I CARE - News Archive January and February 2005

MONITORING ROMANIAN NEWSPAPERS
7/2/2005- During the month of January 2005, European Roma Information Office (ERIO) monitored 7 mainstream Romanian newspapers : Romania Libera, Adevarul, Libertatea, Ziua, Curierul National, Evenimentul Zilei, Ziarul de Iasi.The newspapers were selected according to the number of copies sold per day and their presence on the Internet. ERIO's analysis was based on the search of the electronic version of the newspapers for some keywords: "rom", "rrom"(meaning Roma) and "tigan", "piranda"(pejoratives for Roma). Not surprisingly, considering the strong anti-Gypsyism in Romania according to the most recent polls, the monitoring report discovers, that in its majority, the Romanian press reviewed, seemed to "forget" the pejorative connotation of the word "tigan" and "piranda" whenever the articles were about thefts, scandals or police involvement. The politically correct terminology "rom" or "rrom" is "rediscovered" and used only when the articles have as topic European projects with a focus on the improvement of the situation of Roma. Titles at the very limit of racist speech as from Ziua on 11th of January called "Bathing of the Gypsies" which are not only a striking repetition of the slogan used during the Roma Holocaust in Hungary but also with no relevance whatsoever with the content of the articles are examined in the ERIO's analysis.

"Pitch-Blackish People" and "Gyppos" together with the "masked officers"(special Romanian police forces) are the main characters in conflicts of cosmic proportions in Romania Libera and Evenimentul Zilei. Apocalyptic scenes as presented by Adevarul in its article "Police barriers-pulverized by Gypsy hoards looking for holly-water" are hardly journalism declared the organization. Only three out of 7 newspapers mentioned (very discreetly) the Roma as victims of the Holocaust during the commemorations in January despite the fact that in Romania Roma were the main victims of the nazis regime. In a sharp contrast on the same day most of the monitored papers presented under big titles stories focused on a criminal of Roma ethnicity. Romania Libera in its number from 6th of January published an article "Boboteaza- the Guarding Angel" in which a number of Christian traditions are presented. One of them says "don't give bread to Gypsies as it would transform the wheat in coal". The Romanian Orthodox church was a strong supporter of the fascist movement "Garda de Fier" and also of Maresal Antonescu –responsible for the death of over 20.000 Romanian Roma during the Second World War. Either the newspaper invented a Christian tradition, or the church, responsible also for over 500 years of slavery of Roma in Romania needs to review its traditions or proclaim a new kind of Christian practice which excludes Roma.Anti-Gypsyism continues to be rife and undoubtedly a current practice in the Romanian press especially in Romania Libera, Adevarul and Libertatea concluded the analysis of the organizations seated in Brussels.
ERIO

ROMA PARTICIPATION IN MOLDOVAN ELECTIONS
11/2/2005- On the 6th of March 2005 it is an important event in Republic of Moldova - Parliamentary Elections. For the first time in Republic of Moldova there will be implemented a project regarding Roma people participation at Elections. The Union of Young Roma from Moldova "Tarna Rom" together with Roma Negotiation Group in Moldova is making the first steps in implementing the project "Choose and you will be chosen" with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through Eurasia Foundation support. The project regards to grow Roma participation to elections, to make them aware of the electoral programs of the political parties in Moldova and to make Roma active in taking decisions and in participation at the public life of the country. Roma people are not involved in the process of taking political decisions, they are not involved even in the public and administrative sector. At the moment there is no information about how many Roma participate at elections and if Roma participate at elections. As a result of this project, there will appear a data base with Roma particiaption at the elections. Moreover, Tarna Rom is intending to promote Roma women participation at elections through this project and rising the rate of Roma leaders participation in the political life of Moldova.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information:
Tarna Rom
Tel. +373 22 208 966
Fax +373 22 208 965
E-mail: utr@moldova.md
©I CARE News

4 MOLDOVAN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES STAND FIRM AGAINST RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM
24/2/2005- "If the leader of the Christian Democratic Popular Party (PPCD), Iurie Rosca, does not stop denigrating actions against us, we will have to appeal to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to eliminate PPCD from the election race for actions of blackmail and intimidation of election competitors", a joint declaration of four independent candidates says. The declaration of independent candidates Tudor Tataru, Silvia Kirilov, Alexandru Busmachiu and Stefan Matei was launched after Rosca's spokesman Alexandru Corduneanu described the candidates at a news conference as "docile tools in the hands of occult forces". The four candidates to diffuse a film, Opriti extremismul, (Stop the extremism), which exposes the right-wing extremist activity of the radical nationalist PPCD. "We, in our capacity of election competitors, as well of citizens, have the right to personal opinion, and the film fully fits the real political portrait of the political character, Iurie Rosca, as well as our election strategy. We further consider that this film is useful for correctly informing the society, and that all the good faith people must join their efforts against the extremist manifestations", the declaraion also says. The authors of the declaration are further ready to give up air time in order to diffuse the film, Opriti extremismul, broadcast on TV, and calls on the other competitors to follow their example.
©Promedo

BELARUS: AUTHORITIES SIMPLY IGNORE PROBLEMS OF ROMANY…
2004 was characterized by active actions of representatives of Romany national minority in Belarus with the aim to improve the situation of the people in the cultural, educational field and employment. In August the Romany society filed to the Ministry of Education the request to establish a Romany school in Minsk, in September – the appeal to the Ministry of Culture concerning an exhibition, devoted to culture and history of the Romany, in October – to the Ministry of Work with the request to elaborate a program for liquidation of unemployment among representatives of this people. The first two appeals remain unanswered, the answer to the third was that the "emphasis of this problem has no sufficient grounds".

10/2/2005- A correspondent of "Right to Freedom" bulletin took an interview from the well-known defender of the rights of the Romany, lawyer Mikalay Kalinin:

Mikalay, what is the difference between the situation of the Romany in Belarus and in other countries of the Eastern Europe and CIS?
There's a huge difference. In Belarus the officials pretend that there's no such people (there are 70 000 of us) and that the Romany have no problems. In Belarus the authorities simply ignore these problems. Almost in all countries of Eastern Europe the organs of state power have the structural units for solution of Romany problems. At present the state program on the Romany in Zakarpattya region is working in the Ukraine. Even in Russia the state committee on rights of the Romany has worked since 2003.

May be, the officials don't know about these problems?
It is very difficult not to notice it. The Romany are discriminated all over Europe. This problem exists even in Germany, Norway and the UK. The Romany are persecuted. Their human rights are often violated. In addition, they are discriminated because of their nationality. The countries that border on Belarus openly confess it and try to do something. I have filed letters to the Committee of Religious and National Affairs, but received answers to none of them.

May be, the problem lies in the work of separate state organs?
No, I don't think so. I am sure that the authorities, ministries and departments have the complete information about the situation of the Romany in Belarus. The question is why they do nothing to improve the situation. At present there's no program for integration of national minorities, though Belarus has ratified all international conventions on protection of the rights of national minorities.

What are the relations of the Romany with the representatives of the title nation? Are there any threats?
Belarusians are very peaceful and tolerant. The Romany have lived side by side with them for many centuries and there haven't been any open conflicts. We respect Belarusians, their language and culture. At present the situation of Belarusian culture and language reminds of the situation of the Romany culture. Belarusians have difficulties with education in mother-tongue, whereas the Romany don't have such possibility at all.

What is your vision of the situation of the Romany?
The situation of the Romany in the Republic of Belarus doesn't differ from the situation in the Eastern Europe. In 1950-ie3s, during Stalin's rule the Romany were forcible settled in special blocks, real ghettos. Naturally, aborigines treated them as rivals in work. Belarusian Romany have the same problems as the Romany of all countries of the Eastern Europe: poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. According to some information, about 95-98% of the Romany in Belarus are unemployed, more than 90% haven't finished secondary schools. The problem of poverty is a daily issue in the regions.

Are there any international unions of the Romany and what is their role?
The International Union of the Romany unites all of them. It hasn't been active for several years already. Such organizations as the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the OSCE are the most active ones in solving the problems the Romany have. The Rom Livia Yaroka has been recently elected to the European Parliament. Now she actively defends Romany interests. Strangely enough, but British and Swedish liberal-democrats, social-democrats of the Eastern Europe and the ecological movements did much good to the Romany.

Are there Romany organizations in Belarus?
At present such organizations really exist, but aren't publicly or politically active, because they are controlled by the authorities and only a few of their members are highly educated. It is a great problem for the leaders of these organizations to simply formulate their public position on concrete issues. The leaders only declare themselves Romany barons despite of the fact that none of them really possess this title. Doubtlessly, it contributes to the negative attitude to the Romany. The Romany organizations only worsen the life of the Romany with their inaction. Their work on Holocaust Foundation also leaves much to be desires.

Is anything done for the improvement of the situation of the Romany?
Belarusian authorities do nothing at all. Romany public organizations don't show any initiative either. Some work is done by human rights organizations. In principle, there exists the informational vacuum with the approval of the local authorities.

Explain, please.
All initiatives, aimed at the investigation and solution of the Romany problems face with severe counteraction of the authorities. The absence of the statistic data about the illiteracy and unemployment of the Romany pretty well characterizes the general attitude of the authorities to the Romany.

How can one help it?
At present we provide qualified juridical aid to the Romany free of charge. We want from possessors of the power to abide by the laws and the Constitution that provides the equality of all citizens irrespective to their race, gender or nationality. We try to open the eyes of Belarusian and international public to the real situation of the Romany with the assistance of mass media. It is necessary to tell Belarusians the truth about the Romany. We have many complaints concerning violations of the working legislation. Often employers groundlessly fire or refuse to employ the Romany. This summer I was in one of Homel suburbs, where Romany live. Their children have no birth certificates. The families with many children don't receive financial support from the state and can't use medical services, because they have no registration.

Is there any way out of the present situation?
The Romany need the attitude of the state authorities. Their problems mustn't remain latent. Ignorance won't solve them – that's why it is necessary to lead a dialogue with the Romany. Political parties shouldn't also forget that one of the main principles of democratic society is the principle of tolerance to national minorities. Though the human rights activists of the country are in a very difficult situation, it'd be also great if they give more attention to work with the Romany. However, despite the pressurization of the authorities, we still must struggle for human rights.
©Spring 96

TOWARDS EU ACCESSION: ROMA IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE PROJECT(Bulgaria, press release)
Roma and Human Rights NGOs Claim the Government has Deluded the Public about the Money Designed for Roma Inclusion

12/2/2005- Bulgarian government spends the EU-funds for Roma integration in an extremely inefficient manner. Furthermore, it deludes both the national and international public with assertions and promises for huge financial resources designed for implementation of the Framework Program for Roma Integration. There are many reasons to state that these mistakes are not accidental but constitute sustainable practice provoked by flaps and failures in the way Roma integration process is conducted by Bulgarian institutions. That is why an independent Roma monitoring on the implementation of the Framework Program for Roma Integration and the PHARE projects directed to Roma integration is necessary.

These were the main statements of the press conference organized by Center ‘Amalipe', Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and European Roma Information Office in Sofia on February 01, 2005 in the eve of the official start of the Decade of the Roma inclusion.

To explain their statements, the organizers announced that:

During the implementation of PHARE BG 0104.01 'Roma Population Integration' commodities designed for the education of Roma children had been "sold" from three to ten times higher than their real price. For instance, the actual cost of a set of six color pastels is 1,10 BGN, but they have been delivered to the final users at a price of 11,70 BGN. In other words the state has paid a price ten times higher than the actual price!

Further, a preliminary analysis of the Governmental Action Plan for implementation of the Framework Program for Roma integration (Decision 693/6.10. 2003) shows that the Government deluded the public opinion stating that 271 millions BGN would be spent for Roma integration during the period October 2003 December 2004. A closer look shows that this striking amount is composed by money designed for some social programs such as the National Program 'From Social Welfare to Employment' (217 000 000 BGN), the National Program 'Beautiful Bulgaria' (28 000 000 BGN) and so on. All these are programs designed for improvement the situation of all poor citizens but they have been generally declared as designed only for Roma. Most of the rest 26 million BGN were covered by different international donors but not from the state budget.

One of the main reasons for this situation is the lack of public Roma control and participation in the whole process of planing, realization and reporting the Governmental plans targeting Roma. That is why Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance "Amalipe", Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and European Roma Information Office decided to join their efforts for establishing a real monitoring on the state policy related to Roma inclusion. The final aim is to promote the transformation of Roma into an active participant in the process of their inclusion. This program called Towards EU accession: Roma in South-Eastern Europe* is financially backed by CORDAID, Netherlands.

On behalf of the team of the project

Emil Cohen, PR coordinator

The main aims of the project are: to exercise an objective monitoring and make an evaluation of what has been done about Roma integration in 2004 and the next years; to inform the broad public about the real dimensions of this process; to promote the inclusion of the Roma community as a real participant in its integration during the forthcoming years; to monitor the state of human rights situation of Roma in the area of the project.

The project is being implemented by Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance "Amalipe" (Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria), Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and European Roma Information Office (Brussels) and financially supported by CORDAID, Netherlands.

ROMA FORCE HUNGARY GYPSY KILLING GAME OFF INTERNET
15/2/2005- Roma campaigners in Hungary have forced an Internet website to remove a game called "Gypsy Action" in which players were invited to ethnically cleanse the country of Gypsies, a campaigning body said on Tuesday. The game offered players a variety of firearms to use on the Gypsy population and if they managed to wipe out the entire population, the country turned white, the Roma Press Centre said. The game was removed from the website www.szanalmas.hu on Tuesday. Roma groups and non-governmental organisations put the number of Roma in Hungary at between 400,000 and 500,000, out of a total population of just over 10 million. Discrimination against Roma in Hungary, while not as bad as in some other east European countries, is still widespread in terms of access to education and healthcare. Earlier this month Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Slovakia agreed on a 10-year plan to improve the social and economic status of Europe's 7 to 9 million Gypsies.
©Reuters

ONLINE GYPSY-KILLING GAME CONTROVERSY(Hungary)
24/2/2005- The Hungarian Roma community has expressed outrage at a Hungarian language Internet computer game called Olah Action which calls on players to "wipe out" the Roma in Hungary. The site, which has now been taken off-line, advocated "moving forward from county to county to cleanse Hungary of the Gypsies", offering players various weapons. On one of the pages there was a phone booth with the inscription, "They do nothing. They steal, cheat, lie. They are a major plague for the world, especially for that little European country." Gábor Dobay, owner of Mobileum Kft, the company that hosts the website in question, www.atw.hu, said that his company hosts nearly 60,000 uploaded homepages and in its policy disclaimer clearly states the terms and conditions of the site. He explained that the company regrets the scandal but added that legally there is no action the company can take. However, he admitted the site was temporarily put back online several days later to allow TV companies to film the game. "At an undisclosed given time we put the web page back on site for television stations RTL Klub and TV2 to take on-screen' pictures. However, as soon as this were done the site was immediately removed again." He said that a counter on the page, which he claims does not function properly, had registered about 1,200 hits during the 100 minutes the page was accessible to the media."Never before have we had any such extremist uploads and I don't know of any (Hungarian) site that did," said Dobay, who explained that Roma radio station Rádió Cchief editor József Ignácz, alerted him on February 14 about Olah Action, which had been uploaded on February 7. Ignácz explained that he was first informed about the site from operators working for www.szanalmas.hu. "We were deeply disturbed and immediately asked for the page to be removed from the host site," said Ignácz. He added that there was no place for any such homepage on the internet."The site has a moderator who should be responsible for whatever is uploaded. We have never experienced hate-speech so openly on the internet," he said. News of the site spread fast and on February 16, Czech television (Ceska Televisia) raised questions concerning racism against Roma and other minorities in Hungary. "The internet is a wonderful tool for freedom of expression, but has gone too far and we only hope that this was merely a silly prank by some computer wizz teenagers," Ignácz concluded. The issue has been taken up by the National Bureau of Investigation (NNI).
©The Budapest Sun

HUNGARIAN LEADER ADVERTISES THE GREAT HUNGARY ON THE TRUNK OF HIS CAR
21/2/2005- Former Hungarian PM and current leader of the opposition, Viktor Orban, is unrepentant about advertising his patriotic feelings with pasting on his own car the map of the Greater Hungary [at its 1914 borders], Hungarian press reported. Orban was often criticized for his nationalist stance. A Hungarian televisions station followed Orban s car while he was driving through Miskolc town and took a close-up of the Greater Hungary map pasted on the trunk of his car. A wave of comments and emotions were triggered in Budapest, after the images were broadcast. The comments were amplified by the fact that the same images were then made available over the Internet. The political debate which ensued parted the politicians in Budapest in two camps: on the one hand the far-right, represented by Jobbik party, congratulated Orban, on the other hand the center-right severely criticized him. The right leaning "Nepszava" daily called the map as the symbol of revisionism, which adorns Orban's car. Orban was unrepentant: his spokesperson said on his behalf that "there is no shame in recognizing the past greatness of Hungary and be proud of the cultural values of that time which we inherited." The new scandal irrupted shortly after the one triggered by the broadcast, in Romania, of the Hungarian-made "Trianon" documentary. Two months before a referendum, which Orban s party supported, failed. It attempted to grant Hungarian citizenship to the over three million Hungarian ethnics living in the neighboring countries.
©Mediafax

PROBLEM ROMANY GHETTOS ON THE RISE IN CZECH REPUBLIC
21/2/2005- The Czech Republic faces serious problems with a rising number of Romany ghettos suffering from a high crime rate, drugs and bad hygiene, Romany coordinator from the Liberec Regional Office Jozef Holek told CTK today. Romany ghettos appear all over the country, in the Liberec region they are mainly in the Ceska Lipa area, Holek said after today's meeting of regional Romany coordinators in Liberec. Holek added that though coordinators usually learn where large groups of Romanies are heading for, they are helpless in preventing the establishment of ghettos. Neither municipalities nor regions nor the state administration are able to solve the problem with dozens of Romany ghettos. A high number of Romanies live mainly in simply equipped hostels, as well as in nonresidential premises. Some of them have no access to running drinking water and are threatened with epidemics. Holek pointed out that at some places with a high concentration of Romany population, cohabitation problems with other inhabitants have been reported. "In some towns and villages, Czech families living near Romanies fear even in broad daylight," Holek noted. A number of Romanies are moved out from city centres and end up in ghettos, since private owners of houses in lucrative localities try to move Romany tenants to houses on the outskirts or to completely remote places. Sometimes even Romany chiefs and town hall officials participate in these efforts, Holek added. "If, for instance, a Romany loses a job and has no money for a rent, a lawsuit follows immediately and he is thrown out from the flat. The family then ends up in a low-category flat for rent-dodgers or exactly in ghettos. Such strict measures are not applied to Czech tenants," Holek pointed out. He added that the interlinked mafias of clerks and private entrepreneurs are behind the practice aimed at ousting Romanies from attractive housing localities. Romany coordinators, along with municipal representatives, try to disperse Romanies from ghettos to more places where they could integrate with other social groups. Holek says that in his opinion the Romany situation in the Czech Republic is worse than stated in the latest report by the Government Council for Romany Affairs. "There are too optimistic data [in the report]," he added. He noted that though a number of university graduates among Romanies has risen in the past few years, the high illiteracy on the other hand has further steeply increased. Programmes to solve the critical situation are available, but neither Romanies themselves nor municipalities can always use them efficiently, Holek said. "The Government Council for Romany Affairs has not helped us a lot recently. We have for instance expected more from the preparation of the EU-financed projects which would contribute to an increase in education and employment level among Romanies," Holek concluded. A billboard campaign "Likviduj!" (Liquidate) on www.ceskaghetta.cz, which the People in Need humanitarian organisation launched in early-February, is to highlight the problems with poor ghettos in Czech towns.
©ROMEA

RUSSIA'S FAR-RIGHT ON THE RISE
27/1/2005- Driven by crushing poverty, a lingering sense of humiliation after the collapse of the Soviet Union and outrage over Chechen separatist terror attacks, Russia's skinheads are becoming increasingly organised, violent and numerous. A report claims Russia's youth is embracing the ideology their grandparents fought against so implacably, and that Russian skinheads, or britogolovy, now account for almost half the world's "skins". Adhering to a blend of neo-Nazi ideology and rabid Russian nationalism, Russian skinheads are among the most violent, and have staged a wave of savage attacks on non-Russians and children as young as 5 in the past year, leaving many of their bleeding victims to die slowly. Forty-four people were killed in racially motivated murders last year, more than double the previous year, human rights activists say. Many perpetrators were young, white skinheads shouting neo-Nazi or nationalist slogans. They rarely shoot their victims, preferring to stab them repeatedly or beat them to death with chains or knuckle-dusters. The odds are always stacked in their favour because they hunt in packs of at least three and pick vulnerable targets. Their ranks seem only to swell, from about a dozen in the early 1990s to up to 60,000 today. The report, How to quell the neo-Nazi setbacks in a country that defeated fascism, was produced by the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights and is among several that throw the spotlight on a dark underbelly of Russian society the authorities would have you believe barely exists. It comes at a time when Russia is celebrating its part in liberating the victims of the Nazi concentration camps.

"Today in Russia there are 50,000 skinheads at the very minimum while in the rest of the world, including America, Europe and other countries, there are about 70,000," says Semyen Charny, the report's author. The real number could be much higher, he adds, because neo-Nazi groups actively try to keep their organisations secret. If nothing is done to combat the skinhead menace, experts warn that their numbers could swell to 100,000 within a few years. With names such as "Blood and Honour", "Moscow Hammer Skin", "United Brigades 88" (H is the eighth letter in the alphabet. HH stands for Heil Hitler!), and "Skin Legion", there are estimated to be up to 10,000 in Moscow and perhaps 5000 in St Petersburg. Their code is simple: they don't drink vodka (beer is the Aryan drink), they do not do drugs, they do not do petty crime (only murder and assault), they are supposed to have a good knowledge of Russian culture and to be able to hold their own in a 15-minute fight. Girls are welcome and are often used to spot targets without attracting attention. But what unites them above all is a hatred of foreigners, in particular of anyone with dark features hailing from the Caucusus region of southern Russia or from Asia or Africa. The views of Semyon Tokmakov, a convicted skinhead who brutally attacked a black US Marine in Moscow seven years ago and still espouses skinhead rhetoric, is typical. "Why have they [foreigners] all come here?" he asked. "They bring nothing but drugs and Aids. Every day they harass and steal our women." Neither do skinheads make any distinction between children and adults or the young and the old. In St Petersburg, a crucible of skinhead activity, a 9-year-old Tajik girl was murdered last year and her case was no exception. Hurshida Sultanova was stabbed to death in front of her father by a group of about 10 skins. She was knifed 11 times. When asked whether he felt sorry for the murdered Tajik girl, Tokmakov did not bat an eyelid. "When you kill cockroaches you don't feel sorry for them, do you?" In recent years, experts say, the skinheads' methods have become far more brutal. "They now use screw drivers and knives and increasingly their attacks end in murder," Sergey Belikov, a specialist in "skins", told the weekly Argumenty i fakty. "Earlier, there was an unspoken rule to leave children and the old alone. That has been abandoned. The first wave of skinheads [in the early 1990s] could be called simple hooligans. Today's are professional killers."

Many "skins" look up to Alexander Sukharevsky, the leader of the far-right National People's Party. Party members favour the Nazi salute and wear black armbands featuring a Russian swastika-like cross. Sukharevsky preaches the politics of hate, believing that the white race is under attack from a tide of non-white foreigners. He has admitted that his movement thrives on Russia's post-Soviet social problems. "They [recruits] come themselves," he has said. "They are like small moths; they are so defenceless, these skinheads, and are very vulnerable. "Nearly all of them are from poor families; they are a product of society's disease. We are forced to raise them like fathers and mothers do because nobody has ever raised them or taught them anything. They are the future of our country." Sukharevsky is also deeply anti-semitic. He openly laments that Hitler did not succeed in "liberating Russia from the yoke of Jews". Experts say wannabe skinheads are soaked in a culture of neo-Nazi and revisionist literature and white power music. They favour greetings such as "Heil Hitler!" or "Hail Russia!" and their favourite battle cries include "Forward Russians!" and "Russia for the Russians!" They tend to hang about in each other's homes or in abandoned buildings and communal areas on the outskirts of Russia's big cities. Some crime analysts have claimed that they sometimes have links to, or are the same as, Russia's home-grown football hooligans, singling out Moscow's Spartak and TsKA teams as their favourites. This theory gained credence in 2002 when Japan ejected Russia from the World Cup, starting a riot in central Moscow with cars set alight, shops attacked and passers-by beaten. Many saw the hands of the skinheads behind what looked like a well-planned riot.

Some say Russia's skinhead problem is a product of society's general malaise. Alla Gerber, head of the Holocaust Fund, has said she believes the problem is getting out of control. "Society is sick with xenophobia. Like a cancer it is spreading through the country." She says surveys show 28 per cent of adult Russians want to bring back special settlements for Jews and 48 per cent are in favour of curbing the rights of national minorities. Alexander Brod, head of the Moscow Human Rights Bureau, believes almost two-thirds of the population believe that "Russia is for the Russians and all misfortunes stem from foreigners". APRIL 20, Hitler's birthday, is always a time of increased tension in Russia since skinheads have promised to mark the occasion "by killing African or Asian people". The human rights group Sova said that last year, citizens from at least 24 different countries were attacked on different dates and that the method rarely varied. "As a rule, such crimes have common characteristics: the victims have a non-Slav appearance and will be attacked by a group of teenagers not usually numbering less than five. The victim will be kicked, beaten with baseball bats and, if the attackers are fewer than five, will usually be stabbed." The skinheads have become frighteningly well organised, targeting human rights activists, lawyers and academics who oppose them.

Last June they murdered Nikolai Girenko, an anti-skinhead expert, in an attack apparently designed to punish him for his work in helping convict young neo-Nazis. Girenko acted as a special adviser to the public prosecutor in St Petersburg in high-profile race-hate cases. He was shot through his flat door with a sawn-off shotgun. He was best known for his work in the trial of three youths accused of the racist murder of an Azerbaijani man in 2002. He was subject to many death threats and the communal entrance hall to his building was daubed with fascist and racist graffiti including, inevitably, the swastika. A shadowy far-right group called "Russian Republic" claimed responsibility for the murder. The toll of skinhead victims is staggering. Last October, a 20-year-old Vietnamese student, Vu Anh Tuan, was stabbed to death in St Petersburg, prompting students to demonstrate against far-right violence. Last September, St Petersburg skinheads attacked Tajiks. Armed with knuckle-dusters and metal rods, 10 to 12 "skins" fell on a group of women and children described in the media as "Tajik Gypsies" at a railway station. Five-year-old Nilufar Sangbaeva died on the spot and a 6-year-old girl died later. One attacker said they wanted "to cleanse our land of gypsies". They were sentenced to up to 10 years in jail. This month, several high-profile Jews were attacked in Moscow, and a Jewish cemetery in St Petersburg was desecrated. Again this month, a man with Uzbek features was murdered in provincial Russia and a man from the Caucusus knifed to death in Moscow. Many skinheads say they resort to violence because they are bored. In Voronezh, a university town 480km south of Moscow which has an unusually high number of racist attacks, Amaro Antonio Limo, a 24-year-old medical student from Guinea Bissau, was stabbed to death last year. "We were bored so we decided to go down to Mir [Peace] St where there are many foreign hostels and kill a black," said one skinhead. "It didn't matter to us which country he came from." Russian authorities say the problem is grossly exaggerated and all countries have similar elements, but activists disagree. Russia's bovver-boy problem is, they say, a direct result of society's problems: high unemployment, low wages and grim prospects for many young people. "When there are such economic and other hardships there are usually two ways of dealing with it," Brod of Moscow's Human Rights Bureau says. "The first is to reflect, and the second is to look for an enemy and blame him for your problems. Unfortunately, Russia has chosen the second path."
©NZ Herald

ANTISEMITISM ALARMS RUSSIAN JEWS
17/2/2005- A Moscow synagogue echoes to the sound of morning worship. Cocooned in black and white prayer shawls, the 300-strong congregation sways to the rhythm of Jewish prayer. In Soviet times, Jews caught coming to synagogue risked losing their jobs or being expelled from university, such was the level of state-sponsored anti-Semitism. Today, Russian Jews enjoy freedom of worship - but they are worried by what they see as a new wave of anti-Jewish sentiment emanating from the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. Last month, 19 members of the Duma threw their support behind a letter to the country's prosecutor general. Claiming that a centuries-old Hebrew text incites violence, the letter compared Judaism to Satanism and accused Jews of ritual murder. It also called for all Jewish organisations in Russia to be investigated and banned. "This is inciting anti-Semitism, it's against the law and these people should be banned from parliament," Russia's Chief Rabbi, Berl Lazar told me. "The idea that even one member of parliament could sign a letter trying to expel the Jewish community completely from Russia, this is unheard of. Especially in recent years when, in general, we've felt that anti-Semitism from government officials has almost died out."

Public support
The Russian Jewish Congress says it is seeking legal advice and plans to take the MPs to court. But the parliamentarians are unrepentant. They've withdrawn the letter for now, but Communist MP Sergei Sobko says it will be re-drafted and re-submitted. "Do they really think that by taking us to court the whole country will suddenly stop being anti-Semitic?" Mr Sobko said. "When our voters find out that their members of parliament are being threatened like this, the situation will grow worse." Anti-Semitism has deep roots in Russia. Under the tsar, Jewish people were banned from living in huge swathes of the Russian empire. Anti-Semitism remained a government policy in the Soviet Union. More recently, Russia's Jewish community has been enjoying a renaissance - with new freedoms, new schools and new synagogues opening up across the country. President Vladimir Putin himself attended the opening of a Jewish community centre in Moscow four and a half years ago. But anti-Jewish feelings remain widespread. When one of the MPs who signed the letter appeared on TV and blamed all of Russia's problems on the Jews, more than half of the 100,000 viewers who called in agreed with him. Embarrassingly for Mr Putin, the letter appeared just days before his recent visit to Auschwitz, marking the 60th anniversary of the concentration camp's liberation. There, Mr Putin expressed his shame at anti-Semitism.

Scapegoat
But Tankred Golenpolsky, editor of Russia's Jewish Gazette, believes words aren't sufficient. "Mr President, standing in front of the burial places in Auschwitz you said you were ashamed. Are you as ashamed today so as to get those members of the parliament who signed that Nazi letter out of the parliament?" Eighty-four-year-old Petr Bograd says he finds the MPs' letter particularly insulting. A Jewish general in the Red Army, Mr Bograd fought against fascism in World War Two. "It makes my heart ache to hear anti-Semitic talk like this," he told me. "Russian Jews risked their lives fighting for Russia - it's disgusting that we're seen now as the enemies." Gen Bograd won more than 40 medals for his bravery. He's a war hero but today, he is made to feel more like a scapegoat for his country's problems.
©BBC News

EUROPEAN COURT SAYS RUSSIA ABUSED HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHECHNYA
24/2/2005- The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia committed serious abuses, including the torture and killing of civilians, during its military offensives against separatists in Chechnya, Reuters reports. The Strasbourg-based court was ruling on Thursday on claims by six Chechens who blamed Moscow for the deaths of relatives during attacks and bombings by the Russian military in 1999 and 2000. The court ordered Moscow to pay a total of 135,710 euros in damages to the six claimants. The panel of judges, among them one Russian, were unanimous in condemning Russia for breaching the European Convention of Human Rights article on the right to life. The court also said Moscow breached the plaintiffs' right to a full hearing. It said in two cases, Moscow had also violated the ban on torture and inhumane or degrading treatment and, in the case of one person, breached a clause on the protection of property. Two of the six Chechens alleged they were tortured and family members were killed by the Russian military in Grozny, the Chechen regional capital, the news agency reported. The others complained of the shelling of civilians in late 1999 and early 2000, during a flare-up in the conflict between Russian forces and separatist rebels which has raged on and off since 1994. Russia can request the case be referred to the court's grand chamber for a final judgement within the next three months. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed and some 20,000 soldiers have died since Russia first sent in troops to crush separatist rebels in 1994. The six cases were the first of about 120 concerning the Chechen conflict submitted to the court.
©MosNews

RUSSIA 'NEEDS MORE IMMIGRATION'
24/2/2005- Key members of the Russian cabinet have called for lifting restrictions on immigration in order to counter negative demographic trends. Economic Development Minister German Gref said that without more immigrants, Russia was unlikely to meet the target of doubling its GDP in 10 years. Another official said that Russia should compete for immigrants with the EU and former Soviet states. Russia's population has been steadily decreasing throughout the last decade. Mr Gref said that to counter this trend, Russia should change the legislation which allows its regions to establish yearly quotas on foreign workers. Many Russians are wary about immigration, particularly in regions close to the Caucasus, where immigration is often associated with increased crime rates. Racist attacks and heavy-handed police clampdowns on illegal immigrants are common. But Mr Gref said that from 2007, Russia would be entering the stage of a major reduction in the size of its workforce, which could only be compensated by a massive influx of foreign workers. According to Mr Gref, in 2006 the Russian workforce will decrease by 30,000, while the next year will see a fall of more than 10 times that, culminating in a drop of half a million in 2008. At the same time, Mr Gref said, the immigration quota system had led to a fall in the difference between the number of workers entering and leaving the country to just 30,000 - a figure that could not satisfy the country's growing demand for workers. The chief Russian statistician, Vladimir Sokolin, backed Mr Gref's assertions by saying that Russia was entering "the stage of tough competition for immigrants with European and former USSR countries". "We are the first country where economic growth is continuing despite a decreasing population. But this will not last for long," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the target of doubling the country's GDP in 10 years. In a display of the growing dissent among the more liberal sections of Mr Putin's entourage, Mr Gref has repeatedly said that this cannot be achieved without a serious change in the country's economic policy.
©BBC News

NORTH OSSETIA: ARREST OF MUSLIM LEADER FUELS TENSIONS
Detention highlights the authorities' growing suspicion towards some parts of the Muslim community in predominantly Christian North Ossetia.
By Alan Tskhurbayev, reporter with YUFO.RU news agency in Vladikavkaz.

17/2/2005- Concerns about anti-Muslim feeling in North Ossetia are increasing after police in Vladikavkav arrested a leading Islamic figure in Vladikavkaz and claimed that explosives and detonators had been found at his home. Yermak Tegayev, emir of the Ossetian Jamaat Islamic community and head of North Ossetia's Islamic Culture Centre, was detained on February 2. He was the unofficial leader of a group of Muslims opposed to the state's appointment of Ruslan Valgasov as the area's mufti or spiritual leader. The arrest of such a prominent Islamic figure has highlighted the authorities' growing suspicion towards some parts of the Muslim community in North Ossetia, the only republic in the North Caucasus with a majority Christian population. Observers say that anti-Muslim feeling has been on the rise in the area since several Chechen and Ingush extremists seized control of the No. 1 School in Beslan last September, leading to the deaths of more than 330 people, half of them children. The only known Ossetian hostage-taker at the school, Vladimir Khodov from the village of Elkhotovo, was also a Muslim. Tensions also increased last year after the authorities announced that Valgasov was to serve as mufti of the area's Muslims, who comprise around 20 per cent of the population. This decision was opposed by a group of young Muslims, who have declined to recognise his leadership. "Valgasov is dependent on the North Ossetian authorities and is a mouthpiece for their policy, but our only authority is the Koran," said one of the dissenters, who declined to be named. Before his arrest, Tegayev had emerged as the alternative leader of the Muslim community and was backed by Suleiman Mamiev, the imam of the prominent Sunni mosque in the centre of Vladikavkaz. Mamiev told IWPR that officials in North Ossetia are trying to suppress and intimidate alternative Muslim voices in the republic, and were using Valgasov to that end. He also claimed that police had planted the explosives allegedly found at Tegayev's house. "No one trusts the government after the Beslan act of terror, so now they are trying to switch public attention to Islamic militancy, and using Valgasov to achieve this," he claimed, adding that the official mufti had physically attacked him and his parents. "[Valgasov] kicked my mother– a devout woman who reads the Koran – twice. You cannot touch people like that even when a holy war is on," Mamiev told IWPR, lowering his sunglasses to reveal a black eye. "Obviously they were trying to bully us into some kind of retaliatory action, so that the whole Jamaat could be arrested for inciting unrest or religious extremism," he claimed. However, when asked about these allegations, Valgasov replied that "he can say what he wants", and called Mamiev a "provocateur".

The town of Beslan was founded as a Muslim settlement some 200 years ago. A large number of its population is still Muslim, although in most cases, their practice of faith is strictly nominal. The effects of the extremist attack on School No. 1 are still reverberating throughout the area. The local mullah Vladimir Gavisov told IWPR that he has not experienced a sharp rise in anti-Muslim feeling since the school siege. "Sometimes they will confuse Islam and terrorism, but not very often," he said. Atsamaz Besolov, a young Muslim from Vladikavkaz, agreed. "The Muslim community has always experienced problems and pressure, but I wouldn't say things have become worse in the wake of the terrorist act," he said. However, others claim that attitudes are changing. A 25-year-old resident of Vladikavkaz, who asked not to be named, told IWPR that radical Islam was on the rise. "I first started going to mosque when I was 20," he said. "We all prayed and I found this exhilarating. But then something changed." He said that around a year into his study of Islam he began to feel pressure from other worshippers in the mosque. "They started telling me not to associate with those of my family and friends who were of a different persuasion. They called them ‘infidels' and pressured me. That's when I developed this fear of Islam," he said, adding that he has felt "even more scared" since the school siege. Community leaders told IWPR that several Muslims had been converted to Christianity since the Beslan siege ended. One man and his two children – all of whom had been held hostage – came to the local Russian Orthodox Church a few days after the tragedy, and asked to join. Mufti Valgasov agrees that the Beslan tragedy changed many things. "People are now wary and sometimes fiercely opposed to Islam, but we understand and we don't judge them too harshly," he said. "What a regular person knows about Islam comes from news reports of terror attacks." The mufti added that Beslan was just the latest in a serious of setbacks suffered by Islam in North Ossetia in recent years, beginning with the Ossetian-Ingush conflict of 1992, "Also, there is our proximity to Chechnya and many acts of terror, culminating in the most terrible blow to our religion, the school seizure in Beslan." Yury Sidakov, chairman of Ossetia's Commission on Human Rights and himself a Muslim told IWPR that the split in the Muslim community is "a serious crisis". "Marginalised youth [can fall] under the power of false ideas about Islam," he warned. "But whether they are Wahhabis [Islamic radicals] or not, they are our citizens and we have to work with them."
©Institute for War & Peace Reporting

AZERBAIJAN: OIL WORKERS ALLEGE FOREIGN DISCRIMINATION
A growing litany of complaints from Azerbaijanis employed by international companies in Baku.
By Samira Ahmedbeili, freelance journalist in Baku.

17/2/2005- The new Azerbaijani oil boom has brought a flood of foreign investment to Baku, but many local Azerbaijani employees are complaining they are working hard in poor conditions and reaping none of the rewards. Twenty-four international companies are now exploiting the huge wealth of the oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea and forging ahead with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, BTC, oil pipeline, currently the largest construction project in the world, due for completion later this year. Most of the workforce in these companies consists of local Azerbaijanis. Eighty per cent of the 15,000 people employed by the Azerbaijan International Operating Company's so-called "Early Oil" project, which sends oil to the Georgian Black Sea coast, for example are locals. However, many of the employees say they are being exploited as cheap labour and denied elementary rights. "After we complained some of our problems were solved. But six or seven of us are still living in a two-bed room. Forty-five people use one toilet and one bathroom. They make us work like horses and pay us 100 times less than the foreigners," said a 43-year-old employee of the Consolidated Contractors International Corporation, CCIC, the main contractor in the construction of BTC, who preferred not to be named. Mirvari Gahramanly, chairman of the Committee of Oil Industry Workers´ Rights Protection, told IWPR that contracts signed by CCIC were not in keeping with Azerbaijani employment practices. Under the contracts, said Gahramanly, workers could be required to do any work asked of them - although the working week is formally fixed at 40 hours, the company has the right to ask workers to complete their work in non-working time. Sahib Suleimanov, CICC public affairs officer, refused to comment on these allegations, referring IWPR to British Petroleum, BP, the company that contracted out the work to CCIC.

Tamam Bayatly, head of BP's press service in Baku, did not deny the points Gahramanly raised, but said the contracts had been drawn up in consultation with lawyers from the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR. She countered, "In the first place, if they did not like these conditions, they should not have signed the contract. Secondly, overtime is well paid. If our employees work 10 hours a day they receive twice as much as usual." Another complaint of Azerbaijani employees is that they are made to work on public and religious holidays and days of mourning. But Bayatly rejected these claims, "In BP and its contractors, our employees can decide for themselves whether to work on holidays or days of mourning. If someone wants to earn more money they come to work. If they don't, they don't." Akif Alizade, an independent lawyer, said that BP was technically in the right. "The employees signed these contracts voluntarily and they are obliged to honour the terms." "Maybe many of them did not even read what they signed," said economist Gubad Ibagogly. "And that's not surprising in a country where there is massive unemployment and minuscule salaries. Who will think twice, when they are being offered [several hundred] dollars a month?" Local CCIC workers receive salaries of between 200 and 1500 dollars a month, which are higher than the local average. However, there is a big discrepancy between what locals are paid and what foreigners receive for the same work. According to Gahramanly, BOS Shelf - another contractor working for BP on offshore construction projects - has a four-tier pay scale with locals placed at the bottom, irrespective of their skill-levels. Aliniyaz Mamiev, who formerly worked as a mechanic for BOS Shelf, told IWPR he was a victim of pay discrimination. He said he had been paid 328 dollars a month for his labour, while his colleague from the Philippines had received between 2500 and 3000 dollars for doing the same job. Speaking on BOS Shelf's behalf, BP's spokeswoman Bayatly said that salary levels had been discussed in detail with the Azerbaijani national oil company SOCAR. Defending the pay arrangements, she said, "If you raise the salaries of employees then the operational costs of the project go up. And as a result oil revenues go down. Remember that the salary which foreign companies pay to local workers is later deducted from general oil revenues." Economist Ibadogly believes the government has little interest in its citizens getting better salaries as this might cause social tensions. "If part of the population gets for example 3,000 dollars a month in a country where the minimum wage is 125,000 manats (around 25 dollars), then of course a lot of people will be unhappy," he said.

