemy Number One, joined the Aryan Brotherhood in 2005. Public Enemy Number One, also known as Death Squad, has grown immensely. Although it has a racist ideology, the group is primarily dedicated to making money, particularly in the meth trade.
Authorities suspect that there could be hundreds of these members operating throughout Southern California. Meanwhile, federal reports state that Aryan Brotherhood squads were or are still part of the U.S. Armed Forces and have employed their military tactics in their own operations.
On the streets of Lancaster and Palmdale, east of Los Angeles, anti-drug agents have discovered alliances between gangs of different races working for the cartels, according to Lt. Erik Ruble of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
"In prison, divisions and racial problems are still strong, but on the street, the structure is different. Now it’s based on a union of power and economics where racial divisions are unnecessary," says Ruble.
In the past, meth and Ecstasy production in California was controlled by white gangs. Now the market is completely dominated by Mexican cartels, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The spokesperson said he is not aware of agreements between white supremacist gangs and Latino gangs, but he confirmed cases of white and Asian gangs working together on large-scale synthetic drug operations.
"The amount of money these gangs handle is massive. We had a case of the wife of a member of [the Mexican Mafia] who had half a million dollars in cash at home, and expensive properties in several cities,” said Mrozek. “The reality is that today if you want cocaine, the Mexican cartels have the big market, same with methamphetamines, and there are enough drugs for the cartels to have to find new customers and systems of distribution."
New America Media
Black man tied to actions of white supremacy group (Bridgeport, USA)
One co-defendant in the trial of two avowed white supremacists will stand out Monday morning in a federal courtroom.
That's because David Sutton is a black man -- caught up in a conspiracy to sell homemade hand grenades to what his co-defendants believed was a member of the powerful Imperial Klans of America.
For the next three weeks, Sutton will be there, with his lawyer, Frank Riccio II, listening to a litany of evidence, recordings and videotapes involving Kenneth Zrallack, the 29-year-old Ansonia man the government claims is the leader of the Connecticut White Wolves -- now known as Battalion 14 of North East White Pride -- and Alexander DeFelice, a 33-year-old Milford man described by investigators as the "dealmaker" in this case.
Prosecutors intend to call 29 witnesses and play 101 excerpts from video and audio recordings that could take about two and a half hours during the trial, which begins Monday.
Even Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Kopel concedes, in court papers, that he has "no evidence to suggest" that Sutton, 46, of Milford, "was associated or supportive of the white supremacist movement ... He was not a member or participant."
Still, Sutton will be there -- with Zrallack and his lawyer Nicholas Adamucci to his right and DeFelice and his lawyer, Michael Hillis, to his left.
Sutton's name is the fifth of five on a federal grand jury indictment where he is charged only in the conspiracy.
Two other defendants, William R. Bolton, 31, a reputed member, and Edwin T. Westmoreland, 27, a participant, both of Stratford, pleaded guilty to charges and are awaiting sentencing.
So how does a black man find himself on trial with members of a white supremacy group, particularly in a case where Kopel claims the Wolves are attempting to bolster their presence in the white supremacy world by becoming arms suppliers to their bigger and badder brother groups?
Riccio, Sutton's lawyer, said his client "strenuously denies being part of such a conspiracy ... He hopes to be vindicated after trial."
One theory, Kopel raises in court papers, is that Sutton became involved in the hopes that his brother-in-law could buy guns from DeFelice.
None of this shocks Rachel Ranis, an emeritus professor of sociology at Quinnipiac University.
"There are always people who act as individuals," said Ranis. "They do things for individual reasons. Maybe he doesn't care about who the target is."
Clearly, Ranis said a group like the White Wolves would like having a black man as an associate.
Riccio raised the race issue during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in which he asked his client be tried separately.
"His appearance in court with the others cuts both ways," Riccio told the judge.
The Bridgeport lawyer conceded that, in one respect, having a black man on trial with white supremacists could lead to the jury to asking themselves what's wrong with this picture.
"How could a black man be involved in any respect in a conspiracy with white supremacists," he asked. "It's so night and day."
On the other hand, Riccio said his client could suffer "the spillover effect" of seeing and hearing two and a half hours of tape-recorded evidence against the others.
