Lyons police are investigating a smoke bomb explosion that abruptly ended a birthday party celebration for Adolf Hitler at a Lyons banquet hall, a party complete with decorated cakes and Nazi banners.
The suspect, a man with a backpack, had ordered a grilled cheese sandwich before he went into a restroom and set off the smoke bomb, authorities said Monday.
"The description we have to work off of is very vague," police Chief Harley Schinker said of the person responsible for the damage Saturday night to P.J. Klem's Restaurant & Banquet Hall.
Art Jones, chairman of the America First Committee, said he organized the party and that about 60 people attended. In addition to celebrating the 122nd anniversary of Hitler's birth, which is Wednesday, Jones said the group marked the April 12, 1861, start of the Civil War.
The party included two cakes, Jones said. One was decorated with the words, "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler." The other bore the phrase, "The South Was Right. White Men Fight," Jones said.
Officers arrived at the restaurant and banquet hall about 6:15 p.m. Saturday after receiving a call about smoke, according to a release from Lyons police.
The smoke bomb caused no serious damage or injuries, but police evacuated and closed the restaurant to allow the Cook County sheriff's police bomb squad to search the building, Lyons police said.
Pete Klemetzos, general manager of Klem's, said he was unaware of the party's specific purpose when it was scheduled several weeks ago.
The same group has rented the banquet hall in previous years and was holding a peaceful gathering, he added.
"There was no 'Heil Hitler' or anything like that," Klemetzos said, although banners bearing swastikas were displayed.
"They didn't wear uniforms. There were no outside demonstrations. A group came in and said they wanted me to cook for them — chicken, beef, sausage — and I didn't ask them who they were."
Chicago Tribune
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
The Turner Diaries and the BNP.
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| David Copeland |
Copeland who had acted as a steward at various BNP meetings and was photographed with John Tyndall the BNP’s founder was well known by the BNP leadership.
At the time of his arrest Copeland stated this to the police as to the motivation for his actions.
"My main intent was to spread fear, resentment and hatred throughout this country, it was to cause a racial war."
He said: "If you've read The Turner Diaries, you know the year 2000 there'll be the uprising and all that, racial violence on the streets. My aim was political. It was to cause a racial war in this country.
There'd be a backlash from the ethnic minorities, then all the white people will go out and vote BNP."
Today marks the 16th Anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing which was another terrorist attack that was also inspired by The Turner Diaries book.
 |
| Timothy McVeigh |
The attack that occurred on the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 was carried out by the former U.S. Army member Timothy James McVeigh.
McVeigh who had sought revenge against the governments for its handling of the Waco siege where 77 members of the Branch Davidians died, had been inspired to his actions by this white supremacist literature.
“McVeigh frequently quoted and alluded to the white supremacist novel The Turner Diaries. It described acts of terrorism similar to the one he carried out.”
Wikipedia
Photocopies of pages sixty-one and sixty-two of The Turner Diaries were found in an envelope inside McVeigh's car.
Wikipedia
A Timothy McVeigh quote
“If people say The Turner Diaries was my Bible, Unintended Consequences would be my New Testament. I think Unintended Consequences is a better book. It might have changed my whole plan of operation if I'd read that one first.”
Wikipedia
The book tells the story of Earl Turner a member of a white supremacist guerrilla army trying to overthrow the American government in a future Aryan race war. It also contains a detailed description of the mass hangings of “Race Traitors” in Los Angeles and the ethnic cleansing of a city.
It’s full of anti-Semitic conspiracy theory government control bile, mixed in with white racial superiority, paranoia and xenophobia.
Here’s a section from the book.
“If the White nations of the world had not allowed themselves to become subject to the Jew, to Jewish ideas, to the Jewish spirit, this war would not be necessary. We can hardly consider ourselves blameless. We can hardly say we had no choice, no chance to avoid the Jew's snare. We can hardly say we were not warned....
The people had finally had their fill of the Jews and their tricks....If the Organization survives this contest, no Jew will -- anywhere. We'll go to the Uttermost ends of the earth to hunt down the last of Satan's spawn.”
Obviously due to its narrative it ticks all the white supremacist extremists’ boxes and is often called the “Bible of the Right Wing”.
So who wrote The Turner Diaries?
Unsurprisingly the author was a well known American Neo-Nazi called William Luther Pierce, writing under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald.Pierce was the founder of the American neo-Nazi white supremacist organisation the “National Alliance” and creator of the religion “Cosmotheism”.
A religion based on the principles of white racialism, pantheism, eugenics and National Socialism (Nazism).
Obviously William Pierce was a hardcore white supremacist and Neo-Nazi.
Yet this didn’t discourage the British National Party inviting him over to speak at one of their rallies in 1995. And in 1999 Pierce spoke at an American Friends of the British National Party meeting in Arlington, Virginia.
When William Pierce died in 2002, the BNP website carried an official obituary for the man.
Although today the BNP seldom officially make references to William Pierce, their members still hold the man in admiration.
In 2009 Nick Cass the BNP’s leafleting poster boy was spotted on a Television interview with an National Alliance tattoo.
 |
| Birmingham Nationalist |
And this BNP Non-Official, "cough” Blog is yet again promoting Pierce’s racial agenda and paranoia.
In the video of Pierce that this BNP blog has posted, he once again re-enforces the racist white supremacist anti-Semitic dogma that is blatant in The Turner Diaries.