Last year, a group of 205 workers at CCIC wrote a letter of complaint to the director of the corporation Ghazi Anouti alleging that they were suffering discrimination. They said they and the foreign workers ate in separate canteens and were fed poor-quality food; lived in crowded accommodation with few toilets and were poorly treated by foreign staff. The workers say some of their problems were addressed, but many persist. Aladdin Bakhshiev, a former CCIC employee, said that oil workers had begun to work towards forming a trade union, but the corporation sought to frustrate their efforts. "Active members were sent off to work in other places. And I was detained by the police for 10 hours on false charges. Even though I was innocent, I was sacked," he said. Allahyar Eyubov, who formerly served as interpreter to three Azerbaijani presidents before joining BOS Shelf in 2001, claimed he was also dismissed for trying to set up a union. "We had several preliminary conversations with workers and fixed a date for a founding meeting. But someone told the president of the company and I was fired straightaway under the pretext of not fulfilling my professional duties," he said. Eyubov said that 50 of his colleagues staged a brief protest strike and around 500 of them signed a letter protesting his sacking. His case is being considered by Azerbaijan's appeal court. David Woodward, president of BP Azerbaijan, said last month that his company would take action if one of its contractors was blocking the formation of a trade union, saying that this was the right of all its employees. Bayatly told the Baku Khaber newspaper that Bakhshiev's allegations were untrue. He had not been sacked, she said, simply his contract had not been renewed because his work had not been up to standard. She insisted that Eyubov had also been dismissed for professional reasons. But she said her company would respect any decision reached by the courts.
©Institute for War & Peace Reporting

KYRGYZ WOMEN: THE MAJORITY-MINORITY
The powers-that-be seem unconcerned that a majority of the Kyrgyz population will have very little representation in the next parliament.
by Hamid Toursunof, TOL correspondent

24/2/2005- They may make up a majority of the Kyrgyz population, but when they go to the polls on 27 February Kyrgyz women will know that they will almost invariably be voting for a man. Just 37 of the 419 candidates running for the national parliament are women, and voters in just 27 of the 75 constituencies will have the opportunity to back a woman. Just seven women had seats in the old 105-member parliament in a country where women make up 52 percent of the electorate. Women are barely visible in this campaign—and there is little audible debate about why they are absent. In some quarters, though, there is concern about the low participation of women and a debate about the reasons. Gulnara Ibraeva, the director of the Social Technologies Agency, an NGO that focuses on gender issues, says the "insignificant number of women" in these national elections is a fundamental problem. "If a half of the population is not involved in decision-making, it is hardly possible to talk about the development of democracy," she says. "Men cannot solve their problems without women's participation and vice versa." Ibraeva blames stereotypes. "Gender stereotypes in society are hampering the social, public, and political promotion of women," she says before going on to provide an example of one form of typecasting that these elections have already shown to be false. "It is commonly held that women from the southern regions of the country are historically more passive and obedient," she says, "but the pre-election campaign has shown that the northern provinces [excluding the northern capital of Bishkek] nominated only half as many women as the southern ones. "If you doubt one stereotype, can't you doubt others, too?" Ibraeva asked. A rhetorical question maybe, but few Kyrgyz would probably give the answer Ibraeva wants. "The majority in society does not take seriously the idea of women in the political life of the country," says Munojat Tashbaeva, a sociologist based in southern Kyrgyzstan. "Women are excluded from decision-making at various levels, including debates about and approval of budgets at local and national levels. Voters do not believe a woman can be a strong parliamentarian or a public and state figure."

The link between power and pocketbook
Many Kyrgyz women themselves might not go along with Ibraeva's challenge to stereotypes. "We are an eastern country, and the attitude to women is still conservative," says Khamrakhon Kamilova, a single mother of three. "Speaking frankly," she continues, "a large majority of women also still have conservative opinions." "Women are rather tolerant about discrimination against themselves. They accept polygamy, which is widespread in the country and illegal, but not condemned. ‘Second' wives are simply not registered, and in many cases relatives and friends are aware of ‘second' wives as well as ‘first' ones." Such passivity may also be rooted in economics. "The low participation of women in the current elections is due to the financial situation that women face," says Jyldyz Aknazarova, an economics professor from Osh State University. "This has resulted in political passivity." Poverty is high throughout Kyrgyzstan. In rural areas, over 47 percent of the population live below the poverty line, according to the Kyrgyz National Statistics Committee. The statistics in urban areas are not much better, at 39.6 percent. Figures from the same official suggest just 9 percent of the population are unemployed, a figure not treated seriously by observers. Unemployment and poverty rates are generally accepted to be much higher among women. Despite the level of poverty, the prevailing attitude in Kyrgyz society is that women should not work outside the home and should instead stay at home to take care of their families, says Tashbaeva. As a result, 53 percent of women are dependants, with no source of income other than the money they receive from their husbands or parents. (These are figures compiled by the Kyrgyz National Statistics Committee from 2000.)

The wisdom of the white-beards
This attitude is imposed not just be family members, but by the local community, chiefly in the form of the aksakal, a local court that reviews family and civil disputes. The name--aksakal means "a white-bearded old man"—shows who sits in the court. "My father-in-law makes me stay at home," says E. Ruzieva, a 29-year-old housewife from Osh and a graduate of Osh State University. "My husband's income is not enough to support our two children and his parents," she continues. "I could work in a school to make some money, but I cannot disobey my in-laws. The word of the aksakal is the word of law, and if I disobey, not only my husband and relatives would condemn me, but also the majority of the local community we live in." Such family, social, and legal pressures make it difficult for women to win equality at home, let alone in politics. The domestic inequality is aggravated by violence. According to figures reported by the news agency Kyrgyzinfo in June 2004, more than 9,000 women have sought protection against domestic violence at crisis centers in the few years since they were set up. Experts believe this is far lower than the real incidence of violence. Few women would report cases of violence to the police; in many cases, victims of domestic violence refuse to ask even their parents for protection or help. "Family matters should not be reported to the police," says Zamira N., a response typical in Kyrgyz society. Zamira, a young woman from the capital, Bishkek, had herself been brutally beaten by her husband. "My husband and I will solve our problems ourselves. I see no reasons for others to interfere." Violence is sometimes what actually creates marriages. Many young people who choose to marry observe the Kyrgyz tradition of bride-kidnapping in a formal way, considering it an old pre-wedding ceremony and national custom. The groom and the bride chose a place where she will be "stolen" by him and by his friends. But each year some women are genuinely kidnapped and forced into marriage against their will. An old Kyrgyz tradition, bride-kidnapping remains a very sensitive subject; neither kidnapped women nor their parents tend to report the crime to the police, and there has not been a single trial covered in the mass media. Kidnapping is rarely mentioned or debated. There are, therefore, no reliable statistics on the actual number of brides kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan. However, other pre-Soviet traditions are gaining in strength, prompting some, like Ibraeva of the Social Technologies Agency, to say that "stereotypes in Kyrgyzstan's policy have been developing in favor of men, not of women." One example is the aksakal itself. The first aksakal courts were formed in 1995, formalizing an old, informal tradition. There are now 972 such courts in ethnic-Kyrgyz villages around the country (Kyrgyzstan has many nationalities, including a large Uzbek population in the south). This ethnic judicial system received another official stamp of approval in early February, when President Askar Akaev took part in a national meeting of representatives of the aksakal courts. The president underlined that this unique judicial system still has a significant role to play alongside Kyrgyzstan's other, more standard and internationally recognized judiciary. "By adhering to national traditions, the courts of aksakal can on the ground assist local communities in consolidating society," Akaev told the assembled elders. For some women, this form of social consolidation is not so laudable. Ibraeva and Rozzeta Aitmatova--the leader of another NGO focusing on gender issues—highlighted in a seminar held under the auspices of the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights in late 2004 that the aksakals are a source of pressure that women feel every day.

The Scandinavia of central Asia?
So those who want women to play a greater role in political life face a double challenge: economic constraints and social attitudes limit the chances of bottom-up change, while the president's promotion of traditional law (as well as other national and religious values) reduce the prospects of forcing change from the top down. Formally, though, there is progress. In March 2003 Kyrgyzstan became the first country in Central Asia to introduce legislation guaranteeing gender equality and recognizing discrimination against women, including violence. That was enough for Sulaiman Imanbaev, the head of the Central Electoral Committee (CEC), to assert at a press conference in November 2004 that women had started actively participating in political life. "In the election code, there is no problem for women to participate in elections, and there is full equality in the country," Imanbaev said. To achieve more than such a paper breakthrough, Ibraeva and many of her colleagues are advocating the introduction of quotas for women in parliament and in the state administration. Leaders of women's NGOs say that studies in Scandinavia show that when women account occupy at least 20 percent of seats in parliament, lawmakers make a more serious effort to develop bills to protect children's interests. And when the number of women is over 30 percent, laws and state programs that address women's interests are adopted. That vision for the future will find few female advocates in the next parliament. And social attitudes suggest that Kyrgyz women are still a long way from persuading male parliamentarians to take up their cause. Activists from an NGO called the For Promotion of Women Association say they are doubtful that the current election cycle will create the "basis for parity democracy." It seems certain that it will be quite a few parliamentary terms before a substantial number of women are in the corridors of power. In the meantime, activists believe Kyrgyzstan's majority population will face discrimination in the way a minority would.
©Transitions Online

NEW DANISH GOVERNMENT WILL LINK DEVELOPMENT AID TO ASYLUM
17/2/2005- Next week, the Danish parliament will reconvene and prime minister Rasmussen will announce the composition of Denmark's next coalition government. But whatever shape the new government takes, the results of the February general election has implications for refugees, not only in Denmark but across the EU. Since 2001, Denmark has been governed by a coalition government of the Liberal Party of Denmark (Venstre) and Conservative People's Party which, though officially excluding the xenophobic Danish People's Party (DFP), in fact relies on it for support. The election has left the DFP in a stronger position than ever before, and given the Lib/Con coalition a mandate for a further five years. The DFP, which increased its share of the vote from 12 to 13.3 per cent, will now put enormous pressure on the Lib/Con alliance to follow-through on its promise to punish those countries that refuse to accept failed asylum seekers with the loss of development aid. This could provide a model for other European governments to follow. On being returned to office, re-elected Liberal prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Tony Blair to use the Danish example as a model for the UK government's recently-announced five-year plan on immigration and asylum.

Xenophobic party shapes government agenda
Since 2001, the DFP has shaped the government's policies on asylum and immigration, to the extent that Liberal Party prime minister Rasmussen has been accused of stealing its clothes. And the DFP has not hesitated to point a gun at the coalition government if it veers from the DFP's anti-asylum agenda. In August 2004, it threatened to withdraw its support for the annual budget bill and for troops in Iraq unless there were a programme to speed up the repatriation of failed Iraqi asylum seekers. DFP leader Pia Kjaersgaard called refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants a financial burden, while Danish citizens and primarily the elderly were being targeted for cutbacks. In attacking Iraqis generally, Kjaersgaard said that it was 'unreasonable that Danish soldiers jeopardise their lives while Iraqi men smuggled into Denmark are refusing to go back'.

Election fought on immigration issue
During the run-up to the 2005 election, Rasmussen promised to continue the crackdown on asylum seekers which propelled him to power in 2001. He accused his main challenger, Social Democrat Mogens Lykketoft, of being soft on immigration in contrast to the government which had presided over a fall of around 80 per cent in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Denmark. Also, during the election, DFP leader Pia Kjaersgaard called for the end of the use of foreign languages in all communications between the state and its citizens and the scrapping of the right to permanent settlement for accepted refugees. Nationalised Danes, said Kjaersgaard, should be stripped of their citizenship if found guilty of a criminal offence. The elections have left the Lib-Con-DF axis with approximately 54 per cent of the vote and ninety-six seats in the 179 seat parliament (Folketing).The DFP outstripped the Conservatives, and now has 24 seats in parliament (up five) as compared to the Conservative's eighteen. The exact formation of a new coalition government is due to be announced any day now, but the Lib/Cons seem to have few other parties to turn to other than the DFP.

Undermining human rights
The DFP, which has only been an electoral force since 1998 will be well pleased with its gains. But whatever its long-term future, the DFP's real success has been its influence over centre-Right immigration policy as a whole. Other centre-Right European parties will seek to emulate the 'Danish model'. Already, the Belgian interior minister has announced that he will visit Denmark to study its immigration policy. Since 2001, Denmark's refugee policy has seriously undermined international conventions and this approach has now been given legitimacy. Over the last two years, Denmark has adopted one of the toughest criteria in Europe for qualification for refugee status. It does not accept the claim of any asylum seeker who does not fall strictly within the framework of the Geneva Convention, and the concept of 'humanitarian protection', outside the Convention, has subsequently been rendered null and void. The result has been a dramatic drop in the number of asylum seekers from 12,512 in 2001 to 3,222 in 2004. The number of asylum seekers whose claims were accepted has plummeted from 53 to 10 per cent in the same period.

Linking aid and asylum
Now, under enormous pressure from the DFP, the Liberals are examining ways of linking development aid to repatriation agreements for those failed asylum seekers who, at the moment, cannot be repatriated from Denmark to their home countries as conflicts are still ongoing, they lack travel documents, or for other reasons. A few months prior to the general election, there were several important developments in this area. First, in August 2004, the government increased the portfolio of immigration and integration minister, Bertel Haarder, to include foreign development aid - the first time such a link has been made in a ministerial portfolio in Europe. Haarder then announced another first. In future 'development assistance' would be made an 'active instrument of foreign policy'. This was reiterated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 'Security, Growth - Development: Priorities of the Danish Government for Danish Development Assistance 2005-2009' - a document awash with references to 'regions of origin measures'. These refer to a plan, favoured by some EU countries, to transfer the 'refugee burden' from the developed world to impoverished countries, mainly in the developing South which would be encouraged to host large refugee camps where refugees would be 'warehoused' until conflicts were over. The Danish ministry of foreign affairs suggests that development assistance should be targeted at 'region of origin measures' and implies that such measures could also provide an opportunity for 'refugees and internally displaced' people to return home.

The DFP wants countries that refuse to take back asylum seekers 'punished' with a loss of development aid. Howard Mollett of the Global Security Development Network (an international network of NGOs monitoring trends in security and development policy) believes that such a move would be 'politically unacceptable within the donor community internationally and in Denmark'. The Lib/Con alliance, it seems is mindful of this. While it is attempting the more subtle approach of persuasion via financial incentives, the end result will be the same - aid will become an active tool of Danish refugee policy. The Danes also want to persuade the UNHCR to play ball. Denmark has been reducing development aid as a whole and cutting funds to the UNHCR to which Denmark had previously been the second biggest per capita contributor. The UNHCR while criticising Danish refugee policy want to keep its government on board. Under 'Convention Plus' - a series of 'global consultations' with the State signatories of the Geneva Convention (and other 'stakeholders') on how to update the 1951 Convention (and its 1967 Protocol) to 'address all the pressing issues pertaining to refugee protection in today's changing world' - the UNHCR is pursuing generic multilateral agreements to tackle three priority challenges, one of which is the 'more effective targeting of development assistance to support durable solutions for refugees, whether in countries of asylum or upon return home'. Denmark and Japan are the two countries which have been assigned a lead role in crafting the UNHCR's special agreement on development aid.
©Institute of Race Relations

DENMARK'S IMMIGRATION ISSUE
19/2/2005- The Danish election on 8 February has turned the spotlight on the country's immigration policy. The most enthusiastic advocate of placing restrictions on immigration, the far-right Danish People's Party (DPP), increased its support from 12% to 13.3% of the vote, moving from 22 to 24 seats in the country's 179-member parliament, the Folketing. The party that most vocally criticised the last government's immigration restrictions, the Radical Liberals, more than doubled its support from 4% to 9.2% of the vote and has 17 seats in the new parliament, as opposed to eight in the outgoing one. These two parties are widely seen as the election's big winners. The Danish People's Party is a relative newcomer in Danish politics. Formed in 1996, it won 7.4% of the total vote in the March 1998 elections and took 13 seats. The 1998 elections were won by the Social Democrats and Radical Liberals, who formed a coalition government. The Danish People's Party first became a significant player after the Conservatives and Liberals triumphed in November 2001 and formed a coalition government reliant on DPP support for a parliamentary majority. The Liberal-Conservative government introduced what it described as Europe's strictest immigration laws in May 2002. The right to asylum on humanitarian grounds, which had previously seen up to 60% of applications approved, was scrapped, the acceptable grounds for being granted asylum were cut to the bare minimum required under the Geneva Convention for Refugees, and social benefits for refugees were cut by 30%-40% for their first seven years in the country.

New provisions stipulated that Danish citizens could not bring a foreign spouse into the country unless both partners were aged 24 or over, passed a solvency test showing the Dane had not claimed social security for 12 months and had to lodge a bond of 53,000 kroner ($9,300). Most importantly for Danish citizens who are themselves immigrants or second-generation immigrants, the Danish citizen has to be judged to have stronger links with Denmark than any other country. The new laws had an almost immediate effect. Some 13,000 family reunification permits were granted in 2001, but this had fallen to fewer than 5,000 in 2003. One effect of the new laws is that Copenhagen-based Danes with foreign spouses have been moving to the southern Swedish citizen of Malmoe at a rate of about 60 couples a month, continuing to work in the Danish capital by commuting across the Oeresund Bridge, which has since been nicknamed "the love bridge". Sweden's Social-Democrat government has castigated the Danish government, accusing it of undermining Scandinavian solidarity, and the Danish laws have also been attacked by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner. The leader of the Danish People's Party, Pia Kjaersgaard, responded to Swedish criticism by saying: "If they want to turn Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmoe into a Scandinavian Beirut, with clan wars, honour killings and gang rapes, let them do it. We can always put a barrier on the Oeresund Bridge." Denmark's share of asylum applications in the three Scandinavian countries fell from 31% in 2000 to 9% in 2003, while Sweden's rose from 41% to 60% and Norway's from 28% to 31%. Immigrants and the descendants of immigrants account for about eight per cent of Denmark's population.
©BBC News

WAGE AGREEMENT ACCOMMODATES IMMIGRANTS(Denmark)
22/2/2005- A new collective wage agreement for state employees aims at helping ethnic minorities find jobs. The state can give foreigners a one-year job contract for 80 percent of the normal pay. Ethnic discrimination in the workplace might actually help immigrants find employment in Denmark. A new wage agreement for state employees, signed on Tuesday, allows ethnic minorities in Denmark to take one-year jobs for 80 percent of the normal pay. Instead, they are to receive training and education 20 percent of their work hours. The goal is to provide immigrants with the work experience and training necessary to enter the labor market. It was not immediately clear whether the agreement applied to all professions in state service, as the final agreement had not been made public on Tuesday afternoon. Other results of the pay negotiations included more flexibility with employees with children and preparations for the reorganization of local authorities scheduled in the near future. Personnel whose job functions will change or disappear during the reshuffle will not have their wages reduced until April 2008. Average wages are to increase by 6.96 percent in the next three years, securing that pay rises more than inflation in the period. The agreement concurred with a deal struck between local authorities and their employees on Saturday.
©The Copenhagen Post

NEW ANTI-RACISM OPERATION STARTS(uk)
19/2/2005- Police are taking to the streets in Cheltenham to let people know racist behaviour will not be tolerated. Operation Reassure aims to put an end to alcohol-fuelled racist behaviour in and around the town centre. The number of racist incidents in the district have dropped steadily over the past four years, police figures show. Chief Supt Steve Ackland, said: "I will personally ensure that all racist incidents are thoroughly investigated and offenders are brought to justice." Officers will patrol on foot, in both plain clothes and uniform, in areas and near establishments that have previously been victims of racist incidents. "It's important that this is put into context," said Detective Inspector Steve Bean, who is in charge of the operation. "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, however, when that 'expression' takes the form of racist abuse and insulting behaviour, then the Police need to step in and take control." Since April 2004, Cheltenham Police has recorded 141 racist incidents, 117 of which are classed as racially aggravated crimes.
©BBC News

KEN HAS A LOT TO BE SORRY FOR(uk, comment)
From Covent Garden to Kew Gardens, and the British Museum to the Science Museum, there is much about our capital city to be proud of... except, perhaps, its Mayor
By Nick Cohen

20/2/2005- The useful label 'the pseudo-left' has been knocking around the internet political blogs since 11 September, and it is high time it was brought into the mainstream media. It's a shorthand description of the spectacle of left moving to the right, often to the far-right, and embracing obscurantists, theocrats and, in the case of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and its Baathist 'insurgents', classic fascists. The pseudo-leftists are still on the left because they believe in leftish policies of tolerance and social justice at home. They are pseuds because their principles flip as soon as they leave Heathrow. All that the left has opposed since the Enlightenment become acceptable, as long as the obscurantists, theocrats and fascists are anti-Americans and as long as their victims aren't Western liberals. The real challenge to Ken Livingstone is not the demand that he should be made to apologise for comparing a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard but the repugnance many feel at the pseudo-left's betrayal of basic values. The calls for an apology are silly because, if London's Mayor lacks the grace to be sorry, forcing him to apologise would only compound the insult. Put it like this: if I drunkenly abuse you at a party but phone the next morning full of contrition, you'll probably forgive and forget; but if I call and grumble that my boss heard the whole thing and tells me my career will suffer if I don't say sorry, 'so, sorry', you probably won't.

For months a rainbow coalition of gays, lesbians, feminists, Sikhs, Hindus, Jews, secularists and democrats who once supported Livingstone have been fighting a more important battle about his support for Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Livingstone can't say he wasn't warned about the Egyptian theologian. Just before he met him in July last year, the papers were filled with the most lurid reports of his views. Apparently he advocated the murder of homosexuals and Israeli civilians and beating-up women. If Livingstone had qualms, they didn't show. He sent the limousine anyway. When the two men met, the mayor who can't apologise for his own bad manners proved he was big enough to say sorry for the mistakes of others. 'On behalf of the people of London,' he intoned, 'I want to apologise to the sheikh for the outbreak of xenophobia and hysteria in some sections of the tabloid press which demonstrated an underlying ignorance of Islam.' Er, not in our name, mate, muttered at least some of the people of London who had checked out the reports of the hysterical and xenophobic press. They seemed to have substance. Gay, lesbian and feminist organisations wrote to Livingstone. The letters were ignored, so they turned to Peter Tatchell, who battled away, but didn't get far until January, when the Mayor responded to the complaints with a dossier produced with public funds. It is propaganda. Qaradawi is puffed-up as the 'leader of a great world religion'. He is a moderate and a progressive enemy of violence, Londoners were told, and 'one of the Muslim scholars who has done most to combat socially regressive interpretations of Islam on issues like women's rights and relations with other religions.' Alastair Campbell on his worst day has never issued a piece of flummery so easy to pull apart. Even his weapons of mass destruction dossiers could stand more scrutiny. All Tatchell and his comrades had to do was look at what Qaradawi said and contrast his words with the cosy picture Livingstone presented. Tatchell's reply was issued last week and you can read it in full at www.outrage.org.uk. But here is a taste of the views London's socialist Mayor is embracing.

In June 2003 Qaradawi pondered the question of how a Muslim who decided of his own free will to convert to another religion or become an atheist should be treated. Instead of saying it was none of his business what adults choose to believe, Qaradawi replied: 'He is no more than a traitor to his religion and his people and thus deserves killing.' Female genital mutilation was fine by him - 'whoever finds it serving the interest of his daughters should do it, and I personally support this under the current circumstances in the modern world.' A little light wife-beating could also be excused - 'if the husband senses that feelings of disobedience and rebelliousness are rising against him in his wife, he should try his best to rectify her attitude by kind words, gentle persuasion, and reasoning with her... If this approach fails, it is permissible for him to admonish her lightly with his hands, avoiding her face and other sensitive areas.' Livingstone claimed that Qaradawi was an enemy of terrorism. Yet when a genuinely moderate Egyptian cleric, Mohammad Sayed Tantawi, condemned the murders of Israeli children by suicide bombers, Qaradawi, was furious. 'Has fighting colonizers become a criminal and terrorist act for some sheikhs?' he roared. Gays had to die too, apparently. 'Muslim jurists hold different opinions concerning the punishment for this abominable practice,' Qaradawi said. 'Should it be the same as the punishment for fornication, or should both the active and passive participants be put to death? While such punishments may seem cruel, they have been suggested to maintain the purity of the Islamic society and to keep it clean of perverted elements.' What with the executions of free-thinkers and homosexuals, the battering of women and the blowing-up of children, Qaradawi's theology is a bloody business.

There has always been something of the American city boss about Livingstone. He pays the necessary pieties to ethnic and sexual blocs and collects their votes. But for the sake of argument, let's assume that he's not just a grubby machine politician but is sincere when he declares that he is defending Qaradawi to the hilt because, 'I have a responsibility to support the rights of all of London's diverse communities and to maintain a dialogue with their political and religious leaders.' He doesn't seem to realise that this bland formulation is cover for a deeply reactionary manoeuvre which is being practised across the Western pseudo-left. First they define 'communities' by their religion. Then they assumed that misogynist and anti-democratic practitioners of that religion are the true leaders of their communities. The inevitable consequence is that liberals, socialists and feminists in the poor world are betrayed. They look to the Western homes of liberalism, socialism and feminism and are greeted with indifference or spite. Last year Iraqi, Jordanian and Tunisian writers organised a petition to the United Nations by 2,500 Arab intellectuals which condemned 'individuals in the Muslim world who pose as clerics and issue death sentences against those they disagree with. These individuals give Islam a bad name and foster hatred among civilizations.' Prominent in their list of the 'sheikhs of death' was one Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Just as the British anti-war movement chose to turn its back on the eight million Iraqis who defied the murderers and voted, Livingstone has chosen to ignore the Arab left and offer comfort to its enemies. You find this pattern time and again. The dominant voices in the rich world's left are consistently on the wrong side. You have to go back to the Hitler-Stalin pact of 1939 to find a similar accommodation with the dictatorial right. As inevitable as betrayal is award-winning hypocrisy. In the name of anti-racism, Livingstone perpetuates the stereotype of the Muslim as a death-obsessed, woman-hating, queer-bashing cheerleader for suicide bombers. In the name of multi-culturalism, he talks as if something in the water supply of the Islamic world, or maybe an obscure genetic mutation means that one billion people actually want to be ruled by priests. The joke of it all is that if the British government or a European or North American government were to recommend the execution of homosexuals or the enforcement of Christian belief by death sentences on apostates, Livingstone would be taking to the streets to protest. But when the same policies are proposed by brown-skinned leaders he shakes them warmly by the hand and invites them into city hall.
©The Guardian

WATCHDOG LAUNCHES LIVINGSTONE INVESTIGATION(uk)
21/2/2005- The local government watchdog has confirmed today that it is investigating the conduct of the London mayor, Ken Livingstone, in the wake of his clash with a Jewish reporter. The Standards Board for England said it was looking at two alleged breaches of the local government code by the mayor after he likened an Evening Standard journalist to a Nazi concentration camp guard. It also confirmed that it had received "four or five" formal complaints about the mayor following the incident two weeks ago. The Commission for Racial Equality and the Board of Deputies of British Jews have both called for formal inquiries into the incident. The Standards Board would not reveal which complaint was being investigated. But the Board of Deputies today said it had been contacted by the Standards Board to confirm that its allegation had been passed to the watchdog's ethical standards officer. The two areas of the investigation will cover an alleged failure by Mr Livingstone to "treat others with respect", and a claim that he brought "his office or authority into disrepute". Mr Livingstone has so far resisted numerous calls for him to apologise for the incident. Brian Coleman, the Conservative chairman of the London Assembly, suggested that the investigation could have been avoided if the mayor had said sorry last week. He said: "It is extremely disappointing that this matter has dominated London politics for such a long period. The mayor could have brought this to a close last Monday." The Board of Deputies welcomed the investigation, but it stressed that it was not accusing Mr Livingstone of anti-Semitism. "Contrary to media reports, we have not stated that this was a racist incident. This is about a lack of moral clarity, it is morally inaccurate to compare his treatment to the events of the holocaust."
©The Guardian

NEW COURSE BY ROYAL NAVY: CAMPAIGN TO RECRUIT GAYS(uk)
21/2/2005- Five years after Britain lifted its ban on gays in the military, the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging them to enlist and has pledged to make life easier when they do. The navy announced Monday that it had asked Stonewall, a group that lobbies for gay rights, to help it develop better strategies for recruiting and retaining gay men and lesbians. It said, too, that one strategy may be to advertise for recruits in gay magazines and newspapers. Commodore Paul Docherty, director of naval life management, said the service wanted to change the atmosphere so that gays would feel comfortable working there. "While some gays were confident to come out, others didn't feel that the environment was necessarily accepting of them," Commodore Docherty said in an interview. The partnership with Stonewall, Commodore Docherty said, will help "make more steps toward improving the culture and attitude within the service as a whole, so gays who are still in the closet feel that much more comfortable about coming out." Gays in Britain have benefited from a number of new laws, including one that makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of workers' sexuality. Last year, Parliament passed the Civil Partnership Act, which gives marriage-style rights to British gays who have registered as couples. The entire military is subject to the legislation, and starting in the fall, gay couples in the military who have registered under the act will be allowed to apply for housing in quarters previously reserved for married couples. The new effort continues a pattern of changing official attitudes in the navy - once derided as running on rum, sodomy and the lash, in a phrase usually attributed to Winston Churchill. And while most European militaries have lifted bans on gays, none have been as active as the Royal Navy in encouraging their service. Until a European court ruled in 1999 that Britain's ban on gays in the military violated European human-rights laws, the navy, along with the rest of the country's military, followed a no-exceptions policy of dismissing service men and women who were found to be gay, often after long and intrusive investigations.

The military had agonized for years over the issue, in the way the United States has, and always concluded that allowing gays and lesbians to serve would prove prohibitively disruptive and would ruin discipline and cohesion. But after the court ruling, it had no choice but to reverse its policy. Beginning in 2000, the military said gays would no longer be prohibited from serving. It also stopped monitoring its recruits' sex lives, saying that sexuality, as long as it did not intrude into the workplace, should not be an issue one way or another. Recently, gay men and women in the British services have lived and fought in Iraq alongside heterosexuals without problems, according to military officials. "I would say that before the European court ruling, it was difficult to see this policy happening or working," said Lt. Cmdr. Craig Jones, a gay naval officer who often speaks publicly, with the navy's approval, on gay rights issues. "People were quite hot under the collar about it; the admirals, generals and air marshals were really concerned," he added. "I'm quite sure that these folks look now and think, 'What was all that fuss about?' " Most European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Denmark, have lifted their bans on gays in the military. But Britain, and particularly the navy, has gone further, said Aaron Belkin, director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "In a lot of cases what you have is a legal commitment to nondiscrimination, but a quiet continuation of previous cultural norms," Mr. Belkin said. "But here you have not only a reversal of policy and a formal commitment to nondiscrimination, but a proactive embracing of the idea that integration is good for the military and diversity is useful for recruiting from the fullest possible pool." In Britain, Stonewall currently advises about 90 employers, some of them big companies, about how better to recruit and treat gay and lesbian workers. It is this program that the navy has signed up for. "Increasingly, organizations are recognizing that having well-trained and highly committed staff who feel comfortable in the workplace is highly important," said Alan Wartle, a spokesman for Stonewall. "It's about having a range of policies and also about the more intangible element, the cultural change."

Commodore Docherty said one likely step for the navy would be to begin advertising in gay publications, as part of a general recruitment effort. "We advertise in a lot of magazines," he said. "For instance, we advertise in cycling and swimming magazines - not because we're after cyclists and swimmers particularly, but because it's part of our target audience of 16-to-24-year-olds." Gays in the British military are subject to the same rules of sexual conduct as heterosexuals: no touching, no kissing, no flaunting of sexuality. Since 1991, women have been allowed to serve with men on ships, which operate under strict "no sex" rules, and sailors in such close quarters have relied on what one naval official said was "common sense and good manners." Despite the change in policy, relatively few gay men and lesbians in the military - whether because of fear of being intimidated, or because of personal choice - have come out. The services do not keep statistics on the number of gays, holding by the principle, Commander Jones said, that "sexuality is a private matter for the individual." He called the announcement by the navy on Monday "a huge step forward." "You get folks like me who choose to be out, and there are others who don't - it's up to them," he said. "We've come a very, very long way in five years, but we don't want to be complacent." Commodore Docherty said the navy was trying to send a clear message. "The fact that we are making this high-level commitment will hopefully show people that it's not just empty words when we talk about diversity and opportunity," he said, "but are actually taking action to do something about it."
©The New York Times

FALL IN NUMBER OF ASYLUM SEEKERS(uk)
22/2/2005- The number of asylum seekers arriving in Britain fell by 2% in the final quarter of 2004, according to government figures released today. Excluding dependants such as spouses and children, 8,465 people arrived in the UK claiming asylum compared with 8,605 in the previous quarter, provisional Home Office figures showed. The number of failed asylum seekers removed from the country declined by 6% to 2,895 - the fifth quarter in a row to show a fall. Year-on-year, the number of new asylum applicants was down 22% and 68% lower than the peak of October 2002. The immigration minister, Des Browne, said measures including the closure of the Sangatte camp near Calais and ending asylum appeals for nationals of countries on the Home Office's safe list had led a fall in asylum applications at twice the rate of the rest of Europe. He said the government was on track to reduce asylum costs by a third by the end of 2005 but would not become complacent. "We have started to return failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe, have added India to the list of safe countries and our five year plan will further tackle abuse of the asylum system," he said. "In particular removals must be stepped up. We now remove around 50% of failed asylum seekers compared to 20% in 1996 - but we are determined to do more." Earlier this month the Home Office published a five year strategy on asylum and immigration that included plans to expand detention and the fast-tracking of asylum claims.
©The Guardian

ANALYSIS: ASYLUM REMOVALS ON THE RISE(uk)
22/2/2005- The number of asylum seekers coming to the UK has continued to fall, according to the latest government figures. But what does it tell us about what's going on? Has the government taken control of asylum? Applications are still going down and the removals trend remains up. But a closer look at what is going on in the asylum system reveals that many challenges remain. And that's why, with the ballot box a matter of months away, asylum and immigration will remain a hugely contentious issue as the Conservatives insist the government has failed to get a grip. In terms of absolute numbers, the figures represent a massive fall since the record high of October 2002. The UK is now joint eighth on a European league table for arrivals - one new asylum seeker is arriving for every 1,000 of the population. What hasn't really changed is the type of country where people come from. The top five nationals seeking asylum in the UK - Iran, China, Iraq, Somalia and Zimbabwe - are all nations with well-documented human rights abuses and persecution. But nevertheless, ministers believe the system is now more efficient - and point to the speediness of initial decisions. Some 20,000 more people received their initial decisions in 2004 than arrived to put in new applications.

Removals targets
Today, with the number of actual cases dropping - as they are throughout many parts of the industrialised world - the government is staking its reputation on removals of failed applicants. Ministers say there will be more removals of failed applicants than new arrivals by the end of 2005. The figures (see the table below) show this will be very challenging to meet. The ratio of removals to arrivals is running at less than 50%. Ministers have sanctioned more use of detention facilities (making it easier to subsequently deport) and have opened new centres to ensure these targets are met. But it may take as little as one unpredicted world emergency to prompt an unexpected increase in asylum seekers. The unanswered question, however, is whether there has been a cost to this efficiency. Some 55,000 asylum seekers who were rejected in 2004 appealed. About 20% of cases are being won on appeal. Among some nationalities - notably the Eritreans, Somalis and Sudanese - about 40% win on appeal. This can be read two ways: it either means that the checks and balances are working well or there are too many poor decisions in the first place. Many of these cases take a long time to complete, creating additional uncertainty in the system and perpetuating its costs. At present some 60,000 asylum seekers are receiving some form of benefits because they have neither had a final rejection nor a final acceptance as genuine, although that figure is 20,000 down on 2003.

Top asylum statistics 2004

Applications: 33,930

Accepted: 12%

Rejections: 88% (A fifth of rejections are overturned on appeal)

Removals: 12,430

Total asylum seekers on benefits: 61,625 Note: Asylum seekers are banned from working
Source: Home Office

New policies
All of that said, a range of policy measures are now coming into force that Labour says will help its ministers meet those removal targets and further abuse. Most of these have been opposed by refugee groups, supported by academics, lawyers and other experts, who believe they contribute to a national image of asylum seekers as a threat to society. Ministers have this week signed an order which means failed asylum seekers who are resisting removal, but cannot be automatically deported, will work without pay on community projects. The courts may also soon see the first cases where families resisting removal will have their benefits removed, meaning the courts will have to decide whether or not to place their children in care. This was one of the most controversial elements of the 2004 Asylum and Immigration Act and is likely to face a fierce legal battle in the months to come. The restructuring of the appeals system, designed to reduce the opportunities to challenge a rejection, is also expected before the summer. Finally, the Home Office is expected to trial an extremely controversial plan to send under-18s back to their home countries, even if they have no family to go to. The experiment will start with teenagers who have arrived from Albania.
©BBC News

YOUTH JAIL STAFF 'NAIVE' OVER RACISM CLAIMS(uk)
24/2/2005- Prison officers at a youth jail failed to investigate many allegations of racism because they dismissed them as troublemaking by ethnic minority inmates, a public inquiry has heard. The former deputy governor of Feltham young offenders institution, Peter Windsor, said allegations of racism were regarded as nothing more than insults by prison staff. Mr Windsor admitted there was considerable naivety among staff at the jail, where 19-year-old Zahid Mubarek was murdered by his racist cellmate, in their handling of race relations. Appearing yesterday at the inquiry into the Asian teenager's death, the former deputy governor said staff treated allegations of racism in the same way as prisoners shouting four-letter words out of their cell windows. There were "probably many" racial incidents that were treated "as just being insulting" and not investigated, he added. Mr Windsor said prisoners appeared to make accusations of racism against fellow inmates or staff to try to damage their reputation or undermine their authority. The inquiry continues.
©The Guardian

RAPE CONVICTION RATE FALLS TO ALL-TIME LOW(uk)
25/2/2005- Convictions for reported rape cases have reached an all-time low because of a "culture of scepticism" among the police, according to Home Office research published last night. The study finds that despite long-running efforts by the government to boost the conviction rate, only 5.6% of reported cases end in the rapist being convicted in court. This represents a record low, with the conviction rate having fallen from 32% in 1977. While the last two decades have seen a continuing and unbroken increase in the reporting of rapes to the police by victims, it has not been matched by a similar rise in prosecutions or convictions. The official study, A Gap Or a Chasm?, by researchers at the London Metropolitan University child and women abuse unit, says that part of the reason is that police and prosecutors overestimate the scale of false allegations made by victims. This is feeding a "culture of scepticism", which in turn leads to poor communication and a loss of confidence between those who complain and the police. The research says the most recent data from the British Crime Survey suggests that as many as one in 20 adult women have suffered at least one incident of rape since they were 16 and there may be as many as 47,000 such attacks every year. Women are most likely to be raped by men they know and 50% involve repeated assaults by the same man. It is most likely to take place at home, with only 13% happening in a public place. The Home Office research shows that of 11,766 allegations of rape made in 2002, only 655 resulted in convictions, and that includes those that were overturned on appeal. In only 258 cases did the rapist plead guilty at trial. The 2002 conviction rate - which is lower for rape than any other violent crime - fell from 6% in 2001. "This year on year increase in attrition represents a justice gap that the government has pledged to address," says the study. The researchers tracked 3,500 rape cases through the courts and interviewed 228 rape victims. While they conclude there was some evidence of poor investigation and lack of understanding of the law, the main problem was the culture of scepticism among both the police and prosecutors. They say that rape is unique because in no other crimes were victims subject to such scrutiny in court or was the defendant so likely to claim the victim had consented to the attack. Between half and two-thirds of all cases are dropped before they come to court. The reseachers suggest that more women police officers and crown prosecutors could help create a "culture of belief, support and respect" as well as a growing network of sexual assault referral centres and rape crisis centres. The development of "courtroom advocacy that does justice to the complainant's account" would also help. The Home Office researchers also say that there needs to be an increased recognition of the significance of alcohol in rape and sexual assault, including further work on the extent to which men target unknown women who are drinking and the strategies they use to make contact.
©The Guardian

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SCATHES GOVERNMENT ON RACISM(Ireland)
25/02/2005- The Human Rights Commission has sent a submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination outlining its concerns about the Government's approach to tackling racism. The Commission said the submission highlighted the Government's failure to acknowledge the extent of racism in Ireland and its failure to incorporate international human rights treaties into Irish law. The document also pointed to the need for action to address the inequality suffered by the Travelling community, the Government's refusal to recognise Travellers as a distinct ethnic group and the attitude adopted towards asylum-seekers. The Government, which ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination five years ago, is due to appear before the UN committee on March 2 and March 3 to hear an assessment of its efforts to eradicate racism since then. The Human Rights Commission said it would be sending a delegation to the meeting to ensure that the Government's failings in this area were not glossed over.
©Ireland On-Line

NEW PLAN TO BLOCK EXTREMISTS FROM POWER(Belgium)
21/2/2005– Four politicians from different political parties have cooperated on a plan to exclude extremists from power in Belgium. Francis Delperee, from the francophone Christian social party CDH, has drawn up a law which would require all Belgian politicians to commit to respecting the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights, the Belga news agency reported on Monday. At the moment, Belgian politicians only swear allegiance to Belgium's Constitution and Belgian laws. The proposals were counter-signed by French speaking socialist Philippe Moureaux (PS), centre-right Mouvement Reformateur (MR) member Nathalie de T'Serclaes and green member Isabelle Durant (Ecolo). The proposed law would also ban individuals from standing for any kind of election if they had been convicted under Belgium's 1981 'Moreaux' law on racism and xenophobia - which the socialist parliamentarian steered through parliament during a stint as Belgian justice minister - or a 1995 law that bans denial of the Holocaust. It would also ban members or previous members of groups convicted of breaching these laws. If the proposal becomes law, it could eventually lead to the banning of the Vlaams Belang whose previous incarnation as Vlaams Blok was last year judged "racist" by Belgian courts. The proposals are fairly similar to those that World War Two veterans recently demanded.
©Expatica News

NEW MIGRANT BILL HERALDED(Greece)
21/2/2005- A new bill on immigration is to be submitted to Parliament within a few days, the government said yesterday as new figures showed that migrants living either legally or illegally in Greece now make up over a tenth of the population. "It is based on respect for immigrants, on their personality and on their ability to offer something to our country and to themselves," said Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, commenting on the new immigration bill aimed at tackling the current bureacracy-ridden system. The minister, speaking at a conference in Thessaloniki organized by the Immigration Policy Institute (IPI), failed to give too many details about the impending measures apart from emphasizing the government's intent to abolish work permits and merge them with residence permits. Pavlopoulos said that the bill would also aim to make it clearer to migrants what opportunities and facilities, such as social security, are available to them when they arrive in the country. "Greece is now a country that receives migrants and it needs to adapt as quickly as possible to this fact — especially as there are common immigration policies within the European Union with which we need to get in line," said Pavlopoulos. Figures made public by the IPI yesterday showed that some 1.15 million migrants living in Greece made up 10.3 percent of the country's population — over four times higher than in 1991. Between July 2003 and October 2004 over 700,000 residence permits were issued, over two-thirds of which were for migrants looking to work in Greece. Almost a quarter of migrants living legally in the country are thought to be in the Athens area. Most are from Albania (63.2 percent), followed by Bulgarians (9.8 percent) and Romanians (4.3 percent).
©Kathimerini