"He could suffer prejudice, not only legally but literally," Riccio said.
Ranis and Henry Schissler, who teaches sociology and criminology at Housatonic Community College and Quinnipiac University in Hamden, agree.
"A lot of African-Americans will be horrified by his involvement," Ranis predicted.
"People may shun him," said Schissler. "That's what typically happens when someone goes against the grain."
Court documents filed in the case indicate that, while Sutton may be an associate of DeFelice, he had no contact with Zrallack.
And most of the evidence against Sutton, who has a prior criminal record, stems from a Dec. 28, 2009, meeting at DeFelice's Milford home.
Quickly the conversation shifted to Sutton's race, according to court documents.
As the informant "was plainly flummoxed and stumbling for words," Kopel wrote, "DeFelice and Sutton ... jokingly" denied the black man's race.
"No, Dave ain't black -- Dave's Canadian," DeFelice says on the recording the informant made.
"French Canadian," responds Sutton, who then holds up his arm and says: "No. I don't call this extra crispy."
"You call it caramelized," DeFelice adds.
The trio eventually ended up at Sutton's garage in an unsuccessful search for a tap to drill a hole into the grenade shell so it could be filled with gun powder.
"There's no other evidence," said Riccio, who described his client as a handyman willing to help others.
But Kopel also claims Sutton was the person, chosen by DeFelice, "who would dispose of the completed grenades if the deal with (the IKA) broke down."
The prosecutor, who is trying the case, said he has evidence that Sutton asked DeFelice to supply MAC-11s to Sutton's brother-in-law. The prosecutor also said DeFelice and Sutton told the cooperating witness how DeFelice offered a deal to a New Haven crack dealer: He would take any guns used in a shooting and sell them to the KKK.
Schissler, who also teaches criminology, said the deal is the key to any criminal.
"They want something and that's all they care about. ... The deal supersedes race," he said. "Look at drug dealers -- they will rip off their own people. There's no remorse or empathy."
CTPost
That's because David Sutton is a black man -- caught up in a conspiracy to sell homemade hand grenades to what his co-defendants believed was a member of the powerful Imperial Klans of America.
For the next three weeks, Sutton will be there, with his lawyer, Frank Riccio II, listening to a litany of evidence, recordings and videotapes involving Kenneth Zrallack, the 29-year-old Ansonia man the government claims is the leader of the Connecticut White Wolves -- now known as Battalion 14 of North East White Pride -- and Alexander DeFelice, a 33-year-old Milford man described by investigators as the "dealmaker" in this case.
Prosecutors intend to call 29 witnesses and play 101 excerpts from video and audio recordings that could take about two and a half hours during the trial, which begins Monday.
Even Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Kopel concedes, in court papers, that he has "no evidence to suggest" that Sutton, 46, of Milford, "was associated or supportive of the white supremacist movement ... He was not a member or participant."
Still, Sutton will be there -- with Zrallack and his lawyer Nicholas Adamucci to his right and DeFelice and his lawyer, Michael Hillis, to his left.
Sutton's name is the fifth of five on a federal grand jury indictment where he is charged only in the conspiracy.
Two other defendants, William R. Bolton, 31, a reputed member, and Edwin T. Westmoreland, 27, a participant, both of Stratford, pleaded guilty to charges and are awaiting sentencing.
So how does a black man find himself on trial with members of a white supremacy group, particularly in a case where Kopel claims the Wolves are attempting to bolster their presence in the white supremacy world by becoming arms suppliers to their bigger and badder brother groups?
Riccio, Sutton's lawyer, said his client "strenuously denies being part of such a conspiracy ... He hopes to be vindicated after trial."
One theory, Kopel raises in court papers, is that Sutton became involved in the hopes that his brother-in-law could buy guns from DeFelice.
None of this shocks Rachel Ranis, an emeritus professor of sociology at Quinnipiac University.
"There are always people who act as individuals," said Ranis. "They do things for individual reasons. Maybe he doesn't care about who the target is."
Clearly, Ranis said a group like the White Wolves would like having a black man as an associate.
Riccio raised the race issue during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in which he asked his client be tried separately.
"His appearance in court with the others cuts both ways," Riccio told the judge.