Yesterday we reminded you of the Ex-BNP member David Copeland and his terror campaign in London.
Today we remind you of Timothy McVeigh and his terror campaign in Oklahoma City.
Today we have also have pointed out the not so distant link between these two events and the British National Party.
A link that should not be forgotten.
Especially as tomorrow is the anniversary of Adolph Hitler's birthday.
An event that is often celibrated by Neo-Nazi's around the world.
.
Wilders trial: police complaint about perjury (Netherlands)
PVV leader Geert Wilders is to make a formal complaint to the police of perjury against one of the witnesses at his inciting hatred trial.
On Monday, a special court panel refused to honour the Wilders’ camp call for new judges, because they refused to investigate statements made by Middle East expert Bertus Hendriks.
Wilders and his lawyer Bram Moszkowicz claim Hendriks lied in court about the motives for inviting another witness, Arab languages expert Hans Jansen, to dinner last May.
During that dinner, Moszkowicz claims a third witness tried to pressure Jansen about his evidence.
Following Monday’s decision, the case against Wilders can now continue.
‘The circus will go on,’ Wilders told the Telegraaf in a reaction.
Dutch News
On Monday, a special court panel refused to honour the Wilders’ camp call for new judges, because they refused to investigate statements made by Middle East expert Bertus Hendriks.
Wilders and his lawyer Bram Moszkowicz claim Hendriks lied in court about the motives for inviting another witness, Arab languages expert Hans Jansen, to dinner last May.
During that dinner, Moszkowicz claims a third witness tried to pressure Jansen about his evidence.
Following Monday’s decision, the case against Wilders can now continue.
‘The circus will go on,’ Wilders told the Telegraaf in a reaction.
Dutch News
Green blasts FPÖ for alleged neo-Nazi contacts (Austria)
He called on FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache to do so. Öllinger charged that individuals in the FPÖ’s entourage had sent emails to alleged neo-Nazi websites "unzensuriert.at" and "alpen-donau.info" and that one had called for a military coup in Austria, "a scandal" in Öllinger’s words.
In response, FPÖ General Secretary Herbert Kickl said that "Öllinger’s assertions do not become any more truthful through repetition. Nazis have no place with us."
Claiming that the FPÖ had been trying to investigate the operator of the website alpen-donau.info, Kickl added efforts had been made to make it "an instrument of provocation against the FPÖ" that "Green ideological fanatics and their stooges" could exploit.
The recent apprehension of an infamous fascist by police may have triggered Öllinger’s charge.
Gottfried Küssel was arrested on 11 April. The outspoken neo-Nazi is accused of cooperating with the people behind "alpen-donau.info", a controversial discussion platform of neo-Nazis on the internet. The site was taken offline last month after state prosecutors in Vienna asked their counterparts in the United States for support.
Austrian officials were forced to watch on as anonymous neo-Nazis posted hate messages against foreigners in German on the homepage. "Alpe-Donau" also made headlines for revealing the home addresses and private phone numbers of several journalists and left-wing politicians.
US officials vowed to cooperate with Austria in the matter. Viennese prosecutors failed to find a way to take action against "Alpe-Donau" for months after it became clear that the platform was being managed via a server located in the USA.
Küssel’s arrest came around half a year after investigators had confiscated data storage devices and documents at dozens of apartments and offices in Vienna. Around a dozen users of "Alpe-Donau" – which promoted events held by Küssel in cooperation with Czech neo-Nazis – have been identified in the meantime.
Investigators think that some of the suspected neo-Nazis may also have links to the FPÖ, the third-strongest political force in the federal parliament, according to recent reports. Strache has said many times over the past months that his party and he wanted to disassociate themselves from the disputed online forum.
Strache was pressed to speak out on the issue after participators of discussions on the website praised his party for its current policies. The FPÖ sparked outcry among most political competitors for campaigning against members of the Islamic community in Austria who are unwilling to integrate into society. Strache has warned of the creation of "parallel societies" in several speeches on the campaign trail in recent years. Surveys show that the right-wing party might come in first were Austrians asked to go to the polls in general elections this month.
Organisers of "Alpe-Donau" and people engaging in discussions in the website’s forum face several years in jail if prosecutors press charges under Austrian anti-Nazi propaganda regulations.
Austrian Times
Cash-strapped BNP 'turns to racist hardcore' (UK)
The anti-BNP campaign group Hope not Hate said it had compiled a dossier of extremist postings of candidates standing on 5 May, either in council elections or those to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. Among the postings the group collected from Facebook pages were:
* One BNP candidate in the North of England who posted on his Facebook page a mock advert for the gas Zyklon B – used in the Nazi extermination chambers of the Second World War – captioned, "Try Zyklon B. It's a gas!"
* One candidate urges his followers to "Stamp out diseases today. Spray pakis and poofs with hydrochloric acid".
* An activist in Wales, who has a photograph of his endorsement by BNP leader Nick Griffin on his Facebook page. Underneath it reads: "My grandfather was killed in Auschwitz. Apparently he got pissed and fell out of the watchtower!"
The candidate also posted, "Just popped round to see my Muslim neighbour's new baby. She asked me if I wanted to wind it but that seemed a bit extreme so I gave it a dead leg instead."