PORTUGAL STILL TO ACT ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MEASURES
19/2/2005- In order to connect with the majority of their electorates, several EU governments appear to be playing the immigration card by unveiling more selective and stricter measures designed to hold back the rising tide of foreign workers flooding into the 25-nation bloc. Portugal has yet to unveil tighter procedures for controlling the number of illegal immigrants entering its territory, but Spain and Britain last week followed quickly in Germany's footsteps by outlining plans to curb the inflow of overseas workers from crossing their borders. However, the proposals came in for fierce criticism from immigrant watch organisations who branded them as being no more than "cosmetic dressing up" designed to lull indigenous populations into a false sense of security. Estimates put the number of illegal immigrants who worked in Italy at 700,000, including tens of thousands of cleaning ladies and construction workers. But under measures introduced in 2002 they were all granted legal status in a bid by the Italian government to stamp out people trafficking gangs. Last month the Spanish government in a-one-off initiative granted legal status to illegal immigrants who had been working in the country for a minimum of six months - the measure involved more than 500,000 workers. In keeping with Portuguese and Danish legislation, the Spanish government continues to fine bosses who employ illegal labour 60,000 euros per person. Under the new Spanish and British plans, which run very much along the same lines as those in Germany, it will be easier for some immigrants and harder for others to settle in their chosen land. In future, would-be immigrants will be considered under a points-based scheme that will consist of four tiers, ranging from highly skilled to low skilled and students. The plans will also seek to attract workers from abroad with badly needed skills. However, Germany's problem at present is that it has 7.3 million foreigners and 5.4 million of its total work-force unemployed, including highly skilled personnel. "Between 2010 and 2030, at current immigration rates, the decline of the working population in the 25-member EU will lead to a loss of 25 million workers," the European Commission said in a statement last Tuesday. This situation, according to the Commission, has prompted it to consider taking over the reins of immigration procedures for the entire bloc. Although immigration policy at present remains in the hands of its individual members, the Commission has been open in admitting that this problem of a lack of a skilled workforce spells disaster for the bloc's economy if left unchecked. In welcoming the Spanish and British initiatives, Brussels appears to be flexing its muscles to takeover EU immigration policies from individual states, as reported by The Portugal News in its January 22nd edition.
©The Portugal News

IRELAND URGES PORTUGAL TO OPEN BORDERS
19/2/2005- The Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has recommended that Portugal, Spain and France scrap the limits they have imposed on the number of Polish immigrant workers allowed to cross their borders. Bertie Ahern said that opening Ireland's job market to workers from Poland, when it joined the European Union last year, has "worked out well" for both countries. "The decision was the right one to make. We have a large increase in Polish people who have settled in Ireland, where they are working hard, governed by our labour law as equals with Irish citizens," Ahern told reporters after holding talks in Warsaw with Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka. "As Europeans, it's worked out really well," said Ahern, adding that he hoped the "good example and experience of Ireland would make other countries, such as Portugal, Spain and France, reconsider their decisions and suspend or perhaps forget altogether about the limits they have imposed". When the EU expanded by 10 members last May, most older EU member states opted to keep their job markets closed to workers from the new accession countries during a transition period of at least two years, extendable to five to seven years if deemed necessary. The only exceptions were Britain, Ireland and Sweden. According to sources in Ireland, some 40,000 citizens of the 10 new member states have settled in the country since May 2004, including 19,000 Poles. In addition to the labour market, the two heads of government discussed the EU Constitution, the EU budget, Ukraine – Poland's neighbour to the east, which has ambitions to join the 25-nation bloc – and the EU neighbourhood policy, Belka said. On Saturday evening, Ahern was awarded the title "Leader of Polish Business" at a gala dinner organised by a group of eminent Polish businessmen. The award was in "recognition of his efforts on the EU Constitutional Treaty last year and also to show Poland's recognition of Ireland's economic success story," Belka told the audience. "Ireland is the example of huge success and a source of inspiration to Poland. In a dozen years, perhaps Poland will be talked about as a European miracle," Belka added.
©The Portugal News

SPANISH REFEREE INTERRUPTS LEAGUE MATCH TO WARN RACISTS
22/2/2005- "The first time the Espanyol goalkeeper intervened you could hear monkey noises coming from behind the goal so I asked for the game to be stopped to ask the Malaga delegate to make an announcement on the loudspeakers." Referee Alfonso Perez Burrull became the first match official in Spain to halt a game because of racist abuse when he asked spectators to refrain from monkey chanting at a league match in Malaga. Perez Burrull told club officials to make an announcement on the public address system to ask fans to stop their abuse of Espanyol's Cameroon keeper Carlos Kameni. "The first time the Espanyol goalkeeper intervened you could hear monkey noises coming from behind the goal so I asked for the game to be stopped to ask the Malaga delegate to make an announcement on the loudspeakers," Burrull said in his match report has published today. "I asked them to repeat the announcement at halftime in order to remind spectators to refrain from racist behaviour." Perez Burrull has been one of the most active referees in reporting racist behaviour by fans and noted similar incidents in the Madrid derby between Atletico and Real and the league match between Albacete and Barcelona. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) usually only takes action when the incidents are mentioned in the match report, something that few referees do. Spain's sports minister Jaime Lissavetsky is scheduled to meet with the presidents of the RFEF, the Professional Football League (LFP) and the Players' Association (AFE) today to discuss the introduction of tougher measures to combat the problem of racism at football grounds.
©Basque news and Information Channel

SPAIN FINALLY ACTS AGAINST THE FOOTBALL RACISTS
22/2/2005- Spain's Socialist government has signed an accord against racism in football. Jaime Lissavetzky, the Secretary of State for Sport, announced the signing of an agreement to combat racism and xenophobia in the sport. The moves follows months of controversy in Spanish football which started with racist comments made by the national coach Luis Arragones about France and Arsenal player Thierry Henry. Monkey chants towards black England players during what was supposed to be a friendly match with Spain in Madrid in November worsened the situation. The ugly chanting has been seen at grounds around Spain and the Spanish FA has been criticised for not clamping down on the racism and only issuing small fines on clubs, typically of EUR 600. Lissavetzky told journalists in Madrid: "Football should be a way of integrating, not a problem. "It should be a solution to the problems of racism and xenophobia which Spain is experiencing as a consequence of the arrival of immigrants." He did not want to spell out the measures which would be brought in to combat racism at this stage, but said these would be made clear shortly. But he did say those found guilty of racism would face harsh fines or sanctions. The minister said Spain wanted to encourage black or coloured people to become referees or third officials. Lissavetzky said the Sports Law may be reformed to help combat racism, but firstly a series of measures would be introduced which should be sufficient. The accord was signed by the Spanish Football Association, anti-racism pressure groups and other sporting bodies.
©Expatica News

FRENCH COMIC TRIES TO JUSTIFY CRITICISM OF HOLOCAUST 'PORNOGRAPHY'
22/2/2005- A flare-up of racial tension has been sparked off in France after a black stand-up comic, Dieudonné, was reported to have said that the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Holocaust were "remembrance pornography". Amid wide reporting of the comment by the half-French, half-Cameroonian performer, vandals attacked prominent Muslim and Jewish sites. Swastikas were daubed both on the walls of the Grande Mosquée in Paris and a Second World War railway carriage that stands as a Jewish memorial at a deportation assembly point in the suburb of Drancy. Police did not suggest that Dieudonné had sparked the attacks but it became clear that his comment was in line with the position of a new internet petition calling for the crimes of colonialism to be recognised and suggesting that Zionists had inspired the French state ban on Muslim headscarves. Dieudonné's comment was made at a press conference in the Algerian capital, Algiers, last week and picked up by a website covering Middle Eastern affairs as "offensive to the memory of the Holocaust". Dieudonné held a press conference in Paris at the weekend in which he attempted to explain his views. "I criticised the hype of Holocaust commemoration," he told the press conference. However, he stopped far short of his comments in Algeria last week: "The Zionists have a kind of impunity. For them, if a child at school is called a dirty Jew, they are up in arms. To me, Zionism is the Aids of Judaism. For people like me, it is different. We feel the Zionist lobby has claimed a monopoly of suffering." Despite his attempts to calm spirits, Dieudonné met with widespread condemnation. The Socialist party's first secretary, François Hollande, and a former anti-racism campaigner, Harlem Désir, described the comedian as "the biggest anti-Semite in France'' and called for a boycott of his shows. Last year, Dieudonné M'Bala M'Bala, 36, had several shows cancelled - including at the 2,000-seater Olympia venue in Paris after organisers said they could not guarantee the safety of the audience or the performer. At the time, he had attracted criticism for a television sketch in which, dressed in military fatigues and wearing a wide-brimmed hat associated with Orthodox Jews, he said: "I urge all of you [viewers] to convert like me [to Judaism]. Join the axis of Good, the American-Zionist axis." He ended his sketch with a Nazi salute and the cry "Isra-Heil". The sketch led to a court case and a 10,000 (Ł6,800) fine. Dieudonné was cleared on appeal. The performer claimed he was of mixed race and thus "knew no borders". In 2002, the comic considered running for President of France but another joke scuppered his chances of collecting the 500 signatures needed. At the time he said: "I prefer Osama Bin Laden's charisma to that of George W Bush."
© Independent Digital

FOREIGN PARTNER WEBSITE SURVIVES SERVER CRISIS(Netherlands)
22/2/2005— Praising a flood of donations that guarantees its immediate future, immigrant lobby and support group Foreign Partner Foundation has reassured the public that its website will soon come back online. Several weeks after informing users that its future was uncertain, the website www.buitenlandsepartner.nl is now assuring users that a new server will be installed in the next few days. The site will then come back online. The crisis started on 17 January when the website said it was being forced to find a new server because a large increase in hits meant it could no longer make use of its current host. Foundation chairman Dr Paul Streumer said the growth in visitors meant that other websites which co-used the server were encountering difficulties, forcing the host to ask the group to find another server. The foundation said it needed EUR 880 to buy a new server and called for donations. Just two weeks later, the amount of donations collected had exceeded requirements, amounting to EUR 1,111. A new server was ordered and the website issued a press release on 6 February thanking donors and users of its discussion forum for their words of encouragement. But the website suddenly went offline on Friday after the old host denied service. Streumer said the foundation was thus forced to accelerate the transfer of the website to its new server. Still offline on Tuesday, the website is opening up to a temporary page — instead of an initial failed link page — alerting users that the website is offline. The message on the page assures users that the transfer across to the new server will be completed in the coming days. There are 300 new users registering with the forum each month, leading to 100,000 page views per month. But the web server crisis prompted the foundation to admit last month that the "continued existence of buitenlandsepartner.nl is at this moment uncertain". The Dutch-language website gives Dutch nationals with a foreign partner information on the nation's political climate. It also provides assistance to "victims" of government anti-immigrant policy. It aims to represent the interests of Dutch nationals with a non-European Union partner, hoping to exert influence on the Dutch government and bring about change in its immigration policy. Foundation officials regularly meet with Dutch MPs. Among its demands are a parliamentary inquiry into the problems around the immigration service IND; a system of one immigration authority, one visa and a permit decision made in four weeks; and recognition of the right of children to family life. It is also demanding abolition of the minimum income level Dutch nationals must earn before being allowed to bring a foreign partner into the country, residence permits of EUR 28 for family immigrants, and the integration of foreign partners immediately upon arrival in the Netherlands.
©Expatica News

WHEN FREEDOM GETS THE DEATH SENTENCE(Germany)
The murder of a Turkish woman and the applauding of the crime by some students have left Berlin shaken and officials pushing for ethics class. But how deep does the concept of honor run among some immigrant communities?

24/2/2005- On a cold afternoon this week, Hatin Sürücü gazed gravely from a large poster behind a bus stop lined with flowers, cards and candles. To the people who came to this bleak part of Berlin's Tempelhof district for Tuesday's solemn vigil -- called not by the city's Muslim community but a gay and lesbian organization -- the image of the young woman in a headscarf, a baby in her arms, was familiar from newspapers and television. A few notes at the memorial read, "Hope you get a better deal in your next life," and "Live a life on your own terms." "It's a scandal," said Ali K, 33. "All Muslims in Berlin should take to the streets to protest." Yasemin, 22, said, "It's horrific. All Hatin was doing was leading her life the way she wanted." But it was a choice she paid for with her life. On Feb. 7, 23-year-old Hatin Sürücü was gunned down at the aforementioned bus stop. She died on the spot. Shortly afterwards, three of her brothers -- who reportedly had long been threatening her -- were arrested. Investigators suspect it was a so-called "honor killing," given the fact that Sürücü's ultra-conservative Turkish-Kurdish family strongly disapproved of her modern and "un-Islamic" life. Sürücü grew up in Berlin and was married off at 16 to a cousin in Istanbul. After a few years, she returned to the German capital with her young son, moved into a home for single mothers, completed school and began to train as an electrician. She stopped wearing a headscarf and was said to be outgoing and vivacious.

'She lived like a German'
Though not the first of its kind, the brazen shooting has sent shockwaves through Berlin, home to a large foreign community and which for years has fretted over steady ghetto-building in districts dominated by Turkish and Arab immigrants. While the incident has reopened debate on the integration of immigrants and the compatibility of Islamic values with Western ones, it's the reaction of a small group of Turkish students to the murder that has rattled the German capital. Days after Hatin Sürücü was killed, some male students of Turkish origin at a high school near the scene of the crime reportedly downplayed the act. During a class discussion on the murder, one said, "She (Hatin Sürücü) only had herself to blame," while another remarked "She deserved what she got --the whore lived like a German." The school's director promptly dashed off a letter to parents and students, castigating the students and warning that the school didn't tolerate incitement against freedom.

'Her lifestyle didn't fit'
The comments have sparked outrage and left many asking if it was just a one-off or whether such thinking is in fact not entirely uncommon among sections of the Muslim community in the city. According to some, it isn't. "There isn't a single school with a high foreign population where teachers haven't faced this kind of thing, where individual students sometimes regard murder as a just sentence," said Heinz Wagner, head of school and education policy at the VBE teachers trade union and a school director himself. Referring to the controversial remarks on Sürücü's murder, he said, "The very fact that they decided to provoke with something like that tells you that they're getting their ideas from somewhere." At Berlin's Turkish-dominated neighborhood near Kottbusser Tor in the Kreuzberg district, 17-year-old Erkan, a high school student of Turkish origin, was divided about the issue. "I'm not saying you should murder, but Hatin's lifestyle just didn't fit the way traditional Muslims live," he said.

No regret, but pride
Experts insist that the problem is in no way a purely "Islamic phenomenon" and that the remarks of a few shouldn't be allowed to taint an entire community. But, statistics in Berlin show that murders ostensibly meant to uphold the honor of the family are high among Muslims. At the juvenile prison in the Berlin suburb Plötzensee, six of the current 529 inmates are serving time of six years and more for manslaughter in so-called "honor crimes." All come from the Muslim world. Aged between 18 and 22, one of them, an Afghan national, was 16 when he helped relatives kill a widowed aunt who had refused to marry her brother-in-law. Prison director Marius Fiedler said most of the murders are often carefully plotted in the family with the support of all, including women. "Usually the patriarch selects the youngest son to carry out the crime because he knows that judges in Germany don't usually give the maximum sentence of 10 years to a minor" for manslaughter, he said. Fiedler admitted that getting the inmates, who undergo psychological therapy, to reform or change their attitudes is difficult. "Many come from rural areas in Turkey or Lebanon and just don't know the concept of individualism," he said. "They don't feel any regret for what they did though some even kill their favorite sister. Instead, they're honored and feel like martyrs for having been chosen to carry out the crime."

Ethics class the answer?
The realization that murder and archaic concepts of honor might actually find favor with some teenagers in the city, have caused alarm among Berlin's politicians and some Muslim organizations. "It might be a minority, but even one person applauding the murder of Hatin Sürücü is absolutely unacceptable," said Kenan Kolat, head of the Turkish Association in Berlin and Brandenburg. His organization has initiated a discussion with teachers, politicians, parents and imams and is planning to work with Turkish newspapers and TV stations in Berlin to kick-start a debate on democratic values among the Turkish community. "We have to begin speaking about the role of women, about honor concepts, dignity, mutual respect and democratic values," Kolat said. In addition to city politicians' plans to introduce a mandatory ethics course in schools across Berlin, Kolat is pushing for an Islamic studies course. "The mainstream classroom has to be the place where one can get information about Islam, not in 'Islamic institutes' who have the theological upper hand in the city," he said. Some, however, are skeptical of such flash-in-the-pan plans. "Every time there's a controversial incident, politicians routinely come up with 'ethics class' as a panacea," said school director Wagner. "But the school can't be the only place for learning democratic values. You have to begin with the family."
©Deutsche Welle

IS ISLAM SECURE IN EUROPE?
21/2/2005- Is Islam secure in Europe? One of the continent's leading Islamic thinkers says the future direction of Islam may depend on it being so. You may not have heard of him, but the Grand Mufti of Bosnia is the kind of person who gets to have tea with the Prince of Wales. On a whistle-stop speaking tour of London late last week, Dr Mustafa Ceric spent a morning debating the future of Islam and the West with Prince Charles. And it's Dr Ceric's track record of pushing the boundaries of what is publicly sayable among Muslims that leads to such interest in his views. The Grand Mufti is the leading Islamic legal authority among Muslims in the Balkans - some of his supporters have even dubbed him "Islam's Nelson Mandela". He represents that strand of the faith that clung on in Europe after the Turkish Ottoman empire rolled back from the frontiers of the West. And so, with a European and Islamic heritage ("I am proud that Islam defines my European patriotism", he says) he is well placed to see where things are going. He came to prominence during the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia by speaking out against those who used faith as a justification for violence. Today he has an international reputation as a man of peace and is involved in efforts to counter fears about Islam in the United States in the wake of 9/11. Appearing in London to talk to British Muslims about their own fears amid security-related tensions, he says that they themselves may hold the key to the faith's future in the world. And London may be the arena where this Islamic identity is being formed.

So is Islam secure in Europe?
"We have two extremes of approach. One says that Muslims are not secure and that Europe is an anti-Islamic environment. The other extreme says Europe is a haven for Islam and Muslims," he says. "I believe that the truth is somewhere in the middle because we are all in a process of learning. "The West is learning about Muslims - trying to figure out what they are doing here in Europe and [asking questions such as] how should governments deal with this phenomenon." "Well, we've been here for a long time - but the presence now is different to what it has been through history." The difference, he argues, is that European-born Muslims are quietly embracing European notions of freedom and human rights. This can be seen no more clearly in the rise of young, professional - but religiously devout - Muslim women who challenge the idea that it's men who should have all the say. But thanks to today's political and media climate, argues Dr Ceric, Muslims in the West need "freedom from fear and freedom from poverty" - both of which are undermining their position in the West. "Europe is facing some kind of dilemma of fear [over Islam] and that Muslims themselves are seeking freedom from this fear. "No-one knows where this process will lead - but if we are rational people we must accept the challenge of what I call the 'third encounter' between the West and Islam."

Moments of history
Dr Ceric says there have been two major historical moments when Islam and Western civilisation have met and changed each other. During the first, Islam's early Baghdad philosophers preserved and developed the learning of the Greeks. During the second, these ideas and more were sent back to Europe via Islamic Spain, sowing some of the seeds for the Renaissance. But this third meeting is different because it has the potential to change the nature of Islam itself. If European-born Muslims look inside their faith for what are presented as Western notions of human rights and individual freedom, they will find them, he argues. The challenge will be to convince other Muslims that these ideas are universal - and then western Muslims can export them back to the heart of Islamic society. "They cannot do it at the moment, but if they are given this freedom [from fear and poverty], they will succeed. "It's difficult to admit but Muslims [in the Middle East] now need to learn from Muslims in the West. "The wise men of the Islamic East and the rational men of the West must meet - and then we will have moral men."

London at the centre
The problem he faces however is that there is enormous resistance of the West coming from the East. The UK and London, however, will play a vital role in negotiating this tension, says Dr Ceric. Its leading mosques are full most Fridays and many British-born or educated thinkers are urging their congregations to take the best of the West and put it to good use. "London is well-placed because of its history," says Dr Ceric. "And British Muslims are more emancipated than other European Muslims. "They know where they stand in this society - they have freedom to oppose the government, for instance, over the war in Iraq. London is a good place for us to discuss what this third encounter will mean." This encounter does not mean giving up an Islamic identity, he says. This future Western Muslim identity will represent neither assimilation nor isolation, but co-operation. He likens the process to that experienced by British Jews: at first outsiders, they later became part of the fabric of society but have defended their identity and world view. In turn, that world view influences decisions of the state and international relations. But Dr Ceric says the question is whether or not European governments are helping Muslims along this path. Paris got into bother over its ban on religious symbols in schools - and London continues to face community criticisms that the anti-terror laws criminalise Muslims. Throughout Europe's capitals there is an emotive debate over modern multicultural societies and whether they trap people into religiously closed communities and encourage division? Dr Ceric says governments must essentially buy the trust of Muslims by institutionalising their faith - giving it state sponsorship through schools, official bodies and so on. Resistance is a "tribal mentality" that allows others to present Muslims as alien outsiders. "Muslims don't like this idea, they think that governments would control them," he says. "But, my dear brothers, I say you are losing your sovereignty already if they [the police] are entering your homes and mosques. "I say let them in today because if not they will come in tomorrow and the consequences are a long-term bad image for Islam."
©BBC News

EU MINISTERS DECIDE AGAINST EU BAN ON NAZI SYMBOLS
24/2/2005- A discussion on whether to ban Nazi and other racist symbols at the EU level was shelved on Thursday (24 February) after member states failed to reach agreement. EU justice ministers meeting in Brussels decided to put a halt to the debate fearing that it would lead to a further delay of an EU law combating racism and xenophobia, which has been stuck in the legislative pipelines since 2003. The move to ban nazi symbols at the EU level - prompted by Prince Harry, a member of the UK Royal family, sporting a swastika at a fancy dress party last month - was opposed predominantly by the UK and Denmark. The UK argued, according to a council diplomat, that to ban such symbols was not to tackle the heart of the problem. Cyprus was among the member states fighting hardest to have a mention of certain symbols arguing that, without it, the legislation would be pointless. However, after a long discussion the ministers agreed that the ten new member states would now be given time for their national parliaments to look at the anti-racism proposal.

Delay at the EU level
The proposed law says that member states should make punishable "public incitement to discrimination, violence or hatred against a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin". It also calls for punishment of "public condoning, denial or gross trivialisation of crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes". The law was first proposed in 2002, well before the new member states joined, but was blocked by Italy. Diplomats say that Italy on Thursday again called for the points that it raised at the time to be considered. Rome's concerns are to do with issues of freedom of speech - but it also defended having racist symbols in the proposal. One diplomat said the approach meant they were arguing from both ends of the spectrum. Luxembourg, which currently holds the EU Presidency, is concerned that the legislation is about to be delayed at the EU level for much longer. It warned during the meeting that if it failed to reach agreement during its presidency then the UK, which holds the Presidency next, may also fail. Member states are set to tackle the issue at the expert level next week.
©EUobserver

PROFESSOR AMINA WADUD CONFRONTS HER HECKLERS IN TORONTO(Canada)
By Tarek Fatah

11/2/2005- Her voice quivered. Barely concealing her anger, Professor Amina Wadud's words bellowed across the hall, "I am a nigger and I can't do much about it." Wadud, who was speaking to a Toronto audience on Sunday, was responding to a questioner who asked her to address internalized racism within the Muslim community and if that had anything to do with the hostility she had faced from a section of the crowd. The 300 people, who had packed Toronto's Noor Cultural Centre to hear the internationally-known scholar of the Qur'an and the role of women in Islam, froze in stunned silence as they digested the impact of her words. Eyes piercing towards her hecklers, Wadud leaned forward and stared down a group of men at the back of the hall. "Usually I wear the hijab, and when I am wearing it, most Muslims do not consider me African–American; I pass off as a South Asian," she said. "But when they see me without a scarf, they can see my African locks and they know I am Black and suddenly their attitude changes. The fact is I am a nigger and you will just have to put up with my blackness." This time, part of the audience erupted in applause, cheering her every word. Others started walking out hurling insults, and two men were heard jeering her, "You are just another CIA agent."

Amina Wadud, Professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, was speaking as part of a series sponsored by York University and the Noor Cultural Centre that has brought a number of academics to speak on the current state of Islam and the Muslim world. Wadud's reputation preceded her, resulting in standing room only in Toronto's most progressive mosque, the only place in Canada where men and women pray side-by-side in separate enclosures Midway through her speech titled "The Qur'an, Women and Interpretive Possibilities," Wadud waded into the minefield by addressing some difficult passages of the Qur'an. Breaking the ultimate taboo in the Muslim narrative, she stated that despite the fact the Qur'an explicitly asks for cutting off the hands of thieves, she did not agree with the Qur'an. She said she understood that this was a very difficult subject to talk about, but she would be dishonest to herself if she did not express her views. She maintained that as a Muslim with Allah close to her heart, in all honesty she could not continue with the hypocrisy of lying about how she felt about some verses of the Qur'an. The basis of her talk was "How to be God's agent (khalifa) on Earth; to be a moral agent of the Creator." In this context, she presented four ways of looking at Qu'ranic verses which Muslims find difficulty dealing with. She identified the four methods as: (1) The literal readings of the text, (2) The legalistic arguments that constrain how verses are applied, (3) Reinterpretation from alternative perspectives, and (4) Saying "No to the Qur'an" when one disagrees with it. Pursuing the last point, she declared that she could not intellectually or spiritually accept some things in the Qur'an, for example some of the hudud punishments like the cutting of hands or the permission to beat one's wife. She made it clear that she was denying neither the religion nor the revelation. "It is the Qur'an," she said, "that gives me the means to say no to the Qur'an." However, many in the audience were completely unprepared for her honesty.

She had barely finished her talk when a long line of people lined up at the microphone to ask questions. One woman, who identified herself as a professor of Arabic Language at a Toronto University, took the mike and started lambasting Wadud, suggesting that she had come to her conclusion because she did not understand Arabic and that she had misread the Qur'an, saying, "You know only one verse of the Qur'an." Instead of a question, Wadud was subjected to a rant that was largely incomprehensible. The professor continued, accusing Wadud of supporting illicit sex, when Wadud had made no such reference. "That is the most idiotic nonsense I have ever heard," Wadud replied. When Amina Wadud referred to the 9/11 tragedy and the fact that some Muslims deemed it Islamic to crash planes into buildings and kill innocent people, a section of the crowd interrupted her. "What about Israel killing Palestinians," they yelled. One middle-aged heckler said, "She is a CIA agent." Other men and women lined up at the mike to accuse her of all sorts of things. Another man, angered by Wadud's 9/11 remark, came to the mike and lectured Her. "Let me remind you that no Muslim was involved in the 9/11 attack." Wadud did not dignify his remark with a response. One young man, with his oversized shirt hanging out, mimicking a rapper, took the mike out of its stand, twirled around, and started addressing the audience, with his back towards Wadud, accusing her of not knowing the Qur'an. Wadud responded to this outrageous display of rudeness by intervening and saying, "This young man is uncomfortable with what I have said and so instead of asking a question, he wishes to give a speech... why don't you come up on the stage and I will go and sit in the crowd." Then she stepped down from the podium and asked the young man to take her place, which he did. Holding the mike in his hand, he harangued her and said she did not know enough about Islam. One questioner apologized to Wadud for the rudeness of some members of the audience, suggesting very few Muslim men had ever seen or heard an African American woman in charge and in command. She responded that as a black woman, she knew what it is to have one's views rejected, she thundered to an applause that started with a few hesitant claps and then rolled across the hall.

Every time she used "nigger" to describe herself, most of the lighter skinned members of the audience became visibly disturbed, squirming in their chairs, perhaps uncomfortable at how she was destroying their middle class comfort zone. When an Indian man told Wadud that he understood racism, she replied, "No you don't understand. You are not Black; you don't know what it is to be Black." Addressing Wadud, a woman with peroxide blonde hair and hip hugging jeans said, "Even though I am not a practicing Muslim, I believe you do not know proper Islam." "Your response is not new to me," Wadud replied. "When I wear a hijab, I don't look African and my words are measured with politeness; however, when my hijab is not covering my hair, I become Black and my words lose all value." The straw that broke the camel's back came when Wadud, answering a question, criticized Canada's proposed Shariah laws and expressed support for same-sex marriage. A deeply troubling aspect of the audience's reaction was that it was clearly divided along ethnic lines. Arabs largely behaved as one group heckling her, while South Asians bandied together in supporting her. The few white Muslims stuck quietly with each other. And in a telling indication of the profound divisions within the community, it appeared that Wadud may have been the only African in the room, although Africans account for about a quarter of Toronto's Muslim population. Ahmed Bayoumi, an Egyptian-Canadian Physician who sat through the entire lecture, reacting to the heckling said, "I find it fascinating that people would question Wadud's ability to speak Arabic because she has moved from an interpretative understanding of the Qur'an to a literalist one. The argument seems to be that if she can explain away troublesome verses by resorting to nuance or obscurantism, her Arabic must be fine, but if she accepts the meanings of the text at face value, well she must have lost her previous fluency."

Describing Amina Wadud's lecture as "revolutionary and liberating," Bayoumi said, "I think Wadud is absolutely right. It's wonderful if you can live with legalistic or interpretive explanations. I cannot. It was liberating for me to hear somebody of Amina Wadud's stature say that she also cannot, not as an excuse for wanting to perform bad acts, but from a perspective of trying to be a true moral being and God's agent." The knee-jerk reaction to being reminded of our internalized racism is predictable: complete denial. Racism governs our behavior, yet we are oblivious to our own prejudices and tribalism. With noted exceptions, I saw this in action on Sunday. I heard repeatedly from Arabs in the audience that Amina Wadud does not understand Arabic. Instead of debating the merits of her argument, many invoked and sought refuge in their ethnic and linguistic superiority. Then there is the predictable reaction towards converts. If the converts are white, all of us, Arabs and South Asians, simply go complete gaga, but if we run into Black converts, we treat them at best in a condescending manner with barely concealed disrespect, as demonstrated Sunday night in Toronto. Abbas Syed, an Indo-Canadian who witnessed the entire episode summed it best. "When a white person converts to Islam, we try to make him the Imam of the mosque. But when a Black woman converts to Islam, we expect her to run the mosque day care for children during Jum'a prayers. Amina should have worn the Hijab; people would have mistaken her for a dark Pakistani."

Tarek Fatah is host of the weekly TV show, "The Muslim Chronicle" that runs on CTS-TV in Canada and Bridges TV in the US. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Progressive Muslim Union of North America.
©Muslim WakeUp!

AMINA WADUD RESPONDS TO TAREK FATAH(Canada)
23/2/2005- Earlier this month, MWU! published a report by Tarek Fatah, co-founder of the Canadian Muslim Congress, on Professor Amina Wadud's lecture at Toronto's Noor Cultural Center. This is her response. – Ed.

My dear Brother Tarek,

Without boast or butter, I would say you are the single most outspoken transnational Muslim I have known in NA who is cut to the chase aware AND outspoken on the matter of racisms in the context of Muslims. Yes we have talked about it extensively and I am usually profuse with my agreement with your assessments AND have on more than one occasion expressed my admiration to you about the way you deal directly with it.

African-American use the term "niggah" amongst ourselves without the derogatory implications of other, white or non-whites who use it privately (pretending they do not in public) or who have used it publicly to my face. Having lived through US segregation laws, lame attempts at desegregation, the civil rights movement AND participated in the Black power movement I expect but do not accept racism (between blacks, between non-whites, from pretend whites and most unconditionally not from whites (I live in one of the most racist areas of the US, even as I speak).

However, I did NOT experience racism at Noor. My blatant and blunt response to your question on racism was INTENDED to cut like a knife.

I am a niggah. Just in case people think I don't know of the internalized attitudes and politicized racial hierarchy in the Muslim community. As the follow up state ment about people "dealing with my Blackness" I meant to be frank enough to say I got no problem with my blackness, I am proud of the tenacity of my people, descendents of African slaves, hybrid American to survive institutional and subliminal racism. I consider my Blackness, my being a niggah as one of the features that have given me the strength and experience to face other isms. I am not in the closet about being black, but unfortunately, I am not dark enough to always be recognized as black when I wear hijab.

On gender I am still a reluctant mujahidah. I must turn my racial dignity into its parallel gender self-dignity, but 30 years of working on it and the opposition is formidable AND I experience too much of my Islam through the pervasiveness of sexism and patriarchy dominant in traditional texts and in jurisprudence, where women may have at different time in history (depending on class) spoken up against certain abuses, never the less, were NOT the scriptors of the entire process of codification and jurisprudence. They were always 3rd party, spoken to, and spoken of but never agents of their own legal constructions in cooperation with the men (literally) who developed the systems, AND commented on the commentaries (sometimes with more and sometimes with less patriarchy).

As for "no" to the Qur'an, let me summarize the work I have been doing to overcome some of the apologia of Qur'an and Woman. Yes the Qur'an, I believe and love is considered a form of Allah's self disclosure, but I do not believe God is locked into the 7th century Arabian context with its limitations based on coherency in that context,including Arabic (BTW my PhD is in Islam and Arabic, which I studied in the United States, since 1973, lived in Libya and studied in Egypt at the advanced level at American University in Cairo, attended a Philosophy course at al-Azhar and had a one on one tutor from Cairo University whose specialization was tafsir) to have a universal underpinning of TRUTH, justice and love.

I accept every word as sent by revelation from Allah to the Holy Prophet whose own example embodied and demonstrated those underpinning universal (he never literally beat any of his wives, for example). When I say "no" it is not the integrity of the literal text, it is to the implementation of some practices which is a 14 centuries long debate. That is why the jurist "set conditions upon" things like "beating" and "cutting". I consider that an interpretive intervention. Other interpretive interventions, like Qur'an and woman encourage the polysemic nature of reading and understanding and offer egalitarian interpretations against patriarchal ones, with no ONE having the final word. that belongs only to Allah and Allahu A'lam. But now I wish to point more directly that anything other than literal reading is a demonstration of agency to Allah, working in concert with the text, as words and intent to sustain the underlying principles and values, such that today, the Qur'anic approval of Slavery, for example IS NOT IMPLEMENTED. I wish to state my acceptance of certain problematic moral practices but with out and out refusal to implement them. AND to stop lying to make other people feel comfortable, I say so, with out losing a single ounce of my love of the Qur'an and my devotion to Allah.

Thank you for your time and trouble, I wish I had nothing else to do in my life but get into long tedious conversations that are circular with those people whose lives give them greater privileged of time. (NOT).

Your sister AGAINST racism and other phobias in our community,

Amina Wadud
ma'a salaamah
©Muslim WakeUp!

CULTURE CASH SETS ASIDE $25 MILLION FOR COMMEMORATION OF RACIST EPISODES(Canada)
23/2/2005- Ethnic groups who have suffered racism throughout Canadian history will get $25 million from the federal government for awareness programs about how they were wronged. That cash - announced in the federal budget - will be spent over three years by community groups who want Canadians to remember some of the more shameful episodes in the country's history. The money will only go to groups, not to individuals, and will be limited to ethnic groups who were targets of racist policy by the federal government. Examples include the head tax on Chinese immigrants, the internment of Italians and Ukrainians during the world wars, and other policies against Jews, Germans and Sikhs. Japanese-Canadians interned during the Second World War were already compensated in the 1980s and will not have access to the new fund. More details will be known over the coming weeks as the federal government invites community groups to discuss how they would like to commemorate some of their more painful memories."We're making sure the stories are known," said one federal official. "We want to talk to communities to see how we can design a response they feel would be appropriate . . . "It is helping people say: 'We can move on.' " The government also announced it will spend $56 million over five years on another anti-racism plan called A Canada for All. That plan will be officially launched in a few weeks and will act as an umbrella program for existing multicultural initiatives.
©Montreal Gazette

JUDGE RULES CANADA FREE TO DEPORT ERNST ZUNDEL
25/2/2005- Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel can be deported immediately as a danger to Canadian security, a Federal Court of Canada judge has ruled. In a searing 64-page ruling yesterday, Mr. Justice Pierre Blais labelled Mr. Zundel a racist hypocrite who has nurtured a pacifist image to conceal his support of right-wing extremism and his global propagation of anti-Semitic material. "Mr. Zundel seems to thrive in this troubled sea, surrounded by ambiguity and hypocrisy," the judge said. "Mr. Zundel's activities are not only a threat to Canada's national security, but also a threat to the international community of nations." No appeal is possible under the controversial national security certificate procedure, meaning Mr. Zundel could be on a plane to his native Germany at any time. Judge Blais said Mr. Zundel's Toronto home was "a revolving door" for every member of a global white supremacist movement. He said Mr. Zundel deftly exploited Canada as a "safe haven," and used his skills as a communicator and Internet pioneer to give new life to the white supremacy movement. Mr. Zundel, 65, has been living in solitary confinement in a Toronto jail since his arrest on May 1, 2003. In keeping with the security certificate process, much of the evidence at his hearing was heard in secret. Defence counsel Peter Lindsay said that he plans two last-ditch attempts to obtain a stay of the deportation order -- both based on the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada has not yet decided whether to hear a pair of security-certificate-related cases. "Mr. Zundel expected this result," Mr. Lindsay said last night after visiting his client in jail. "He didn't think he was going to get a fair shake." "He could be gone tomorrow," said Bernie Farber, executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress. "All I know is, it's going to be quick. Canadians can breathe easier now." Judge Blais needed only to decide whether the security certificate was "reasonable." He went much further, stating that the secret information erased any doubt of Mr. Zundel's status as a global power who has hobnobbed with a who's who of the racist right. He described Mr. Zundel as a man who, inspired by Hitler and latter-day Nazi sympathizers, set out to support the neo-Nazi movement in dozens of countries. "He also tried, by all means possible, to develop and maintain a global network of groups that have an interest in the same right-wing, extremist, neo-Nazi mindset," Judge Blais said. Mr. Zundel left his Toronto residence, known as the "Carlton Street bunker," several years ago, and moved to Tennessee to live with his new wife. However, he was seized and returned to Canada by U.S. authorities for violating an immigration requirement. Mr. Lindsay said last night that while representing the marginalized and unpopular is a lawyer's highest calling, it was a horribly disillusioning ordeal. "I will never, ever do another security certificate case," he said. "A lawyer can play no meaningful role in the face of secret evidence. The lawyer's only role is as a fig leaf, to make the process look acceptable." Mr. Lindsay said his attempts to secure a stay involve two Supreme Court leave applications:

A Federal Court of Appeal decision that Judge Blais was not biased and could hear the Zundel case.

An appeal of a constitutional challenge by suspected terrorist Adil Charkaoui to the constitutionality of the security certificate procedure.
Judge Blais said that what he heard in secret linked Mr. Zundel to leaders of the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nations movement and many others who often resort to violence. He said that if Mr. Zundel truly repudiated violence, he would have shunned these people. Judge Blais said that Mr. Zundel is an egotist who could not hide his pleasure at the enormous influence he exerted as a "guru of the right." "I remember how proud he was when he mentioned in cross-examination that his Zundelsite received hits from 400,000 people a month, and that after his arrest, the number grew to 1.2-million people accessing his website each month," Judge Blais said.
©Globe and Mail

MISUNDERSTANDING MALCOLM X
Joby Waldman of BBC radio station 1Xtra looks at the extraordinary life of Malcolm X and asks why his message has had such a lasting impact on generations of young people.

21/2/2005- On 21 February 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down in broad daylight at a political rally at the Audobon Ballroom in Harlem, New York. Declared dead on arrival at hospital, the world had lost one of its most charismatic and powerful civil rights leaders. The very embodiment of black power, Malcolm X gave his life for his cause. A freedom fighter, he was determined to achieve his aims - "by any means necessary," as he put it. In the four decades since his death, Malcolm's legacy has been kept alive in many different ways. In 1983, legendary drummer Keith Le Blanc made history by producing a rap record with no rappers. The MC was Malcolm X. A decade later Malcolm hit the big screen with a feature film based on his autobiography. "Malcolm X stressed education, he didn't hold his tongue. He was blunt, he was honest - he called a spade a spade," says the film's director, Spike Lee. "He was just a fine human being, a man, as Ossie Davis said in his eulogy - he said Malcolm was a shining prince."

Troubled childhood
Born Malcolm Little in 1925, he was six years old when his father died a violent death, allegedly at the hands of white supremacists. Extreme hardship came next. When his mother, unable to cope, was committed to a mental asylum, Malcolm went into a foster home. In school Malcolm found himself at an extreme disadvantage because of the colour of his skin. It wasn't long before he discovered one vocation that was open to a young black man in 1940s America - hustling. Strangely enough, salvation came when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for burglary. It was here that he discovered the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist group that presented an African American version of the Islamic faith. Malcolm's life up to this point had been in many ways typical of the problems facing black Americans in the 1940s. The Nation of Islam taught these problems could be traced to one simple source. "We have a comon enemy - we have this in common - a common discriminator, so once we realise we have this common enemy we unite on the basis of what we have in common and what we have foremost in common is that enemy - the white man," he said later.

Prison education
After this revelation, Malcolm made the most of his time inside. He memorised the dictionary, read the bible and began studying - everything from archeology to genetics. When he was released in 1952, he became a minister in the Nation of Islam. He gave up his surname, Little, and adopted the title X, as a protest against what had happened during the days of slavery. "What is your real name?" an interviewer asked him. "Malcolm, Malcolm X," he replied. "What was your father's real name?" the interviewer went on. Malcolm answered: "My father didn't know his real name. My father got his name from his grandfather and he got his name from his grandfather and he got it from the slave master." Malcolm X made it his mission to show his congregation how they could shake off the chains of slavery once and for all. But he wasn't the only minister fighting racial discrimination at this time. Martin Luther King was also working tirelessly to change the segregation laws, which were still in place in America until 1964. But, with his stated non-violent approach, Dr King simply wasn't moving fast enough for the Nation Of Islam. In fact, according to Malcolm, King was going backwards. "The white man pays Reverend Martin Luther King so that Martin Luther King can keep the negro defenceless," he argued. "That's what you mean by non-violent, be defenceless in the face of one of the cruellest beasts - the American white man."