The Bridgeport lawyer conceded that, in one respect, having a black man on trial with white supremacists could lead to the jury to asking themselves what's wrong with this picture.
"How could a black man be involved in any respect in a conspiracy with white supremacists," he asked. "It's so night and day."
On the other hand, Riccio said his client could suffer "the spillover effect" of seeing and hearing two and a half hours of tape-recorded evidence against the others.
"He could suffer prejudice, not only legally but literally," Riccio said.
Ranis and Henry Schissler, who teaches sociology and criminology at Housatonic Community College and Quinnipiac University in Hamden, agree.
"A lot of African-Americans will be horrified by his involvement," Ranis predicted.
"People may shun him," said Schissler. "That's what typically happens when someone goes against the grain."
Court documents filed in the case indicate that, while Sutton may be an associate of DeFelice, he had no contact with Zrallack.
And most of the evidence against Sutton, who has a prior criminal record, stems from a Dec. 28, 2009, meeting at DeFelice's Milford home.
Quickly the conversation shifted to Sutton's race, according to court documents.
As the informant "was plainly flummoxed and stumbling for words," Kopel wrote, "DeFelice and Sutton ... jokingly" denied the black man's race.
"No, Dave ain't black -- Dave's Canadian," DeFelice says on the recording the informant made.
"French Canadian," responds Sutton, who then holds up his arm and says: "No. I don't call this extra crispy."
"You call it caramelized," DeFelice adds.
The trio eventually ended up at Sutton's garage in an unsuccessful search for a tap to drill a hole into the grenade shell so it could be filled with gun powder.
"There's no other evidence," said Riccio, who described his client as a handyman willing to help others.
But Kopel also claims Sutton was the person, chosen by DeFelice, "who would dispose of the completed grenades if the deal with (the IKA) broke down."
The prosecutor, who is trying the case, said he has evidence that Sutton asked DeFelice to supply MAC-11s to Sutton's brother-in-law. The prosecutor also said DeFelice and Sutton told the cooperating witness how DeFelice offered a deal to a New Haven crack dealer: He would take any guns used in a shooting and sell them to the KKK.
Schissler, who also teaches criminology, said the deal is the key to any criminal.
"They want something and that's all they care about. ... The deal supersedes race," he said. "Look at drug dealers -- they will rip off their own people. There's no remorse or empathy."
CTPost
Former Czech prostitute, German neo-Nazi imprisoned for torturing Roma women
A court in the town of Hof, Germany has sentenced a Czech woman and a German neo-Nazi from the Bavarian town of Selb to seven and a half and six years in prison respectively for kidnapping, beating and humiliating Roma women from the Czech towns of Aš and Cheb who were working as prostitutes. DPA reported that the court reached its verdict today.
The 26-year-old Czech woman was found guilty of multiple abductions, extortion, aggravated robbery and causing dangerous injuries. The court sent her to prison for seven and a half years; the sentence could have been as long as nine and a half years for the crimes in question. Her German lover, who was four years older than her and had suffered serious brain damage during an accident, received one year less in prison than she did. The court based its decision on a medical finding that the man was suffering from a personality disorder.
According to the court, the man posed as someone interested in the sexual services of female prostitutes in the town of Aš, Czech Republic and the surrounding areas. Over the course of this past March, he enticed three different prostitutes into remote parts of the forest, where he and his partner overwhelmed them, blindfolded them and transported them across the border to Bavaria. Once in the man's home, the women had to strip naked; the couple cut off their hair and took away all of their belongings and clothes. The Czech woman beat the kidnapped prostitutes with a baseball bat or iron bar and forced them to say they were "black swine". After the torture was over, the couple let their victims go.
The couple, who were living in the town of Selb in Bavaria near the Czech border, targeted Roma women only for attack. The 30-year-old man, according to the state prosecutor, is a right-wing radical who despises Roma, while the Czech woman previously worked as a prostitute herself. The prosecutor said her attacks were prompted by her hatred of prostitution.
Police were led to the trail of the Czech-German pair by their most recent victim, who memorized their license plate number. During a search of the defendants' home, detectives found ammunition and weapons and also charged them with illegal possession. During the trial the couple blamed one another for their actions. The man rejected the charge that he was a right-wing radical, claiming to just be a nationalist. "The swastika is no different than a cross in a church to me," local media quoted him as saying.