* A woman, describing herself as a "a big supporter of the BNP leader Nick Griffin", responded to a protest by Muslims Against The Crusades by saying: "They should all be burned."
* Another candidate posting about his arrest for "an out of date bus ticket", says: "They [police] have just made me hate them even more. From now on I will be celebrating the death of serving police officers when they are announced on the news. May sound a bit extreme but I hate them that much." He also posted that Labour's newly elected MP for Barnsley Central, Dan Jarvis, a former officer in the Parachute Regiment, "should have been shot from behind while facing the enemy".
Overall the BNP will be fielding just over 200 candidates in next month's elections – nearly 500 fewer than the in 2007. It said it "was having to cut its cloth" because of the amount of money it had had to spend defending a legal action against the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Hope not Hate said: "As his party crumbles, Nick Griffin has been forced to turn to what even by BNP standards, is a hard core of neo-Nazis and racists. These are not just activists, but people Griffin is putting forward as candidates for elected public office. They are literally the best the BNP now has to offer."
Hope not Hate, which is funded by the trades union movement, said the party had become hopelessly split – with many members defecting to the English Democrats and the breakaway party British Freedom Party.
The BNP has been engaged in a long-running court battle with the EHRC over its policy of restricting membership to "indigenous British people". It scrapped the rule but the Commission accused Mr Griffin of failing to comply with an order to remove potentially racist clauses from his party's constitution. In December Mr Griffin fought off an attempt to have him declared guilty of contempt of court at the High Court – which rejected the EHRC's attempt to seize the party's assets. Costs were awarded to the BNP but deputy leader Simon Darby said the battle had affected its ability to recruit members and had cost a huge amount in legal fees which had yet to be reimbursed.
Mr Darby said: "Unlike the Labour Party we cannot afford to be £19m in debt and we have had to cut our cloth accordingly." He said the unsavoury postings could be fakes to discredit the party.
'BNP postings' on facebook
* "7/7 – keep trying ya raghead bastards. This is our country our England our rules. Time2 packup and get the fuck out of dodge."
* "Fly your flag! no excuses. We stock them. £5 to piss off your Muslim neigbours off big style. What a fucking bargain."
* "Going to the polling station was aday out for the lazy African population as they don't work."
* "Unless we stand up and are counted then it's bye bye England."
The Independant
The Oklahoma City bombing - 16 years on
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, which claimed 168 lives and injured more than 680 people, making it the most deadly act of terrorism in America until 9/11.
On 19 April 1995, 27-year-old Timothy McVeigh detonated a fuel and fertilizer truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Motivated by his anger at the FBI's handling of the Ruby Ridge incident 1992 and Waco Seige 1993, in which religious extremists were shot dead, McVeigh decided to bomb a federal building in response.
Within 90 minutes of the explosion McVeigh was stopped by police for driving without a licence plate and arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon. Forensic evidence quickly linked McVeigh and his accomplice, Terry Nichols, to the bombing.
The men, who met in 1988 at Fort Benning during basic training for the U.S Army and bonded over their interest in the militia movement, were charged within days.
The 4,800-pound fertilizer truck bomb, which killed 19 children under the age of six as well as eight federal agents, is estimated to have caused $652 million worth of damage. The official investigation, known as "OKBOMB", was the largest criminal investigation case in American history.
McVeigh was convicted two years later of first-degree murder charges, and found guilty of 11 counts of dealing with the bombing. He was executed by lethal injection on 11 June 2001. Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.
The Independant
On 19 April 1995, 27-year-old Timothy McVeigh detonated a fuel and fertilizer truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Motivated by his anger at the FBI's handling of the Ruby Ridge incident 1992 and Waco Seige 1993, in which religious extremists were shot dead, McVeigh decided to bomb a federal building in response.
Within 90 minutes of the explosion McVeigh was stopped by police for driving without a licence plate and arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon. Forensic evidence quickly linked McVeigh and his accomplice, Terry Nichols, to the bombing.
The men, who met in 1988 at Fort Benning during basic training for the U.S Army and bonded over their interest in the militia movement, were charged within days.
The 4,800-pound fertilizer truck bomb, which killed 19 children under the age of six as well as eight federal agents, is estimated to have caused $652 million worth of damage. The official investigation, known as "OKBOMB", was the largest criminal investigation case in American history.
McVeigh was convicted two years later of first-degree murder charges, and found guilty of 11 counts of dealing with the bombing. He was executed by lethal injection on 11 June 2001. Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.
The Independant
Monday, 18 April 2011
Violent neo-Nazi activity on the rise in Germany, official says
Extreme and violent German neo-Nazi groups have seen a recent rise in membership, a government official told a German daily on Monday, indicating that extremists in Germany were deserting traditional far-right parties in favour of more violent groups.
Speaking to the Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung, Heinz Fromm, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, an organization responsible for gathering intelligence on extremist groups in Germany, warned of a rise in neo-Nazi activity, saying "violent neo-Nazi scene has become stronger."
While Fromm indicated that the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) saw a decrease in membership in 2010, the extremist and often violent Autonomous Nationalists have seen a rise in activity.
"The Autonomous nationalists, who repeatedly make their presence felt through violence during demonstrations, show similar trends," Fromm said. "Among this group, a rise in the past year from 800 to 1,000 people was observed."
In contrast to the NPD, the Autonomous Nationalists reject participation in a political system they view as illegitimate, seeking to implement their political agenda outside of elections.