Ousted from the brotherhood
With Malcolm as its public face, membership of the Nation of Islam rose rapidly during the 1950s. But while Malcolm was the spokesperson, the group's spiritual leader was the honourable Elijah Muhammad. Unfortunately, it turned out that Mr Muhammad was preaching one thing and practising another. In 1962 it emerged that he was facing paternity suits from two of his former secretaries and various teenage girls. Malcolm was horrified. Yet this wasn't the only tension between the two men. Elijah Muhammad had grown jealous of Malcolm's rising international profile and when he made unauthorised comments about the assassination of President John F Kennedy, Muhammad used this as an opportunity to suspend Malcolm X from the Nation of Islam. Ousted from the brotherhood he had committed 12 years of his life to, Malcolm was in turmoil. His response was to take the ultimate journey for a devout Muslim - to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Spiritual discovery
In the holy city Malcolm discovered a purer form of Islam - one almost unrecognisable from what he had been taught by the Nation of Islam. On his way back to the States, Malcolm shared his important new insight with his friend, author Maya Angelou. She remembers that meeting: "When he came to Ghana and said, 'I have found blue-eyed men that I am able to call brother, so my entire statement when I said all whites were devils is erroneous,' it takes an incredible amount of courage to say, say to everybody, 'Remember what I said yesterday? That's wrong!' "And that's what he was able to do - that was amazing." While his fresh, inclusive approach made Malcolm many new friends it also made him some very dangerous enemies - particularly within the Nation of Islam. He began to receive death threats from people he had previously called "brother" On Valentines Day 1965 his New Jersey home was fire-bombed and a week later, when he stood up in Harlem's Audobon Ballroom to appeal for unity within the black community, he was shot repeatedly and died soon after. Although a man connected with the Nation Of Islam was arrested for the killing, rumours of CIA involvement have persisted down the years.

Confusing figure
The tragedy of Malcolm's death is that it was only in the last year of his life that he was able to open his mind and his heart enough to embrace all people regardless of skin colour. Unfortunately the image that many - particularly in the media - were left with, was of Malcolm as a vengeful militant, a symbol of hatred. Looking back on his life, it's clear to see there were many Malcolms: Victim, player, prisoner, hater, anti-racist... As a result, Malcolm X is one of the most misunderstood leaders in history. Take the phrase "By Any Means Necessary". After his death the slogan began to appear next to a photograph of Malcolm standing by a window holding a machine gun. The photo was originally taken as a warning against those Nation of Islam members who had threatened Malcolm's life. But placed next to the slogan "By Any Means Necessary", it appeared to be a call to arms for the Black population. And still, 40 years on, people read Malcolm's teachings in a variety of different ways. "Malcolm wasn't trying to be non-violent - he was like, 'You hit me and I'm gonna hit you back.' ... "So from my understanding, as a teenager growing up, if someone slaps you, you slap them back and that's the reason Malcolm's words ring true," says MC Jonzi D. But MC Rakin of Mecca 2 Medina interprets the message very differently.

Mission accomplished?
"I think when he said 'by any means necessary' [he meant] you really have to get up and get moving. In the black community we tend to be laid back, and you need to be out there, you need to be pushing forward," MC Rakin says. "In the Koran, God says he doesn't change a people till they change themselves, you need to be doing things for yourself. And so that is the kind of stance I believe he meant when he said, 'By any means necessary'." We have come a long way since 1965. In the States and in the UK we have got things like black history month and equal opportunities in the workplace. There is no doubt that Malcolm, at least the final phase Malcolm, would approve of these developments. But it's important to remember the fullness of Malcolm's vision. He wasn't just fighting for a handful of policies - what he wanted was the overhaul of a system that was institutionally racist on every level - the question that remains today is - how far have we gone to achieve his vision?
©BBC News

REPARATIONS ARE 'COMMON SENSE' SAYS WEBSTER PROFESSOR(usa)
24/2/2005- Reparations may not be the law and it may not be equity, but it is common sense, said Tracy McCarthy in a lecture for Black History Month. Before society can engage in a discussion about what kind of reparations are necessary or a timeline for reparations, it must first discuss why reparations are a just redress to the wrongs of slavery. "Money alone is not the answer, because money alone was not the problem," McCarthy said. "Fair exchange ain't no robbery: The reparation issue - A question of law, equity or common sense?" was presented Feb. 21 in the UC Sunnen Lounge. McCarthy, an assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences, said the missing aspect of the reparation discussion was forensics, which she defines as applying any kind of science to the law. Although the reparations discussion focuses on what kind of redress is needed, McCarthy thinks that the answer won't come until there is a real discussion about the unintended consequences of slavery. "People have been asking for reparations over and over and over again," McCarthy said. "We can't even decide on reparations until we decide culpability." Another one of the main problems with the current discussion is that it fades in and out of public discourse. McCarthy said the population cannot focus on and address the problem of reparations, and it is therefore showing "all the symptoms of a hyperactive disorder." Audience members had ideas about why the reparations issue cannot seem to stay in the limelight long enough to be satisfactorily discussed. "The government is not interested in this because it would open up doors to everyone who has ever been wronged," said university President Richard Meyers, citing examples of wars started by the United States. "The government would go bankrupt." McCarthy agreed, citing examples of Native Americans, homosexuals, women and children. "The floodgates will open up," she said. "Is that reason enough for finding no culpability?"

McCarthy said it is normal for people to worry about what kind of conveniences they would have to give up to implement a system of reparations. Terrell Sanders, a sophomore business management major, agreed. 'I think everyone agrees that there was a problem and that there are consequences today in African-American culture," he said. "But we cognitively jump to what we would have to give up to make reparations." To show the validity of the reparations argument, McCarthy used several analogies to show the unintended consequences of crime and how it can have an effect on future generations. For instance, a burglar breaks into a home, steals everything of economic value and burns down the house. The burglar then gives the stolen goods out as gifts to his grandchild. That grandchild then sells the goods and buys a farm with the money. Even though that grandchild is at no fault, she is still not entitled to the farm. The homeowner has a variety of costs, besides replacement costs, such as crisis counseling and missed time from work. Anything that was bought with his stolen goods is his. And if he has died, it is the property of his grandchildren. The burglar was not entitled to pass on stolen property. In another analogy, McCarthy brought up a scenario in which a mother is raped and killed. The murderer cannot make up for the lost life, but the child will have educational costs as well as psychological needs. These are the natural and logical consequences to crimes, McCarthy said. These analogies do not compare to the impact years of slavery had on the African-American race, McCarthy argued. 'Some people bound some other people with chains, and kept them restrained in blood, feces, mucus and menstrual blood," McCarthy said. Slavery was an institutionalized form of racism and torture, in which lawmakers decided that African-Americans were not people. "They have yet to redress the crimes against humanity," she said.
©Webster Journal

IRAQI WOMEN - THE NEED FOR PROTECTIVE MEASURES(press release)
22/2/2005- Iraqi women must have an active role in shaping the future of their country, a new report by Amnesty International said today. Iraqi authorities must take effective measures to protect women and to change discriminatory legislation that encourages violence against them. Women and girls in Iraq live in fear of violence. The current lack of security has forced many women out of public life and constitutes a major obstacle to the advancement of their rights. Since the 2003 war, armed groups have targeted and killed several female political leaders and women's rights activists. The report Iraq: Decades of suffering - Now women deserve better documents how women and girls in Iraq have been targeted directly, because they were women, and how they suffered disproportionately through decades of government repression and armed conflict. "Iraqi authorities must introduce concrete measures to protect women," said Abdel Salam Sidahmed, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International. "They must send a clear message that violence against women will not be tolerated by investigating all allegations of abuse against women and by bringing those responsible to justice, no matter what their affiliation." Three wars and more than a decade of economic sanctions have been particularly damaging to Iraqi women. Under the government of Saddam Hussain, they were subjected to gender-specific abuses, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, or else targeted as political activists, relatives of activists or members of certain ethnic or religious groups.

The report demonstrates how gender discrimination in Iraqi laws contributes to the persistence of violence against women. Many women remain at risk of death or injury from male relatives if they are accused of behaviour held to have brought dishonour on the family. "Iraqi authorities must review discriminatory legislation against women and bring it into line with international human rights standards. Most importantly, they must ensure that the new constitution and all Iraqi legislation contain prohibitions to redress all forms of discrimination and gender-based violence against women," said Abdel Salam Sidahmed. A number of Iraqi women have been taken hostage by armed groups, some of them in connection with political demands. Women of non-Iraqi origin have also been held as hostages, often in an attempt to force a withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq. They have been beaten and threatened with execution, and at least one of them, Margaret Hassan, has reportedly been killed. Italian journalist Guiliana Sgrena was kidnapped by an armed group earlier this month. On 16 February 2005 a videotape was circulated showing her in distress appealing for the withdrawal of Italian troops in Iraq. Amnesty International has repeatedly called on armed groups to immediately end the violence against women, including harassment, death threats, violent attacks, kidnapping and killing.

Amnesty International equally calls on the US-led multinational forces to improve safeguards for women in detention and investigate promptly all allegations of violence against women, including sexual attacks by their forces or other agents. Women's rights organizations in Iraq have repeatedly called for measures to be taken in order to stop violence and to end discrimination against women. In recent years, numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other bodies working for women's rights have been formed, including groups that focus on the protection of women from violence. Women's rights activists are often faced with threats and assaults from the families of the women they support. The report calls for women to be at the heart of the political decision-making process in Iraq, particularly when dealing with issues directly pertaining to women. It calls on for women to be represented at all levels to protect women's interests. Women in the next government and the elected National Assembly must take the lead in ensuring that Iraqi legislation and future amendments are in total harmony with international standards.
©Amnesty International

WORLD MUST ADDRESS RACISM NOW TO PREVENT GENOCIDE, SAY UN
24/2/2005- The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has opened its new session with an urgent call to address current manifestations of racism and xenophobia in order to prevent a recurrence of the terrible massacres that marked the last decade. "We must never forget such tragedies as that of Rwanda in 1994 and the horrifying drama and the massacre in Srebrenica one year later, both largely driven by racial and ethnic intolerance and hatred," the Chief of the Treaties and Commission Branch of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Maria-Francisca Ize-Charrin, said, referring to the genocide that killed up to 800,000 people in the central African country, and the slaughter of up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Bosnia. Those events remind the international community in all their brutality that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance were not vanishing phenomenon, and that vigilance was never exaggerated in such cases, she declared. The importance of addressing the current and most acute manifestations of racism and xenophobia by focusing on steps that could prevent situations of discrimination, including their escalation to some of the worst forms of human rights violations, could not be over-emphasized, she added. Preventive measures were one of the most useful tools in dealing with the dangers posed by racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. The Committee, beginning its session in Geneva yesterday, will consider country reports from several nations and may also decide to take early warning measures or initiate urgent action procedures with regard to situations in States parties.
©a2mediagroup

'HATE SPEECH' PASTOR WINS APPEAL(Sweden)
11/2/2005- A Swedish pastor who had been sentenced to 30 days in prison for inflammatory remarks about homosexuals has had his conviction overturned on appeal. The court said Aake Green was protected by free speech laws and that his sermon, in which he likened homosexuals with "cancer", was not a crime. The 63-year-old pastor made the remarks at a village church in 2003. His case has pitted advocates of free speech against those wanting fiery remarks about minorities criminalised. Observers say there were a number of homosexuals who opposed Mr Green's conviction at the appeal process. "I'll go on preaching as usual but I won't be dedicating so much time to this issue," the visibly relieved pastor told reporters after the verdict was announced.

'Personal interpretation'
Mr Green was convicted in June 2004 but allowed to remain free pending appeal. He was the first clergyman convicted under Swedish laws that make incitement to hatred against racial, religious or national groups illegal - legislation that was amended in 2003 to include homosexuals. But the appeals court on Friday ruled that Mr Green's remarks did not constitute incitement to hatred against homosexuals, but merely reflected his own personal interpretation of the Bible. "The minister's interpretation of Bible quotes is questionable as far as his choice of words is concerned, but its content hardly goes further than the Bible text that he referred to," the court said in a statement. "The purpose of making agitation against gays punishable is not to prevent arguments or discussions about homosexuality, not in churches or in other parts of society."

Welcomed
The verdict was welcomed by members of the religious community. It "indicates that the justice system works," Ralph Toerner, a priest from the Swedish branch of the British-based Holy Catholic Church, told the Associated Press. "But at the same time, I think this should be a warning signal to preachers overall that they shouldn't use such coarse language when talking about something sensitive," he said. And the case had also been watched from abroad. Some Christian communities in the United States had criticised Mr Green's conviction, asking if priests should be consulting lawyers before delivering their sermons. The case has also highlighted the sometimes difficult balance many European countries are seeking to strike between discouraging hate speech and ensuring personal freedoms. Germany currently has the toughest hate speech laws among all European countries and bans public displays of the swastika. In Mr Green's case, the appeal court's verdict is unlikely to be the last word on the issue, as the prosecution also has the right to appeal, the Associated Press reports. As the pastor was going into appeal, so was the prosecution - seeking a six-month extension to the 30-day sentence.
©BBC News

COHEN: DEPOLARISE DEBATE OVER ISLAM(Netherlands)
11/2/2005— Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen has said the debate about Muslims and extremism should be conducted "in a more balanced way" in the Netherlands to avoid further polarisation between the Muslim community and the rest of society. He said the debate's aggression — in part being driven by the emergence of a real right-wing in the Netherlands — posed the danger of alienating the majority of Muslims who had integrated and "done well" in the Netherlands. "There is a need for a depolarisation of the debate," he said. Cohen made his comments during the recording of a special addition of Amsterdam Forum, a current affairs discussion programme on the English-language service of Dutch world broadcaster Radio Netherlands. Clark opened the programme by recalling the turbulent events following the shocking murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh last year. The man arrested for the killing is a 26-year-old Amsterdam with Dutch and Moroccan nationality. Cohen, who has also received death threats, recalled that he had been the guest on the first edition of Amsterdam Forum, also in the IGB club, on 6 May 2002. "I was here in this chair, in this room, when I heard the news that Pim Fortuyn had been shot … the first political murder in 400 years in the Netherlands," he said. Fortuyn was a rising political star who won widespread support as the first prominent person in the Netherlands to openly criticise Islam and call for a halt to immigration. He was shot and killed by animal rights activist Volkert van der Graaf, who later said he did it to "protect the weaker elements in society". Cohen said the current situation in the Netherlands could not be seen in isolation from several important elements, including the 11 September attacks in the US, unemployment and lack of opportunity among Muslim youths and the highlighting of crime committed by young Moroccans. The mayor said it also seemed clear that Van Gogh's murder might not have been purely the work of one person, because the suspect appeared to be part of a wider group. He said the number of extremists who were willing to use violence was very difficult to estimate, but was certainly only a very tiny minority. Asked by Expatica if the government was concentrating too much on security and not enough on integration, Cohen said the authorities had to take security measures to counter the threat "but that there had to be a balance". He said it was important that the majority of law-abiding Muslims, who had "done well" in the Netherlands, were not made to feel unwanted.
©Expatica News

VERDONK REJECTS DELAYING CONGOLESE DEPORTATIONS(Netherlands)
14/2/2005— Despite claims of breached confidentiality, Dutch Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk rejected on Monday parliamentary calls to postpone the deportation of processed Congolese asylum seekers. Opposition parties Labour PvdA, the Socialist SP, green-left GroenLinks and the ChristenUnie had all asked for a deferment of the deportation in anticipation of a parliamentary debate. The parties have demanded answers over a recent report on current affairs programme Netwerk that claimed the immigration service IND had sent confidential documents about the asylum seekers to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The report said asylum seekers could consequently face problems with Congolese authorities on their return, Radio Netherlands reported. But Verdonk has denied that the documents were given to Congolese authorities, claiming the never gain insight into statements given by asylum seekers. These statements often reveal the names of people who helped the asylum seekers and various other sensitive details. Verdonk said Congolese authorities are only supplied with information to determine the names and nationalities of the asylum seekers, newspaper De Telegraaf reported. She also presented to MPs a document detailing the agreement the Netherlands reached with Congo in 2002 over the return of rejected asylum seekers. The Dutch government is currently involved in negotiations to draw up a new agreement. Refugee organisation Inlia http://www.inlia.nl/ has demanded access to the document in court. Some MPs claim that it outlines an agreement in which Dutch authorities must hand over the statements of asylum seekers to Congolese diplomatic authorities in The Hague when a travel document application is lodged during the deportation of Congolese nationals. Verdonk has dismissed the claims. MPs are now demanding a debate on the issue next week. Current figures indicate that the Netherlands has deported 72 Congolese nationals to their land of origin since 2003.
©Expatica News

REFERENCE TO GENOCIDE TO BE ADDED(Germany)
State retracts decision to eliminate notation

11/2/2005- The eastern state of Brandenburg has withdrawn its decision to remove a passage in a history lesson that refers to the killings of more than 1 million Armenians by the Turks in the early 20th century. The state's premier, Matthias Platzeck, made the announcement on Tuesday after he met with Armenian representatives in the state capital of Potsdam. Beginning next school year, the history lesson for the ninth and 10th grade will once again include a reference to the killings, but it will also contain other examples of genocide. Previously, the killings of the Armenians were listed as the only example. In explaining the latest decision, Platzeck said it would be wrong to list just one example of genocide. The view was shared by the state's education minister, Holger Rupprecht. In a newspaper last week, Rupprecht defended the decision. "The reference was removed because I and the premier consider it to be a mistake to list Armenia as the sole example of such a controversial subject." The issue is an extremely sensitive one between Armenians and Turks. Armenians say 1.5 million people were killed between 1915 and 1923 as part of the Ottoman Empire's campaign to push them from eastern Turkey. Turkey maintains the Armenians were killed as the empire fought civil unrest. As a result, the Social Democrat Platzeck faced pressure from both the Armenian and the Turkish representatives. The first change was announced in late January two weeks after Turkish General Counsel Aydin Durusay raised the issue. The decision set off a wave of criticism from parties in the state, including at least one member of the Social Democrats, who demanded that Platzeck reverse the decision. Sven Petke, the general secretary of the Christian Democrats in Brandenburg, said the removal of the passage had hurt the state's reputation. "It was not the reference to the genocide on the Armenians that communicated a wrong image. It was the unjustified removal," Petke said. Armenians joined the criticism as well. This protest resulted in Tuesday's meeting, which was attended by the Armenian Ambassador Karine Kazinian. Kazinian expressed her satisfaction with the change. "The key issue is that that genocide and everything associated with the things that happened then will be discussed clearly," she said. Platzeck denied previous reports that he had bowed to Turkish pressure and noted that discussions with the Education Ministry had been conducted months ago. Brandenburg is the first of Germany's 16 states to use a textbook that discusses the subject of genocide in the 20th century.
©Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

SAXONY, BRANDENBURG LEAD IN EXTREMIST ATTACKS(Germany)
11/2/2005- The states of Saxony and Brandenburg recorded the largest number of cases of right-wing extremist violence in the east last year, federal officials said on Wednesday. A total of 550 cases were recorded in the five eastern states. A total of 144 occurred in Saxony and 136 in Brandenburg. In one case, a German soldier who has served in Kosovo and Afghanistan was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison on Tuesday for cutting a Kenyan asylum seeker on the neck with a broken bottle. The incident occurred early on July 18 in Brandenburg an der Havel.
©Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

GERMANS MARK BOMBING OF DRESDEN
13/2/2005- Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has warned Germany will not tolerate far-right attempts to rewrite history as it marks 60 years since the bombing of Dresden. Allied planes devastated the historic heart of the famed baroque city, killing tens of thousands, as ground forces closed in on the Nazi regime. The far right aims to upstage official events in the city on Sunday to portray Germany as a victim of World War II. Mr Schroeder pledged to counter "all attempts to re-interpret history". "This is our obligation to all the victims of the war and Nazi terror especially, and also the victims of Dresden," he told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

Candles and white roses
Germany, he said, should mourn its own war dead, but not ignore "how much suffering the war started by Germany brought to others". Mr Schroeder said he hoped to "keep the far right out" of the commemorations, referring to the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD). The day was due to start with a church mass. Later, a wreath-laying ceremony will be attended by the ambassadors of the four wartime Allied powers - the US, Russia (for the Soviet Union), the UK and France - and 10,000 candles will be lit to remember the victims in various towns and cities around the world. The NPD plans a counter-rally which could attract up to 7,000 supporters. Dresden citizens protesting at the NPD presence plan to wear white roses on Sunday. Other events on Sunday will also remember the dead from targets bombed by the Germans, such as Coventry, Leningrad and Warsaw, as well as cities hit by more recent conflicts, including New York, Grozny and Sarajevo.

Outrage
NPD members in the Saxony state parliament, which meets in Dresden, caused outrage in January when they boycotted a commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. They called the Dresden raids a "bombing holocaust" and party leader Udo Voigt has asked for the dead of Dresden to be given consideration equal to the dead of the Nazi death camps. Allied bombers took to the air on 13 February 1945 and rained bombs down on Dresden over two days. British planes made the initial two raids, followed by US aircraft. They were acting on a request from Moscow. The city stood as an important railway and communications centre for Nazi forces resisting the Soviet advance from the east. Officially, about 35,000 people died in the attacks. However, some historians suggest the number may have been greater, as German refugees from the east were arriving in the city and many of the dead were incinerated by the massive firestorm. Some of the public buildings in the city once known as the Florence of the North have been spectacularly restored since the war, but much of its ruined historical heart has been replaced by modern buildings.
©BBC News

NEO-NAZI THREAT ON DRESDEN ANNIVERSARY(Germany)
13/2/2005- Ceremonies to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Allied firebombing of Dresden could be disrupted today by the biggest neo-Nazi demonstration in Germany since the Second World War, police warned. As many as 7,000 far-right sympathisers, some from as far away as Sweden and Spain, as well as an Austrian contingent, are expected to take part in a midday "funeral march" to mark what the extreme right considers a war crime. Large numbers of police have been drafted in, and weeks of planning have gone into keeping the neo-Nazis apart from counter-demonstrators. Security was tight yesterday on the cold, wet streets of the eastern German city as officials checked individuals they suspected of being part of the plan to ambush the day of mourning. Police have banned the far-right demonstrators from marching in formation, carrying Nazi flags or wearing their unofficial uniform, parachute boots and bomber jackets. Among left-wingers seeking to counter them is "No Tears for Krauts", an anarchist group which plans 12 hours of "decentralised actions" to "attack the Nazis". Ordinary Dresdners are being urged to wear white roses, a traditional symbol of resistance to the Nazis, for their annual silent candlelit procession, but neo-Nazi websites were yesterday calling on the far right to wear roses as well, to confuse officials. "We mustn't let them steal our history," said Rosa Hartmann, a 71-year-old survivor of the firestorm that killed at least 35,000 people on the night of 13-14 February 1945. Some 80,000 are expected to attend today's ceremonies, which include clergy from Coventry Cathedral presenting a "cross of nails" to Dresden's newly reconstructed Frauenkirchen Cathedral, and a wreath-laying at the city's Heide cemetery, where the charred remains of Dresden's citizens were interred in mass graves. Academics still argue about how many were actually killed, but the far right claims there were as many as 400,000 deaths. The anti-Semitic National Party of Germany (NPD) has dubbed the raid "the bombing Holocaust" and calls Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, the controversial head of Bomber Command, a "mass murderer". The NPD has been planning an ambush in Dresden since last autumn. Under the motto "1945 - we're not celebrating", it is using war anniversaries to launch itself as a parliamentary force. It is already represented in the Saxon parliament, and is setting its sights on entering the Schleswig-Holstein parliament in next Sunday's election. Dresden plays a key role in the NPD gameplan, because resentment against the raid is still tangible - a television crew loudly speaking English in a city cafe yesterday attracted hostile looks - and there is a sense that the tragedy has been brushed under the carpet by the political class. It is still politically incorrect openly to mourn Germany's war dead, let alone talk of British "war crimes". Although President Horst Koehler went to Auschwitz for the 60th anniversary of its liberation last month, he will not be in Dresden. After Dresden, the NPD is focusing on 8 May, the anniversary of the end of the War, when the party and its sympathisers plan to match through the centre of Berlin. But the NPD has other plans. "Fifty-four million Germans died after the end of the war in Allied or Soviet imprisonment, raped by Russians, or of untreated disease," said Holger Apfel, the 35-year-old publisher helping to steer the NPD's strategy. "There is nothing to celebrate." The government announced on Friday it would rush through a new ban on neo-Nazi rallies at Nazi-linked sites, but Bernd Ulrich, deputy editor of Die Zeit, opposed the plan, saying the point was to provide a political answer to the far right, not to muzzle them.
© Independent Digital

NEO-NAZIS HIJACK DRESDEN CEREMONY(Germany)
biggest far-right demonstration since Hitler

14/2/2005- Thousands of neo-Nazis hijacked official ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Allied bombing of Dresden yesterday in the biggest demonstration by the German far right since the Second World War. More than 5,000 neo-Nazis overran the east German city with a mass protest against "Anglo-American bomb terror". The scale of the fascist turnout, although predicted, came as a major embarrassment to the city and the government of the Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder. Both had hoped that the anniversary would be dominated by gestures of reconciliation. Instead, a crowd of neo-Nazis bused in from all over Germany gathered behind Dresden's rebuilt Semper Opera House to hold a "funeral rally and march". The British and the Americans were bitterly criticised for the raid in February 1945 which was described as a "bomb holocaust" and example of "Anglo-American terror". Holger Apfel, 33, leader of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), which won seats in the Saxony state parliament in Dresden last October, appeared with other neo-Nazi leaders to denounce the British and Americans as "mass murderers and gangsters". "They have left a trail of blood that stretches from Dresden to Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and possibly Iran," Mr Apfel told the crowd to enthusiastic applause and chants of "murderers". He added: "We must not allow Germany to become the accomplices of American gangster policy." Waving black banners and black balloons, with the slogan "bomb terror", the neo-Nazis also accused post-war Germany and the Allies of deliberately downplaying the number of deaths caused by the bombing which officially stands at 35,000. On numerous placards written in Nazi-style Gothic script, they claimed that the figure was 350,000. The far right also flouted German law by singing a folk version of the banned verse of the national anthem.

Hundreds of left-wing anti-Nazi protesters headed by an organisation called "No Tears for Krauts" attempted to shout down the neo-Nazis with whistles and catcalls. They were kept at bay by thousands of riot police equipped with water cannon who had been brought in from throughout south-east Germany. Earlier, neo-Nazis managed to overshadow a wreath-laying ceremony attended by Jewish community leaders and the British and American ambassadors at the city's Heidehof cemetery, where the ashes of thousands of Dresdeners killed during the raid lie buried. Groups of shaven-headed men in leather jackets and other apparently middle class neo-Nazi supporters formed up in silence and laid their own wreaths at the site. They bore white ribbons with slogans such as "Dresden not forgotten, not forgiven". One of the placards on show at the ceremony depicted a German woman fighting her way through the rubble of Dresden clinging on to two badly mutilated and bloodstained children. The neo-Nazi presence was particularly galling for the Dresden city government as the anniversary had been intended as a major gesture of reconciliation and as a sign that Germany had finally put the Second World War behind it. To mark the occasion, the city had opened its painstakingly restored Frauenkirche cathedral, whose ruins were once a symbol of the city's destruction. Its rebuilding has only just been completed, funded by donations from Britain and other countries. The people of Dresden had been urged by the city authorities to wear white roses in their buttonholes to demonstrate reconciliation. But many neo-Nazis chose to wear the emblems as well. Recent opinion polls show that up to 30 per cent of young Germans view the Dresden raid as comparable to the Holocaust.

Churchmen in Dresden have blamed hostility to the Allies on East German Communist propaganda which for decades held that the raid was a needless act of "Anglo-American aggression" inflicted on innocent civilians. Ingolf Rossberg, Dresden's Mayor, said yesterday that it had been impossible to ban the neo-Nazi demonstrations. "So long as the NPD is an established political party with seats in a state parliament, we cannot ban it from holding marches," he said.Edmund Stoiber, the Bavarian Prime Minister, accused Mr Schröder of creating a breeding ground for the far right by allowing unemployment, which stands at five million, to spiral to record levels.Chancellor Schröder appealed to Germans to reject neo-Nazi interpretations of the Dresden raid. "Showing historical responsibility means not weighing crimes against suffering," he said. "I always remember how much suffering Germany caused to others by a war that it started."Mr Schröder's government has announced plans to curb the activities of the far right, but none of the measures were in place to prevent yesterday's march. The Chancellor also declared that his government was redoubling its efforts to ban the NPD. Two years ago an initial attempt to outlaw the party through the country's constitutional court in Karlsrühe ended in failure. Judges ruled that secret service informers whose evidence was used against the party had acted as "agents provocateurs".
© Independent Digital

BOSNIA: LENIENT TREATMENT OF WIFE-BEATERS DEPLORED
Womens' groups voice anger at plans to class domestic violence as a "misdemeanor" punishable with a fine.
By Nidzara Ahmetasevic, journalist based in Sarajevo

11/2/2005- Sejla - not her real name - remembers family life with her husband all too well. "He threatened to kill me," she said, twisting her hands nervously. "He would beat me, insult me, swear at me," she told IWPR at the Sarajevo safe house where she now lives with her four-month-old child. "I was under a kind of house arrest, and I couldn't go out without an escort. One day I couldn't take it anymore. I ran away early one morning and reported everything to the police, who introduced me to the people from the centre for social work. "People like my husband belong in prison. They must be prosecuted for what they have done." Cases like Sejla's are increasing at an alarming rate in Bosnia. But instead of punishing the perpetrators more severely, the authorities plan to make wife-beating a misdemeanor offence, on a par with a parking violation and punishable with only a fine. Critics say that the plans show that domestic abuse is still deemed "acceptable" in a country dominated by conservative nationalists. "Whether a violent act is treated as misdemeanor or a serious criminal offence shows clearly which set of values the government is trying to protect," said Fedra Idzakovic of Global Rights, an organisation campaigning for battered women. Domestic violence is a growing problem in Bosnia as the county struggles with the wartime legacies of high unemployment, post-traumatic stress and limited social services. However, there are only five safe houses for battered women in the country. As a result, the services offered by local support groups are in big demand. "We had 640 calls in the first six months of our telephone helpline, which indicates the extent of the problem," said Selma Begic, who works at the Sarajevo safe house now home to Selja. But the problem is not reflected in official statistics. According to police figures released in 2002, only 147 incidents of domestic violence were reported in the Federation. Activists believe that a recent nationwide survey conducted by the Local Democracy Foundation gives a more reliable indication of the extent of the problem.

The survey of 4,000 women found that 65 per cent claimed to have suffered family violence and that three-quarters of these respondents had not reported the incidents. Campaigners say that this reticence is understandable, given the often-dismissive attitude of judges and policemen toward the crime. A recent report by Global Rights and other NGOs detailing how domestic violence is treated in Bosnia's courts found that judges tended to punish offenders with minor fines and that prison sentences were an exception. According to the Republika Srpska, RS, justice ministry, 51 incidents of domestic violence were reported to the Banja Luka police in 2002 alone - but only two people were jailed as a result. Human rights groups believe that under-reporting of such abuse is part of a wider problem. Global Rights has noted that "behind Bosnia's civilised and modern façade, there is a deeply traditional and patriarchal society. Family violence forms an integral part of that reality but it is ignored and not discussed in public". Campaigners believe this attitude is deeply ingrained in local police forces. "Even though they are being educated about it, many police officers seem to believe that one has to slap a woman once in a while," said safe house counsellor Zehrija Zajkovic, adding that some Bosnian men seemed to think that a slap in the face was "nothing". Women's support groups warn that the draft law relegating domestic violence to a misdemeanor charge will do little to change such attitudes. "The state must effectively punish those responsible for domestic violence," said Idzakovic. "Nothing will change if you treat family violence as a misdemeanor." Global Rights is part of a coalition of more than a hundred NGOs now urging the government not to relegate the crime of domestic violence.

"This hasn't been presented to the public, nor has there been an open debate about it," said Sehic. "We object to the definition and treatment of family violence as a mere misdemeanor." But government officials insist that the draft law reducing the seriousness of domestic abuse will not be altered. Justice ministry official Dzemal Mutapcic told IWPR, "Such a law allows us to distinguish between minor offences, such as slapping someone in the face, and the more serious ones." He said that other laws could be used to prosecute "more serious" offences. Campaigners acknowledge that provisions contained in other pieces of proposed legislation could be useful in reducing domestic violence. Under the Family bill currently before the Federation justice ministry, it will be possible to evict abusers from the marital home as well as deny them access to the family. But the question of punishment remains. NGOs argue that as long as the law states that family violence is a mere misdemeanor and punishable with a small fine, there is little hope of changing the ingrained attitudes of police, judges and the abusers themselves. Back at Sarajevo's only safe house, Selja lives in fear of her husband, who remains a free man. "When I came here I was shattered," she told IWPR. "Today I live in hope that soon I will be able to leave this place, find a job and start a new life. But I'm not thinking about a new relationship. I'm too afraid."
©Institute for War & Peace Reporting

CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES REJECTS LAW ON REGISTERED PARTNERSHIP(Czech Republic)
11/2/2005- The Czech Republic will not join soon the countries in which homosexuals can conclude registered partnership since the Chamber of Deputies did not pass the law which would allow it. There have been several bills on registered partnership which were rejected by the lower house. Like in the past years, the vote was very tight and the bill was short of one vote to be passed. After the results were announced, the opponents started applauding in the room. Representatives of the Gay and Lesbian League said behind the scene that they would try again to have the law on registered partnership passed. Christian Democrat Jiri Karas told journalists that he considered Friday's decision as a victory of common sense. One of the drafters of the bill, Tana Fischerova (the Freedom Union-DEU) said she did not know whether she would repeatedly propose the bill in this election term. "Evidently there is no will for this in this Chamber of Deputies," she said. The proposals to embed in law homosexuals' partnerships have regularly divided individual parties, while only the Christian Democrats are against them in unison. Generally, the legislation tends to be more supported by the left. This was shown by today's vote. The bill was backed by 82 out of the 165 deputies present - most voting Social Democrats, Communists, the Freedom Union members and some deputies for the opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS). The Christian Democrats were against. The opponents of the legislation argue with the fear of the weakening of the traditional family. Its proponents are not afraid of it. They said there is no reason for a part of citizens not having the same rights as the rest only because they have different sexual orientation. The laws on registered partnership of homosexuals are valid in a number of EU countries. The couples of the same sex can conclude registered partnership in Norway and Switzerland.
©Czech Happenings

CZECH GAY AND LESBIAN LEAGUE UPSET ABOUT REJECTION OF SAME SEX PARTNERSHIPS
By Martin Mikule

14/2/2005- The Czech parliament with a majority of just one vote has for no less than the third time rejected a bill enabling registered partnerships of same sex couples. Whereas most MPs from left-wing parties supported the law, all deputies from the Christian Democrats, a party that is close to the Catholic Church, voted against, and they were joined by most of the Civic Democrats, the largest right-of-centre opposition party. Christian Democrat MPs have in the past been vocal in their opposition not only to gay partnerships, but last week Jiri Karas, a deputy from the party, who in the past has described homosexuality as a sin, adopted a more conciliatory tone. "I'm glad the bill was rejected, but on the other hand we should be very understanding towards homosexuals. Our society should show this in real ways." But Czech gays and lesbians are angry and disappointed. I spoke to the spokeswoman of the Gay and Lesbian League Tereza Kodickova. She outlined what the bill had proposed.

"This bill was trying to propose things that the chamber of deputies would approve, so it was very weak - it did not offer too much to the partners. We were trying to accomplish some first steps, and then later add some more to what has already been approved. So basically what it contained were inheritance rights, then the duty to support and maintain, and then the provision about the right to information about a partner when one is ill. And that was basically it - so it was not much."

Why do you think this bill was turned down?
"I think that it was because homophobia is still an accepted political attitude, unlike, for example, racism. I don't think any politician would dare to say that any minority is less than somebody else, and doesn't have the same rights, but it is still acceptable to say that homosexuals do not have these rights."

Why is it? Do you think it reflects public opinion in the Czech Republic?
"I don't think it does. It seems that the chamber of deputies is rather isolated in its opinions and views, that people concentrate more on what is happening inside, rather than on how they represent the public."

When you talk to people in general, do they seem to be rather in favour of this kind of proposal or against it?
"When I talk to people - and I, of course, don't talk to all people - some of them say 'I wouldn't support this, because it's too weak.' - That was the case of some of the deputies as well. Most of the public is already - I think - in favour. Although the data we have are not completely reliable, because the opinion polls never are."

Do you see any chance that a similar bill could be enacted in foreseeable future?
"We've been just discussing it now. We will probably try to propose a similar draft again in the near future. Primarily because the next chamber of deputies is probably going to be more conservative than this one. So this is probably our chance."
©Radio Prague

RUSSIAN SUPREME COURT REJECTS ATTEMPT TO LEGALISE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES
15/2/2005- The Russian Supreme Court has refused to introduce amendments to the Family Code allowing same-sex marriages, the Echo of Moscow radio reported on Tuesday. The court's resolution reads that the court is not entitled to change laws. In January this year two Russian men have filed for a marriage certificate from a Moscow registration office. One of the men is an MP in the Russian internal republic of Bashkiria Eduard Murzin. Curiously, Murzin is heterosexual and his participation in the action was caused by an attempt to promote human rights for sexual minorities in Russia. He and his gay "partner", chief editor of a gay web-site Eduard Mishin, have spoken publicly about the union for days ahead of filing the application in an attempt to draw attention to the movement for gay rights in Russia. But the registration office has refused to issue a marriage certificate, because same-sex marriages are unlawful. Murzin believes the Family Code contravenes the Russian Constitution and the European Human Rights Convention and said he would appeal the Supreme Court's ruling in the International Human Rights Court in Strasbourg.
©MosNews

CoE SHOULD CONTROL OBSERVATION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES RIGHTS IN ALL MEMBER-STATES(Russia)
15/2/2005- The Council of Europe should look after the observation of the rights of national minorities in all its member-states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the talks with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis. According to him, at issue was the status of national minorities in Latvia and Estonia. "We reaffirmed the necessity to implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe's commission for human rights and OSCE commission for minorities," Mr. Lavrov said. In his works, the talks also focused on interaction between Russia and the Council of Europe and the situations in the Russian Federation and the Council of Europe's member-states "where the status of national minorities and observation of human rights arouse concern." Moreover, the sides discussed cooperation, in particular, in the context of Russia's presidency in the Council of Europe in May-November 2006 and preparations for the summit of this organization in mid-May in Warsaw, Sergei Lavrov reported. According to Mr. Lavrov, Russia "understands at what a responsible moment Terry Davis has headed the Council of Europe." "Today when the European processes need additional efforts by all countries Russia will support all your projects aimed to provide freedom and democracy in Europe," the Russian Foreign Minister emphasized. On his part, Mr. Davis thanked Mr. Lavrov for a cordial reception and noted that their talks were held two years after their meeting at the UN
©RIA Novosti

AFGHANI REFUGEES' FATE WORRIES AMNESTY(Denmark)
Amnesty Denmark worried that Afghanis will be repatriated to an unsafe country

13/2/2005- Amnesty International's Danish office is concerned that Afghani refugees in Denmark could be repatriated to a country that is unsafe. After the Immigration Service withdrew the visas of a group of Afghani refugees, their case is due to come under review by the Refugee Board, who could decide to return them to Afghanistan. Amnesty is concerned that the Afghanistan to which they would return is still an unsafe country and that the conditions that would permit Denmark to return them do not exist. "The people in question were given asylum in Denmark a few years ago because they had a genuine need for protection. Amnesty is afraid that sending them back to Afghanistan would not occur under the safe and stable conditions that the UN requires," announced Amnesty on Friday. The Immigration Service revoked the visas under a regulation that permits the alteration of an asylum seeker's status if the grounds for seeking asylum no longer exist. According to Amnesty, the situation in Afghanistan is still unsafe. "It's relatively safe in Kabul, but the further out you go, the more anarchic things get," said Amnesty Denmark spokesman Stig Nielsen. According to the UNHCR, repatriation of refugees can only occur if the refugees can be assured a safe existence in their home country. That safe existence includes a well-functioning government and an effective judicial system. Amnesty International representatives were in Afghanistan in the fall of 2004 to assess the situation in the country and concluded that there were still problems with the Afghani judicial system and that the power in the country still rested in the hands of clan leaders and warlords. Amnesty, therefore, has requested that Denmark put a halt the repatriation of Afghanis.
©The Copenhagen Post

WOMEN WIN Ł300m NHS EQUAL PAY CASE(uk)
14/2/2005- A spectacular breakthrough in the battle for equal pay for women is expected to cost the National Health Service tens of billions of pounds. A test case taken by the public service union Unison is to deliver payments to workers estimated to be worth between Ł35,000 and Ł250,000 each. After an eight-year legal battle, North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust will be forced to pay up to Ł300m in compensation to its female employees for 14 years of discrimination. The large sums involvedcall into question the ability of the trust to cope with the award, which is expected to be made throughout the health service. Under legislation on equal pay for work of equal value, a panel of experts has agreed that the work of a range of employees - from nurses to catering staff - should carry the same wages as specific jobs mostly held by men. That ruling is expected to go before an employment tribunal next Monday, which will calculate the exact compensation due. The NHS pointed out yesterday that payments had not yet been fixed, but a Unison spokeswoman said the trust had little room to manoeuvre. She said there was discussion over which point on a particular pay scale was appropriate for calculating compensation. The equal pay claims at the Cumbrian trust were lodged in August 1997 for 14 jobs using five male "comparators''. The women ranged from nurses to catering assistants, domestics, clerical officers, sewing machine assistants, porters and telephonists. They compared their pay with that of joiners, building labourers, wall-washers, craftsmen, supervisors and maintenance assistants.

Under the law women can claim up to six years' back pay. Some of the claimants at the Cumbrian trust will receive up to 14 years of compensation including interest at between 50 and 60 per cent, the union says. Pay, hours of work, pensions, weekend working rates and sick pay were all included in the comparisons to determine that women were treated unfairly by the old system. Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: "It's been a long, hard struggle, but this is a fantastic result for the members involved. This demonstrates what we have always argued, that there has been historic widespread pay discrimination in the health service against women. It's dreadful, though, that it has taken so long to get justice for these hard-working women who hold the health service together.'' Mr Prentis said that a newly negotiated pay system, Agenda For Change, would remedy the discrimination. "This decision means that we will now press our claim for back pay for other health service staff who may have suffered from an unfair pay system.'' He said the union intended to negotiate back pay with NHS management rather than return to litigation. Christine Wharrier, a Unison convener who has worked at West Cumbria Hospital for 28 years as a healthcare assistant, said that it was a "great victory'' for women throughout the health service. "Discrimination runs deep in the NHS, especially for part-timers, who are mainly women workers. This win will be a boon for ancillary staff because they are on really low pay.'' Linda Weightman, a nurse at Cumberland Infirmary, said: "It's taken a long time, but it's been worth it. Over the years people have kept asking me, 'Do you think we will win?' and I kept saying how can we not win, because we are right?''
© Independent Digital

'COMPLACENT' GARY NEVILLE NEEDS EDUCATING ABOUT RACISM(uk)
by Lester Holloway

10/2/2005- Gary Neville needs to be educated about racism in football following remarks by the England player claiming racism was not a 'big problem.' Manchester United defender Neville appeared to go from right-back to right-wing with an attack on football's latest anti-racism initiative. Campaigner group Kick it Out accused Neville of 'complacency' and said he needed educating about the realities of racism in the game. The England player stunned football by claiming: "We don't have a big problem with racism in this country. You can think of probably one or two incidents in the last five or 10 years." Neville attacked sportswear giant Nike for endorsing the 'Stand Up Speak Out' anti-racism campaign, accusing the company of cashing in and gaining 'cheap' publicity.