Romea.cz
The 26-year-old Czech woman was found guilty of multiple abductions, extortion, aggravated robbery and causing dangerous injuries. The court sent her to prison for seven and a half years; the sentence could have been as long as nine and a half years for the crimes in question. Her German lover, who was four years older than her and had suffered serious brain damage during an accident, received one year less in prison than she did. The court based its decision on a medical finding that the man was suffering from a personality disorder.
According to the court, the man posed as someone interested in the sexual services of female prostitutes in the town of Aš, Czech Republic and the surrounding areas. Over the course of this past March, he enticed three different prostitutes into remote parts of the forest, where he and his partner overwhelmed them, blindfolded them and transported them across the border to Bavaria. Once in the man's home, the women had to strip naked; the couple cut off their hair and took away all of their belongings and clothes. The Czech woman beat the kidnapped prostitutes with a baseball bat or iron bar and forced them to say they were "black swine". After the torture was over, the couple let their victims go.
The couple, who were living in the town of Selb in Bavaria near the Czech border, targeted Roma women only for attack. The 30-year-old man, according to the state prosecutor, is a right-wing radical who despises Roma, while the Czech woman previously worked as a prostitute herself. The prosecutor said her attacks were prompted by her hatred of prostitution.
Police were led to the trail of the Czech-German pair by their most recent victim, who memorized their license plate number. During a search of the defendants' home, detectives found ammunition and weapons and also charged them with illegal possession. During the trial the couple blamed one another for their actions. The man rejected the charge that he was a right-wing radical, claiming to just be a nationalist. "The swastika is no different than a cross in a church to me," local media quoted him as saying.
Romea.cz
Friday, 19 November 2010
SWISS TO PROSECUTE FAR-RIGHT LEADER OVER KADHAFI PHOTO USE
Swiss authorities said Thursday it would prosecute a far-right party leader for outrage against a foreign state over the use of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's picture in a poster calling for foreign criminals to be expelled. "The Federal Department of Justice and Police, in agreement with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, has approved the request of the Ministry of the Federation asking for penal proceedings to be undertaken against Eric Stauffer for outrage to a foreign state," said the Justice Ministry in a statement. It added that the prosecution has been approved following a written request of Libya. Stauffer heads the Geneva Citizens' Movement (MCG) which is campaigning ahead of a nationwide referendum on whether foreign criminals who have committed certain crimes should be stripped of their right to remain in Switzerland and deported to their home countries. In its poster in support of the initiative, the MCG juxtaposed a photo of Kadhafi against the text: "He wants to destroy Switzerland".
Swiss local authorities in Geneva had earlier demanded that MCG removed the picture of Kadhafi. "With no link to the subject of the vote, this attack harms the superior interests of Switzerland, of our canton and its citizens abroad," Geneva authorities had said. On Thursday, MCG issued a defiant statement, saying that "ceding to Libyan demands to prosecute Eric Stauffer is an additional humiliation." It added: "We should not bend down in the face of external threats and cede to the whims of the Kadhafi family." Relations between Bern and Tripoli were deeply strained after the July 2008 arrest of a son of Kadhafi, Hannibal, in Geneva. Hannibal was later released, but the move sparked a series of reprisals from Libya. Two Swiss citizens were blocked from leaving Libyan territory until this year. Switzerland will vote November 28 on the far-right initiative for foreigners who have committed crimes such as murder, rape or drug trafficking to be expelled. Under the initiative, the expulsion would also apply on foreigners found to have abused social security.
AFP
Swiss local authorities in Geneva had earlier demanded that MCG removed the picture of Kadhafi. "With no link to the subject of the vote, this attack harms the superior interests of Switzerland, of our canton and its citizens abroad," Geneva authorities had said. On Thursday, MCG issued a defiant statement, saying that "ceding to Libyan demands to prosecute Eric Stauffer is an additional humiliation." It added: "We should not bend down in the face of external threats and cede to the whims of the Kadhafi family." Relations between Bern and Tripoli were deeply strained after the July 2008 arrest of a son of Kadhafi, Hannibal, in Geneva. Hannibal was later released, but the move sparked a series of reprisals from Libya. Two Swiss citizens were blocked from leaving Libyan territory until this year. Switzerland will vote November 28 on the far-right initiative for foreigners who have committed crimes such as murder, rape or drug trafficking to be expelled. Under the initiative, the expulsion would also apply on foreigners found to have abused social security.