Haaretz
Ex-soldier jailed for burning Koran in Carlisle (UK)
Andrew Ryan had previously admitted religiously aggravated harassment and theft of a Koran from a library.
The 32-year-old, of Summerhill, said he had been "shocked" watching a Muslim burning a poppy on Remembrance Day.
Shoppers and schoolchildren witnessed the burning, outside the old Town Hall, on 19 January.
Sitting at Carlisle Magistrates' Court, District Judge Gerald Chalk described it as a case of "theatrical bigotry".
'My country'
He said: "It was pre-planned by you as you stole the book deliberately.
"You went out to cause maximum publicity and to cause distress."
Ryan struggled with security guards in court after the sentence was passed.
While being handcuffed he shouted: "What about my country? What about burning poppies?"
About 10 people were in court to support Ryan, and as they left the court they shouted "do you call this justice?".
After sentencing, Insp Paul Marshall, of Cumbria Police, said: "This incident was highly unusual for Cumbria as we have such low levels of hate crime in the county."
BBC News
David Copeland Terrorist and BNP Member (UK)
Yesterday marks the start of the 12th anniversary of the white supremacist terrorist bombing campaign carried out by the ex-BNP member David Copeland in Soho, London.
Following the Admiral Duncan pub bombing by former BNP member David Copeland, Griffin stated "The TV footage of dozens of 'gay' demonstrators flaunting their perversion in front of the world's journalists showed just why so many ordinary people find these creatures so repulsive." Wikipedia.org
Here's a video about it.
Please support the videos uploader bnpinfo and his channel.
Following the Admiral Duncan pub bombing by former BNP member David Copeland, Griffin stated "The TV footage of dozens of 'gay' demonstrators flaunting their perversion in front of the world's journalists showed just why so many ordinary people find these creatures so repulsive." Wikipedia.org
Here's a video about it.
Please support the videos uploader bnpinfo and his channel.
Cloak-and-dagger day with the BNP – a party in crisis (UK)
With three volunteers holding up modest Union flag backdrops to ensure they did not blow over during the speech by the deputy leader Simon Darby, and press interviews held in the corner of a giant retail centre car park, the event was notably different from last year's general election campaign launch. Then, a man dressed as St George appeared with the leader Nick Griffin in Stoke to begin the party's ill-fated push for a Westminster seat. Mr Griffin was unable to attend this time due to poor health, leaving the floor – or rather pavement – for Mr Darby to address his small gaggle of followers.
He called the Labour Party leader Ed Miliband an "alien", a "reptile" and a thoroughly "odd-looking bloke", and accused Labour of gerrymandering the council ward boundaries to reduce the BNP's presence.
Michael Coleman, one of five BNP councillors in Stoke, said its nine-page policy document was intended to stop an "invasion and occupation by a foreign body of people", lauding it as "exciting, positive and uplifting".
All members present denied they were racist, but anti-Islamic rhetoric dominated the short affair, with Mr Coleman claiming white folk will flee the area because they are intimidated by the building of a mosque. "They've got no right to be in this country and everybody knows it," he said.
Mr Darby portrayed the BNP as the underdogs and claimed some of its supporters faced prison for their beliefs. He professed his delight to be out campaigning on a "sunny English day", but it appeared yesterday that the BNP's moment in the sun could be coming to an end.
It is expected to field about 200 candidates in next month's elections, compared with more than 700 in the comparable campaign in 2007, and faces losing all the seats that it is defending. Following its relatively poor general election showing, the BNP has been riven by internal strife, including a failed challenge to Mr Griffin's leadership. Some disaffected former BNP members have defected to the English Democrats, while others have set up a breakaway party, British Freedom.
Matthew Goodwin, of Nottingham University, an analyst of far-right politics said "Their situation is very grave. Even in their core areas, the BNP are struggling to find candidates."
Independant
Scotland and the veil: ‘I was attacked by a racist gang … It was because of what I was wearing’ (UK)
WHEN a gang of youths launched a terrifying attack on a young Scottish Muslim family in broad daylight, the victims were left in no doubt about why they were targeted: the veil.
Glasgow-born Samina Ansari and her loved ones were assaulted because she was wearing a traditional Islamic hijab, which covers the hair, but not the face.
It happened last year, when Ansari, her husband and their baby were driving along a main road. The gang, armed with bricks and chains and accompanied by a snarling dog, surrounded the car, shouting “get the Paki bastards” and “go back to your own country”, before attempting to smash the car windows.
Samina locked the doors while her husband frantically dialled 999, fearing for the safety of the baby in the back seat. One man brought the chain down on to the windscreen, while another tried to smash in through the passenger window.
Luckily, the young Muslim mother was able to speed off when the men moved away from the front of the car.
“It was racist,” she said. “But it was also Islamophobic. It only lasted a minute-and-a-half, but the trauma lingered for months. I felt too scared to go out walking with my baby in a pram. It was horrible.”
The trauma of the attack pushed Samina into launching a campaign to educate the Scottish public about the veil and Muslim women’s decision to wear it.
Read the complete item at The Herald Scotland
Glasgow-born Samina Ansari and her loved ones were assaulted because she was wearing a traditional Islamic hijab, which covers the hair, but not the face.