Stand
The anti-racist campaign was launched last month by Neville's Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand and Arsenal's Thierry Henry. Nike hit back at Neville today claiming there's was not a commercial campaign, and they were just making a stand against racism. It emerged today that Nike were approached by Henry to sponsor the 'Stand Up Speak Up' initiative. Last week Neville - the England player's unofficial shop steward -caused outrage by shunning specially-made anti-racism shirts at a Premier League match. Neville and teammates Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Roy Carroll were alone in refusing to wear Nike's 'Stand Up Speak Up' run-out shirts at the Manchester United-Arsenal clash. Despite Neville's claims that racism was not a problem, campaigners say the game is still plagued with racism. Leon Mann, of the Kick it Out campaign against racism in football, told Blink: "We have to fend off complacency here. Where things have got better over the years there still are a number of complaints that are reported into us.

Aware
"Gary Neville might be only aware of two or three incidents in the past five to ten years, however we know that it is significantly more than that and people are continually racially abused. "I wouldn't be surprised if Rio [Ferdinand] pulled him aside and had a word about the fact that there's a lot more going on. "I know for a fact that Rio is someone who is particularly aware of cases in racism, and that's why he backed the Stand Up Speak Up campaign." Raymond Enisuoh, sports editor at Britain's leading black newspaper the New Nation, added: "What Neville said is wrong, the problem is still there. He's sweeping it under the carpet.

Straight
"He's an influential voice with the players so he should be a lot more responsible with the comments he makes. He needs to be put straight on a few things, and I think Rio can do that for him." The English FA were handed a record Ł67,000 fine by the European governing body UEFA after racist chanting by England fans in a Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey. Up to three-quarters of the crowd at Sunderland's Stadium of Light in May 2003, sang racist chants included 'Die Muslim Die'. Last November fan Jason Perryman was fined and banned from football grounds for racially abusing Blackburn Rovers striker Dwight Yorke. Last month another fan, Stephen Marsh, was jailed for shouting a torrent of foul racist abuse at Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop. Marsh's son, also called Stephen, will be sentenced later this month.

Family
In the same month Wolverhampton Wonderers midfielder Paul Ince accused Millwall fans of racially abusing teammate Seol Ki-Hyeon, and in March last year Millwall fans were accused of racist chanting in a game against Burnley. Last season Norwich City, often lauded as an example of a family, faced accusations of racist chanting in an FA Cup clash with Everton. And away fans visiting Bradford's club are often heard chanting a racist phrase against the city's Asian community. Last November Spain was heavily criticised over extensive racist chanting in friendlies against England's full and under-21 squads, and later fined Ł43,000 up UEFA - a punishment labelled as soft by CRE chairman Trevor Phillips. Responding to today's row caused by Neville's comments, Nike;s head of communications Simon Charlesworth said: "The campaign isn't about publicity. It's about racism, and the fact remains that there is racism in football. "We've spoken with all the relevant bodies such as Kick It Out, and we've had their approval. Even Gary Neville's team-mate, Rio Ferdinand, has come down to London to help with the campaign." Charlesworth conceded that Neville was "entitled to his opinion". "We can't stop him saying these things," he added. Nike have a Ł300million, 10-year sponsorship and merchandising deal with Manchester United.
©Black Information Link

FIVE YEARS JAIL FOR RACIST KILLER(uk)
17/2/2005- A 27-year-old man has been jailed for five years for a racist attack that killed a disabled refugee in Swansea. Sentencing Lee Mordecai, the judge said Swansea did not have the same racial problems as other cities and the courts would not allow racism to flourish Mordecai had previously admitted the manslaughter of Iraqi Kurd Kalan Karim, 29, with a single blow to the head in a city centre attack last September. Mr Karim was in Iraq and had part of his left leg amputated. Mr Karim was given leave to stay in the UK for four years, and arrived in Swansea in 2003 having spent some time in the north East of England. His death sparked a large anti-racism protest in Swansea. Last month Swansea Crown Court heard Mordecai was drunk when he carried out the "cowardly, underhand, and racially motivated" attack near the Kingsway in the early hours of 5 September. Mr Karim later died in hospital Paul Thomas QC, prosecuting, said at around 0139 GMT, Mordecai and a group of friends approached Mr Karim and a friend at in the Kingsway area of the city, where they were talking to a group of women. Mordecai then became abusive, and said Mr Karim and his friend should "go back to their country". "He started swearing and making racist remarks. It was, the prosecution say, Lee Mordecai who made those remarkable," Mr Thomas said "One of the three girls remonstrated with him about these remarks. Kalam Karim took no part in these verbal exchanges. He did not get involved in any way, verbally or physically. "Lee Mordecai approached Kalam Karim and hit him with a blow from the side and rear. This blow landed to the area of what witnesses describe as his neck or throat area Mordecai initially denied murder but changed his plea when the lesser charge of manslaughter was put to him. The prosecution said this was only done after discussions with Mr Karim's family and police. Sentencing Mordecai on Thursday Mr Justice Roderick Evans said: "I accept fully that from the evidence you have placed before me that you are not an entrenched racist. "However, I have no doubt either that this incident was motivated by race. You picked on Mr Karim because he was of a different racial background from yours. "Swansea has a small ethnic minority community. "It would not be right to say that there is no racially motivated crime in Swansea, but Swansea does not have the major problem that some cities in England and Wales have, and Swansea should not allow itself to get into a position where that kind of problem exists and flourishes. "The courts will do whatever they can to ensure racially motivated crime will not be tolerated in Swansea and people who commit such crimes will be severely dealt with."
©BBC News

IMMIGRANTS OKAY, AS LONG AS THEY 'BECOME NORWEGIAN'
15/2/2005- A new survey shows a broad degree of tolerance among Norwegians for the immigrants amongst them. But they think people coming to Norway from non-western cultures should adopt Norwegian ways quickly. The survey was conducted for the country's centennial commission (Hundreĺrsmarkeringen Norge 2005), to gauge public opinion 100 years after Norway broke out of an unhappy union with Sweden and became a sovereign nation of its own. Results indicate that a majority of Norwegians think ethnic and cultural diversity is fine, but they also think new immigrants must assimilate as soon as possible. A majority believes immigrants are helpful, friendly and work hard. "At the same time, a clear majority opposes immigration as a means of strengthening Norway's economic and cultural development," said Jan Erik Raanes of the centennial commission. "Most people want non-western immigrants to become Norwegian." Four-fifths of those questioned, meanwhile, said they would not want to give up their Norwegian citizenship if they moved to another country. At the same time, they expect those seeking Norwegian citizenship to give up their citizenship in their homeland. Nearly 75 percent of Norwegians questioned said they eat traditional Norwegian food three or four times a week. Those who live in Norway's larger cities with high income and levels of educations, however, eat the least Norwegian food.
©Aftenpost

ANTI-GYPSYISM IN ITALY
15/2/2005- On Saturday, 29th of January 2005, 10 young Italians set ablaze a camp where 5 Romanian Roma families including a 9 months old baby lived in. The event happened in via Aveta de la Ercolano 10 km away from Napoli. The perpetrators justified their action as "Saturday night fun". This incident and many similar ones are usually downplayed or ignored by Italian media and there is yet to be heard any official reaction of major Italian politicians about racist attacks against Roma. On 4th of February 2005, two Roma women were accused in Lecco for trying to steal a child. Both of them said they were begging with no intention whatsoever of kidnapping. In order to avoid being sentenced both of them accepted the suggestion of their lawyer and pleaded guilty and accordingly they were sentenced to 8 months and 10 days in jail. As expected the sentence was suspended. Their lawyer also acknowledged that the women told him they never tried to kidnap the child. Corriere della Sera ran an article quoting the young mother defending herself against the "kidnapers"and La Padania started a strong campaign against the "zingari" who are stealing the young Italians (Padanians). "Giu le mani dai nostri bambini" (Take your hands off our children) posters with a picture of a Roma have been spread all around Lombardia. Demonstrations against the "shameful" decision took place in Lecco. Pietro Zocconali the president of the National Association of Sociologists implied in a public statement following the incident that killing children is a practice. He claimed that Roma steal children and then sell them "sometimes in parts". Roberto Maroni minister of employment of the region has asked the judge who suspended the sentence to consider changing her job and had strong words against the Roma. The mayor of Lecco as well as other leading politicians including Senator Giuseppe Valditara were also fast to join in as Anti-Gypsyism continues to be an electoral bonanza for some of Italian politicians. On 10th of February at dawn around 5 am the Palermo police did a round up in a Roma "camp", justified as a "children census", leading to the arrest of several persons and the notification of a number of repatriation orders. Most of those living in the camp are refugees from Kosovo and Human Rights Activist in Palermo fear an illegal collective deportation that could fit the ongoing electoral campaign, which uses racist messages as selling points. Anti-Gypsyism is an aggressive, widespread and still acceptable form of racism in Europe. Without strong reactions from European Institutions and leading European Politicians condemning it the social cohesion and equal opportunities both fundamental principles of United Europe are running the risk to be viewed as hypocrisy by the over 8 million European Roma.
ERIO

REFEREE TAKES STAND AGAINST FOOTBALL RACISM(Spain)
17/2/2005- A leading Spanish referee has attacked the failure of the country's football authorities to deal with racist abuse and pledged his support to any black players who decide to walk off the pitch in protest. "Those people who should be facing up to this problem are not doing so and it is a big problem," the Primera Liga referee, Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, was quoted as saying in Spanish sports daily Marca. "Of course I notice it when I am on the pitch. You hear everything there. And I'll tell you one thing, the day a black player decides to walk off the pitch I'll go with him. No one is doing anything to find solutions to this problem." Racist abuse from fans has become an increasing problem in Spain, with black players regularly greeted with monkey chants and insults when they touch the ball. The Spanish Football Federation does not take action against the clubs involved unless incidents are mentioned in the referee's match report. The toughest punishment the Federation has imposed so far has been a fine of EUR 600 on Atletico Madrid and Albacete after visiting black players were abused by home fans. Albacete's fine was halved on appeal. Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o was abused in his side's league game at Real Zaragoza at the weekend, but the referee Fernando Carmona Mendez noted that the behaviour of the fans was "normal" in his report.
©Expatica News

COUNCIL OF EUROPE REPORT DIVIDES TURKISH POLITICS
Controversial suggestions calling for removal of reference to religion on ID cards and compulsory religious classes get mixed reaction not only from government but also from the opposition

17/2/2005- Turkish opposition parties were split yesterday over suggestions in a Council of Europe report that the government should remove reference to religion on identity cards and compulsory religious education in schools. The report, released on Tuesday by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), has drawn mixed reaction from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as well. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government would look into the recommendations and suggested there could be steps to modify the Turkish legislation. Deputies from his party, on the other hand, protested the report, saying religious education was necessary in a country like Turkey, which has an overwhelmingly Muslim population and accused the authors of the report of acting on the basis of insufficient information about Turkey's realities. AKP deputies apparently found a supporter in the right-wing opposition True Path Party (DYP). "Such an imposition from the Council of Europe can never be accepted," DYP leader Mehmet Agar told the Turkish Daily News. According to Agar, Article 24 of the Turkish Constitution already regulates the issue of religious education in Turkey. The article says religious education shall be provided under state provision and that courses on religious culture were compulsory at primary schools. Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) also looked divided. An Ankara deputy from the pro-secularist party, Gülsün Toker Bilgehan, said religious education was necessary but emphasized the content of what was taught was what mattered. "There should be no misleading interpretation about such issues as women's rights and the headscarf," she told the TDN. The party's Izmir deputy Canan Aritman backed the ECRI suggestions, describing them a "very useful warning." "Religious education should not be compulsory," she said. "We should have an attitude that is more in line with respect for human rights and with the overall respect for humanitarian values." The debate reflects high sensitivities over the issue of religious freedoms in Turkish politics. Officials say religious freedoms have already been a matter of discussion in Turkey's process of accession into the European Union. Turkey has already taken steps to modify its legislation in an effort to bring its laws into line with norms of the EU as part of its process of accession into the current 25-nation bloc. In comments over the ECRI report, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül said any decision on whether to remove the reference to religion on identity cards and the status of religious education in schools was up to the government.
©Turkish Daily News

EUROPEAN RIGHTS MONITOR ALARMED ABOUT ANTI-SEMITISM IN FRANCE
15/2/2005- The Council of Europe's human rights monitoring body on Tuesday voiced concern about the sharp increase in anti-Semitism in France, urging the country to do more to battle the phenomenon. "Anti-Semitism has increased alarmingly in France, notably in the school environment," the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), an independent body formed by the 46-nation Council, said in a report. The document, adopted in June but only released on Tuesday, signalled the "serious deterioration in the situation", notably since late 2000 "following the flare-up of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict". "A significant increase of anti-Semitic acts in France has since been noted, reaching a peak in 2002 and now decreasing once more, while still remaining at a very high level," the Strasbourg-based ECRI said. "Furthermore, the violence of such anti-Semitic acts seems to be on the rise," the report said, noting that according to French statistics, anti-Semitic acts accounted for 72 percent of all racist acts reported in 2003. ECRI recommended that "the French authorities continue to intensify their efforts aimed at combatting anti-Semitism," encouraging Paris to identify the reasons for the spike in violence. Last month, the French interior ministry reported that more than 1,500 racist acts had been committed in 2004, up more than 80 percent as compared with 2003. Nearly two-thirds of those acts were anti-Semitic in nature. French President Jacques Chirac has made the fight against anti-Semitism a priority for his center-right government, with Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin now the point man for the struggle. De Villepin has promised to reinforce security details around likely targets like synagogues and Jewish schools. On Monday, visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom praised France for its efforts to combat anti-Semitism, saying: "We are very encouraged by the French attitude, especially that of President Chirac." Saying Chirac was the first European leader to identify the problem, Shalom added: "We would like to believe that his determination will enable other European countries to fight against extremists from the (far) right wing." France is home to Europe's largest Jewish community, estimated at some 600,000 strong. Many of the anti-Semitic acts have been blamed on disaffected youths from France's estimated five million Muslims, although some have also been attributed to far-right extremists.
©The Tocqueville Connection

SPANISH IMMIGRATION MOVE PROMPTS CALLS FOR EARLY WARNING SYSTEM(eu)
11/2/2005- The EU is calling for more information-sharing on immigration issues between member states after Spain on Monday (7 February) started an amnesty affecting up to one million illegal immigrants. Spain's unilateral move - which is legal under the EU's treaties - caused anger in Germany and the Netherlands which fear that the immigrants will use the chance to live and work anywhere in the EU. On the back of this disquiet, the European Commission on Friday (11 February) announced that it is proposing, along with the EU Luxembourg Presidency, an 'early warning system' for immigration issues. "We are hopeful that the member states will at least be interested in discussing such a system", said a Commission spokesperson. He added that it was "important to see what we can learn from [Spain's move]". A joint letter by Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini and his Luxembourg counterpart Nicolas Schmit says that the issue will be discussed by EU justice ministers on 24 February. "On the basis of a proposal submitted as soon as possible by the Commission, the council could decide to put in place such a mutual information and early warning system for immigration issues", says the letter.

The scale of the amnesty
Spain is not the only country to have granted an amnesty to its illegal immigrants - Italy and Belgium have made similar moves in the past - but it is the largest in scale. The Commission denied that it found difficulty with Madrid's move. "This is simply not the case", said a spokesperson. He said that several member states want the issue "put on the table". This would mean beefing up the already-existing informal steering group of member state experts where forthcoming immigration measures are discussed. Added to this is the fact that the recent moves by the UK and the Netherlands to tighten immigration policy brought no comment from the Commission - however a move in the other direction, giving an amnesty, has provoked action.

A legal immigration strategy
The Commission has no rights in the area of legal immigration. However, a spokesperson said that member states should be able to decide how many legal immigrants they want "but if they decide to bring in immigrants, to regularise, then we are suggesting that this could be better done in a harmonised common way". He said the Brussels executive remained in favour of a "comprehensive legal immigration strategy". This is not the first time the idea of an early warning system has been brought up. The Commission proposed such a system last June in a paper that looks at both the positive and negative aspects of 'regularising' illegal immigrants. The paper noted that regularising immigrants - as Spain has done - could lead to more illegal immigrants trying to get to Europe. The Commission is to propose a strateg later this year if given the go ahead by member states.
©EUobserver

NEW RULES TO PREVENT DISCRIMINATION IN AIR TRANSPORT(European Union)
16/2/2005- People with reduced mobility are to be assisted free of charge in airports and on board aircraft. The new measures concerning people with disabilities should prevent their discrimination in air transport. "We are giving the right to every person with reduced mobility to be taken care of from his arrival in the airport until his disembarquement, by the airport authority and afterwards by the airline company", said EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot. The Commission's action was triggered by a recent ruling by a UK court against two low cost airlines for charging passengers for their wheelchair. The European Disability Forum, representing 50 million people with disabilities in Europe, argues that there have been numerous similar cases, and that this new legislation is essential. "Recently we were informed about the case of a woman with no arms, fully mobile and ambulant, who was obliged by a major French air company to disembark from an aircraft before take-off on the pretext that she was unable to do up her own seat belt", said the Forum's President Yannis Vardakastanis. Under the new rules, European airports will be responsible for providing free assistance for disabled passengers, while the airlines will contribute to paying for the expenses. However, the costs should not come to more than 5.9 million euro per year, according to the Commission. The individual member states will be responsible for laying down penalties and setting up independent bodies to deal with complaints. However, several air companies have asked to be free to opt out from this centralised system, as they are already providing their own services for people with disabilities.
©EUobserver

KURDS CELEBRATE AMID FEAR OF ETHNIC CLASH(Irak)
14/2/2005- Hundreds of Kurds flooded on to the streets in the northern city of Kirkuk yesterday firing weapons in the air and honking horns after the powerful Kurdish alliance came second in the Iraqi elections, winning 25 per cent of the vote nationwide. Kurdish leaders will enter negotiations with the Shia coalition, which took nearly half the votes but lacks the two-thirds majority necessary to appoint leaders and pass legislation. Despite the strong showing and groundswell of support for greater autonomy in the Kurdish north the message from the newly elected leaders was more conciliatory. "Iraq is a mosaic," said a Kurdistan Democratic Party spokesman, Faraj al-Haidary. "It is a combination of all parts - not as an alliance with one party." The two major Kurdish political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, ran on the same ticket in the national elections and have agreed to put up the PUK leader Jalal Talabani as their candidate for president, a nomination that seems likely to win the support of the Shia bloc. "We will reach out to everyone, even the Sunnis who didn't vote, and remind the Shias not to do what happened in 1920, when some groups were forgotten about," Mr Haidary said, referring to the 1920 revolution, which, though led by Shias, marked the beginning of their disenfranchisement as British proxy rule came to rely on the Sunni minority. But there is the potential of the Kurds alienating disenfranchised Sunni rebels simply by assuming what many see as their rightful position. If Mr Talabani does become president, "it is difficult for the Sunnis to lose the presidency and the premiership at the same time", said Womidh Nadhmi, the former chairman of Baghdad University's political science department. "It is difficult to compensate them." Mr Nadhmi said Mr Talabani had acted intelligently so far in dealing with the insurgency, urging restraint before the US assault of Fallujah in November which levelled the city. Some groups have raised concerns about the possibility of Kurdish secession, but a local pollster, Saadun al-Dulaimie, said a poll he conducted in the Kurdish region found 65 per cent wanted the three Kurdish provinces to remain a part of Iraq and only 32 per cent wanted independence. Mr Dulaimie said that, if anything, it would be the Arabs that drove away the Kurds. "Eighty per cent of the Kurds said they preferred a democratic state," he said, citing a countrywide poll he conducted last year. "In the rest of Iraq, only 58 per cent of the people said they wanted democracy." Kurdish success sounded alarm bells in Turkey. Ankara fears Kurdish domination of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk as it could potentially make a Kurdish state in northern Iraq viable. This could further inspire Turkey's own rebellious Kurds, who have been fighting government forces in southeastern Turkey since 1984. Turkey has long complained that Kurdish groups were illegally moving Kurds into Kirkuk in an effort to tip the city's population balance in their favour.
© Independent Digital

KRAKOW: MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT ANTI-PUTIN PROTEST
By Rafal Pankowski in Warszawa

On 26 January a hundred or so protesters in Krakow used the opportunity of Russian President Putin's Polish visit to commemmorate the Auschwitz anniversary to express their disagreement with the Russian Army treatment of Chechen civilians and for the independence of Chechnya. The event gathered the usual type of young idealists, mostly connected with the anarchist movement. According to anarchist principles the organisers of the demonstration had failed to notify the action to the authorities as required by law. The police, feeling visibly under pressure to provide a smooth conduct of the quasi-summit of so many heads of state flying into the country for the commemorations, closed down the demo. It seems some of the policemen clearly overreacted in the process of dispersing the crowd of mostly peaceful demonstrators. Some of the anarchists subsequently called for the dismissal of the minister of the interrior, blaming him for police brutality. The demonstrators had a point: the conduct of the Russian army in Chechnya has been horrible and cruel. But many of them went a few steps further: they stressed the moral equivalence between the Nazi Holocaust symbolised by Auschwitz and the current armed conflict in the Caucasus. They are wrong, there is no easy parallel between those events. While the Chechen conflict deserves the world's attention it is – really - something quite different from the Holocaust. The pure evil of the Nazi death machine has no equivalent. The demonstrators loudly denied Putin the right to participate in the commemoration. They did it at the same moment when he delivered a memorable speech at a Holocaust forum in a Krakow theatre admitting and condemning antisemitism and racism in Russia. The idea to defend human rights of the Chechen is a noble one, but it is highly questionable if the time and place was indeed appropriate.
©I CARE News

POLES REDISCOVER JEWISH HERITAGE
7/2/2005- Medieval Krakow is the spiritual home of Poland's Jewish revival. Today the city is home to only a tiny number of Jews, but it is rich in historical relics, including six synagogues and two Jewish cemeteries. It also hosts an increasingly popular Jewish culture festival every year. In the former Jewish quarter in Szeroka Street, there is a row of Jewish-style hotels and restaurants. Tourists come here to listen to the klezmer music and eat fine Jewish-style cuisine. Joachim Russek is a non-Jewish Pole who devotes much of his time to promoting Jewish culture in Krakow. He is the director of the nearby Judaica centre. "It has been for the last almost 20 years an unbelievable adventure," he says over a beer in the Klezmer Hois restaurant. "I rediscovered something I should have known about in secondary school. Half of my life I knew much more about American Indians than I did about Polish Jews."

Culture classes
Before World War II the restaurant was a mikvah, a Jewish bathing house. The square outside was full of the sounds and smells of Jewish market traders. But the war almost completely extinguished Poland's rich Jewish life. Ninety percent of the country's 3.5m Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Afterwards, the country's Jewish past became a taboo subject under an imposed communist regime which tried to legitimise itself through nationalist sentiments. Helping to break that taboo is Krakow's recently opened Galicia Jewish Museum, run by British photojournalist Chris Schwarz. At the moment, it is showing an exhibition of Chris's photos of local Jewish sites. But it aso promotes Jewish culture in other ways too, Chris says. "Everything from celebrating the main Jewish holidays and festivals: we do lectures, we do film shows. We also do classes, we've got Yiddish and Hebrew classes here as well." The class is taught by a Polish woman and the students are young Poles. I asked the students why they were learning Hebrew. "I'm very interested in Arabic culture and Jewish culture and that's why I'm studying Hebrew and Arabic," says one young woman. "I've been studying Arabic at the university for three months now and these languages are very similar and I like them very much. This melody, culture and history." Another student says: "I was in Israel for five years... I want to go back to Israel."

Catholic guilt?
In a forest beside the small town of Skarszewy, not far from Gdansk on Poland's Baltic coast, there is an abandoned Jewish graveyard. Dotted among the pine trees are dozens of gravestones. Many are broken, some are still lying among the leaves. Just over six months ago this place looked like a rubbish dump. Last summer, Tomasz Sierkierski, a 30-year-old computer programmer, got a group of teenagers from his old school to come and clean up the place. "This area is our history. It's not only Jewish or only Polish history in this area," he says. "I think we shouldn't forget about places like that. Before our project, nobody knew that such a place existed. But now we can find stones on the graves, we can find candles." With all this enthusiasm about reviving Poland's Jewish heritage, is it motivated at least in part by some element of guilt? After all, many of the Nazi death camps were located in Poland. Poles were witnesses to the Holocaust. Could there even be a Catholic wish for atonement behind it all? Konstanty Gebert is a Polish Jew who publishes a monthly magazine on Jewish affairs. "I don't think guilt plays a major role. The camps were located here because that's where the Jews were," he says. "Hitler couldn't care less what Poles thought one way or the other. I think that most of the non-Jewish Poles interested in things Jewish are doing it out of a sense of responsibility for what used to be a shared heritage and was denied or rejected during the communist period after World War II. "And although guilt might play a role, it is guilt about the silence, not about the acts. After all, the Poles were victims of the Nazis just as they were powerless spectators to the Nazi Shoah."

Future
Recently in central Warsaw they celebrated the Jewish festival of Hanukkah by lighting a three-metre tall menorah, a nine-branch Jewish candlestick. The ceremony is a visible symbol of the changes in Polish-Jewish relations in recent years, says Michael Schudrich, Poland's chief Rabbi. "Polish-Jewish relations were put in the freezer for 50 years," he says. "The fact that the preservation of Jewish culture is also in the hands of non-Jews here in Poland is a sign of the fact of how close the Nazis came to wiping out the Jewish people. We are grateful that we have our Polish non-Jewish friends who want to help us preserve our tradition and our culture and history here in Poland." Poland will probably never again be home to a large and prosperous Jewish community. Today, there are around 25,000 Jews and people of Jewish descent living here. But more and more non-Jewish Poles are interested in their country's rich Jewish past. And now they know about it, they are determined not to let it disappear, either.
©BBC News

DUMA DENOUNCES ANTISEMITIC STEPS OF MPs(Russia)
4/2/2005- The State Duma has strongly denounced the anti-Semitic appeal of MPS to the Prosecutor-General's Office, urging it to institute criminal proceedings against Jewish religious organisations in Russia. The Duma adopted a resolution about it on Friday. The appeal was forwarded to the Prosecutor-General's Office in January and was signed by 13 MPs from the Rodina faction and six MPs from the Communist faction. Later it was withdrawn by the MPs themselves. The Duma resolution stressed that "the obviously anti-Semitic character of the appeal to the Prosecutor-General's Office evokes strong indignation and should be denounced." In the opinion of the Duma, any actions kindling inter-ethnic or inter-confessional strife and intolerance should be immediately stopped. "Such appeals may have very dangerous consequences for Russia, which is a multinational state," the resolution said. The Duma believes the state bodies, public and religious organisations "should pay special attention to the consolidation of inter-ethnic and inter-confessional accord in this country." The discussion of the draft resolution was rather heated. Communist MPs suggested that the item should be removed from the agenda on the grounds that they had had no opportunity to see the text of the draft resolution. Despite some remarks, the resolution was adopted with 306 votes for and only 58 against.
©ITAR-TASS

4 INJURED IN RACIAL HATE ATTACK IN MOSCOW METRO(Russia)
Four people were wounded in an apparent racial-hatred attack in the Moscow underground on Sunday night. What's unusual for such attacks is that the injured party have been described as the assailants rather than the intended victims. The incident occurred around 11 p.m. Moscow time, when a group of six Slavs attacked two men of Caucasian descent at Belorusskaya metro station. The Caucasians fought back, stabbing four of the attackers, RIA-Novosti reports. The fight was then stopped by the police who arrested all the participants. The four injured attackers received medical treatment and were hospitalized. The injured assailants were described as "skinheads". A criminal investigation has been launched into the attack. In Russia, there has been an increasing number of foreigners, and religious and ethnic minorities falling victim to hate-attacks, in many cases perpetrated by the so-called "skinheads". Semyon Charny, an expert with the International Bureau for Human Rights, has issued a report where he estimates that the number of skinheads in Russia is over 50,000. 44 people were killed in racially motivated murders in 2004, more than double the 2003 figure, human rights activists say. Many assailants were young, white skinhead types shouting neo-Nazi or nationalist slogans. The method of attack varies, but the most popular weapons of choice are knives, chains, iron rods, and knuckle-dusters, Charny said.
©Moscow News

RUSSIAN SKINHEADS 60 YEARS AFTER HITLER'S DEFEAT
By RIA Novosti political commentator Vladimir Simonov

8/2/2005- Skinheads are part of Russia's youth subculture, as sociologists believe about 55,000 young people in the country see themselves as neo-Nazis. Crime reports after skinhead attacks are filled with references to foreigners. An Indian woman miscarried after being assaulted by skinheads on the central Moscow street of Arbat, while a nationalistic gang, Russkaya Tsel (Russian Goal), left William Jefferson, a black US embassy guard and former marine, in hospital. Something similar happened to Peter Taaffe, the general secretary of the British Socialist Party. Russian sociologists are positive that this is Nazism and not banal youth crime. The far-right press engages in the ideological brainwashing of Russia's young people. Magazines include the likes of "Pod Nol" (Shaved Head), "Beloye Soprotivleniye" (White Resistance), "Ya - Bely" (I Am White), "Stop" and the Streetfighter, a notorious international racist publication accurately translated into Russian. They promote xenophobia with elegant flexibility, disguising it as patriotism so that the law-enforcers do not shut them down. A number of right-wing radical political parties exploit the ranks of the neo-Nazi movement. The Russian National Union, the National Power Party, the Party of Freedom and other nationalist organizations see the army of skinheads as their reserves. The latter, in their turn, stand up for their independence, uniting into larger groups like St. Petersburg's Russky Kulak (Russian Fist) with about 400 fighters or Nizhni Novgorod's Sever (North) with over 300. Veterans of foreign neo-Nazi groups take persistent care of their Russian brothers. Instructors from the Ku Klux Klan and from banned organizations in Germany, such as Viking Youth and Steel Helmet, regularly come to Russia. According to the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, Western tutors have managed to establish a channel to deliver neo-Nazi literature, audiotapes and outfits to Russia via ultra-right organizations in Latvia and Estonia. This powerful outburst of Russian skinhead activities has resulted in a gloomy paradox. In the run up to the 60th anniversary of Victory in World War II, Russia, which played a major part in securing this victory, has realized it has also caught the Nazi germ. Alongside a war veteran ornate with medals and orders, there is now a skinhead with a stripe on his jacket reading "WP" - "White Power".

This contrast astonished President Putin so much that, in a speech at recent ceremony to mark the liberation of Auschwitz, he confessed he felt ashamed for this part of the new Russia's history. Yet in 1992 no one had such bitter feelings. Skinheads were then a rarity: there were about a dozen in Moscow, and five at most in St. Petersburg. But they have multiplied manifold over the last 13 years. So what has changed? In short, a great deal. It is generally referred to as the process of market reforms. The immediate transition from a centralized economy to a market system, albeit a wild one at the beginning, led to a serious economic slump and left millions unemployed. Parents, overwhelmed by the need to survive, neglected their children's upbringing. Family problems left 4 million children and teenagers on the streets - the number of homeless adolescents was just a third less than in the Soviet Union after the 1918-1921 civil war. Russian streets were filled with "children of reforms" - a bewildered, psychologically confused, uneducated young generation, receptive to any primitive call for violence. Gangs appeared everywhere, and teenagers were held together by one primitive idea - dislike for "foreigners", even if they were from the next building, particularly if these people were of different color. These sentiments were bolstered by the attempts of new liberal enlighteners to all but rehabilitate Nazism. The great victory of the Red Army in WW II was excluded from school textbooks, because this victory allegedly led to "the enslavement of East Europe by the Soviet Union" and "slowed down Russia's economic progress." If the Red Army had been defeated, Russians would have begun drinking wonderful Bavarian beer decades earlier, the theory's advocates told schoolchildren. Newsstands offered cheap editions of Hitler's Mein Kampf and Mussolini's Doctrines of Fascism, while it was impossible to find any anti-Nazi literature as it seemed too far to the left. Alexander Tarasov, a prominent sociologist specializing in youth problems and the Russian skinhead movement, points out, "As textbooks are one of the main sources of information for schoolchildren... some teenagers have concluded that 'Hitler is better than Stalin' and that 'Hitler was right'."

So the skinhead phenomenon appeared, accumulated energy and grew to an alarming scale. To a large extent it was fed by anti-Caucasian sentiments caused by a decade of Chechen crime in Russian cities and the war in Chechnya. Meanwhile, the authorities became aware of the new and, it would seem, unthinkable threat for Russia. They understood that inter-ethnic hatred and the ideology of white supremacy could seriously hinder the creation of a civil society in Russia to protect human rights. They declared war on skinheads. In summer 2002, the State Duma adopted a law on counteracting extremism. The police and prosecutors received a tool to prosecute skinheads if they took to knives and metal rods. In 2004, 60 criminal cases were opened against all kinds of xenophobes, including skinheads, and at least ten fighters were convicted. The national police database includes 457 leaders and activists of skinhead groups that are under surveillance. The Press Ministry closed 12 racist newspapers; unfortunately, most of them immediately reappeared under new names. However, the guys in black with bars have reached the provinces as well. Sociologists predict a second skinhead wave. Human rights advocates are urging the authorities at all levels and all of society to repulse this threat. There is a hope that the forthcoming celebrations of the victory over Hitler will help vaccinate young Russians against the skinhead epidemic
©RIA Novosti

PUTIN FIRM ON RUSSIA HUMAN RIGHTS
10/2/2005- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow will not tolerate attempts to use human rights for political aims. But he told the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, that Moscow would listen to "objective criticism" of its human rights record. Mr Putin said Moscow had its own view on the observation of human rights in regions where Russia had its interests - a reference primarily to Chechnya. Russia has faced international criticism over its forces there. The president was speaking during Ms Arbour's first visit to Moscow as human rights commissioner. She expressed hope her visit would establish a good basis for co-operation. She said she approached human rights "from a legal rather than from a political point of view". Mr Putin told her: "Russia upholds, without fail, all fundamental human rights standards and all of its international obligations in this area. "I believe it is exceptionally important that we work together on standards and common approaches in this highly sensitive and very important area."
©BBC News

LANGUAGE BATTLE DIVIDES SCHOOLS(Serbia)
Plans to introduce Bosnian language classes in schools have angered Serb nationalists and leave most locals puzzled.
By Alma Rizvanovic and Jasmina Krusevljanin in Novi Pazar

2/2/2005- At the Stevan Nemanja primary school in Novi Pazar, Ramiz, a Bosniak pupil in first grade, chatters away to his friends, Bosniaks and Serbs alike, oblivious of the fact that the language he and his fellows pupils use is becoming a hot political issue. Before the early 1990s, the language that almost everyone used in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia was called Serbo-Croat. But as the former Yugoslavia disintegrated, the newly formed states insisted on their national identity, which meant renaming the language their people spoke. As a result, Serbs now say they speak Serbian, Croats say they speak Croatian and Bosniaks, or Muslims, use the Bosnian language. To an outsider they sound virtually the same, but they have shown they have the capacity to spark language wars in areas where ethnic groups overlap. Such is the case in the Sandzak region of south-west Serbia, where Bosniak politicians and cultural leaders have waged a successful campaign for children to be taught "Bosnian" in primary school. In Novi Pazar, Bosniaks are the majority group, making up 86 per cent of the population. Serbs come second, while other ethnic groups are smaller. The city of about 120,000 has been the spiritual and economic centre of the Sandzak region for centuries, where diverse cultures, religions and traditions all meet. But few locals take advantage of this diversity or highlight its richness. The decision of the Serbian education ministry, therefore, to permit primary school education in Bosnian, has caused an outcry, pitting parties and parents against each other.

Serbia's education minister, Slobodan Vuksanovic, announced the start of Bosnian classes from February 2005. Under government requirements, Bosniaks will have to represent at least 15 per cent of the local community before they can demand provision of these classes in school. But far from settling the language issue, the decision of the Serbian government has only fueled the debate. The opposition nationalist Serbian Radical Party, SRS, has already demanded the minister quits over the announcement. Meanwhile, Professor Sefket Krcic, president of the Bosniak cultural association, Matica Bosnjaka, said he doubted the concession would last. "No one knows how long this government's decision will remain in force," he told IWPR. "This is particularly so when you recall that the Radical leaders have already demanded the minister's resignation." Even the Bosniak political parties in Sandzak are divided. Members of the List for Sandzak Coalition, led by Sulejman Ugljanin, which spearheaded the campaign, said they were delighted by the move. Esad Dzudzevic, a deputy from the coalition in the Serbian parliament, hailed it as a positive step for both the Bosniak community and the Serbian state. However, the Sandzak Democratic Party, SDP, the strongest Bosniak party in the region, criticised the manner in which the change was introduced and the proposed textbooks for primary schools. The substance of their complaints is that the textbook, the Bosnian language and the basics of Bosnian culture, is an unprofessional work that fails to draw on expert linguists in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, and relies too much on local amateurs. "Official textbooks from Bosnia should have been used," said Elijaz Rebronja, the local SDP secretary and a literature teacher in Novi Pazar. "Most of the language programme should have been taken from these textbooks and only the rest from local writers. "The way it is, the textbook has been written by people who have published just a few poems. "This is just about putting up a smokescreen for ordinary people to score some political points." Rebronja said the List for Sandzak Coalition had "not taken into account the question of quality and had not thought about the children who are supposed to learn Bosnian from those textbooks".

To complicate the issue, although SRS has condemned the plan for Bosnian classes in the Serbian parliament, the local branch of the Radicals in Novi Pazar is more conciliatory. "If Muslims or Bosniaks reach a consensus that their mother tongue should be Bosnian, we have no objections," Milan Veselinovic, head of the local SRS branch, told IWPR. "I don't want anyone to impose anything by force." The Radicals say the real aim of the campaign for Bosnian classes is to remind people that they differ from Serbs, when it might be more useful to remind them that they have lived together in the region for centuries. "The truth is that they are one people with two religions and that cannot be wiped out overnight," Veselinovic said. "We should work and live together." Most linguists agree that the language battle is, at heart, a largely political affair. They emphasise that this is a single language Bosnian or Serbian - with the same semantic roots. But Zehnija Bulic, a writer and one of the first intellectuals to advocate the introduction of Bosnian into schools, told Novi Pazar's Radio 100 Plus that the new classes would benefit the whole community. Bulic said the optional course would "provide quality programmes, textbooks and teaching staff, so the language becomes a regular and essential subject at school for the Bosniak population". Teachers from both sides of the community are not so enthusiastic, however. Rahima Hajdinovic, a Bosniak teacher at Novi Pazar's Brotherhood primary school, says she was concerned about the prospect of teaching children something that she herself does not know very well. "It does not look like Bosnian to me," she said, after taking a look at the proposed textbook. "There are too many local words and expressions." She said she would observe the ministry's decision, as would her colleagues, but was not pleased with the textbook. Hajdinovic said Sandzak intellectuals should have been more involved in its creation. "Many of them are qualified to take part in such an enterprise," she added. Primary school second-grade teacher Budimirka Miljaljevic, a Serb, shares her colleague's doubts, though from a different standpoint. She said she would not know how to explain the new linguistic divisions to children, "We already have divisions on religious lines with Serb children on one side and Bosniak children on the other." "How can I explain to them now they are not the same?" she asked.

Hivzo Golos, a Bosniak historian and an archive director, said many people would not accept the two languages were anything other than dialects of one another. "The question is how the whole idea will be implemented in the schools," he said. "For some, it is totally normal but for others it is unacceptable. To some, this Bosniak language will always be the 'ijekavski' dialect of Serbian." Golos said both views were true to an extent, "but politicians are always vocal in announcing their 'huge successes'. Logically, one ought not to try to score political points on issues like this". Local people who were interviewed by IWPR on the streets of Novi Pazar appeared equally in two minds about the language project. "Apparently, it is not important any more who is saying what, but which language he uses," one elderly man commented, obliquely. More positively, Mirza Hadzifejzovic, a university student, said he did not speak the Bosnian language himself but believed that his children would, one day. "It is important to know what your mother tongue is," he said. Significantly, most people asked about the issue, irrespective of their views or background, did not want their names mentioned. They all know one another and most did not wanted to annoy their neighbours. Bisera Spasovic, a coordinator at the Sandzak Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, a local NGO, said the attempt to separate Bosnian and Serbian speakers missed the point. "We all speak a Novi Pazar vernacular," she insisted. "We certainly do not need interpreters." Spasovic said that problems would occur in implementing Bosnian language tuition in such a multi-ethnic area. "It would be horrible holding classes exclusively for one ethnic group and it would give rise to nationalism," she continued. "The children should have been prepared first, as well as the teaching staff, but obviously someone's political ambitions took precedence over this." Other NGOs have been more welcoming of the move, describing it as a gesture that takes into account the existing ethnic diversity among local people. But they all said they hoped no one would place too much emphasis on these mutual differences. In the meantime, most citizens of Novi Pazar say they feel the current squabbles and insistence on differences will fizzle out in the end. They simply nod their approval for any solution to the problem, fed up with these sorts of issues. "Oh it's just ridiculous," Serif, a Bosniak bus driver said. "What kind of a language is this? The kids learn Serbo-Croat, not Bosnian." At the Stevan Nemanja primary school in Novi Pazar, Ramiz is equally uninterested in the question of whether to speak Bosnian, Serbo-Croat or Serbian. "Let me go, this is all so stupid, I want to play," he answers, sagging under the weight of his schoolbag.
©Institute for War & Peace Reporting

SERBIA: BOOKS BY WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS GAIN FOLLOWING.
4/2/2005- As reported in an article by Nicholas Wood in The New York Times, books by various Serbian war crimes suspects have gained a following among Serbs. Radovan Karadzic, the chief organizer of crimes against humanity against Bosnians in the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, has written four books since going into hiding in 1996. Among these books are a children's book and "The Miraculous Chronicle of the Night," a novel in which the main character is an engineer, like Karadzic, who lived in Sarajevo when the death of Tito took place in 1980. Milorad Ulemek, a former paramilitary soldier, most recently published "Iron Trench," in which he writes about war. Ulemek's book has surpassed records for sales of books in Serbia, having sold over 70,000 copies thus far. His publisher, Mihailo Vojnovic of M Books, notes that as Ulemek may be tried before the war crimes tribunal, his books may sell even more. Some experts are skeptical whether the book was actually written by Ulemek. These books appear to be having a major impact on Serbian culture, leading many to wonder about their validity and to address issues such as Serbia's role in the wars of the last decade, within Europe, and the treatment and capture of war crimes suspects. Natasha Kandic of the Humanitarian Law Center in Belgrade protested, having encouraged international publishers to boycott the book fair at which Karadzic's most recent book was released.
Source: Balkan Watch Newsletter

MACEDONIA: EVERYONE RUNNING
The first local elections since Macedonia devolved power to local governments are a test for the country's fractured, and fractious, parties.
By Biljana Stavrova and Robert Alagjozovski, TOL correspondents

7/2/2005- When Macedonians go to the polls on 13 March to elect their local governments, it will be the first time they have done so since the introduction of new laws giving the municipalities considerably increased powers. Competition for such offices is already fierce. As the midnight deadline for the submission of candidate lists for mayors and city council members was approaching on 6 February, internal disputes prompted many parties to hold off on making decisions on candidacies until the last minute. Macedonia's new laws on decentralization were passed after a 2004 referendum against them failed and are among the reforms foreseen in the Ohrid framework agreement, which ended a short civil war between the country's majority and its ethnic Albanian minority in 2001. Mayors and city councils now make decisions on local development, education, health, finance, law enforcement, sports, and culture. Many members of parliament, managers of public enterprises, successful entrepreneurs, and a few local mavericks have declared ambitions to become city mayors. Even the most difficult question of domestic politics in 2004, the territorial organization of the town of Struga, has simply vanished as the various parties rushed to secure local offices. Last summer, an ethnic Macedonian interparty coalition led by Struga's mayor, Romeo Dereban, protested against the new decentralization law, which turned Struga into a predominantly ethnic Albanian municipality. But now, all the parties have decided to run in the elections, leaving Dereban on his own.