AFP
English Defence League demos 'feed Islamic extremism' (UK)
The EDL emerged last year and has held demonstrations in a number of towns and cities against radicalisation.
But the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit has told BBC Radio 5 live there is evidence EDL events can encourage extremists.
Officers also say they are worried about radicalisation inside prisons.
The BBC was given exclusive access to the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit - housed in one of the most secretive buildings in the UK.
Thousands of people will have walked or driven past the anonymous offices, somewhere in the West Midlands, without realising that inside lies a counter-terrorism hub.
The only clue is close-up where security is tighter than for neighbouring buildings. But there are no armed guards, barbed wire or guard dogs and, of course, there are no signs.
Det Ch Insp Alex Murray walks me through the gate and into the building.
"There's always a certain element within the violent extremist community that may want to target a premise like this," he says. "So for that reason it needs to remain discreet."
It took months of delicate negotiations before I was allowed in, and it only happened under the condition that I did not reveal its whereabouts.
'Covert environment'
The intelligence community is beginning to believe that it is in its interests to be more open.
Despite this, Det Ch Insp Murray admitted that people were nervous about my visit, saying: "Historically, and for very good reasons, it's been a covert environment. People don't want to become targets themselves."
Some areas were strictly off limits. Next to a door marked with a sign that indicated top security clearance was needed, I was told that "in theory" I might be allowed in, but I would need to be vetted, specially trained, and probably would not be allowed to reveal what I saw.
A lot of the building was accessible though. There is a large open dining area, with kettle, microwave and vending machine. Nearby there are changing rooms and a small gym. Upstairs there's office space where more mundane work goes on and a large meeting room.
In the centre of its conference table were two phones with ultra secure lines.
One, marked Tacit Secret, can only be used in this country. The other is activated by a special key and can contact similar agencies around the world.
'Classified info'
The West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit was set up six years ago, the first outside London.
Its boss is Det Ch Supt Matt Sawers. He says: "We put together a small group of about 80 people, but some of the threats that started to present themselves meant that we needed to build up the numbers."
I asked how many people currently work for the West Midlands CTU, but was told that the answer is classified.
The officers talk about current threats from what they call the al-Qaeda "franchise" and how links to Somalia and Yemen are giving them as much concern as more "traditional" areas like Pakistan and Ireland.
They are worried about radicalisation inside prisons as well as colleges and universities, and they also fear that groups with an anti-Islamic message, particularly the English Defence League, are acting as a recruiting sergeant for Muslim extremists.
Many EDL demonstrations and counter-demonstrations have ended in violence, and Det Supt John Larkin tells me that they have witnessed signs of radicalisation afterwards.
"They look for the hook to pull people through and when the EDL have been and done what they've done - perversely they leave that behind," he explains.
Detection strategy
Inside the brightly-lit modern building, staff with police, military and intelligence backgrounds work in two broad areas.
The first is detection. These are the officers who respond to any incidents or threats. Operations are either intelligence-led or in response to tip-offs from the public.
"There is normally a steady flow of information. You can quickly see which are the calls that will lead to immediate action," says Det Insp Darren Walsh, who is in charge of the Initial Response Team.
West Midlands CTU's biggest success so far came during Operation Gamble in 2006, when a plot to kidnap and behead a serving British Muslim soldier was foiled.
Its officers can be deployed anywhere and the unit's forensic team spent many weeks in London after the 7/7 attacks.
Besides detection, the next area is prevention. This unit aims to build strong links with communities to try to stop radicalisation taking place.
After considerable success, there has been a major setback. This summer, West Midlands Police became embroiled in a scandal over surveillance cameras which were erected in predominantly Muslim areas in Birmingham.
Residents were told they were part of a crime-fighting initiative, but it emerged that they had been paid for out of counter-terrorism funds.
Everyone from the chief constable down has said sorry and the cameras are due to be taken down. But it has affected relationships and CTU knows they need to be rebuilt.
The government has also announced a national review of its Prevent Strategy, which is expected to report in the new year.