It happened last year, when Ansari, her husband and their baby were driving along a main road. The gang, armed with bricks and chains and accompanied by a snarling dog, surrounded the car, shouting “get the Paki bastards” and “go back to your own country”, before attempting to smash the car windows.
Samina locked the doors while her husband frantically dialled 999, fearing for the safety of the baby in the back seat. One man brought the chain down on to the windscreen, while another tried to smash in through the passenger window.
Luckily, the young Muslim mother was able to speed off when the men moved away from the front of the car.
“It was racist,” she said. “But it was also Islamophobic. It only lasted a minute-and-a-half, but the trauma lingered for months. I felt too scared to go out walking with my baby in a pram. It was horrible.”
The trauma of the attack pushed Samina into launching a campaign to educate the Scottish public about the veil and Muslim women’s decision to wear it.
Read the complete item at The Herald Scotland
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Neo-Nazi rally in front of Statehouse ends early (USA)
The approximately 50 members of the National Socialist Movement group were shouted down at times by 300 counterprotesters. The scheduled four-hour rally ended after only 90 minutes.
State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones said one of arrests was made after a tire iron was used to break a window at a Bank of America.
Jones said troopers also charged two others with fireworks possession and failure to follow an officer's instructions. Trenton police also made an arrest on an outstanding warrant.
There was a strong police presence, with protesters and counterprotesters kept far apart from each other. Jones said there were "hundreds" of officers equipped with riot gear from state, federal, municipal and county law enforcement agencies.
The State Police incurred no overtime because schedules were flexed to include rally security into regular workweeks, Jones said.
National Socialist Movement members made speeches criticizing various government policies, focusing mostly on immigration and foreign affairs. Core beliefs include "defending the rights of white people," according to the group's website.
Counterprotesters focused on what they say is the National Socialist Movement's hate message.
Some returned the message. Daryle Lamont Jenkins, head of One People's Project, which monitors activity of alleged racist groups, shredded a Nazi flag and stomped on the remains.
"This group, generally speaking, is irrelevant," said Jenkins, a former Somerset County resident who now lives in Philadelphia. "Hating black people and hating society is the least of their problems, because when you really get at it, you find they hate themselves."
The event was held in chilly temperatures with increasing rain showers. Trenton resident Bryan Williams held a sign that said it was raining because "God don't like Nazis."
Daily Record
DETECTIVES PROBE NAZI WAR CRIMES (UK)
Scotland Yard has launched an investigation into new allegations that a Nazi war criminal is living in Britain.
Detectives are looking into claims about an elderly suspect. If they find enough evidence, the alleged war criminal will be arrested and interviewed despite his advancing years.
Many of the SS officers responsible for atrocities at death camps in Germany and Poland during the Second World War have now died or are in their 90s.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Inquiries are ongoing in relation to allegations of offences committed in Europe during the war.
“At this stage we have not identified specific offences and as no one has been arrested we are not prepared to discuss the identity of the individual involved or where they live.”
The Express
Detectives are looking into claims about an elderly suspect. If they find enough evidence, the alleged war criminal will be arrested and interviewed despite his advancing years.
Many of the SS officers responsible for atrocities at death camps in Germany and Poland during the Second World War have now died or are in their 90s.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Inquiries are ongoing in relation to allegations of offences committed in Europe during the war.
“At this stage we have not identified specific offences and as no one has been arrested we are not prepared to discuss the identity of the individual involved or where they live.”
The Express
Mosque attack angers Montreal Muslim group (Canada)
The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) is calling for harsher penalties and zero tolerance for hate crimes in the wake of an attack last week on a Dorval mosque.
“It is indeed distressing that in a pluralistic and multicultural society such as ours, we have religious institutions being targeted again and again in crimes of hate and violence,” Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM, said on Saturday. “These attacks go against the very Canadian values and principles that we are all committed to and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
Elmenyawi’s comments follow an overnight break-in last Monday at a mosque at the corner of Neptune Blvd. and Nightingale Ave. in Dorval.
The intruders broke in through a fire exit door and stole a computer and fired steel bolts through a couple of windows.
In 2009, the mosque was vandalized four times, usually with graffiti painted on walls. The last time it was vandalized was in September 2009.
The mosque has about 2,000 members and has been operating since 1994.
Montreal Gazette
“It is indeed distressing that in a pluralistic and multicultural society such as ours, we have religious institutions being targeted again and again in crimes of hate and violence,” Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM, said on Saturday. “These attacks go against the very Canadian values and principles that we are all committed to and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
Elmenyawi’s comments follow an overnight break-in last Monday at a mosque at the corner of Neptune Blvd. and Nightingale Ave. in Dorval.
The intruders broke in through a fire exit door and stole a computer and fired steel bolts through a couple of windows.
In 2009, the mosque was vandalized four times, usually with graffiti painted on walls. The last time it was vandalized was in September 2009.
The mosque has about 2,000 members and has been operating since 1994.
Montreal Gazette
Arrests follow Halifax opposing protests (UK)
Fourteen people have been arrested following two rival demonstrations in a West Yorkshire town centre.
Officers said the protests in Halifax by the English Defence League (EDL) and the Muslim Defence League mostly passed peacefully with minimal disruption.
Police said the arrests were made for minor public order offences.
About 150 people gathered in the Bull Green area for the EDL protest while about 50 took part in the other demonstration in Park Ward.
West Yorkshire Police said about 200 officers were deployed to the events.