The power of sharing
The nine parties of the ruling "Together for Macedonia" coalition were the first to officially declare their cooperation during a conference on 6 February. "We offer a clear concept and a union of parties whose cooperation is deeper than [if it existed] only for the sake of elections," said the prime minister and leader of the Social Democratic Union (SDSM), Vlado Buckovski. The current mayor of the capital, Skopje, and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Risto Penov, echoed Buckovski and told the conference, "Our candidates are experienced and can implement the decentralization." But with the exception of Penov, who received strong coalition support for his candidacy, the nomination process did not go smoothly. Many local representatives of the coalition's largest party, the SDSM, were unhappy about having to back candidates from less important coalition partners. For every major city seat there were several candidates fighting for the nomination. In Ohrid and Bitola, the candidates approved by the central party leadership got the nomination. But in Stip, the local leadership preferred Pande Sarev to the current mayor, Dimitar Efremov, who decided to run as an independent, thus splitting the SDSM vote.

The battle for Skopje
Victory in the city of Skopje is of great symbolic importance to both the government and the opposition. The ruling coalition nominated current mayor Penov for a third term in office. But despite some improvements in the city's infrastructure, many proposed capital investment projects--new bridges or a concert and sports hall--remain empty promises. The opposition rallied around independent candidate Trifun Kostovski, a successful businessman who has supported sports and culture projects. The rising political star secured the support of 19 political parties and nongovernmental organizations, including groups like the Reformed Communist Party and the Organization of Military Reservists. But the biggest opposition party, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), hesitated over its support for Kostovski until the last moment before eventually signing a cooperation agreement on 5 February. Analysts believe that the hesitation by VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski is understandable, given Kostovski's uncertain allegiance. Kostovski had been elected to parliament in 2002 with the support of the ruling SDSM but turned his back on the government in protest against the decentralization law. Searching for a winning candidate, Gruevski even offered the Skopje candidacy to Vilma Trajkovska, the widow of President Boris Trajkovski, who was killed in a plane crash in Bosnia last year. Trajkovska declined the unexpected offer, made by phone while she was attending an annual prayer breakfast in Washington D.C. with U.S. President George W. Bush, saying that her family was her only concern at this moment. Gruevski admitted that the decision to back Kostovski was not unanimous and that his closest associates had objected. Analysts suggest that this may further weaken Gruevski's party, which--even though Gruevski personally ranks top in the polls--has already lost two-thirds of its parliamentary deputies, who either declared themselves independent or joined the newly formed VMRO-Narodna of ex-leader Ljubco Georgievski. Georgievski was in fact the first to support Kostovski by proposing on 4 February that any opposition candidate who passed the first round should gain the undivided support of all opposition forces in the second round.

The Albanian stance
But the upcoming election failed to prompt what would have been a major achievement: a pre-electoral coalition between ethnic Macedonian and ethnic Albanian parties. The ethnic Albanian vote, though a minority, will have a decisive impact on the final count. The ruling (Albanian) Democratic Union of Integration (BDI) nominated its own candidate for the city of Skopje, following a decision by the opposition Democratic Party of the Albanians (PDSh) to nominate a candidate of its own. The candidate of the governing coalition, Risto Penov, had hoped to be elected in the first round with the help of the BDI. The importance of Skopje for the Macedonian parties is matched for the ethnic Albanians by Tetovo, where they are the majority population. Victory in Tetovo will decide which of the main ethnic Albanian parties can claim to represent Macedonia's Albanians. The BDI nominated Hazbi Lika, one of the closest associates of its leader Ali Ahmeti, a former interior minister, while the PDSh will run with Vebi Bexheti, a professor at Southeast European University in Tetovo. The PDSh entered a coalition with the Party for Democratic Prosperity (PPD)--now a relatively minor party that used to be part of the government. Between 1995 and 2002, the PDSh and PPD were mortal enemies; they have now united to drive Ahmeti's BDI from power. The PPD lost its standing after 10 years in power when it started openly supporting the BDI in 2001. But the BDI refused to include the PPD in the government, pushing it toward its ex-rivals of the PDSh. It is believed that the PPD voters will decide who will win on the ethnic Albanian side.

The European dimension
A successful local election should strengthen Macedonia's position as it strives to enter the EU. Past elections were marred by irregularities and violence between local rivals. Radmila Sekerinska, deputy prime minister in charge of EU relations, warned that the EU will not tolerate either. Macedonia's anti-corruption commission called on political groups to obey the law on corruption and to refrain from spending public money in the campaign. In previous campaigns, all the resources of public enterprises were used. The interparty women's lobby also fought to have a legal requirement that 30 percent of candidates for local council seats had to be female, without success: As in past elections, only a few women are running for office.
©Transitions Online

ASYLUM LAW AMENDED(Slovakia)
7/2/2005- An amendment to the asylum laws that comes into effect February 1 is designed to prevent abuse of the system and harmonize asylum law with EU legislation. An asylum seeker will be allowed to work in Slovakia if the Slovak authorities do not complete their investigation of the case within one year. Asylum seekers will carry an asylum seeker identification card. They will have to live in designated residential centres unless given specific permission to reside elsewhere, in which case they must declare where they will be living. The amendment allows the Migration Office to carry out medical examinations to determine the age of an asylum seeker. Asylum seekers will also be required to attend Slovak language courses to enable them to integrate into society more easily if they are allowed to stay in Slovakia. There will also be a 15-day period in which asylum seekers must be informed of their rights and obligations under the law. Immigration officials are required to put the asylum seeker in contact with Slovak NGOs that deal with asylum issues. Slovakia has recently been criticized by the UNHCR for accepting very small numbers of asylum seekers in proportion to the number of applications it receives.
©The Slovak Spectator

ERRC AND LOCAL COUNSEL SECURE SLOVAKIA'S FIRST-EVER AWARD OF MORAL DAMAGES IN RACIST KILLING
7/2/2005- In a ruling communicated this week, on 19 January 2005, the Regional Court in Banska Bystrica delivered a binding final decision, awarding for the first time in Slovak judicial history compensation for moral suffering to the next-of-kin of a victim of racially motivated crime. The case involves the 1995 killing by skinheads of a 17-year-old Romani youth named Mario Goral, in the town of Ziar nad Hronom. On 21 July 1995, Mr. Goral was chased through the streets of the town by a group of skinheads, stabbed with knives, beaten to a state of unconsciousness, doused in a flammable substance, and then set on fire. He suffered second and third degree burns over 63% of his body and died in hospital ten days later, on July 31. Although at least seventeen persons were initially charged by police in connection with the killing, only two persons were ultimately convicted. The ERRC has been involved in the case since the organisation was founded in 1996. This and similar crimes were at the center of advocacy efforts for justice in the matter of systemic racist violence against Roma in Slovakia, such as the ERRC's 1996 Country Report Time of the Skinheads: Denial and Exclusion of Roma in Slovakia. As part of efforts to seek due remedy for the family of Mario Goral, in 1998 the ERRC supported local counsel Dr. Bohumir Blaha in filing a civil action seeking financial compensation for mental anguish suffered by the victim and his mother. In September 1998, the ERRC filed an informal amicus curiae brief, as a supplement to the action of the mother's lawyer. The brief provided international and comparative legal authority with respect to the claim for non-pecuniary damages raised in the submission of Dr. Blaha. The ERRC argued that Mrs. Nadezda Borosova, Mario Goral's mother, was due two separate and independent sets of moral damage arising from the murder of her son. In January the Regional Court in Banska Bystrica agreed, and awarded Mrs. Borosova 300,000 Slovak Crowns (approximately 7,800 Euro) compensation. The ERRC welcomes the decision as crucial in efforts to check racially motivated violence in Slovakia and to bring justice to its many victims.

The ERRC remains involved in a number of similar cases, including:

the 2000 killing by skinheads of Mrs. Anastazia Balazova

the July 2001 beating death by police officers of Mr Karol Sendrei

A summary of ERRC concerns with respect to the human rights situation of Roma in Slovakia is available in English and Slovak
©European Roma Rights Center

DUTCH GOVERNMENT UNVEILS NEW INTEGRATION EXAM
4/2/2005— Does a car have two or four wheels? Is it OK to sunbathe topless on the North Sea beaches along the Dutch coast? These are just two of the questions would-be immigrants may be asked as part of the new inburgeringsexamen, or integration exam, included in draft legislation that was unveiled by Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk on Thursday. The exam is intended for immigrants, who will have to take it in their home country prior to coming to the Netherlands, to test their ability to speak Dutch and to gauge their understanding of Dutch culture. A video accompanies the exam material to give candidates insight into life in the Netherlands. It includes images of women sunbathing topless on the beach and of gay marriage — two examples of accepted behaviour in the Netherlands. The draft legislation provides for exemptions for certain groups of newcomers. These include citizens from other EU countries; the European Economic Area (EU states and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. These groups of newcomers are not required to sit the integration exam in their land of origin, according to the draft legislation. However, some may be required to undertake an integration course and exam when in the Netherlands. The draft legislation has to be approved by parliament before it is introduced. The integration pack — exam material and video — will cost EUR 45 and students will need 250 to 350 hours preparation before sitting the exam, Verdonk said. People sitting the exam will communicate with the examiner in the Netherlands by phone. The immigrant will have to pay for the price of the phone call. Verdonk says the exam will ensure that people who choose to settle in the Netherlands for an extended period of time will have prepared for life here before arrival. "As integration into Dutch society is a longterm process it is important that newcomers before arrival to the Netherlands have a command of the Dutch language at a basic level and developed an understanding of the society into which they are coming," Verdonk says. The obligation to undertake an integration course will mainly apply, Verdonk says, to people who come here to form a family by marrying a Dutch person, for example, or who want to be re-united with family members already in the Netherlands. The ministry estimates 14,000 people a year will apply to take the exam. And given that most family-reunification migrants come from Turkey, Morocco and Suriname, Verdonk says, the majority of applications will be dealt with in the capital cities Ankara, Rabat and Paramaribo.
©Expatica News

DUTCH UNVEIL NEW PLOY TO TACKLE IMMIGRANT ISSUE
5/2/2005- Would-be immigrants into the Netherlands are to face an exam testing their knowledge of everything from Dutch language and history to its laws on topless sunbathing before they can take up residence. A new inburgerings examen, or integration exam, has been unveiled as part of the crackdown against immigration after last year's murder of the controversial film-maker Theo van Gogh, who was an outspoken critic of Islam. That assassination, which shocked the Dutch nation, has stoked up a vigorous debate on how to assimilate the country's ethnic minorities. The exam plan, which still needs parliamentary approval, has been criticised as a knee-jerk reaction that will create one of the highest entry barriers to immigrants in the Western world. Initially the test will be required of foreigners applying for an immigration visa from outside the Netherlands but Rita Verdonk, the Dutch Immigration Minister, said she plans to extend examinations to people already living in the country. This means some 755,000 people already in Holland could eventually be required to prove their knowledge of Dutch history and language, or risk a fine and possibly the loss of residency rights. Those who want to come to the Netherlands will have to take the exam in their home country before being granted a visa, unless they come from countries exempted from the law, which include other EU states and the US. Ms Verdonk's ministry estimates that up to 350 hours of study will be needed to pass the test, which will be taken via telephone on a speech-controlled computer system. Those sitting the exam will pay a fee of about 350 (Ł240), and can prepare for it by studying an "integration pack", which will cost 45. A video accompanying it, designed to give an insight into life and social mores in the Netherlands, includes images of topless women sunbathing and of a gay marriage. Available in 13 languages, it describes the political institutions of the Netherlands and chronicles the country's history, highlighting important political and cultural figures from William of Orange to Anne Frank. The murders of Mr Van Gogh, in November last year, and that of the right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn, in 2002, have rocked Dutch society and sparked a re-examination of its traditionally liberal and tolerant outlook. Mr Fortuyn, the populist anti-immigration MP, who was murdered by an animal rights campaigner, was recently voted the greatest-ever Dutchman. Mr Van Gogh, a descendant of the painter Vincent, was a controversial figure for his film Submission, which denounced the oppression of women under Islam. His final film, 06/05, released posthumously, was inspired by the killing of Mr Fortuyn. Ms Verdonk said: "As integration into Dutch society is a long-term process it is important newcomers, before arrival , have a command of the Dutch language at a basic level and have developed an understanding of the society into which they are coming." The government estimates that 14,000 people will apply to take the test each year.
© Independent Digital

'ANTI-ISLAMIC RHETORIC HELPS RADICALISATION'(Netherlands)
10/2/2005— The radicalisation of young Muslims is partly caused by the negative way Islam is being talked about in the Netherlands, the head of the security service AIVD has claimed. Sybrand van Hulst made the suggestion during an interview with television current affairs programme Zembla on Wednesday night. Van Hulst's organisation is leading the investigation into the activities of extremists in the Netherlands and is deeply involved in the arrest and trial of 12 young Muslims said to be part of a terrorist network called the Hofstadgroep. But he did not specify who he was referring too as being partly responsible for driving some young Muslims towards radicalism. MPs Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Geert Wilders have led the criticism against aspects of Islam and the Muslim community in the Netherlands in recent years. Both have received death threats. Filmmaker Theo van Gogh, another vocal critic of Islam, was murdered in Amsterdam on 2 November last year. Mohammed B., 26, who was arrested for the murder, was said to be on the edge of the Hofstadgroep. Van Gogh had recently collaborated with Hirsi Ali to make the short film "Submission" which criticised violence against women in Islamic communities. Submission featured female actors who were wearing see-through veils. Their breasts were visible, something that caused a lot of offence among Muslims, many of whom who were already offended by the film's accusations. Van Hulst estimated that there are about 1,000 "radical Muslims" in the Netherlands. Of these, a few dozen are prepared to use violence. He said one way to help counter the radicalisation of young Muslims was to make them feel welcome in the Netherlands, in order that they would see themselves as being Dutch.

Verdonk doesn't see anti-Muslim bias
Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk has said the government has not received any reports of anti-Muslim bias in the workplace. She was responding to a question during a debate in Parliament about new anti-terrorism legislation. The Labour Party (PvdA) asked what she was doing to combat the "us-and-them" attitude in the Netherlands. One example of this, given by the anti-racism agency LBR, was of bias against Muslims in the workplace. Verdonk said on Wednesday that such claims are often made, but no evidence is ever produced to substantiate the allegations.
©Expatica News

RELIGIOUS HATRED LAW GETS BACKING(uk)
7/2/2005- A bid to force a rethink of plans to make inciting religious hatred a crime has been seen off by the government. Comedian Rowan Atkinson supported the attempt to tighten the definition of racial and religious hatred. But the government defeated the Lib Dem amendment, backed by 25 Labour members, by 291 votes to 191. Critics fear the Serious and Organised Crime Bill could impact on performers making religious jokes. Ministers say it will not hamper freedom of speech. The vote followed a concession by the government which will change the proposed offence of causing "racial or religious hatred" to "hatred against persons on racial or religious grounds". Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said the change would help clarify the situation. She told MPs: "This is about protecting people, not about the ability to criticise, ridicule, lampoon and have fundamental disagreements about beliefs. "It is absolutely right in a modern democracy that people should have the ability to engage in that robust and vigorous debate and the position of the government is not that we seek to outlaw that at all."

Final say
Earlier, explaining why he backed Lib Dem MP Evan Harris' amendment, Mr Atkinson said: "I understand what the intentions of the government are here. "I know that they do not intend to militate against people like me or [author] Salman Rushdie or playwrights. "But the only safety valve that they have put in the legislation is the fact that the attorney general will have the final say. "A safety valve operated by a politician subject to the political agendas of the day is not to me a good enough safety valve," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday. Mr Atkinson described the legislation as being problematic because it was "all-encompassing". "The incitement of religious hatred doesn't even have to be intended, it is just if it offends any person. "It couldn't be more broad." He said that the measure had only been introduced in order to boost support for Labour in the run-up to a general election. "This is undoubtedly a politically motivated move on the government's part because they think it will give them some advantage among certain religious groups in the imminent general election," he said.
©BBC News

ST ANDREWS CANCELS BNP'S INVITATION TO DEBATE(uk)
7/2/2005- St Andrews has withdrawn its controversial invitation to the leader of the British National Party to speak at a debate. The university's debating society had invited Nick Griffin, the leader of a party which is widely thought to be racist, to speak on a motion that "This house believes that the multicultural experiment has failed". A barrage of protest was unleashed when the invitation was made public. The NUS has had a no-platform policy for fascists since the early 90s, meaning that it refuses to participate in discussions with them and encourages its members to do the same. NUS Scotland called on the debating society to withdraw its invitation, saying that the BNP's policies were "contrary to every single principle of the student movement". It also faxed other student unions asking them to put pressure on St Andrews to cancel the debate. "The far right must be given no chance to recruit on our doorsteps," said NUS Scotland President Melanie Ward. The Commission for Racial Equality and anti-racism campaigners Positive Action in Housing also joined in the criticism, with the latter accusing the BNP of holding similar views to the Ku Klux Klan and neo-nazis. However, the debate's organiser, final-year student Peter Blair, defended the invitation. "We believe that the only way to get the truth of what the BNP are saying and to combat them is to do it in public in a debate," he said. "Most of the students will disagree with what Nick Griffin will say, but they still want to go to the debate." Mr Blair argued that ignoring the problem, and the BNP's recent electoral success in a number of council seats, would not make it go away and would be more dangerous than letting them speak in a debate. Despite this, though, the debate has been called off, much to the delight of anti-racism organisations. Mr Griffin condemned the decision. "This is again an example of the violent and intimidating type of leftism towards the patriotic people of the BNP," he said, apparently without a trace of irony. The words "violent and intimidating" could not, of course, be used to describe any of the BNP's members. With a general election getting closer the no-platform policy is likely to be tested before long again.
©The Rundown

A POLITICAL DEBATE THAT SHAMES US(uk)
There's no need to fear immigration

6/2/2005- There's an ugly auction under way between Britain's two principal political parties over who can be tougher on foreigners. Behind it stands an unacknowledged obeisance to racism. Naturally, everyone denies this. But if it walks and talks like a duck, it is a duck - and be sure that party strategists on both sides know this. Michael Howard opened the Tory bidding with a call for a quota on asylum seekers (which would involve abandoning both the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights). International treaties could not be allowed to stand in the way of appeasing 'legitimate concerns of the native British about their jobs, homes and way of life' being threatened by immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Tomorrow, New Labour will place its bid and announce its intention to abandon the current right of immigrants to apply for indefinite leave to remain after four years. Instead, they will have to prove they have the skills Britain needs and pass a basic English test. The message is clear. Immigrants are here on sufferance and should return home. The new Labour line will also speak of 'legitimate concerns' about immigration and asylum seeker abuses. But are these concerns so 'legitimate' that we must develop policy which is frankly racist and denies basic human rights to some sections of society? Labour, no less than Ukip and the British National Party, is contributing to a hysterical climate in which swing voters report that their greatest fear is of immigrants and asylum seekers. Yet the UN reports that low birth rates mean Europe needs 1.6 million migrants a year to 2050 simply to keep its working-age population stable. We are inflicting a great wound on ourselves. The British are more tolerant and less racist than many other states - a great source of economic, social and moral strength. Immigrants come to work because there is work - not to live on poverty-line benefits. They are here because we need them. If the economic demand fell away, so would the inward flow of immigrants. Far from being a burden on UK taxpayers, migrants make a net tax contribution - approximately Ł2.5 billion a year. Turning immigrants into second-class citizens will inflame racial tension; the proposed rules do not target white immigrants, from the US or the EU for example. Labour should be exposing those who call for tighter rules for what they are - racists. Leadership could change the climate of opinion, and lead us away from what we know are our worst instincts. Instead, in a state of funk, Labour's leaders try to outbid the Opposition. They should be ashamed.
©The Observer

REFUGEES FACE FIVE-YEAR 'LIMBO'(uk)
7/2/2005- Refugees will no longer get lifelong residency in the UK but be given a five-year grace period in case the situation in their homeland stabilises, under a radical overhaul of immigration and asylum policy announced today. The current system of student and work visas will be rolled into one regime, with a points system for skilled applicants and the gradual phasing out of low-skill permits, the home secretary, Charles Clarke, told MPs Unveiling the government's plans in one of the most highly charged policy areas in the country, Mr Clarke echoed the prime minister's contention that Britain's "hospitality is under threat". The government will set up an independent advisory body on labour market shortages, while low-skilled economic migration from outside the EU will be "phased out", Mr Clarke said, although he put no timetable on that process. The points system for skilled migrants will be introduced "sooner rather than later", Mr Clarke said. The new system, focusing on skilled workers, is meant to ensure that Britain accepts migrants only for jobs that cannot be filled by its domestic workforce. Skilled workers will now face a "Britishness test" of language skills, similar to the test people take when applying for British citizenship. Mr Clarke said new technology would record people entering and leaving the country, including fingerprinting of all visa applicants from 2008. Mr Clarke's Tory shadow, David Davis, called today's statement a "panic-stricken measure in the run up to the election".

Tighter conditions
Tighter conditions for permanent settlement will include English-language tests and general knowledge about the UK. Mr Clarke said such conditions had "to be tightened up very sharply and ... conditions of settlement should be brought much closer to citizenship". He said it was appropriate to offer successful asylum seekers temporary rights to live in the UK, citing Kosovo as a conflict-torn area that generated large numbers of refugees but later returned to normality. Mr Clarke said today's plans were unlikely to have much effect on the overall number of migrants coming to Britain. He said the number of migrants was "about right" in certain categories but the number of unfounded asylum applications was still too high. He admitted the government had failed to handle the return of failed asylum seekers properly. People who have settled in the UK will have to wait five years before they can sponsor further family members to come to Britain, in a bid to end "chain migration". Under the new points system, there will be four tiers of immigrants, divided by factors including their qualifications, work experience and income. Highly skilled migrants, including doctors, engineers, IT specialists and finance experts, fall into tier one. They will be the only group able to come to Britain without a job offer. Tier two comprises workers with NVQ level 3 or A-level equivalent qualifications, such as nurses, teachers and administrators. Tier three covers low-skilled workers, who will be granted entry to Britain to fill specific job vacancies for fixed periods. Tier four is made up of students and special groups such as sports people and employees of international companies based in the UK. Applicants under tiers three and four will only be allowed entry if their home country has a formal agreement with Britain to accept their return if they later abuse the system. Specific categories of migrants - such as those from certain countries - will also be required to hand the British government a financial bond, which they will forfeit if they fail to return home. Mr Clarke said: "We will introduce a simpler, clearer, more effective scheme for those wishing to come and work here, focusing on the highly skilled migrants that can help us build our economy."

'Five years of uncertainty'
The chief executive of the Refugee Council, Maeve Sherlock, said ending indefinite permission to remain would leave successful asylum seekers "in limbo". "We would be very concerned if someone who has been accepted as a refugee has to live through five years of uncertainty until the UK government confirms they can remain here permanently," she said. "It seems particularly unfair on refugees who may have lost their whole families or suffered torture or, at worst, ethnic cleansing." The CBI director general, Sir Digby Jones, said: "Well-managed migration, where new migrants' skills complement those of workers already here, is essential for the UK economy. Without the option of being able to recruit from abroad, sectors like construction, IT and hospitality would have severe problems. "If we're to have the workforce to pay the pensions of future generations, to satisfy today's skills shortages and to staff our public services, the UK needs skilled migrants who speak English and participate in the economy." The five-year plan announced by Mr Clarke - following last week's reform of incapacity benefit - is the last of the big set-piece government reforms expected before the general election, widely expected to be held on May 5. His outline plan, widely trailed in the weekend press and in a BBC interview with Tony Blair last night, was attacked before Mr Clarke even stood up, with the former union boss Sir Bill Morris calling it a "bidding war" between the main parties to see who could be nastiest to asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants. The Tories last week announced their own immigration policies, based on the Australian model, of an annual quota for refugees and a points system for skilled economic migrants. Outside Westminster, the UK Independence party launched its own immigration campaign, with a poster demanding "We want our country back." Writing in the Times today, Mr Blair highlighted some of the features of the plan, stating: "We need to stop random chain migration - dependants upon dependants; to prevent or penalise sham marriages; to have the power to demand special requirements if applications from particular countries rise significantly; to get after the organised criminals who traffic in people."
©The Guardian

ASYLUM CHILDREN TO FACE RETURN(uk)
9/2/2005- The UK government is planning to return asylum seeker children without parents to Albania. The trial scheme, which could start in weeks, may be extended to apply to children from other countries. Children's charities have reacted with alarm, saying the policy amounts to forcible removal and may not guarantee the safety of those affected. But the Home Office says it may be in the children's best interests if it reunites them with their communities.

9,000 arrivals
The pilot, included in the government's five-year immigration plan, aims to return unaccompanied asylum-seeking children from Albania who have failed in their asylum claims. Since 2002, at least 9,000 under-18s have arrived in the UK to seek asylum without other family members. These children automatically become the responsibility of social services. Up to now, ministers have held back from final removal orders against unaccompanied children until after they are legally adults at 18. At least a dozen Albanian-born teenagers are thought to have been identified for return, according to sources, although there is no public confirmation of numbers. Those selected could either be returned to their families, should they be traced, or placed in the care of other Albanian authorities. Separate negotiations to establish a family tracing and returns scheme are believed to be underway with another country.

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children
3,445 under-17s assessed in 2003:

4% granted asylum

32% granted exceptional leave to remain

40% granted humanitarian protection

15% refused
Source: Home Office

'Forced removal'
Under the 1989 Children Act, public bodies have a duty to act in the "best interest" of a child in their care. Laura Brownlees of Save the Children said there were grave concerns, not least because of the well-documented trafficking of children into crime and prostitution in Albania. "If children are going to be returned then there should be proper assessments and decisions on a case by case basis," she said. "We do not think there are structures in place [to receive returning children in Albania]. 'If these decisions are not in the best interests of the child, then that is a forced removal because the child will not have any choice in the final decision." In its five-year immigration plan, announced on Tuesday, the government said it was addressing "the difficult issue" of returning unaccompanied asylum seeking children. A spokesman for the Home Office said it was wholly wrong to suggest that the plan was to return children "and leave them to rot". "We are developing a returns programme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children whose asylum and humanitarian protection claims have been refused," said the spokesman. "We have been exploring how we can establish reception and longer-term care arrangements in countries of origin and believe that it's possible to return children in a way that is in their best interests and is safe and sustainable. "We do not believe that it is right, or in keeping with children's legislation, that children who can return should remain in the UK indefinitely separated from their families and communities." The spokesman stressed the UK would abide by its international human rights obligations. Only those children who could be provided with a carefully planned reintegration package would be returned, he said. But Andrew Hogg, spokesman for the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, said ministers had so far failed to reassure agencies. "From what is so far known, we strongly oppose the scheme because the welfare and best interests of the child will not properly be taken into account," said Mr Hogg. "In Albania particularly there is no statutory child care or protection structure. "The Medical Foundation has many serious concerns, including the assessment process for suitability for return, the degrading of best interests of the child principles and of child welfare, and the lack of safeguards in the chosen countries." A spokesman for the Albanian embassy in London said it was the first it had heard of a scheme, but did not rule out that there had been an agreement between the two countries.
©BBC News

STOP THIS CONTINUAL ABUSE OF IMMIGRANTS(uk, comment)
Leaders from all parties wonder why so many immigrants and their children repudiate calls for integration
By Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

7/2/2005- Which leader will emerge as the most ruthless on immigration? As the election draws nearer, the competitors are turning up the heat, trying to appeal to millions of nervous nationalists around the country. This week, Robert Kilroy-Silk, aryan man, little Englander, launched his new party, Veritas, which promises to expurgate all foreign cultures from this idyllic island and to rid the place of migrants. Michael Howard, both afraid of, and transfixed by, this blondish wonder, produced his own malevolent policies against asylum- seekers and migrants. Today, New Labour, unnerved by both Veritas and the Tories and the rising tide of public paranoia, is announcing a punitive five-year programme that will further reduce the rights of asylum-seekers and economic migrants and punish them for daring to come to our doors. Then they wonder why so many immigrants and their children repudiate calls (from the same leaders) for integration. Why should they embrace a society that never accepts them as equals, which has for centuries played a duplicitous game, enticing workers from abroad and then treating them as the enemy within, whatever they do? It is these politicians who are responsible for the growing divisions in our society and the racisms they claim they abhor. No citizenship lessons or ceremonies can produce a coalesced Britain if the political leadership malignantly defines the country in terms of insiders and outsiders and always describes immigration as a threat and not a promise. To make matters worse, these parties can produce multi-coloured puppets who will agree that refugees and migrants from the Third World are a nuisance and must be stopped. There have never been more ministers and MPs of colour in our parliament. We have an unprecedented number of white migrants and the descendants of refugees in power, including Peter Hain and Patricia Hewitt, Michael Howard, Oliver Letwin. And this is when attitudes towards migrants have turned more poisonous than during the days of Powell.

Much is at stake here - we could lose the best of Britishness in this swamp of xenophobia. Two opposing traditions have long existed in this country on immigration and national identity. One has been open and empathetic, genuinely concerned to welcome the oppressed, delighted to evolve, expand the culture, to fall in love with the "other". The second is exactly the opposite - mean and easily threatened by the outsider, ready to scapegoat anyone obviously different for any number of problems and evils. With very few exceptions, British politicians through the ages have pretended to applaud the first (bogus postures) while stimulating generic antipathy towards incomers, particularly those whose skins are naturally dark. More heinously, they claim that "good race relations" depend on this institutionalised hypocrisy. People with Kilroy-Silk tans have, and make, fewer problems, of course. Ask those many, many Australians, white South Africans and Zimbabweans, Italians, Americans, French and now Poles and Russians, if the country welcomes them, and most will effuse unreservedly. Then ask Filipino nurses, Indian IT workers and settled non-white Britons, and you will get more circumspection, less clear enthusiasm. We have never been allowed to put down roots and that's the truth of it. Ever since the 16th century, a noise is kept alive by political leaders, a noise of rejection which echoes constantly in our heads. How the leaders of this country waxed lyrical on Holocaust Memorial Day. But Jewish survivors, says the writer Anne Karpf, "have been sanctified and idealised after the event on occasion by the same publications and people that at the time demonised and sought to impugn their authenticity." Ugandan Asians, now lauded as frightfully good and productive entrepreneurs faced abominable treatment from local authorities and some politicians even though they had British passports. They were made to suffer and survive. So, too, were the Iraqis, who came here in the last five years, fleeing the very country that was thought so terrible we had to invade. "Genuine" asylum-seekers are ghosts in the nation's collective imagination. When they materialise into real creatures, we recoil from them. Especially if they are very obviously Third World. Economic migrants from these parts are regarded as even more of a menace.

The Russian mafia is carrying on alarmingly in the streets of Britain, but they never seem to cause much panic. But some Kurdish felons are caught and our entire immigration and integration system comes in for feverish scrutiny. This is true in the rest of the EU too. When Theo van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim fascist, all Muslims, then all migrants of colour, present and future, were blamed for the crime. But Pim Fortuyn was killed by a white animal rights activist. Did Holland then engage in a nervous national conversation about white extremism in Europe? On Saturday at the British Museum, a little Irish girl, Melissa, and I queued for the toilet, growing desperate by the minute as the line was long and the day cold. Four cleaners - all young African women who obviously took great pride in their hair and looks - were cleaning away, trying their best not to get ruffled as the punters got irate and, at times, offensive in their mutterings. As if they were to blame for the lack of adequate facilities at the museum on this crowded afternoon. A Welsh woman in front of us turned to me conspiratorially and said: "These people... who lets them in?" I retorted sharply that I was one of these people and that she should perhaps have the guts to ask the cleaners themselves who let them in and why they are here. Her response came back fast and furious, but directed to the people behind me now: "This is what happens when we end up a soft touch. What rudeness, we used to be such a polite country." Another day, another slight, so common and widespread that most of us immigrants hardly notice the pain of such small, stinging rebuffs. How did this woman get so prejudiced that she can demean blameless people so casually? A Welshwoman, too, with her own history of rule and intimidation by the English.

These cleaners, African and Albanian traffic wardens, Asian and black staff serving the public at benefits offices and post offices, Arab small shopkeepers, they will all tell you how low-grade ethnic abuse is part of their interaction with this so-called "tolerant" country. I have to endure regular abuse now because I am seen as "successful" and, therefore, a thief who filched white aspirations and the jobs they could have had if I hadn't claimed them. W H Auden, in 1939, agreed to marry Erika Mann, a German refugee, so she could come here. In his poem Refugee Blues, he wrote: "Once we had a country and we thought it fair,/Look in an atlas and you'll find it there:/We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now. "In the village churchyard there grows an old yew,/Every spring it blossoms anew:/Old passports can't do that, my dear, old passports can't do that. "Came to a public meeting; the speaker got up and said: 'If we let them in, they will steal our daily bread': He was talking of you and me my dear, he was talking of you and me."
© Independent Digital

BLACK BRITISH HISTORY: REMEMBERING MALCOM'S VISIT TO SMETHWICK(comment)
Forty years ago this week, Malcolm X visited Britain, just a short while before his untimely death. IRR News looks back.
By Arun Kundnani

10/2/2005- February 1965, Malcolm had broken with his former idol Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam and, having completed his tour of Africa and visit to Mecca, carried with him a spirit of global rebellion. It was in Britain that he gave the fullest outlines of his new internationalist vision, at talks given to the London School of Economics during his February 1965 visit and to the Oxford Union three months before. 'The same heart, the same pulse that beats in the Black man on the African continent today is beating in the heart of the Black man in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Many of them don't know it but it's true,' he said. He now saw the revolt of African-Americans as part of a 'global rebellion... of the exploited against the exploiter'.

Smethwick
But it was Malcolm's visit to Smethwick, in the West Midlands, on 12 February 1965, that had the greatest impact on Britain. Smethwick was a town which had come to symbolise English racism. During the general election a few months earlier, the successful Tory candidate Peter Griffiths told voters: 'if you want a nig**r for a neighbour, vote Labour'. The slogan led to the defeat of Labour candidate Patrick Gordon Walker, who had been expected to win easily and become Foreign Secretary in the new administration. The message of the campaign - that Labour could lose votes unless it, too, played the race card - would echo through the coming decades, right down to this week's attempts by the government to out-tough Michael Howard on immigration policy. On Smethwick's Marshall Street, White residents had gained council support to bar Blacks from moving to the street. The Tory-run local council had agreed to buy any houses which came up for sale and sell them only to White families. It was Marshall Street that Malcolm X chose to visit with television cameras and reporters in tow. He told reporters: 'I have come here because I am disturbed by reports that coloured people in Smethwick are being badly treated. I have heard they are being treated as the Jews under Hitler. I would not wait for the fascist element in Smethwick to erect gas ovens.' The statement threw Malcolm into the centre of the debate on British race relations and he was roundly condemned for his pronouncements. But to Black people, Malcolm's message was the need for self-organisation. And it was a message that immediately energised Black Britain, throwing up a myriad of new organisations, such as the Racial Action Adjustment Society (RAAS), which by May was lending its support to the first important strike of Black workers, at Courtauld's Red Scar Mill in Preston. It was the beginning of an era of Black British militancy which Malcolm had helped instigate.

Danger
Malcolm was acutely aware of the dangers he faced during his visit to Britain. Jan Carew, a Caribbean radical who accompanied him during his time in London, noted Malcolm's permanent state of alertness, born of his fear of surveillance and assassination. There was, he wrote later, an undercurrent of sadness and loneliness to Malcolm's character but also a mind that was at its most open to new ideas. It was just a few days later, after his return from London, that Malcolm was shot at a public meeting in Harlem, New York.
©Institute of Race Relations

ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS RISE TO RECORD LEVEL(uk)
11/2/2005- British jews were subject to a record number of anti-Semitic attacks last year, including a huge increase in serious assaults. The increase has been blamed on "the Middle East factor", with a sharp rise in incidents rooted in hatred of Israel. Jewish communities in London and Manchester were subjected to more than 400 attacks, and throughout the UK levels of anti-Semitism rose to the highest level since records began 20 years ago. Jewish children on the way home from school and people returning from synagogue have been assaulted. In Southampton, a gang - whose leader collected far-right literature - assaulted a teenager so severely that his jaw was broken in three places, while a woman was beaten by her neighbours. Anti-Semitic abuse rose by 42 per cent in 2004 to 532 incidents, including 83 assaults, mostly on visibly Jewish people. For the first time in five years, assaults outnumbered incidents of damage to property, including the desecration of synagogues and graveyards.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which advises the Jewish community on how to protect itself, said many of the attacks were "a reaction to events in the Middle East". "Some British-based supporters of the Palestinians chose to express their opposition to Israel by attacking British Jews," a report published by the CST yesterday said. "This overspill of international conflicts on to British shores is not always a short-term reaction to a specific event, however; sometimes it reflects a more general ideological hostility to Jews." The assassination by Israel of the Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in March last year sparked the second highest number of attacks recorded in the UK. In the 48 hours following his killing, there were 54 anti-Semitic incidents, including a string of abusive phone calls to London synagogues. Of the 532 incidents recorded, 124 showed clear anti-Zionist motivation, while neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists are thought to have been involved in 84 attacks. There was also an alarming rise in "suspicious" surveillance of synagogues, community centres and Jewish schools, including videotaping and photography. "Terrorist groups often collect information about their targets before launching an attack, and preventing this kind of information-gathering is an integral part of the CST's work in protecting the community," the report said. Yesterday, parliamentarians expressed alarm at the sharp rise in abuse towards British Jews, some of which was targeted at MPs, communal leaders and other high-profile individuals. The names of victims were not released, as many of the incidents are being investigated by the police. The Leader of the House of Commons, Peter Hain, described the increase in anti-Semitic attacks as being "totally unacceptable". He told MPs that there were regular meetings between the Home Secretary and the President of the Board of Deputies, and close collaboration between the police and the Jewish community. "We have also strengthened the law against racism, including raising the maximum penalty for incitement to racial hatred," he added.

Incidents recorded in 2004

13 February A London travel agency specialising in tours to Israel had "dirty Jew cunts, up the PLO" daubed on the outside

17 February A Jewish teenager's jaw was shattered in three places by a gang in Southampton and he was subjected to a tirade of anti-Semitic abuse

1 March A Jewish man was stabbed in his home by an assailant who shouted "I'm going to kill you, you fucking yid"

4 April Gang of youths attacked a 12-year-old Jewish boy wearing a kippah. Doctors spent an hour and a half stitching cuts to his face after the assault

April Letters were sent to several synagogues in London reading: "By almighty Allah you shall not escape Muslim justice with 1,000 assassins ready to strike in places that you gather"

15 May Anti-Israel demonstrators at Liverpool University made anti-Semitic remarks to Jewish students, calling them "Nazis" and "bleeding Jews"

25 May A Jewish man who was walking down a street in Manchester was attacked from behind and had CS gas sprayed in his face

12 June Four youths smashed a bottle over the head of an Orthodox man as he walked home from the synagogue

15 June A Jewish woman was violently attacked by three of her neighbours and severely beaten

17 June An arson attack on a synagogue in north London caused extensive damage, including to prayer books rescued from the Nazis

29 June A Jewish schoolboy on a bus in north London was attacked and repeatedly kicked by an Arab man who called him a Jew

29 July The words "Hitler was right, Israelis bomb babies" were etched into the side of a London Underground train

9 November The words "happy Kristallnacht, Combat 18" and "Jews Out" were painted on a doctor's surgery on the anniversary of Kristallnacht in 1938

15 November A synagogue received a snuffbox containing excrement in the post

THOUSANDS JOIN THIERRY ANTI-RACISM BANDWAGON(uk)
11/2/2005- A new craze with a powerful message has won the overwhelming support of football fans. A black-and-white wristband launched by Thierry Henry to raise awareness of the fight against racism has sold its initial batch of 200,000 in barely a week. The Arsenal star came up with the bracelet idea and took it to his sponsor Nike, which is now trying to keep up with demand. A further 100,000 should be in stores today and Nike Town in Oxford Street has taken 15,000 of the consignment. Stores suggest people taking one of the bands make a donation of ÂŁ1.50. A quarter of that goes towards manufacturing costs, with the rest going to fund anti-racism groups such as Let's Kick Racism out of Football. Nike urged people to wait for the bands. Some are already being sold on ebay for ÂŁ10 or more. A Nike spokesman said: "If people are patient, the money will then get through to the fund and people won't be profiteering from this." Following concerns about unsavoury incidents such as Spanish supporters' chants at black England players last year, Henry joined stars from across Europe, including Ronaldinho, Rio Ferdinand and Ruud van Nistelrooy, to back the campaign. The campaign encourages fans to speak out against racist abuse in stadiums wherever it occurs.
©This is London

SPAIN LAUNCHES IMMIGRANT AMNESTY
7/2/2005- The Spanish government has launched a programme granting legal amnesty to up to 800,000 undocumented immigrants. Applicants who can prove they arrived before last August, have a job contract and no criminal record, have three months to sign up as taxpayers. The authorities say the move will draw immigrants out of the black economy. Spain has rejected criticism from the opposition and other European countries that the amnesty makes the country a gateway for illegal immigrants. Spanish officials are already preparing to deport a group of 227 suspected illegal migrants found on a boat drifting off the Canary Islands on Saturday. Within Spain, the amnesty has meant tens of thousands of people across the country have been queuing at embassies and local council offices to prepare their documents.