BBC News
The BNP are in trouble – but there’s no cause for complacency (UK)
It seems that there are increasingly strong indicators that the British National Party is falling apart. With mounting stories about infighting, growing debts and the ongoing court case over its constitution there is reason to imagine that in years or even months to come, the BNP will cease to be any kind of force in British politics. Yet that is no reason to be complacent.
Last week, I became vice-chair of Labour Friends of Searchlight, along with Liz Kendall and Shabana Mahmood – all three of us new MPs, determined to help Jon Cruddas and Searchlight who are leading the fight against racism. The inaugural meeting was packed with Labour MPs and all had noted the anti-Muslim feeling that appears to have largely replaced traditonal forms of racism in many communities up and down the country.
I have seen this for myself in my constituency, where a small number of anonymous online bloggers tried to take over the local newspaper’s online comments forum with anti-Muslim attacks. When they were banned from it, they found other avenues – first mounting a campaign to persuade the public that I am a Muslim (I am not) and then attacking the council over the supply of halal meat in primary schools. It is interesting and worrying that they have latched onto Islam as their sole strategy to whip up fear and suspicion, regardless of how far-fetched the campaigns are.
Labour MPs have similar stories from their own constituencies. Currently, Members of Parliament are being targeted in a letter-writing campaign which focuses on whether halal meat should be banned in this country. The people who are sending these standard letters are not racist, but the people behind the campaign clearly are. All three of the main political parties are united in the belief that our response requires care and thought.
In truth, the BNP has always created the impression that it had more support than it did in reality. Fielding unprecedented numbers of candidates at the 2010 general election helped to fuel the fiction that the far right had a real presence in communities where in fact it had little support and no activists. And there are few people who haven’t realised that the BNP’s online presence is a result of the efforts of a handful of individuals posting under various pseudonyms.
There is an important role for Labour in this response. We are a party that believes in solidarity and yet many MPs – myself included – struggle to articulate on the doorstep proper responses to the myths that circulate about Islam. There are only eight Muslim members of Parliament, and the remainder of us do not (in the main) have the detailed knowledge about the Muslim faith to respond effectively. For political campaigners of all parties there is an urgent need to understand more about all faiths in order to meet this confusion head on.
Yet we are also acutely aware that our response has to go beyond explaining to sections of the public that Muslim extremists do not represent the whole story about Islam. Anti-Muslim sentiment, like traditional racism before it, gives voice to fear and insecurity that often has little to do with faith or race.
I have met thousands of constituents over the past year who are deeply concerned about housing, low pay, job insecurity and the environment in which they live. Too often, they have believed it was because of immigration, when factors such as Margaret Thatcher’s “right to buy” policy, which severely depleted social housing stock, and Labour’s poor record on house-building were much more salient.
Similarly, restrictions on trade unions, weak enforcement of employment law and an unbalanced economy that works for the rich and not for the rest have caused problems for people in the labour market that have traditionally been blamed on immigration. In responding to this threat Labour needs a policy programme that tackles the root cause of fear and insecurity – not focused on immigration but on living standards. It is why Ed Miliband’s flagship plank of his leadership campaign – the living wage – had such power. Labour will make a significant mistake if we do not recognise that the politics of fear will never match the politics of hope, provided we get the message right. As Jon Cruddas has argued, we must “make hope possible, rather than despair convincing”.
Perhaps even more importantly, politicians must recognise the power of the language we use. In politics. it is easy to react. The challenge is for us to lead, too. There was much debate about Boris Johnson’s recent comments about “Kosovo-style social cleansing” in relation to housing benefit reform, but there has been much less debate about the emotive language used about immigration and race. It is important that we do not simply get the policy right, but the tone as well.
The fear that we are seeking to understand is not necessarily rational, but that is not to say it is not important. It is an emotional response to a complicated set of fears about identity and place in the world. The overwhelming majority of people I meet in my constituency are not racist but they are worried – about their future, and about their children’s futures. We must seek to understand this and to respond to it on an emotional level as well as on a rational level, by lifting people up, not driving others down and by bonding together against the division that this programme of cuts is beginning to create.