A spokesman said that during the EDL demonstration one man was taken ill and refused to be taken to hospital by ambulance. It was thought he had recovered and left the area without giving any details to officers.
Acting Supt Martin Lister said: "Our officers enjoyed a tremendous response to today's operation from the local public which ensured that today's demonstrations could both pass peacefully without disorder, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank residents and businesses of Halifax for this."
BBC News
Officers said the protests in Halifax by the English Defence League (EDL) and the Muslim Defence League mostly passed peacefully with minimal disruption.
Police said the arrests were made for minor public order offences.
About 150 people gathered in the Bull Green area for the EDL protest while about 50 took part in the other demonstration in Park Ward.
West Yorkshire Police said about 200 officers were deployed to the events.
A spokesman said that during the EDL demonstration one man was taken ill and refused to be taken to hospital by ambulance. It was thought he had recovered and left the area without giving any details to officers.
Acting Supt Martin Lister said: "Our officers enjoyed a tremendous response to today's operation from the local public which ensured that today's demonstrations could both pass peacefully without disorder, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank residents and businesses of Halifax for this."
BBC News
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Soho pub shuts its doors hours before gay kissing protest (UK)
A pub at the centre of a dispute over a gay kiss shut its doors last night as hundreds of demonstrators converged on it to hold a kiss-in.
James Bull, 23, and Jonathan Williams, 26, were enjoying their first date on Wednesday evening when they said they were forcibly removed from the John Snow pub in Soho, central London, by management who described their behaviour as "obscene".
Word of the ejection caused a storm on social networking sites and a protest was quickly organised on Facebook for demonstrators to fill the John Snow and start a kiss-in. But after learning of the event, the pub management decided to close for the evening
Continued at The Independant
James Bull, 23, and Jonathan Williams, 26, were enjoying their first date on Wednesday evening when they said they were forcibly removed from the John Snow pub in Soho, central London, by management who described their behaviour as "obscene".
Word of the ejection caused a storm on social networking sites and a protest was quickly organised on Facebook for demonstrators to fill the John Snow and start a kiss-in. But after learning of the event, the pub management decided to close for the evening
Continued at The Independant
TRUE FINNS' NATIONALISM COLOURS FINLAND ELECTION
An anti-immigration party in Finland - the True Finns - has surged in popularity and could produce a surprise in Sunday's general election, opinion polls suggest. Jan Sundberg, Professor of Political Science at Helsinki University, looks at the True Finns phenomenon and the party's chances of joining the next coalition government.
The True Finns saw political potential among the neglected people in society. Their political message is two-fold: social-democratic welfare combined with nationalism and xenophobia. They have targeted dissatisfied Finns who have suffered from the previous governments' economic policies. The last time Finland faced a similar situation was in 1970, when the True Finns' predecessor, the Rural Party, surged from almost nothing to 18 seats in the 200-seat parliament. Later the Rural Party split, but it made a successful comeback in the 1983 election.
'Embraced to death'
Finnish politics has been stable for years because ruling coalitions have integrated and then diluted the radical parties of left and right. That was the fate of the Communists and, later, the Rural Party. Novelist Leif Salmen wrote that the Communists were "embraced to death". The True Finns emerged from the Rural Party in the 1990s when that party failed to keep its election promises. Finland is officially bilingual, but the True Finns' nationalism has no room for Swedish. It excludes Swedish as something unfamiliar to Finnish culture. Polls suggest that most Finns share that view and want to stop the teaching of Swedish in Finnish schools. There is also a widespread view that immigration is damaging Finland and Finnish culture. Parties tend to follow popular trends among the electorate, even if they have an authoritarian streak. That is a general weakness of democracy. The right-wing populist Danish People's Party is not a strong actor in Danish politics, but its xenophobia has spread to the major parties. The Sweden Democrats, on the other hand, are kept isolated by all parties in the Swedish parliament. In contrast to Sweden, parties in Finland have adopted - to differing degrees - the nationalist stance of the True Finns. That is certainly true of the Christian Democrats and Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi's Centre Party.
Nationalist message
The True Finns' manifesto indicates they have much in common with right-wing populist parties elsewhere in Europe. They believe that a low birth rate is not solved by immigration, as that results in problems and foreigners are do not fit into Finnish culture. Instead, young women should study less and spend more time giving birth to pure Finnish children. That is like a faint echo of Nazi ideology. If the True Finns do as well as expected the rival parties may opt for the traditional strategy of integration, but this time it is likely to backfire, because the economic climate has changed. Finland suffered when the Soviet economy collapsed, because the USSR was a major export market for Finnish goods. But in 1995 Finland joined the EU and Nokia developed into a globally successful mobile phone manufacturer. Finland joined the eurozone wholeheartedly in 2002. But for many Finns today EU membership is no longer sexy - not when it involves bailing out countries like Greece, the Republic of Ireland and Portugal. Other companies have caught up with Nokia and even the traditional "green gold" of Finland - timber - has lost its lustre. One paper and pulp mill after another has closed and many workers have been fired. If the True Finns join the next coalition Finland will turn in some degree towards stronger nationalism and protectionism.