Lost millions
Now they have three months to submit their forms. Under the rules, an immigrant with a six-month work contract who is registered at the town hall and social security office is eligible for Spanish residency, the right to live and work legally in Spain. Socialist MP Rafael Estrella told the BBC: "We have a number of illegal immigrants in Spain who are not contributing to the system, to the social system, with their taxes and who have been working here on an irregular basis where they are exposed to the mafias (illegal gangs)." The scheme is expected to bring in millions of euros of tax revenue usually lost in the black market. It is estimated that more than one million people live and work in Spain illegally - thousands in two of Spain's most important industries: agriculture and construction. The BBC's Danny Wood in Madrid says that without any legal status, they form the most vulnerable layer of Spanish society. Immigrant groups say this legal amnesty lacks flexibility and is not the way to solve Spain's immigration problems.

EU 'green card'
The Spanish plan contrasts sharply with schemes brought in by other EU members. On Monday the UK government unveiled a new points system designed to tighten immigration controls and ensure migrants wanting to work in the UK have the right skills. The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels says the two plans highlight the lack of co-ordination over immigration policy within the 25-nation European Union. Earlier this year, the European Commission argued that with a rapidly ageing population, Europe urgently needed more economic migrants in order to catch up with its global competitors. Among the solutions proposed was the introduction of a US-style "green card", giving an individual the right to work throughout the EU. By the end of the year, the Commission intends to consult employers, trade unions, non-governmental organisations and countries where most migrants come from, in order to present an integrated policy plan for legal migration.
©BBC News

IMMIGRATION: ZAPATERO'S GAMBLE(Spain)
updated 7 February 2005- From today a major overhaul of the law will make it easier for illegal immigrants to get legal status as Spain tries to tackle the burgeoning labour 'black economy'. Graham Keeley reports

From today Spain's Socialist government embarks on a bold gamble with immigration, one of the biggest issues facing the country. In an effort to bring illegal immigrants into the state system, the government plans to make it easier for them to get residence permits. The idea behind this is to stop so-called 'clandestinos' (illegal immigrants) working in the black economy and to get them to pay taxes and social security. The exact size of the black in economy in Spain is not known though estimates put the number working outside the law at 800,000. It ranks as one of the main reasons immigrants chose to come to Spain; they can disappear more easily than if they were in Britain or France and find work relatively easily. At the same time, Spain has one of the lowest birth-rates in Europe and a growing population of pensioners. Commentators of varying political persuasions have said the country needs more immigrants to pay social security and taxes in order that the State can support the elderly. They also claim these people are essential to do the jobs many Spaniards regard as below them, despite an unemployment level of 10 percent. But knowing that welcoming more immigrants into the system might have serious social and political repercussions, prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has sought to strike a deal with business leaders and the unions to ensure these changes are accepted. Jesus Caldera, the minister for work and social affairs, has agreed a deal with the CEOE, the confederation of Spanish businesses and the two biggest unions, the UGT and the CC OO.

The new Foreigners' Law
From today (7 February), the Socialist government's reform of the existing Foreigners' Law comes in to action. It means Spain will grant residence permits to immigrants who can provide proof of their registration with a local council from before 8 August last year, proof they have no criminal record and a work contract of six months. The length of contract can vary depending on the industry, with three months for agricultural workers and for domestic workers weekly contracts of 30 hours. Employers have until 7 May to provide contracts to local authorities. Once they fulfil these conditions and are given conditional approval, immigrants are registered with the social security authorities and start paying contributions to the system. The government will also want to grant residence permits to those immigrants who blow the whistle on unscrupulous employers — bosses who hire immigrants without a work contract. Immigration Secretary Consuelo Rumi said the plans were about "easy the integration of foreigners" and also about fighting the black market in immigrant labour. "This does not mean we are going to give papers to all foreigners. Let that be very clear," she said. The government also intends to promote legal immigration by delivering three-month visas, designed to give immigrants time to find work in Spain before applying for residence. Residents of countries which feed most of the illegal migration towards Spain will be given priority for visas. Currently about 2.6 million foreigners live in Spain, which has a population of 43.2 million, including more than a million illegal immigrants, of whom one third are Ecuadoran, followed by Colombians, Romanians, Moroccans, Argentinians, Bulgarians and Ukrainians. According to a government study, of the 17.24 million jobs in Spain, 850,000 or 4.9 percent, are occupied by immigrants with 34 percent of positions created last year taken by immigrants. Zapatero had promised an "organised and legal immigration" when his government came into power last April.

Praise and criticism
But, understandably, the plan has provoked strong reactions from both supporters and critics. Almudena Fontecha, immigration spokeswoman for one of Spain's largest unions, the UGT, said: "Now there will exist a guarantee for those immigrants who have a contract and have enrolled in the social security system and who support the system." But the Spanish Commission of Refugee Aid (CEAR) said the conditions imposed by the government limit the chances of certain immigrants, in particular those from Africa or at countries war who have trouble getting a copy of the necessary documents or who simply don't have a passport. CEAR said the government only wanted to grant legal status to "people capable of working who can pay for social security, they aren't regularising children, the elderly and people without work". And Ana Pastor, the social affairs spokeswoman for the opposition conservative Popular Party, said: "This has not done anything but create more tension and will mean foreigners will be sacked." Critics believe nothing will change and the vast black economy will carry on unabated. Those who ask for contracts will simply be fired. Many immigrants have not even heard of the reforms. Mohammed, 20, a Bangladeshi, who speaks no Spanish, smiled when we informed him of the changes. "No work, no friends, no family," he said. "I want to be a waiter." But in contrast, Katia, a Peruvian in her 30s who worked as a dietician in her own country, said: "What I have seen since I came here is a lot of exploitation. I think these reforms will be a positive thing."

Europe's front line
Against this background, Spain has another battle against illegal immigration on its borders. Last weekend, coastguards picked up 228 Africans in one leaky boat off the coast of the Canary Islands. They had been living on sweets while they made the precarious crossing to Spanish territory. Madrid is to ask the European Union for increased funds, to strengthen border controls and facilitate the expulsion of illegal immigrants — arguing that Spain is at the frontline of what is a Europe-wide problem. "Twenty-three percent of clandestine immigrants who manage to enter Europe do so via Spanish territory," Rumi said. Spain faces a steady tide of people, mainly north and sub-Saharan Africans, trying to reach the European Union either by the Canary Islands or across the Strait of Gibraltar separating Morocco and Spain at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Non-governmental organisations estimate that at least one million people, out of Spain's 2.6 million-strong immigrant population, are in Spain illegally. Most are Moroccans and Latin Americans. Authorities in Morocco, one of the main departure points for immigrants bound for Spain, have already stepped up their cooperation with Spain in the fight against illegal immigration. At the same time, people-smuggling gangs have started to ferry boatloads of people from coastal west Africa towards the Canary Islands. Spain has recently discovered that even the most sophisticated police technology is unable to stem the tide of immigrants at its southern border. For some years, Spanish police have been using an electronic surveillance system known as SIVE, which includes watchtowers and mobile units with radars and infra-red thermal cameras. The system detects the small boats or 'pateras' as they are known, as soon as they leave the shores of Morocco. As a result of using the SIVE system, the number of people arriving by boat from Africa went down by 17 percent to 11,473 to the end of September, the Spanish daily El Pais claimed. But still relief organisations say they cannot cope with the daily arrivals.
©Expatica News

THREE BOATLOADS OF AFRICAN MIGRANTS SEIZED OFF THE CANARY ISLANDS
You might call it an invasion. Given the climate of public paranoia, perhaps the word armada comes to mind. But do those words square with the evidence of one's eyes?

7/2/2005- This was another huge weekend for Africans in the Canaries. More than 7,000 illegal immigrants from Africa clambered ashore these islands last year, mostly on Fuerteventura which is the closest of them to the African coast. That's 20 per day on average. Around Christmas, terrible tragedies were reported a boat with 10 corpses aboard, all dead of cold and thirst, another with 13 dead among dozens who were barely alive. Then came a lull of more than two weeks. No arrivals at all, though the Atlantic from here to Laayoune, the nearest port in Western Sahara, was playfully mild under balmy, cobalt blue skies. It's the manoeuvres, suggested the man at the Red Cross. The Spanish and Portuguese navies were reported to be doing joint manoeuvres in the channel, trying out new radar with laser gear, trying to monitor the African coast as precisely as they would a harbour. Perhaps the new kit was working. Perhaps they'd fixed another hole. Nothing of the sort: the deluge began again last week. First on Thursday one of the little pateras, the migrants' boats, arrived in the far south of the island, at a place with fabulously broad, long, sandy beaches, lined with the apartments of Germans and Britons, called Morro del Jable. Thirty-two on board it was reported, though it beggars the imagination how: you would hesitate to row your family across a municipal pond in this vessel. The big one arrived on Saturday, this time in Tenerife and in a fashion that has only been tried four or five times since the big rush began five years ago: a rusty old fishing boat shorn of its lifting gear was arrested 150 yards off the port of Tenerife: a two-man white crew sped off in a launch, leaving 227 sub-Saharan Africans, nearly all young men, squashed into the boat. Some were reported to be hungry and suffering from hypothermia but the condition of most was good. Then two more yesterday, tiddlers like Thursday's, so similar they might have been hammered together by the same carpenter. Twelve or 14ft in length, bare, unvarnished wooden ribs clad in a hull of box wood, plastered in a greenish tar-like material to keep out at least some of the ocean. Twenty or 30 Africans in each, all of them young, all male, apparently from Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Nigeria. The last of the fleet is now tied up on the quayside under my hotel window in Puerto del Rosario, the main town of Fuerteventura. On the quay, the Red Cross inflated a pneumatic tent where the Africans are being checked by medics.

Neither 'armada' nor 'invasion' describes it: if this is an invasion it's one of the weak, the desperate, those for whom home has become a place of terminal hopelessness. For the arrivals, it was the end of a harrowing adventure that cost each one all the money he possessed and probably the savings of his relatives as well. It could have ended in death or prison at any point. The Africans whose journeys end in the Canaries sneak across fiercely guarded borders, hide in the dunes of the Sahara, get passed from one gang of traffickers to another, ripped off by each group in turn. Somehow they avoid detection by police and soldiers. They survive hunger and thirst in the desert, their lives at the mercy of smugglers for whom they are no more than pieces of merchandise, their lives of even less account than those of the slaves who left those shores 200 years ago. At the coast, sometimes after an agony of waiting, they are packed into these pathetic little handmade boats often constructed amid the dunes, dozens of miles from the coast, to avoid detection until no more will fit in. They were allowed to bring nothing with them except the clothes they stood up in: any document proving their nationality could lead to their prompt deportation. And by the end of the hideous overland journey which might have taken many months they no longer had any possessions in any case.

And all this sacrifice for what? To make landfall in a Europe which could not make its distaste for them and everything they represent more plain. The face mask and sanitary gloves of the Red Cross volunteers in Tenerife who bundled them in blankets to bring them back to life are merely sensible precautions against disease. But metaphorically, the masks and gloves will pursue them every mile of their European passage. Spain will quarantine them for 40 days, and then deport all those that it legally can. Those it cannot physically deport it will notionally expel: the only bit of paper the migrants take away from the detention centre is an expulsion order. As the Canaries are rapidly filling up, Spain now packs the Africans into a plane, flies them to Madrid and other big cities and sets them free. Or rather, washes its hands of them. They remain penniless, without documents giving them even the most fragile legitimacy, unable to work legally. 'The only work available to them,' says the head of the Red Cross in Fuerteventura, 'is crime and prostitution.' Spain is marginally moderating these harsh conditions today: if they have been in the country for six months and by some miracle have persuaded a legitimate employer to take them on, they can get documents to allow them to remain in the country legally. This drop of humanity and economic common sense, for the immigrants will at last begin to pay tax and make social security contributions has been greeted by howls of outrage from Spain's right-wing opposition, which has linked the new rules with the latest arrivals. It has dismayed Spain's EU partners, which complain that the illegal immigrants thus sanitised will be free to spread across Europe.

How about Britain? No comment was forthcoming. But the Janus faces of British government policy towards Africa could not be more blindingly evident. On the one hand, Gordon Brown proposes a bold new policy designed to save Africa from ruination though Africa specialists attack his proposal to funnel billions of aid into the continent as one that has failed Africa before. And, on the other hand, the new stricter entry conditions for asylum-seekers Labour's latest ploy in the bidding war with the Tories over which can boast the most aggressive anti-immigration policy show where the real urge lies. Keep well away! The Canaries, meanwhile, are full of fugitives of a different sort, and there is no stopping these ones. But the mass arrival of German and British refugees from the north European winter in Fuerteventura's flashy new airport is hardly news down here on the west African coast. It merits a brief, preening note in the Tenerife newspapers when newly published figures reveal that foreign tourists in the islands topped five million for the first time last year. The swarms of northern visitors have changed Fuerteventura beyond recognition in the past 20 years. The island's population has soared from 20,000 to 90,000 today. Entire volcanic cliffs looking out to sea have been carved into terraces of miniature suburban villas served by shopping centres with a multiplex cinema, a Spar supermarket, a Burger King and a bouncy castle for the kiddies. The newsagents are stacked with Suns and Daily Mails. The Travellers' Rest and the King's Arms await the homesick. You might be just about anywhere in Europe, with the minor difference that this is early February, the temperature is nudging 20 and there's not a cloud in the sky.

The other continent, the dark one with its freight of troubles, is barely 100 km away. If you were to set off from the coast of Western Sahara in a small boat and sail all night, in the morning you would see the lighthouse of Fuerteventura. It's an Atlantic passage, and the Atlantic is everywhere a serious ocean; those big breakers can pick up and flip over a skiff and smash its remnants and drown its passengers within minutes, leaving no evidence behind. But if their timing is lucky, and the gangster who takes their money slaps enough hot tar on the flimsy boxwood of the little craft that he and his underlings have banged furtively together, then their life savings will not have gone to waste. They will have achieved, despite everything the wealthy of this world have tried to throw at them, a toehold in a different life. Mohamed is 18, he says, and wears a red sweatshirt given him by the Red Cross. He's a gangling black kid from Gambia, and for now he's alone in the world. You can see him on the benches by the fancy fountain outside the Red Cross offices at the top of Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura's biggest town, kicking his heels, waiting for something to happen. Last week he got out of the 40-day detention the Spanish government imposes, like a sort of quarantine, on the new arrivals in the Canaries. After 40 days, if they can't deport you (because you haven't told them where you come from, or because Spain has no extradition arrangements with that country), they let you go. Sometimes they take you to Madrid or Valencia and let you go. It's hard to find clear rhyme or reason in what they do. In Mohamed's case, they let him go here. The Red Cross put him up in one of the two houses they keep for the most vulnerable of the African arrivals. So he has a temporary roof. He's no longer in a sort of prison, he's in Europe. In Mohamed's case he also has parents and a brother who have already come this route and have fetched up in Barcelona. So he's in limbo, but he can see the possibility of the limbo coming to an end. He has no money and no documents and speaks not a word of Spanish. But his brother tells him he has a passport for him, and it will arrive by post. Then he's got to get himself to Barcelona. How is he going to do that, without two beans to rub together? A look of perfect blankness. But it will happen, somehow, sometime. He's got a direction in his life. He's going places.

Africans fleeing the desperation and poverty of their failed states have been washing up on Europe's coastline, or dying in the attempt, for 10 years now. Thousands have staggered ashore on Lampedusa, south of Sicily, in Gibraltar and Malaga, or they have scrambled over the triple fence of razor wire atCeuta, a Spanish enclave on the northern coast of Morocco, and every time the European authorities plug one hole, the Africans find another. The Canaries are the destination of choice now, because the Mediterranean has got too tough, the Moroccans have been cracking down as well, while Western Sahara has more than 1,000 miles of sandy shore and Fuerteventura is only a day's sail away. At Laayoune, they have other problems than the migrants on their minds. Western Sahara was once a Spanish colony but its annexation by Morocco is disputed by the Polisario Front, an independence movement. Hundreds of UN peacekeepers monitor the ceasefire line that divides Greater Morocco from east to west like an enormous scar. The Sahrawis, the nomads native to the region who have fought for their own homeland, have seen their political aspirations frustrated for so long that they too dream of fleeing to the happy lands in the north. The Sahrawis were the first to come to the Canaries, 10 years ago, making the trip in fishing boats. At first there were just a few every year. Then the authorities in the Canaries began arresting the fishermen and sentencing them to long jail terms and the original traffic died off. It was quickly replaced by the more systematic and ruthless mafias that run the trade today. They have sent their clients off in boats that were bound to sink, helmed by immigrants who had been given the scantiest idea of what to do, packed to the gunwales, in filthy weather, with neither food nor drink nor clothes to keep out the cold. And the customers keep on coming. Nothing will put them off.

The desperation of the youngest, toughest, most ambitious Africans to flee the horror of their continent, no matter how desperate the passage, is the clearest possible index of the depth of trouble the continent is in. Stopping the trade in one place only forces it open in another. Neither granting amnesties nor refusing them makes an ounce of difference to people mired this deep in hopelessness. Now the British Government and the Tory opposition are struggling to show which can be more aggressively chauvinist more agreeable to the readers of the Daily Mail in their defence of Fortress Britain. But if either the Spanish or the British, or the Europeans at large, believe they can close down African immigration into Europe either by laws, by police action or by radars and laser, they are in dreamland. Every boatload of misery that spills on to the Canaries' pristine beaches drives further home the fact that Africa's misery is Europe's responsibility. We created these nation states, we set them free, we corrupted them during the Cold War with billions in aid which went straight into the pockets of dictators. We cut them adrift when they no longer served any geopolitical purpose. We crucified them with World Bank and IMF solutions which had no bearing on countries where the state had ceased to be anything but a means for dictators and their relatives to grow obscenely rich. Now, as an election looms, the Labour Party proposes to make it even harder for asylum seekers to enter the country. The problem of these people, they seem to say, could not be more remote from our concerns. The arrival of these four frail boatloads of black people in the Canaries and the thousands who will arrive in the coming months, regardless of who wins the British election, regardless of what laws or amnesties are in place prove that the exact opposite is true. Gordon Brown and other Western leaders have understood that Africa cannot be allowed to fester indefinitely. Africa's problems are our problems. But the billions in aid Mr Brown wants to throw at them is good money after bad. Much has already drained down that plughole. A Marshall Plan for Africa cannot possibly work if the human and physical infrastructure of almost every country on the continent has wasted away.

Because Africa's deepest problems are Europe's dirty solutions. The billions spent protecting Europe's farmers, freeing them to dump their food in Africa, made it close to impossible for Africans to earn a living wage. Companies continue to exploit the continent's mineral wealth, giving next to nothing back. The City banks cheerfully laundered the billions plundered by the corrupt leaders on the continent, keeping the few rich villains in luxury and the rest in misery. Every new boatload arriving tells us that Africa must not be fobbed off again. Africa is a problem that must be treated with full seriousness. For perhaps the first time ever.
© Independent Digital

TALKS COMMENCE ON NATIONAL POLICY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION(Malta)
AD chairperson reveals irregular immigrant dies due to asthma complications - Police Commissioner replies he refused medication

7/2/2005- Politicians, campaigners and local authorities have put their head together in a bid to lay out the groundwork to draw up a national policy document on illegal immigration. On Monday, figures from across the political divide, local authorities and campaigners discussed a policy document on immigration during the opening session of the National Conference on Irregular Immigration. Opening the conference Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said that there was no easy solution to the problem. He said that there was no permanent solution to the regular influx of illegal immigrants. In the past two years, a lot of work has been done in this field, he explained. Parliament has enacted the refugees' law as now they also enjoy social benefits. Government opened two open centres and a third one is expected to be opened shortly in Marsa. Dr. Borg said that the new alternatives being proposed such as the immediate release of the migrants simply do not make sense. He added that our detention policy has been in place for the past 35 years and consequently cannot be changed overnight. The Home Affairs Minister augured that the conference would serve as the beginning of a process to create a national policy on the irregular migration. He ended that government has already published a policy paper which should serve as a yardstick to measure its work. On his part, the Labour Party's spokesman on home affairs Gavin Gulia said that the opposition feels that Malta should find a new way how to tackle this problem. "We should have one common policy. We should set up new structures to face a sudden wave of illegal immigrations which can put our resources under serious strain", he explained. Dr. Gulia said that a number of questions should not remain unanswered such as the conditions of detentions centres and the length of repatriation. He appealed that the media should be given full access to detention centres. The Labour spokesman said that a sentiment for the liberalisation of immigrants prevails among the media. Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Harry Vassallo did not mince his words in criticising the Hal Safi compound. He revealed that an Eritrean who fled his home country to finish up in Malta died in the detention centre due to asthma complications. However, during his intervention, Police Commissioner John Rizzo said that it was the irregular migrant who refused medication and he eventually died in hospital on Saturday.

Dr. Vassallo said that the migrants at Hal Safi are being kept in a pigsty without basic facilities. "The Safi detention centre is a stain upon our national reputation", he exclaimed. The delegate of the Emigrant's Commission, Mgr Philip Calleja said that that the Maltese church was always at the forefront to protect the dignity and humanity of the human being. He said that between 1992 and 2002, the Emigrants Commission helped 2271 refugees to start a new life in Canada, Australia or United States. He argued that Malta is now facing a new phenomenon of mass immigration but the country is not ready for this new wave. "The problem could complicate itself in the open centres with new arrivals as they are fast approaching full capacity", he explained. He expressed himself against detention. "Asylum seekers are not criminals and should not be kept locked for a long-time". The Commissioner for Refugees Charles Buttigieg outlined the procedures involved with regards to the application for refugee status. Amongst the difficulties, Mr. Buttigieg mentioned the language barrier and the problem of identification. He said that from January 2002, the Commission handled over 2000 cases. The Jesuit Refugee Service director, Fr. Pierre Grech Marguerat said that the current government policy and practice falls far short of the human rights standards. He argued that detention should be resort to only for minimal period and in case, for not longer than two months. He said that the policy document makes no mention of asylum seekers living in the community. The AFM Brigadier Carmel Vassallo said that the Maltese territorial waters amount to 250,000 square kilometers which are disproportionate to our size. He said that in the past years, the Armed Forces of Malta saved over 1000 immigrants from almost certain death whilst in the past two years it help 3600 immigrants to be brought to our shores. Mr. Vassallo said that the tents at the Safi compound were recently replaced and the AFM is expected to set-up more permanent shelters. He concluded that 110 AFM soldiers are assigned to take care of these migrants in the compounds, offering them three daily meals. The last speaker to address the floor was Police Commissioner John Rizzo. He said that Malta saw the biggest influx of migrants in 2002 when 1,686 were brought ashore in 21 battered vessels. He revealed that these irregular migrants pay between USD 800 and USD 2000 for their journey.
The conference will continue on Tuesday as the trade unions and social partners are expected to take the floor.
©di-ve.com

SEMINAR FOR NATIONAL POLICY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION DAY 2(Malta)
Chief Justice Emeritus says time has most probably come to prohibit political parties that spread discrimination of race, colour or religion

8/2/2005- The seminar regarding the national policy on illegal immigration on Tuesday entered its second and final day.
Opening Tuesday's session, Minister Dolores Cristina distinguished between the preoccupation of some Maltese and racism. She said that she does not judge those that are preoccupied, however racism is different as it leads to violence, hatred and does not allow people to perceive clearly. "We don't have space for racism in Malta," she concluded.

Labour MP Marie Louise Coleiro said the government must put more pressure on international organisations to help in these difficulties. This is a human tragedy. We must not be selfish, passionate or insular but responsible and open minded. Refugees need employment opportunities, residence, education and access to health care.

UHM's secretary general Gejtu Vella said asylum seekers should be treated in the best manner in detention centres, not in the spirit of charity but of solidarity. Man should be the focal point of these centres. Unfortunately, he said, there are still some employers who to make money quickly, employ refugees or asylum seekers under unacceptable working conditions.

GWU's secretary general Tony Zarb also mentioned these inferior working conditions and that this is affecting Maltese workers. These persons are being abused by some employers who employ them for whole months, and then report them to the police on the last day, thus they are not paid for their work. Recently two refugees were beaten up when they asked for their wages.

Mario Friggieri from the Foundation for Social Welfare Services stated that recently they organised a seminar to bring together all those involved in refugee work. They did stocktaking of what was being done. The way forward together -- was the motto. "We should be forward looking," he said.

Dijonisju Mintoff -- Peace Laboratory said that Monday's workshop agenda was changed. It did not discuss centres, but minor immigrants. Centres were not mentioned at all. It resulted that minors do remain in detention until they are identified. Only theoretic improvements were made, he argued.

Prof Henry Frendo -- Refugees Appeals Board said that generally those who are granted refugee status as recognised by the Geneva Convention, may be amongst the best citizens once they integrate in their host country. The Refugees Appeals Board so far has concluded over 70 per cent of its cases.

Paul Portelli -- Red Cross stated that the current situation is unacceptable. Food provided is leaving negative affect on their health as they are used to eating different foods. Immigrants should be employed to prepare food for their mates. The current situation can lead to depression and suicide. These should be given some form of work and recreation. Bad conditions both for immigrants as well as for soldiers. At one point 300 immigrants had to share 6 toilets between them. These conditions might lead to racism and xenophobia and violent acts against the immigrants, he stated.

AFM's Brigadier Carmel Vassallo contradicted him saying that no illegal immigrants were injured by soldiers before January 13, 2005. Last October 15 were injured in a fight between them.

Dr Ruth Farrugia - Immigrants Commission stated that three months should be the longest period for detention. Repatriation process is not always easy, but persons without status should be given basic needs. Each immigrant should be the responsibility of a social worker as soon as they arrive in Malta. Identity Card should be issued as soon as detention is over refugees should be given the right to work under 18 years of age; medical screening should be done while in detention and refugees should be given residence permit.

Stephen Calleja -- The Malta Independent Editor said the situation is alarming. The life of police and soldiers is not easy especially when some of the asylum seekers are not grateful. Media should have access to the centres as its presence can shed more light on how these immigrants are treated.

Joe Farrugia - Malta Employers Association stated that Malta has always functioned as a globalised country. Malta is also familiar with the phenomenon of immigration. We cannot accept that persons are employed under these conditions. The greatest dignity for them is to feel that they are contributing to the country they are living in.

Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Said Pullicinosaid the state should limit as much as possible the detention period. Time has most probably come to define what a political party is and whether there should be circumstances where political parties that are based on spreading discrimination of race, colour or religion, should be prohibited.

Jason Micallef -- Malta Labour Party stated that he understands the importance media plays in this sector. It should not alarm nor create antagonism. I believe that broadcasters should regulate themselves. He mentioned that intercultural learning should be introduced at schools. A national front against racism should be set up, he argued.

Joe Saliba -- Nationalist Party said that social freedom and justice should be the basis for every policy. Immigrants must be given all the means to integrate in the society. Nobody has the right to threaten anybody's liberty. PN condemns any form of racism. Tolerance -- it would be preoccupying if the Maltese were just tolerant, he concluded.

The discussions will continue this afternoon when the Prime Minister is expected to close the seminar.
©di-ve.com

IMMIGRATION COSTS FINLAND MORE ON AVERAGE THAN IT PRODUCES
Most immigrants become taxpayers during their sixth year

9/2/2005- Immigration still costs Finland more on average than it produces, if the issue is looked at purely from an economic perspective during the first ten years a person spends in the country. This finding comes from a new study commissioned by the Ministry of Labour that investigated the effects of immigration on Finland's public finances. Developments have been positive of late, as the employment situation of immigrants improved rapidly in the 1990s. The researchers followed the employment situation, income taxes, and income transfers of nearly 15,000 immigrants throughout the 1990s. The study revealed that finding work becomes easier the longer an immigrant has lived in Finland. When newly employed immigrants begin to pay taxes and receive less social security payments, the balance of immigration turns positive as time goes by. Landing a job is easier when an immigrant speaks Finnish, and especially if he or she has a Finnish degree. "If we leave immigration for humanitarian reasons out of the calculations, immigrants pay more direct taxes than they receive direct benefits already during their sixth year in the country", explained Research Director Aki Kangasharju from the Government Institute for Economic Research.

When humanitarian immigration was included in the analysis, the effect immigration had on the public economy remained negative throughout the time period under study. The researchers calculated that the total costs of immigration may have been around 50 million euros over the course of ten years. Kangasharju does not feel that this figure is very large: it amounts to one tenth of Finland's annual development aid. Those who arrived in Finland for humanitarian reasons have found it more difficult to find employment, so they are more dependent on social security benefits. This group mainly includes refugees from Iraq, Iran, Somalia, and the former Yugoslav republics. After the fourth year in Finland, the share of paid taxes began to increase clearly for all immigrants on average. If the analysed period covered more than ten years, the overall balance might be positive.

"Based on these results, immigration benefits the Finnish society in the long run", commented Minister of Labour Tarja Filatov. Kangasharju observed that immigrants should not be inspected as one group, as the purpose of humanitarian immigration differs clearly from other immigration. Those immigrants who arrive from OECD nations pay more direct taxes during their first year in Finland than they receive benefits. Also, Estonians and Russians find work quickly. Minister Filatov pointed out that the recession was partly to blame for the high unemployment rate among immigrants in the 1990s. Nearly half of all immigrants were unemployed back in 1997 and 1998, but the current unemployment rate is 29 percent.
©Helsingin Sanomat

PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF STATE BODY TO MONITOR HUMAN RIGHTS(Finland)
9/2/2005- President Tarja Halonen has called for a thorough clarification of whether or not there is a need to set up a new state-run body to monitor and promote the implementation of human rights in Finland. The President was speaking on Tuesday at a seminar marking the 85th anniversary of the institution of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Halonen pointed out that even though international human rights agreements are part of the law that is implemented in Finnish courts, Finland would need more pro-active human rights work, including education, information, and training in the subject. She said that this would reduce the need to resort to courts in human rights matters. The Parliamentary Ombudsman has operated as an independent monitor of the implementation of the rule of law in Finland, and Halonen feels that a Finnish model of enforcing human rights could be built around the institution. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has emphasised the importance of setting up national human rights institutions, and Denmark and Norway, for example, have already named their human rights institutes as bodies intended by the UN. The idea has been to set up an independent office to monitor and promote the implementation of international human rights agreements in the countries in question. President Halonen feels that Finland still has much to do, especially with respect to the minority rights of immigrants, for instance.
©Helsingin Sanomat

REJECTED ASYLUM SEEKERS TURN TO CHURCHES(Switzerland)
Asylum seekers whose applications have been turned down are increasingly turning to the Church for help.

9/2/2005- The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches says more than 100 requests for help have been received since the government took away the entitlement to welfare benefits in April 2004. Its findings are based on a survey carried out among churches in 12 cantons late last year to assess the impact of the new ruling. Confirming a report in the mass-circulation Blick on Wednesday, the Federation's Markus Sahli said the situation was particularly bad in the cities with large numbers of immigrants, such as Geneva and Lausanne. Churches were mainly being asked for food and shelter, but also for money and legal assistance, he said. The Swiss Catholic Bishops' Conference said it had recorded an increase in requests for help from rejected asylum seekers in canton Basel.

Tip of the iceberg
Sahli said many cantons were unable to put a figure on the number of requests they had dealt with. But cantons Vaud, Neuchâtel, Lucerne and Graubunden had recorded a total of 120 requests for assistance since April. He described this figure as being "probably just the tip of the iceberg" and said many more requests for help could be expected over the winter months. The largest number of calls for assistance came from Africans and east Europeans. Sahli explained that because there were relatively few people from these countries in Switzerland, there was no community to provide help to those in need. The Catholic and Protestant churches agree that the lack of welfare provision to rejected asylum seekers is forcing many into crime and prostitution. Sahli questioned the decision to withhold welfare benefits, saying this infringed the basic human rights enshrined in the constitution. And he said he was concerned at the "tendency" to allow rejected asylum seekers to go underground. He added that the churches had an obligation to help those in need, even if that meant coming into conflict with the state authorities.
©Swissinfo

SETBACK FOR GAY ADOPTION IN GERMANY
10/2/2005- In a controversial statement Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber has announced his intention to constitutionally challenge the German government's proposed law on gay adoption. He said Germany must think about its children. Speaking at the Christian Socialist Union conference in the Bavarian town of Passau, party leader Stoiber, said he was concerned about the well-being of children being brought up by same-sex parents. "The Red-Green coalition wants to give same-sex partners the right to adopt children," Stoiber said. "We will call on the German constitutional court to establish whether that is in keeping with our constitution." He went on to dispute the ruling coalition's justification to legalise gay adoption on the grounds that almost a quarter of gay and lesbians in Germany wanted to have children. "We are not talking here about self-realization of gays or lesbians," he said.

No equality
Stoiber stressed that "the discrimination of homosexual couples has to be consigned to history," but the CSU is opposed to granting homosexual couples equality with heterosexual relationships. At the end of last year, the government approved amendments introduced by Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries to the partnership law of 2001 which first introduced "gay marriage" to Germany. If unthwarted by the Bavarian conservatives' plans to block the bill, it would allow homosexuals to adopt the biological child of their partner, if the other biological parent consents. If the amendments are passed by parliament, gay and lesbian "registered couples" will enjoy most of the same rights and responsibilities heterosexual spouses do, including pension rights and financial support responsibilities in the event of separation. The governing Social Democratic-Green coalition also wants to introduce gay engagements, which would allow one partner to refuse to testify against the other in court.
©Deutsche Welle

A RESURGENT RIGHT(Germany)
February 2005- Suddenly a resurgent far-right is taking centre political stage in Germany just as the nation marks the end of the war and the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Leon Mangasarian reports.

Sixty years after the Third Reich's defeat, German leaders seem at a loss to counter a tightly organised rightist party which is exploiting the Holocaust in a brazen bid to expand its power. Germany's establishment politicians have been locked in furious debate since January when the extremist National Democratic Party (NPD) marred sombre commemoration of Auschwitz death camp's liberation by comparing the Holocaust to the 1945 Allied firebombing of Dresden. In a carefully planned affront, NPD members in eastern Saxony state's parliament walked out of a memorial service for victims of the Third Reich. For good measure, they also issued a statement equating Auschwitz with abortion. "Since the end of Auschwitz, 18 million unborn people have been murdered in Germany ... is Auschwitz really over?" says the NPD on its website www.npd.de Turning up the political heating in the debate about the extreme right and the NPD, Bavaria's conservative premier, Edmund Stoiber, accused Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrat-led government for causing the "economic failure" that was fuelling extremist parties. In a weekend newspaper interview, Stoiber said that tackling high unemployment was the key to combating the far right. Much of Germany is aghast over the NPD, which won 9.2 per ent, or 190,000 votes, last September in economically depressed Saxony. An Infratest Agency poll shows 63 percent want the NPD banned. Germany's tough-minded interior minister, Otto Schily, is furious. His ministry outlawed the party in 2000 only to see Germany's highest court overturn the ban in 2003. The reason given by judges was that too many NPD members had been recruited by Schily's ministry as informants. The Constitutional Court justices alleged the informants were "steering" the NPD.

Schily, who remembers seeing the 1938 "Kristallnacht" or night of broken glass as a six-year-old boy when Nazis launched the Holocaust, angrily rejects this. "A criminal does not become a state employee just because he gives the police information," says Schily. Leaders in Berlin are arguing over a possible new bid to ban the NPD - but many are warning this might spark even more support for rightists. "A second failure [of a ban] would be a disaster," admits Schily. Political extremism experts, such as Eckhard Jesse of the Technical University of Chemnitz, say banning has not worked in the past and that democratic parties must meet rightists head on with better arguments. "There is now an intellectual right-wing extremism in Germany," warns Jesse. The news weekly Der Spiegel agrees, saying, "Neo-Nazis have managed to establish themselves in the mainstream." Worrying as this may be, the rightists need to be kept in perspective: For years, polls have shown that the far-right has a maximum potential of 10 to 15 percent in Germany which is about on par with other European countries. Meanwhile, the NPD and their German People's Union (DVU) ally have been cleaning up their act to escape the skinhead and streetfighter image they had in the 1980s and early 90s. Suits, ties and courses in rhetoric are now the order of the day with private donors funding party thinktanks and rightist academics who serve as advisers. The NPD has temporarily frozen informal ties with Saxony's "SSS" skinhead group. The NPD's chief strategist and spin doctor is a slick lawyer who, ironically, is named Peter Marx. Under the ever-smiling Marx, the NPD has focused on east German anger over cuts to unemployment benefits as a way of broadening its appeal and seeks to be both a nationalist and a socialist party. "The goal is supporting native families ... German money for Germans!" says the website of Holger Apfel, the NPD leader in Saxony's state parliament. If a party ban is not on the cards, what is to be done? The established parties in Saxony appear clueless, according to Der Spiegel, and notes, "Up until now they have reacted helplessly." Jesse says Germany's Christian Democrats have made "a terrible mistake" by failing to provide a political home for conservative patriots and thus helped drive them to the far-right.

Der Spiegel argues that the far-right has profited from a new willingness among Germans in books and films to examine their own suffering during the war including the firebombing of cities, mass rape by Soviet soldiers and the expulsion of 15 million ethnic Germans from eastern Europe in 1945. A letter to the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper by Juergen Schulz expresses this increasingly held view. Schulz begins by underlining his distaste over the NPD's refusal to honour Holocaust victims. But he adds: "When we remember the firebombing victims, isn't it time that we can say their death was murder and a war crime? Are not the established parties also partly guilty for the rise of the NPD and anti-Semitism in Germany, if they continue to treat this problem as a taboo and leave it to the far-right?" The confused and uncertain response of established parties seems even stranger given the militant stance of the NPD. NPD objectives are brutally clear to anybody who bothers to view the party's website or the latest edition of the German domestic security agency's annual report. The NPD's geopolitics are shown on a map of Germany from 1938 - including parts of the country lost after World War II to Poland and Russia - which is available as a silver coin to raise funds for the movement. The map has a sword across it with the words, "The Reich, our Mission". The weekly Stern magazine says the NPD sells T-shirts, sweatshirts and posters emblazoned with the number "88". The letter "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet and "HH" stands for "Heil Hitler" an expression which has been banned since the Federal Republic of Germany was created in 1949. The NPD treats Nazi leaders such as Rudolf Hess as heroes and takes aggressive, anti-foreign and anti-Semitic positions, says Germany's home security agency, the Verfassungsschutz. A commentary in the party newspaper, "Deutsche Stimme" (German Voice), provides just one example: "The Torah is the original document of Jewish hatred of (other) nations." Another NPD commentary warns that immigrants are threatening what it terms "the continent of the white nations with disintegration and decomposition". Following their propaganda success with the Holocaust in Saxony, NPD activists plan at least two more big demonstrations aimed at upstaging Germany's established parties. The NPD has called for a march through Dresden on 13 February to mark the 60th anniversary of the World War II firebombing of the city by British and US aircraft which left at least 25,000 dead. An even worse public relations disaster for Germany could be in store on 8 May - the 60th anniversary of the Third Reich's defeat - when NPD leaders plan to march past the new Holocaust memorial in Berlin. "Sixty years of Liberation Lies - End the Cult of Guilt," is the NPD's motto for the demonstration. The party is also gearing up for state elections and functionaries have high hopes of winning seats in Schleswig-Holstein on 20 February and in North Rhine-Westphalia on 22 May.
©Expatica News

THE STRUGGLE OVER DRESDEN'S SYMBOLISM(Germany)
11/2/2005- On Sunday, Dresden commemorates the 60th anniversary of the bomb attacks that reduced the city to rubble. The far-right hopes to capitalize on the tragedy to spread its own message while others focus on reconciliation. No one denies that the near total destruction of this beautiful, Baroque city – once called the Florence on the Elbe – was a calamity. But a debate has now been ignited by the right wing about whether it should be primarily seen as a catastrophe Germany brought upon itself, or as the wanton, senseless killing of civilians by enemies of the German state. The massive bombing raids carried out from Feb. 13 to 14 by Anglo-American forces turned around 85 percent of a city once considered one of the world's most beautiful into a smoldering heap of ashes. Estimates of those killed range between 35,000 and 135,000, yet the attacks, carried out when German forces were already on the retreat and the nation destined for defeat, achieved little militarily. The high numbers of dead civilians and the seeming pointlessness of the destruction enable right-wing extremists in Germany to spread their xenophobic, revisionist message on the anniversary.

Right-wing hijacking?
Members of the far right are threatening to upstage the official commemoration on Sunday with demonstrations that could include up to 7,000 of their supporters. German media have said the neo-Nazi march, organized by the country's strongest extreme-right party, the National Democratic Party (NPD), could be the largest since the end of the war. It comes at a time when the nation as a whole is debating what to do about a recent upswing in the far-right's political fortunes and visibility. "One thing German politicians do not want are images to be broadcast around the world of neo-Nazis marching during commemorations of important war-time events," said Ulrich Battis, a professor of law at Berlin's Humboldt University who studies the country's far-right movement. Fears are high that banner-waving men with shaved heads taking over Dresden's old town on Sunday as television cameras roll. Officials worried about right-wingers stealing the spotlight have asked city residents to show their opposition to the far right and turn the occasion from a symbol of victimhood, to one of tyranny of Nazi rule and the destruction it brought on its own citizens. The city has asked people to wear a white rose in their lapel and to gather at Theater Square for a giant candlelit vigil on Sunday night. The main nave of the Frauenkirche, Dresden's central cathedral, which was destroyed in the bombings and whose painstaking reconstruction was just completed last year, will be open to visitors for the first time, eight months before its consecration. Officials hope it will serve as a symbol of reconciliation and forgiveness, and attract media attention away from the right-wingers. They have been at pains to emphasize the fact that the cross on the church's cupola was crafted by a silversmith from Coventry, England, the son of a British pilot who took part in the bombing of the city.

Germany as victim
While Dresden was a city firmly behind the Nazis during World War II and was run by a party member, Martin Mutschmann, renowned for his brutality, the far right plans to focus only on the German victims during the rally. Some are worried that their portrayal of Germany as victim will be an attractive message to many. "There are many more people today who subscribe to a very simple theory of victimhood and the NPD is able to connect with these people," said Friedemann Bringt, a project manager of the Culture Bureau of Saxony, a group which organizes initiatives to stop the rise of the far right. He said the "mourning marches" that right-wing extremists have held over the past five years on this anniversary have been increasingly well attended. "The number of older, 'normal' citizens taking part is growing," he said. "It's not just a march of neo-Nazis and skinheads anymore." According to Bukart Lutz, a sociology professor at the Center for Social Research at the Martin Luther University in Halle, the NPD has been successful in capitalizing on two narratives, both having to do with victimhood, coursing through eastern Germany now. One has to do with the bombing of a beautiful city with little strategic importance, and the images of charred corpses of women and children in piled in the streets. An NPD member of the state parliament last month called the attack a "bombing Holocaust," much to the horror of Jewish leaders and mainstream politicians. The other is more contemporary. Eastern Germany is the country's poorest region, with unemployment surpassing 20 percent in some places and the outlook bleak for improvement in the near future. Young people have been especially hard hit. With jobs in scarce supply, many have left for greener pastures in the west. Those who have remained, often alienated and with much hope, have proven fertile ground for those recruiting new adherents to the right-wing movement. Add to that painful welfare and labor market reforms that are being particularly felt in the east, by people of all ages, and the message of victimhood the NPD stresses starts to get through.