At this year’s election, no one party commanded a clear majority because no party spoke convincingly to those fears. We must not allow a new, poisonous force to replace the BNP as the default place for people worried about the future – Labour must provide the positive alternative.
Lisa Nandy is Labour MP for Wigan
Tribune Magazine
Last week, I became vice-chair of Labour Friends of Searchlight, along with Liz Kendall and Shabana Mahmood – all three of us new MPs, determined to help Jon Cruddas and Searchlight who are leading the fight against racism. The inaugural meeting was packed with Labour MPs and all had noted the anti-Muslim feeling that appears to have largely replaced traditonal forms of racism in many communities up and down the country.
I have seen this for myself in my constituency, where a small number of anonymous online bloggers tried to take over the local newspaper’s online comments forum with anti-Muslim attacks. When they were banned from it, they found other avenues – first mounting a campaign to persuade the public that I am a Muslim (I am not) and then attacking the council over the supply of halal meat in primary schools. It is interesting and worrying that they have latched onto Islam as their sole strategy to whip up fear and suspicion, regardless of how far-fetched the campaigns are.
Labour MPs have similar stories from their own constituencies. Currently, Members of Parliament are being targeted in a letter-writing campaign which focuses on whether halal meat should be banned in this country. The people who are sending these standard letters are not racist, but the people behind the campaign clearly are. All three of the main political parties are united in the belief that our response requires care and thought.
In truth, the BNP has always created the impression that it had more support than it did in reality. Fielding unprecedented numbers of candidates at the 2010 general election helped to fuel the fiction that the far right had a real presence in communities where in fact it had little support and no activists. And there are few people who haven’t realised that the BNP’s online presence is a result of the efforts of a handful of individuals posting under various pseudonyms.
There is an important role for Labour in this response. We are a party that believes in solidarity and yet many MPs – myself included – struggle to articulate on the doorstep proper responses to the myths that circulate about Islam. There are only eight Muslim members of Parliament, and the remainder of us do not (in the main) have the detailed knowledge about the Muslim faith to respond effectively. For political campaigners of all parties there is an urgent need to understand more about all faiths in order to meet this confusion head on.
Yet we are also acutely aware that our response has to go beyond explaining to sections of the public that Muslim extremists do not represent the whole story about Islam. Anti-Muslim sentiment, like traditional racism before it, gives voice to fear and insecurity that often has little to do with faith or race.
I have met thousands of constituents over the past year who are deeply concerned about housing, low pay, job insecurity and the environment in which they live. Too often, they have believed it was because of immigration, when factors such as Margaret Thatcher’s “right to buy” policy, which severely depleted social housing stock, and Labour’s poor record on house-building were much more salient.
Similarly, restrictions on trade unions, weak enforcement of employment law and an unbalanced economy that works for the rich and not for the rest have caused problems for people in the labour market that have traditionally been blamed on immigration. In responding to this threat Labour needs a policy programme that tackles the root cause of fear and insecurity – not focused on immigration but on living standards. It is why Ed Miliband’s flagship plank of his leadership campaign – the living wage – had such power. Labour will make a significant mistake if we do not recognise that the politics of fear will never match the politics of hope, provided we get the message right. As Jon Cruddas has argued, we must “make hope possible, rather than despair convincing”.
Perhaps even more importantly, politicians must recognise the power of the language we use. In politics. it is easy to react. The challenge is for us to lead, too. There was much debate about Boris Johnson’s recent comments about “Kosovo-style social cleansing” in relation to housing benefit reform, but there has been much less debate about the emotive language used about immigration and race. It is important that we do not simply get the policy right, but the tone as well.
The fear that we are seeking to understand is not necessarily rational, but that is not to say it is not important. It is an emotional response to a complicated set of fears about identity and place in the world. The overwhelming majority of people I meet in my constituency are not racist but they are worried – about their future, and about their children’s futures. We must seek to understand this and to respond to it on an emotional level as well as on a rational level, by lifting people up, not driving others down and by bonding together against the division that this programme of cuts is beginning to create.
At this year’s election, no one party commanded a clear majority because no party spoke convincingly to those fears. We must not allow a new, poisonous force to replace the BNP as the default place for people worried about the future – Labour must provide the positive alternative.
Lisa Nandy is Labour MP for Wigan
Tribune Magazine
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