BBC News
The True Finns saw political potential among the neglected people in society. Their political message is two-fold: social-democratic welfare combined with nationalism and xenophobia. They have targeted dissatisfied Finns who have suffered from the previous governments' economic policies. The last time Finland faced a similar situation was in 1970, when the True Finns' predecessor, the Rural Party, surged from almost nothing to 18 seats in the 200-seat parliament. Later the Rural Party split, but it made a successful comeback in the 1983 election.
'Embraced to death'
Finnish politics has been stable for years because ruling coalitions have integrated and then diluted the radical parties of left and right. That was the fate of the Communists and, later, the Rural Party. Novelist Leif Salmen wrote that the Communists were "embraced to death". The True Finns emerged from the Rural Party in the 1990s when that party failed to keep its election promises. Finland is officially bilingual, but the True Finns' nationalism has no room for Swedish. It excludes Swedish as something unfamiliar to Finnish culture. Polls suggest that most Finns share that view and want to stop the teaching of Swedish in Finnish schools. There is also a widespread view that immigration is damaging Finland and Finnish culture. Parties tend to follow popular trends among the electorate, even if they have an authoritarian streak. That is a general weakness of democracy. The right-wing populist Danish People's Party is not a strong actor in Danish politics, but its xenophobia has spread to the major parties. The Sweden Democrats, on the other hand, are kept isolated by all parties in the Swedish parliament. In contrast to Sweden, parties in Finland have adopted - to differing degrees - the nationalist stance of the True Finns. That is certainly true of the Christian Democrats and Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi's Centre Party.
Nationalist message
The True Finns' manifesto indicates they have much in common with right-wing populist parties elsewhere in Europe. They believe that a low birth rate is not solved by immigration, as that results in problems and foreigners are do not fit into Finnish culture. Instead, young women should study less and spend more time giving birth to pure Finnish children. That is like a faint echo of Nazi ideology. If the True Finns do as well as expected the rival parties may opt for the traditional strategy of integration, but this time it is likely to backfire, because the economic climate has changed. Finland suffered when the Soviet economy collapsed, because the USSR was a major export market for Finnish goods. But in 1995 Finland joined the EU and Nokia developed into a globally successful mobile phone manufacturer. Finland joined the eurozone wholeheartedly in 2002. But for many Finns today EU membership is no longer sexy - not when it involves bailing out countries like Greece, the Republic of Ireland and Portugal. Other companies have caught up with Nokia and even the traditional "green gold" of Finland - timber - has lost its lustre. One paper and pulp mill after another has closed and many workers have been fired. If the True Finns join the next coalition Finland will turn in some degree towards stronger nationalism and protectionism.
BBC News
Racist leaflets delivered to residents (UK)
A leading anti-fascist campaigner has slammed a racist leaflet delivered to homes in Millom.
The leaflet, which was delivered to homes in the Newtown area of Millom, has been described as ‘a poor attempt at satire’.
Police believe the leaflets to have been made by an amateur but are treating the incident as ‘serious’.
Residents gave police the leaflets while they were investigating anti-social behaviour in the Market Street area.
They have also been delivered in Lord Street and Albert Street.
The leaflet refers to the Muslim burka, a veiled dress traditionally worn by women, as a ‘black crow like tent’ and describes the British Government as ‘treacherous’.
Paul Jenkins, chairman of Unite Against Fascism north west, said: “Whoever is getting this sort of thing out there is completely unacceptable.
“In the same way in the 1930s Hitler’s Nazis targeted Jews, now far right groups and others are trying to scapegoat Muslims.
“Muslims are not to blame for the cuts or other problems.
“Our communities are better united than divided.”
A number of residents have voiced their concern following the news.
One woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I think there is a problem.
“I don’t think everyone is racist but if people start a foreign restaurant there is always a lot of trouble, a lot of people have left the town because of it.”
Arthur Ferguson served in Burma during the Second World War.
He said: “I am not a racist and I despise anyone that is, it is ignorant.
“I fought alongside a lot of Burmese people and Gurkhas, and dealt with Indian people all my life in business – they are just like anybody else.”
Harry Turner, of Devonshire Road, Millom, said: “It does surprise me.
“There are only a few different races in the town and nobody seems to bother.
“Everyone always speaks to you no matter what.”
Sergeant Ashley Bennett of Copeland Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We have been made aware of several leaflets being posted through doors in the Millom area over the last week.
“They read like they have been written by a person of Islamic faith however upon closer examination they appear to be spoof in nature.
“They have clearly been done on somebody's word processor as they have not been professionally published and printed.
“That said we take all forms of racism very seriously and are investigating the matter.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0845 3300247
North West Evening Mail
The leaflet, which was delivered to homes in the Newtown area of Millom, has been described as ‘a poor attempt at satire’.
Police believe the leaflets to have been made by an amateur but are treating the incident as ‘serious’.
Residents gave police the leaflets while they were investigating anti-social behaviour in the Market Street area.
They have also been delivered in Lord Street and Albert Street.
The leaflet refers to the Muslim burka, a veiled dress traditionally worn by women, as a ‘black crow like tent’ and describes the British Government as ‘treacherous’.
Paul Jenkins, chairman of Unite Against Fascism north west, said: “Whoever is getting this sort of thing out there is completely unacceptable.
“In the same way in the 1930s Hitler’s Nazis targeted Jews, now far right groups and others are trying to scapegoat Muslims.
“Muslims are not to blame for the cuts or other problems.
“Our communities are better united than divided.”
A number of residents have voiced their concern following the news.
One woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I think there is a problem.
“I don’t think everyone is racist but if people start a foreign restaurant there is always a lot of trouble, a lot of people have left the town because of it.”
Arthur Ferguson served in Burma during the Second World War.
He said: “I am not a racist and I despise anyone that is, it is ignorant.
“I fought alongside a lot of Burmese people and Gurkhas, and dealt with Indian people all my life in business – they are just like anybody else.”
Harry Turner, of Devonshire Road, Millom, said: “It does surprise me.
“There are only a few different races in the town and nobody seems to bother.
“Everyone always speaks to you no matter what.”
Sergeant Ashley Bennett of Copeland Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We have been made aware of several leaflets being posted through doors in the Millom area over the last week.
“They read like they have been written by a person of Islamic faith however upon closer examination they appear to be spoof in nature.
“They have clearly been done on somebody's word processor as they have not been professionally published and printed.
“That said we take all forms of racism very seriously and are investigating the matter.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0845 3300247
North West Evening Mail
Tribute page to slain teenager Negus McClean targeted by racists (UK)
More than 11,000 people have joined a Facebook site paying tribute to 15-year-old Negus McClean, who was murdered on Sunday evening in Westminster Road.
However, the site has been infiltrated by people posting racist remarks, offensive pictures, and twisted jokes.
Many of the offensive posts, including pornography and depictions of Hitler, have been removed by Facebook bosses but some have continued to appear today.
Friends of the teenager have called for the page to be shut down to stop the abuse, and for the perpetrators to be caught and prosecuted.
One person wrote: “Let's all just ignore the racist comments and insults now, responding is exactly what they want.
“There's no point arguing with them cos you can't argue with a mad person.”
New Facebook sites paying tribute to the Edmonton County pupil have been set up to try to dodge the abusive comments.
Negus was stabbed repeatedly in the thigh and chest by a gang of up to 13 teenagers on mountain bikes who had chased him and his younger brother Elijah along Bounces Road.
It is believed they were fleeing from the gang after a dispute over a mobile phone.
Two teenage boys, aged 14 and 16, were today arrested on suspicion of murder, and remain in police custody for questioning.
Four others, aged 14, 16, 18, and 20, were arrested earlier this week and have been released on bail pending further police enquiries.
Enfield Independent
Dutch anti-Islam MP seeks new judges for trial (Netherlands)
Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders wants the withdrawal of a new panel of judges chosen to try him for hate speech, his lawyer said Friday, claiming they were biased.
"Mr presiding judge, I will demand the recusal of your chamber," lawyer Bram Moszcowicz told judge Marcel van Oosten at a hearing in Amsterdam six months after Wilders succeeded in having a first panel of judges withdrawn.
Wilders and his lawyer question the new judges' partiality based on their refusal to open a perjury probe of a witness accused of lying to the court.
An independent chamber of judges has been assigned to rule on the latest application.
The trial of Wilders, who leads the Netherlands' third biggest political party, opened in October last year but was abruptly halted three weeks later when the judges trying him were ordered to step down by a panel of their peers who upheld the politician's claims of bias.
In March, the new judges ruled that the trial must go ahead, dismissing Wilders' claims that they had no jurisdiction in the case.
Wilders, 47, faces five counts of giving offence to Muslims and of inciting hatred against Muslims and people of non-Western immigrant origin, particularly Moroccans.
The allegations arise partly from the short film "Fitna", which catapulted Wilders to international notoriety in 2008 and in which he mixes Koranic verses with footage of extremist attacks.
In the film he likens the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf".
The MP, whose Party for Freedom gives parliamentary support to a right-leaning coalition, faces up to a year in jail or a 7,600 euro (10,300 dollar) fine for comments made in his campaign to "stop the Islamisation of the Netherlands".
Prosecutors initially dismissed dozens of complaints against Wilders in June 2008 but were compelled by appeals judges to mount a case against him in 2010.
Expatica
"Mr presiding judge, I will demand the recusal of your chamber," lawyer Bram Moszcowicz told judge Marcel van Oosten at a hearing in Amsterdam six months after Wilders succeeded in having a first panel of judges withdrawn.
Wilders and his lawyer question the new judges' partiality based on their refusal to open a perjury probe of a witness accused of lying to the court.
An independent chamber of judges has been assigned to rule on the latest application.
The trial of Wilders, who leads the Netherlands' third biggest political party, opened in October last year but was abruptly halted three weeks later when the judges trying him were ordered to step down by a panel of their peers who upheld the politician's claims of bias.
In March, the new judges ruled that the trial must go ahead, dismissing Wilders' claims that they had no jurisdiction in the case.
Wilders, 47, faces five counts of giving offence to Muslims and of inciting hatred against Muslims and people of non-Western immigrant origin, particularly Moroccans.
The allegations arise partly from the short film "Fitna", which catapulted Wilders to international notoriety in 2008 and in which he mixes Koranic verses with footage of extremist attacks.
In the film he likens the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf".
The MP, whose Party for Freedom gives parliamentary support to a right-leaning coalition, faces up to a year in jail or a 7,600 euro (10,300 dollar) fine for comments made in his campaign to "stop the Islamisation of the Netherlands".
Prosecutors initially dismissed dozens of complaints against Wilders in June 2008 but were compelled by appeals judges to mount a case against him in 2010.
Expatica
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