Possible violence
Officials are worried about possible violence on Sunday as opposing groups try to get their own interpretation and political points of view across. A loose coalition of left-wingers calling itself "No Tears for Krauts" has said it would "attack the Nazis and the revisionism of the bourgeois mob." Police say they expect some 1,000 anarchists to face around 5,000 far-right extremists, with up to 100,000 visitors to the official ceremonies in the middle. Although the topic of Dresden is a sensitive one, according to sociologist Lutz, for the right wing, it is not the unique symbol for their movement. For the extremists, he said Dresden is just a good occasion to continue sowing seeds on fertile ground. "It's not a problem that is specific to Dresden, rather a problem of East Germany," he said. "It could be something completely different tomorrow. But they are using this to take advantage of what I call as latent explosive potential that exists in the region. The country has to seriously address that, if it's not already too late."
©Deutsche Welle

BERLIN PLANS LAW TO STOP FAR-RIGHT MARCH(Germany)
11/2/2005- The German government aims to rush through a law to prevent rightwing extremists rallying at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate when the country marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II on 8 May, Interior Minister Otto Schily said. It is expected the legislation would limit the right to hold demonstrations and make it easier for authorities to prevent neo-Nazis marching near concentration camps and other sensitive areas. Speaking in the northern city of Kiel, Schily said he aimed to get the law approved by the 8 May events when parliament will be commemorating the 60th anniversary of the war's end. It is thought the legislation will also extend a ban on demonstrations around the Bundestag towards the landmark Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust memorial. Brandenburg Gate has played a prominent and highly symbolic role in German history and was used by the Nazis as a symbol for fascist Germany. It is already feared rightwing extremist supporters of the National Democratic Party (NPD) will mar commemorations in Dresden on Sunday recalling the Allied bombing raids on the night of 13 February 1945. The city is bracing for clashes, with about 7,000 NPD supporters, expected to march in the city to honour victims of what it has called a "bombing holocaust", while a counter-demonstration is planned by leftist groups. The Saxony state parliament was embroiled in scandal last month when NPD speakers compared the British-led firebombing of Dresden to the Holocaust, and its deputies walked out of a memorial service for victims of Auschwitz. The NPD won 9.2 percent of the vote to gain entry into the Saxony parliament in the September 2004 state elections.
©Expatica News

NEW RACIST DEATH THREAT FOR BUSINESS CHIEF(Belgium)
10/2/2005- The head of the Remmery firm in Ledegem has been sent a sixth death threat by nationalist extremists. The letter, sent by the Nieuw Vrij Vlaanderen to the Belgian press, threatens the "execution of Remmery as an example to other company bosses." Rik Remmery's 'offence' has been to allow a Muslim employee, Naima Amzil, to wear her headscarf at work. In December, the Belgian king openly voiced his support for Remmery, inviting him and Amzil to the palace to discuss the racist harassment they were experiencing. Although Amzil stopped wearing her veil in an attempt to calm the situation, Remmery has said he will not bow to the extremists and has been placed under police protection. Remmery said the king's support had encouraged him to stand firm. "If we receive more threats, we will take the same decision," he said in December. The company boss has also received support from the Flemish Union of Medium-Sized Businesses (UNIZO) which collected 25,000 signatures in a petition of solidarity.
©Expatica News

MINISTER SLAMMED OVER DANISH TRIP(Belgium)
10/2/2005– Interior Minister Patrick Dewael has come under fire for planning to visit Denmark to study its immigration policy. Dewael's visit is scheduled for Friday but the French-speaking socialists (PS), the greens and the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) say he should cancel the trip. They argue that Belgium should not even consider adopting immigration policies based on the Danish model, which has been influenced by nationalist and far right parties in the Scandinavian country. Denmark has one of the toughest stances on immigration in Europe, cutting development aid to countries which refuse to accept the return of illegal immigrants. The PS immediately released a statement when it heard of Dewael's intention to visit Denmark. It said it was "astonished" to learn Dewael, a right-leaning Liberal, intended to draw inspiration from a policy that was "extreme" and barely respected international conventions and human rights. "It's all the more worrying because the Danish government is a coalition of the Conservative right which draws support from the extreme right (the Danish People's Party, the sister party to Vlaams Belang)." Denis Grimberg, CDH group leader in the Brussels parliament, also attacked the visit. "The link between immigration and development policy is really dangerous," he said. "Belgium should first of all meet its commitments in terms of development aid before adding supplementary conditions." Ecolo federal secretary Isabelle Durant also criticised Dewael, calling on the PS to use its place in the ruling coalition to block the importation of the Danish model to Belgium. Dewael refused to comment on the criticisms beyond saying he would try to allay fears during his Danish visit.
©Expatica News

DECADE-LONG ROMA PROGRAM(Hungary)
10/2/2005- Prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány joined leaders from eastern and south-eastern Europe in Sofia on February 2 to launch a decade-long program to improve the conditions of the region's Roma population. Europe's 10-12 million Roma are the continent's largest ethnic minority, but also one of its most deprived. According to the World Bank, Roma communities from Czech Republic to Albania face unemployment rates as high as 90% and often live in slums without electricity or water. The leaders meeting in Sofia signed a commitment to pursue a "Decade of Roma Inclusion". Running until 2015, the program commits each country to pursuing improvements in various areas. The countries themselves will meet the costs, though international organizations, including the European Union and the World Bank, will also make contributions.

Hungary's action plan sets out targets in the fields of education, employment, housing and health. A particular aim is to reduce the level of segregation in schools. Currently, many Roma children are subject to de facto segregation by being classed as mentally impaired. There will also be efforts to improve Roma access to training in order to cut unemployment, to boost life expectancy and to put an end to Roma ghettos with substandard housing stock. The World Bank and George Soros's Open Society Institute (OSI) are behind the project. The first fruit of the initiative, the Roma Education Foundation, was established in Budapest at the beginning of this year. Claude Cahn of the European Roma Rights Foundation in Budapest welcomed the initiative, saying that it would provide an opportunity for improved coordination within and between governments. Currently, he said, some government bodies, notably the Hungarian education ministry and the Macedonian government, were fully engaged, but other bodies were achieving less. The task, he said, would be to ensure full commitment in all areas of government to ensure that the action plans would actually be implemented. It was particularly crucial to desegregate education, he said. Bernard Rorke of OSI Budapest also dwelt on the importance of desegregation. His organization would continue to promote civic advocacy and assistance to local Roma NGOs on the ground.
©The Budapest Sun

STATES COMMIT TO ROMA INCLUSION
But, Roma leader says, proof is in results, not speeches

10/2/2005- They frequently lack employment opportunities, adequate housing and the chance to get a decent education. But now Roma, or Gypsies, can call to account governments that say they are committed to improving the lot of Roma. Top leaders from several former Eastern bloc countries met in Sofia, Bulgaria, this month to kick off the Decade of Roma Inclusion, an initiative supported by the Soros Foundation and the World Bank. Representing the Czech Republic were Justice Minister Pavel Nemec and Human Rights Commissioner Svatopluk Karasek. George Soros, the Hungarian-born billionaire who heads the Soros Foundation, has long shown interest in social issues in the former Eastern bloc. He told conference delegates that the decade project is "the first time that governments are showing real political will to see that Roma are equal citizens in a growing Europe." The Decade of Roma Inclusion requires governments to set quantitative goals in the areas of education, employment, health and housing. Sources such as the Czech News Agency estimate Roma unemployment at 70 to 90 percent. Along with discrimination, many Roma children also face the disadvantage of being placed into schools for children with special needs, even though they have normal cognitive abilities. They rarely finish high school and few Roma have ever attended university here, according to Education Ministry statistics. Governments across the former Eastern bloc have been slow to address this education gap, say critics from international organizations and Roma groups. The decade project will depend on existing government funding as well as $43 million (989 million Kc) in pledges and $30 million given by Soros for the new Roma Education Fund. The Czech government is spending 111 million Kc on Roma integration programs this year, an increase of 18 million Kc over 2004.

Communist role
Ivan Vesely, a well-known Roma advocate here, cast aspersions on Czech participation in the Soros project because he said the government did not consult Roma organizations on their participation in the preparation process for the Roma Decade Action Plan. "Roma people as a whole were mostly being forced into the role of observers during the preparatory process of their own decade," he wrote on the Web site of Dzeno, the Roma advocacy organization he heads. Vesely was, however, impressed by a Bulgarian education initiative discussed at the conference that has led to a large number of Roma attending high schools and universities. He also praised Nemec for being the only government representative at the conference to note that the Roma's plight is the result of policies under the communist regime.
©The Prague Post

IT'S TIME THAT WE DISMANTLED THE DANGEROUS MYTH OF FORTRESS EUROPE(Comment)
7/2/2005- The image of 227 Africans being held by coastguards in Tenerife is one that politicians throughout Europe would do well to study. This incident could be said to symbolise our collective failure to grasp what people will endure to escape the twin evils of poverty and oppression. In recent years, the nations of the European Union have been making it increasingly difficult for those seeking entry from abroad, particularly Africa, to get through. Spain and Italy, whose coastlines are relatively close to North Africa, have tightened their border controls substantially. The navies of these two countries turn back boatloads of African immigrants on a regular basis. But this has not stopped thousands of Africans braving the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. More than 7,000 made it to the Canary Islands from Morocco, one of the few routes that is still relatively open, in the past year. It is not known how many have died attempting these crossings, but given that many take to the sea in what are often little more than rusty tins, the number is likely to be in the hundreds. The governments of Europe are fighting a losing battle to shut out those who would seek refuge or a better life on our continent. Navy patrols and surveillance technology make it more difficult for those who would undertake this journey, but they are not acting as a deterrent. These people are so desperate, they are willing to run almost any risk to reach our shores. The idea of "Fortress Europe" is increasingly a myth. But it is a myth that European governments are finding very hard to give up. Our own Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, will today unveil a "five-year plan" for immigration and asylum. In it, he will propose a points-system for economic migrants and announce strict measures to prevent our asylum system from being "abused". The implication of this is unmistakable. The Home Secretary is admitting to the charge levelled by the anti-immigrant right that Britain is a "soft touch". He is attempting to argue that by imposing rigorous restrictions on entry we can determine, with precision, the numbers who come to our shores. We have heard the same arguments across the European Union, from Italy to the Netherlands. But one glance at the boatload of people washed up in Tenerife this weekend is enough to demonstrate how misguided this is.

The idea that the vast majority of poor immigrants come to Britain, or any other European country, with the sole intention of living on tax-payer funded benefits is one of the most pernicious of our age. It is also plain wrong. People flee tyrannies because they are in fear of their lives, not because they are hoping for a subsidised council flat. They run away from oppressive poverty because they want to improve their lot, not to eke out an existence on food vouchers. The truth is that, when they are finally allowed to work, immigrants are an enormous boost to our economy. But politicians insist on pandering to the popular belief that they are all economic parasites. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have special cause to study the picture on our front page today. Both have repeatedly proclaimed their concern for the plight of the people of Africa. They have pledged to use Britain's leadership of the G8 this year to deal with the many ills that afflict that continent. But how can the Prime Minister and the Chancellor square their concern for the oppressed of Africa with the calumnies that the Home Secretary, by implication, will today heap on the heads of those among them who attempt to come to Britain? Mr Blair and Mr Brown are right to stress Europe's deep responsibility to Africa. But we must also accept that, such is the misery of life in many African nations, there will inevitably be an outflow of people looking for a better life in Europe. These are the wretched people who are washed up on the beaches of the Canary Islands every year. Instead of perpetuating the old myths, we should welcome those who demonstrate the courage to make it to Europe's shores.
© Independent Digital

WOMEN IN EUROPE GET HIGHER EDUCATION - BUT LOWER PAY
4/2/2005- European women outnumber men in higher education, but face a 15% pay gap, according to a European Commission report. Social affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla is expected to outline plans for addressing setbacks in gender equality in a new EU Social agenda for 2006 2010, which is to be presented next week. Among the new initiatives, the EU is expected to propose a European Gender Institute - responsible for guarding the implementation of EU laws on equality between men and women. As suggested in the recent Joint Employment Report, there is still a 16% gap in the employment rate between men and women on average across the EU. This has reached over 25% in Greece, Italy and Malta. However, women's employment rate has increased faster over the past years, and their higher qualifications have lead to more women getting high-level jobs in the majority of EU member states. European women currently outnumber men in upper secondary education and graduate in larger numbers than men. Still, a salary gender gap is present across Europe it is largest in the UK, Ireland and Austria, and smallest in Portugal and Italy, according to the report.
©EUobserver

EU DISCOURAGED FROM FURTHER OVERLAP IN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING
7/2/2005- The Council of Europe is set to call on EU leaders to prevent a further overlap of human rights monitoring by adding a new agency to the long list of existing organisations. Plans to set up a European Agency on Fundamental Rights have caused concerns over duplication in the human rights and democracy fields, the Financial Times reports. Commenting on the proposed agency, Terry Davis, secretary-general of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe said that "with all the best will in the world, I can't understand what it is going to do". Instead, Mr Davis is planning to suggest to the European leaders that a merger between the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) should be considered. He argues that the observers from the two bodies experienced some tensions on the ground when monitoring elections in Ukraine and Georgia, which should trigger questions of the long term need for both organisations. "There is a tremendous overlap between the EU, OSCE and the Council of Europe", he said and added that "sometimes it's good to work together, but sometimes it's a cop-out, because governments don't want to choose who does what", according to the FT. However, exactly how the merger between the Council of Europe and the OSCE should be worked out remains unanswered, as OSCE officials responded coldly to the idea and suggested that the two organisations have different objectives. The Council of Europe, set up in 1949, has the advantage of the oldest human rights monitoring body and includes all 46 European countries, except for Belarus. The Vienna-based OSCE was created as a predominantly security-related body in 1973 and covers 55 states, including the US, Canada and central Asian states. The budgets of the two organisations are around 180m.
©EUobserver

EU-WIDE BAN ON NAZI SYMBOLS 'UNWISE'
9/2/2005- The European Commission on Tuesday (8 February) said that an EU-wide ban on Nazi symbols would be 'unwise'. A justice spokesperson said it would be "unexplainable and unwise" to try and harmonise a ban at the EU level. "What we could at most envisage is a general reference to a prohibition of using materials ... which could lead to racism or xenophobia". He added that this would be the perfect time for the EU to leave member states to deal with the details at national level. Speaking about an EU law against racism and xenophobia to be discussed by justice ministers later this month, and which would refer to Nazi symbols, the spokesperson said that the "detailed implementation and the transposition of that general rule" would be left to the 25 member states". It would be up to them to decide "when and which symbols would lead to such criminal offences". His words represent a stepping back for the Commission. Last month justice commissioner Franco Frattini had spoken generally in favour of such a ban. However, EU officials say that an EU ban on either Nazi or Soviet symbols would be extremely difficult to put into place. It would be hard to legislate so that satirical articles or cartoons containing the symbols would not fall foul of the law. Mr Frattini also rebuffed calls by MEPs from central and Eastern Europe for an EU-wide ban on Soviet symbols. In a long letter to the two MEPs who had made the request, Mr Frattini instead called for a "wide-ranging European debate". His letter to Jozsef Szajer and Vytautas Landsbergis, from Hungary and Lithuania, said "ultimately together we all belong, whether in the west or in the east, to the same history and are free to judge our past, as a common past". Mr Frattini also pointed out that there has often been disagreement between historians about whether Soviet and Nazi era crimes could be compared. The two MEPs had said that if Nazi symbols are to be banned at EU level, then Soviet symbols ought to be as well. The whole discussion was sparked off by the UK's Prince Harry who attended a fancy dress party last month in a German soldier's uniform with a swastika.
©EUobserver

NIKE: ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGN NOT ABOUT PUBLICITY
10/2/2005- Gary Neville's claims that Nike might look to gain commercial advantage from football's latest anti-racism campaign were today strenuously denied by the sportswear manufacturers. The England defender looked to have provoked a possible confrontation with Nike, who sponsor Manchester United's kit, by making his outspoken comments after last night's international friendly against Holland. Nike have been to the fore of the campaign to drum racism out of the world game since England's friendly against Spain last November, when the Bernabeu crowd aimed monkey chants at the likes of Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Neville welcomed the anti-racism initiatives taken by England and Holland last night at Villa Park but suggested the campaign might be "cheapened slightly by companies like Nike getting a lot of PR out of it for nothing". Yet Nike UK's corporate communications manager, Simon Charlesworth, today insisted there was no ulterior motive to their campaigning, despite Neville's claims. "The campaign isn't about publicity," he said. "It's about racism, and the fact remains that there is racism in football." "We've spoken with all the relevant bodies such as Kick It Out, and we've had their approval. Even Gary Neville's team-mate, Rio Ferdinand, has come down to London to help with the campaign." Charlesworth conceded that Neville was "entitled to his opinion". "We can't stop him saying these things," he added.

Nike have a Ł300m ( 436.3m), 10-year sponsorship and merchandising deal with United. But that did not stop Neville speaking out about the firm who helped launch Thierry Henry's high-profile anti-racism campaign ‘Stand Up, Speak Up' along with United and England defender Ferdinand two weeks ago. Neville said: "We don't have a big problem with racism in this country. You can think of probably one or two incidents in the last five or 10 years. "We have to make sure that it [the campaign] is conducted in the right manner and not done just for PR like some of the sports companies seem to be doing at the moment. "The FA and the England team have always campaigned against racism very well. We have just got to be aware that it is not cheapened slightly by companies like Nike getting a lot of PR out of it for nothing." A Nike statement confirmed their commitment to the campaign fronted by Henry, who was at the centre of controversy last year when Spain coach Luis Aragones made racist remarks about the Frenchman during a training-ground conversation with his Highbury team-mate Jose Antonio Reyes. "Racism in football is an issue that players feel strongly about," said the Nike statement. "'Stand Up, Speak Up' has been initiated by Thierry Henry, with the support of Nike and players from many other countries. "Money raised by the distribution of the black and white wristbands will be distributed to organisations across Europe working against racism in football."
©Ireland On-Line

EU SAYS EUROPE NEEDS MIGRANTS DESPITE UNEMPLOYMENT
9/2/2005- Europe needs more, not fewer, economic migrants despite public fears and high unemployment in core West European countries, EU Labour and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla says. In an interview with Reuters, the former Czech prime minister disputed suggestions that the new EU executive headed by Jose Manuel Barroso was dominated by economic liberals uninterested in preserving social rights or public services. "Over the next 20 years, there will be 20 million fewer workers in Europe, even including migrants," he said, pointing to an ageing population and falling birth rates. "Naturally, if you only look at the next two weeks, things look different. But in the EU we have to work on the long term and we definitely need immigration," said Spidla, who was to set out the Commission's new "Social Agenda" later on Wednesday. He acknowledged that advocating greater labour migration was politically difficult at a time when unemployment in Germany has topped five million, reaching the highest level since the 1930s, but said it would be wrong to blame immigrants for the problem. "Would the post-World War Two German economic miracle have been possible without 'guest workers'? Certainly not," he said. Germany's neighbour, Austria, with roughly the same proportion of immigrants, had fewer than 4.5 percent unemployed, about half the German level, he noted.

Inefficient barriers
Spidla said he expected some of the 15 old EU member states would not extend curbs on the free movement of workers from the 10 new countries which joined in 2004 when the first two-year period expires next year. "Based on my discussions, I expect some member states will not extend the transition period, but I can't name which ones." While accepting that labour market policy remained a purely national responsibility, the commissioner said barriers to free movement had an economic cost because they prevented the enlarged EU internal market from working efficiently. "If you don't achieve free movement of people as well as capital and goods, you don't get a proper allocation of labour, one of Europe's key resources -- qualified workers," he said. EU countries would only be able to maintain generous levels of social welfare if they were economically competitive. While he supported the Commission's proposal to liberalise the EU market for services, he said there were "well founded fears that cannot be swept aside" about preserving social services of public interest such as in healthcare. Spidla also advocated a more flexible retirement system to encourage more Europeans who were able to work later in life while providing pensions for those who needed to retire. He skirted around the debate in France about whether to abandon or loosen the 35-hour work week but said Europeans would have to get used to working longer in their lives. "The issues is not more hours in the week but more days in the life," he said.
©Reuters

PROVINCE RULES OUT BLACK-ONLY SCHOOLS(Canada)
But says it would consider racially focused programs
Lincoln Alexander among critics of segregated schools

4/2/2005- Amid growing local controversy, the Ontario government says racially segregated schools aren't in the cards. But it says it's not ruling out ethnically focused programs that could help black students, and other groups, do better at school. The controversial topic of alternative schools for black students was raised Wednesday at a forum on black achievement in Toronto's public school system. But any decision on using racially focused programs to raise academic achievement rests with the province's new Literacy Secretariat, said a spokesperson for Education Minister Gerard Kennedy. The secretariat is led by Avis Glaze, a veteran Jamaican-born educator now in charge of a bid to raise standardized test scores in the province. But the ministry remains cautious on the topic of racially oriented education. "At this time there are few statistics to suggest academic achievement is based on race or ethnicity," spokesperson Amanda Alvaro said. Academics said yesterday it may be time to consider experimenting with alternative schools for black students. But the reaction of activists and other observers who waded into the debate ranged from caution to repugnance. Former lieutenant-governor Lincoln Alexander — who, among other distinctions, has an award for promoting racial harmony named after him — was scathing in his criticism. "If you don't have a black boss in the police department, does that mean you can't be a policeman? If you don't have a black person as head of the law society, does that mean that you can't get a law degree?" he said in an interview. "These university professors ought to get out of their classrooms and see what's going on." But a York University education expert says there is nothing outrageous about the idea of black-targeted schools. Professor Carl James, who has published numerous books and articles on black students, says the Toronto District School Board should be experimenting with a black-focused school in an existing facility, probably one that already has a majority of black students. James agrees with George Dei, a sociology professor from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, who sparked the debate this week. He drew loud applause at the town-hall meeting by suggesting alternative schools for black students were the only way to prevent them from being pushed out of the system. He was one of many at the meeting who believed Toronto schools discriminate against black students with zero-tolerance codes that are being implemented by teachers, few of whom come from the same racial or ethnic background as the children they teach.

The idea of alternative schools for black students has emerged periodically over the last 20 years as educators struggle with ways to improve the academic achievement of some groups. For many, it raises the spectre of racial segregation in U.S. schools, but James, who was born in the Caribbean and is a former Regent Park youth worker, says it's not the same thing. "Do we consider Catholic schools as segregated? No, we think there have been some benefits to them," he said in an interview yesterday at York, where he is the university's affirmative action director. One of the problems with the idea is that nobody's ever really thought through what they might look like, James said. Such a school could have black students or a black-focused curriculum, or it could focus on students understanding themselves in terms of race. Not all activists favour the notion, however. If Canada is truly a diverse society, its schools should reflect that diversity, not fragment it with specialized schools, said Zanana Akande, president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. "We live in an integrated society — at least we're supposed to — so what we should be doing is make sure schools serve the population that's out there," Akande said in an interview. "But what we do need to do is make sure we integrate black history into the curriculum. Right now, the way we teach World War II, you'd think blacks weren't there. You'd think First Nations weren't there. We have to stop teaching the history of omission we teach right now." Akande said it might be useful to run a temporary black-focused school as a research project to measure the influence of black instructors and black curriculum on student achievement, "but not as a general program, no." Akua Benjamin, a black activist who is director of social work at Ryerson University, also sat on the town-hall panel. "We fought streaming back in the 1960s, but it seems we're still fighting it today," she said. "The Toronto District School Board has 80 social workers now to deal with 550 schools — that's an outrage," she said. "We need more black teachers, more black principals and a plethora of black social workers."

The former Toronto Board of Education stopped collecting race-based statistics with amalgamation in 1997. Since then, it has collected only "student success indicators," which correlate student performance with place of birth. These statistics only capture children born outside Canada. The student success indicators for 2001-02 showed that 54 per cent of students born in the English-speaking Caribbean had 14 credits or fewer at the end of Grade 10. (Students should have 16 credits at this point in their academic careers. Anything less than 14 is an indicator that these students could fail to complete high school within the next three years.) The success indicators also found that 45 per cent of students born in west Africa, Central or South America were at risk of not graduating on time, as were 39 per cent of east African students. Some 27 per cent of Canadian-born students were found to be at risk. Students born in South Asia, Eastern Europe and eastern Asia were less likely to be at risk of failing than those born here. Toronto Star readers, who posted comments on the newspaper's online forum, opposed the idea of alternate schools for black children by a lopsided majority. "How is that going to promote understanding and diversity in the broader community?" wrote Jonathan Leigh of Toronto. And not all black teens at Wednesday's town hall felt they were "at risk" of dropping out. "We're not all struggling; some of us do excellent at school. I was born here, I'm not struggling, and I found the Grade 10 literacy test was no big deal," said Mark Dennis, 17, a Grade 12 student at Oakwood Collegiate. Friend Dadrian Brown, also in Grade 12, said some black teens skip class and practise basketball in hopes of landing a sports scholarship, "but they don't seem to realize you also need marks to get a scholarship."
©The Toronto Star

THE CASE FOR BLACK SCHOOLS(Canada)
Some argue that black-focused schools represent a reversion to the days of segregation. But there is a meaningful difference between forced segregation and separation, says professor George Dei,George, chair of the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

4/2/2005- Debates on the collection of race-based data by the Toronto District School Board reflect competing visions of education in Ontario. But to what extent will these statistics reinforce negative stereotypes, ignore or address low student performance, or simply blame individual educators?
These debates raise the issue of how some students, notably racial minorities, are being denied full opportunities by the public school system. The problem of black youth disengagement from school is well documented. As a parent and academic I support the public school system, and I echo the sentiments of educators and community groups who for years have advocated alternative visions of schooling. Our school system has an important role to play in providing all youth with hope and opportunity. It is with this in mind that I want to revisit the issue of "black focused" schools.

An informed debate must address two key interrelated questions:
First, what is a "black-focused" school? Second, what would such a school look like? A black-focused school challenges the conventional educational environment and stresses the principles of responsibility, interdependence, respect for elders, transparency, and accountability. The school seeks to centre the learner in her or his own culture, history, personal location and spiritual identity. While these principles are not exclusive to such a school, they do provide a model for holistic, socially integrated schooling that all students may benefit from. It will strive for high academic excellence and meet provincial standards.

The second question calls for imagining new forms of education. A black-focused school is organized around communal principles and non-hierarchical structures. In making the totality of black-lived experience relevant to all parts of the curriculum, the school would foster the social, physical, spiritual, and academic development of students. In breaking down the separation between the formal school and the wider community, incorporating the family/home and the workplace, the school offers new and creative ways of thinking about knowledge, and then engaging students to use this knowledge to make positive social changes. All of us, whether we have students in the school system or not, can benefit from these gains as students engage with education as an expression of shared community. In November, 1992, a multi-level government task force in Ontario, the African-Canadian Community Working Group, proposed creating one predominantly black junior high school in each of the six Metropolitan Toronto municipalities and a five-year pilot scheme to establish what were termed black-focused schools. The Royal Commission on Learning recommended that "school boards, academic authorities, faculties of education, and representatives of the black community collaborate to establish demonstration schools" in jurisdictions with large numbers of black students. The school would have predominantly black and racial minority teaching staff and be open to students from a range of social backgrounds: racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and "immigrant." Community groups such as the Organization of Parents of Black Children have long supported this idea of black-focused schools, acknowledging that racial solidarity alone will not ensure black youth success in schools.

Why have these recommendations gone unheeded?
The legitimate concerns arising from this proposal have centred on the notions of social segregation and equality of education. In North America, these have been treated as opposite sides of the same proverbial coin. Integration, however, has not guaranteed equitable educational outcomes for all youth. Quality education for all is possible only when equity issues are addressed. Some argue that black-focused schools represent a reversion to the days of segregation. But there is a meaningful difference between forced segregation and separation by choice. Segregationists in the first half of the 20th century sought to exclude blacks from meaningful participation in society. By contrast, black-focused schools aim to address an educational crisis and help minority youth succeed. Proponents of the idea are not talking about pulling every black youth away from mainstream schools.

To see black-focused schools as segregated schools, we must ask:
How different are these schools from all-girls' schools? Or boy-only literacy classes in the junior grades in response to standardized provincial test results indicating lower achievement levels in reading and writing among this group? Does the stigma of segregation only achieve political currency when applied to race? Opponents question how such schools will contend with backlash and social stigmatization, provision of funds, curriculum, pedagogy, and resources, diversity of staff, and benefits of a protective but unrealistic school environment from which these students must eventually move. Rather than weakening current efforts by mainstream schools to be inclusive of African-Canadian experiences, a black-focused school enhances them. Mainstream schools, however, must continue to strive to be inclusive. There is no reason why the existence of a black-focused school should lead to an either/or situation. Ontario's diverse communities and classrooms necessitate educational inclusion in terms of what is taught, how it is taught, by whom, and outreach to the larger society. The call for black-focused schools reflects the larger structural problems facing Ontario's public school system. The idea of such a school questions the fundamental objectives of public schools: what and how they are supposed to teach, who graduates from the system and with what accreditation and whose interests are reflected in official channels for teaching, learning, and administration of education. Black-focused schools are part of a larger dialogue about teaching and learning, equity and community. My view is that where there is established educational disadvantage — reflected in race-based statistics — we must never close the door to new, or even radical, educational options for youth. We have a collective duty to Ontario's disengaged youth. The consequences of silence and inaction are too great for all of us.
©The Toronto Star

HATE MESSAGES ON GOOGLE SITE DRAW CONCERN(usa)
6/2/2005- Over the last year, millions of Internet users have gravitated to Orkut, a Web site created and run by Google that permits people, by invitation only, to join any of a long list of online communities. Communities have been created around a shared interest in photography, Miles Davis's music and travel to offbeat places. A small minority, however, advance a hatred for Jews, blacks or gays, including a "Death to the Jews" site and a site called "Death to Blacks." By now no one should be surprised that people use the Internet to spread repugnant views about race, religion or sexuality. But what is different about Orkut, online specialists say, is that the hate-filled dialogues are taking place inside a members-only social network site that - at least in theory - strictly forbids this kind of conduct in its user's agreement. The hatemongering is fast becoming an embarrassment for Google, the world's most popular search engine, particularly because the company has adopted "don't be evil" as its motto. The potential for tarnishing Google's gold-plated brand name also underscores the risks the company faces as it expands into new Internet businesses in which it has less experience. "Given the prestige and familiarity of Google, I think this is an important development, if not quite radically new," said Cass R. Sunstein, a professor of law at the University of Chicago and author of the book "Republic.com," which concludes that the Internet inadvertently helps foster extreme viewpoints. For Google, the trouble on Orkut - which is still in beta, or test, form - could easily escalate. A prosecutor in Brazil, where the service is especially popular, has already initiated an investigation into some of the more virulent Orkut sites. For the moment, Google is not saying much about the issue. In response to a request for comment, a Google spokeswoman, Eileen Rodriguez, wrote in an e-mail message, "There are instances when orkut.com members misuse the service, but it is a very small number compared to everyone who uses it. There is a certain amount of trust we have to place in our users." Google would not pinpoint the number of people signed up for Orkut, but characterized it as "millions."

Orkut members are required to follow the company's "terms of service and community standards," Ms. Rodriguez wrote, which state that "an account cannot upload, transmit or contain material that is hateful or offensive based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation." When users "don't follow these terms and we are made aware of an issue, we take the necessary steps, which may include removing the content," she said. Google would not say if it had ever taken such action. Internet law and custom generally exempt Internet service providers from responsibility for the behavior of their users. But when it comes to social networking sites like Orkut that invite users to seek out potential business contacts, dates or like-minded souls through links with friends and friends of friends, the responsibilities of the Internet host are more ambiguous. "When these new tools are introduced to the social world, the social norms, like manners and etiquette, and basic questions of who's responsible for what, get all scrambled," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. "What we're seeing is the havoc that the Internet wreaked on plenty of business is now playing out in the social world." Despite the company's stated policies, Orkut users - who are allowed to participate only if invited by a current member - can join the 2,300 people who already belong to an "I Hate Queens, Faggots and Gays" group, created in August by a Brazilian Orkut member. When setting up the community, the group's founder described it as a forum for Portuguese-speaking people to "show your indignation and make jokes" about a "type of person" who "is gaining in society." Because access to the Orkut site requires membership, general Internet users cannot stumble accidentally onto these groups. Orkut members can also sign up to join a myriad of communities dedicated to despising people of color, including one in English that advocates the founder's position of death to all black people. The founder of that group, Kiarash Poursaleh, who described himself in his profile as an 18-year-old living in Tehran, also listed "Mein Kampf" by Hitler as a favorite book, named "shooting" as his favorite sport and described his humor as "friendly." All members create a personal profile and can add their own communities to the Orkut site. Mr. Poursaleh has joined dozens of other English-language Orkut communities, including the "Adolf Hitler SS Army Fan Club" and an "anti-Jewry" community, as well as a group for fans of the television show "Friends." Mr. Poursaleh, who did not respond to an e-mail request for an interview, is also a member of "Anti-Arab Iranians," a community with the motto, "We Hate Arabs!!! Kill Them All!"

Other social networking sites have confronted similar issues of hatemongering, but the problem is more pronounced at Orkut because the service encourages people to create and participate in online communities of like-minded individuals. Community groups help to distinguish Orkut from its competitors, like Friendster, the first widely popular social networking site. Tribe Networks is another social networking site that encourages users to create communities of shared interest. "Mainly we're reactive, rather than proactive, when it comes to these hate sites," said Mark J. Pincus, the chief executive of Tribe, based in San Francisco. "But we have a full-time staffer who looks for these kinds of things and deals with complaints when they come up." Plugging the word "hate" into the site's search engine delivered a listing of more than 200 "tribes," but they tended to be more humorous and offbeat. Users have created groups for those who hate "the n-word," online dating, dogs, ranch dressing or any of a random list of B-list celebrities (Ryan Seacrest, Brittany Murphy, Carrot Top). Though Orkut began life a year ago as a venue for Silicon Valley's digerati, now nearly two-thirds of registered users are from Brazil. Google said one explanation for this seemingly inexplicable phenomenon was that Brazilians are quick to adopt new technologies. In late January, Christiano Jorge Santos, a state prosecutor in Săo Paulo, began a criminal investigation of some of the hate communities hosted by Orkut. The impetus was the cyberassault of a 13-year-old black child who lives in Săo Paulo. Those behind a Portuguese language community called "Antiheroes" posted a copy of the child's picture at the site, without his knowledge, and then invited visitors to "unload all your fury on this poor, innocent little black kid. Click on him and get revenge." Such an action is clearly criminal under Brazilian law, Mr. Santos said. "That's racism, and in Brazil racism is a crime," he said. Under Brazilian law, it is a crime to practice, induce or incite discrimination or prejudice on the grounds of race, color, ethnicity, religion or national origin. If convicted, offenders could serve two to five years in prison, in addition to paying a sizable fine. "The U.S. is pretty unusual providing the broad protection we do to hate speech," said Professor Sunstein. In "South America, Europe - Google could have problems with many other jurisdictions." Mr. Santos, the author of a book on hate crimes in Brazil, is targeting "all the communities that use racist and discriminatory terms on the site www.orkut.com," according to documents he filed in court. Because Brazilian law does not include discrimination based on sexuality in its criminal code, those behind sites like "I Hate Transvestites" would not face criminal charges. Among the Orkut groups that Mr. Santos has focused on is a "Death to Blacks" site, written in Portuguese. That group's founder, Alex Pazzo, also created the "Death to the Jews" group, also written in Portuguese. (Mr. Pazzo did not respond to an e-mail message, sent through the Orkut system, seeking comment.)

It is also unlikely that Google could be held criminally responsible in a Brazilian court, Mr. Santos said, since he would have to prove that the company was intentionally complicit in disseminating racist materials. Nevertheless, Google could be sued for damages in a Brazilian civil court, he said, because of a lack of precautionary measures against racist crimes. Other Portuguese-language Orkut groups include "I Hate Argentines," "I Hate Transvestites" and "I Hate the Universal Church," which refers to the evangelical church popular among Brazil's poor. The majority of the Orkut hate sites seem to be written in Portuguese, but many are written in English as well. For instance, an English-language "Anti-Jews" site, created in November, lists Schenectady, N.Y., as its home base. The community logo is a caricature of a man with a Star of David tattooed on his forehead. The site was created by Timothy Schultz, an Orkut member who says in his profile that he was born in Germany but now lives in the United States. He describes his mother as "Persian," but assures those reading his Orkut profile that both parents are "Aryan." The group's mission statement declares that it matters not whether members are Christian, Muslim or Buddhist, "the fact is we are all angry about what they have done and what they are doing to human beings all around the world." While the group has only 98 members, they come from a variety of places around the globe, like Iran, Korea and Marblehead, Mass. In one of the oddities of an online universe in which software, not a human brain, is behind a service, Orkut lists a "Jesus Christ" site ("for people who love Jesus") as a "related community" to "Anti-Jews." At the Anti-Jews site, when a woman going by the screen name Wasay 666 said that she was against the murder of Jews, several posters scoffed at her view. What concerns Professor Sunstein is that "if you get like-minded people together around a hatred of Jews, or blacks, or whatever, they end up being more hateful."
©The New York Times

MALAYSIA: ISLAM AND MULTI-CULTURALISM
In the first of a four-part series entitled Islam's Furthest Frontier, the BBC's Roger Hardy examines how Malaysia is struggling to balance a new pre-eminence for Islam with the rights of non-Muslims.
By Roger Hardy, BBC Islamic affairs analyst

7/2/2005- How to create a 21st Century Muslim democracy in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society - that is the challenge faced by modern Malaysia. The country is known as one of South East Asia's most successful "tiger" economies. The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is a dynamic, hi-tech city - its famous Petronas twin towers a symbol of its aspirations.

Mahathir and modernisation
In the 1980s and 90s, Malaysia's course was charted by its ambitious prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad. He and his ruling Umno party pursued a modernisation programme based on two guiding principles. First, they gave Islam a new pre-eminence in public life. This meant stressing Muslim values and identity, building up Islamic institutions and forging new links with the wider Muslim world. Second, they continued the "affirmative action" policies, begun in the 1970s, which gave the ethnic Malays - who form some 60% of the population - a privileged position in government, education and the bureaucracy. But where do these twin goals leave the Chinese, Indians and others who form the non-Muslim minority? Can a society based on these two principles also be genuinely democratic?

Umno under fire
The policies of Mahathir and Umno have come under fire from two different quarters. For secular liberals like human-rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz, the "Islamisation" of Malaysian society and politics has gone too far, and is eroding the country's once-liberal traditions. The non-Muslims, he says bluntly, are second-class citizens. For the Islamic opposition party Pas, on the other hand, Islamisation has not gone nearly far enough. Ever since it broke away from Umno in the 1950s, PAS has argued that Malaysia should become an Islamic state governed by the Sharia (Islamic law). This has thrown Umno onto the defensive. "Umno and Pas are engaged in a holier-than-thou battle," says women's rights activist Zainah Anwar. The group she helped to found in the 1980s, Sisters in Islam, seeks to defend women's rights within the framework of Islam. She and her colleagues are not the only ones opposed to Pas' brand of conservative Islam. It also alarms the non-Muslim minorities, who fear that under a Pas-led government their rights would be jeopardised.

The post-Mahathir era
The country is now in transition. Since Mahathir stepped down in 2003, many Malaysians have been pinning their hopes on his quiet and cautious successor, Abdullah Badawi. They see the release from prison of Anwar Ibrahim - the country's best-known Muslim intellectual - as marking the turning of a page. Once seen as Mahathir's likely successor, Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of corruption and sodomy and only released last year, after six years in jail. Although banned from holding political office until 2008, he appears to be resuming his role as a leading opposition politician. So will Malaysia be able to shake off the corruption and authoritarianism which have tarnished the Umno project? And can it transform its disparate communities into a unified Malaysian nation where everyone is equal? These are the challenges of the post-Mahathir era.
©BBC News

HEADSCARF HATE MAIL SHOCKS BELGIUM
31/1/2005- "You are a bad Belgian and you have signed your own death warrant." That was the message to factory owner Rik Remmery when he opened his mail one morning just before Christmas. For ex-policeman Rik it was only the start of an angry and chilling tirade of threatening post. Further letters put a 250,000 euro ($326,000; Ł173,000) price on his head and a final package contained a bullet. By now the letters were coming to his family home as well as his factory. "December," another letter read "will be a nightmare." The death threats against Rik were caused by one simple fact - he employed a Muslim woman who wore a headscarf to work. Somebody, somewhere in the small town of Ledegem in West Flanders did not like that and was prepared to take extreme action unless Rik sacked Naima Amzil. But Rik stood firm. "She's worked here for eight years. I accepted her with a headscarf and I will not change my mind because of one sick person," he said.

Removing the scarf
Naima was horrified when she found out about the threats. She could not believe someone would react to her simple white headscarf in such a manner. Originally from Morocco, she had done everything possible to integrate into Belgian society - speaking French and Flemish and carrying a Belgian passport. Her work colleagues rallied around her. The Unizo union of independent employers organised an internet petition of support which eventually racked up more than 25,000 names. But as the letters kept coming, the pressure and fear grew. In the end, with the police at a dead end in their investigation, Naima decided to act. She removed her headscarf to work on the factory floor. Health and safety regulations meant she wore a hairnet at work anyway and that allowed her to stay true to her religious beliefs.

Royal sympathy
It was a traumatic action to undertake. She cried for hours that day. "It was very, very difficult. It was like a piece of me was taken away. The whole day I felt bad," said Naima. Belgium's King Albert was on holiday in France and saw a report about events in Ledegem on television. He contacted the factory and invited Rik and Naima - in headscarf - to the royal palace for a televised audience. For the king, it was important to send a message out that religious intolerance was unacceptable. Naima and Rik's story is symptomatic of the suspicion and extremism rearing its head against many of Europe's Muslims. In other parts of Belgium, political pressure is forcing local police to enforce rules that are hard to explain to the Muslim community.

Police vigilance
In Antwerp - a city with a 50,000-strong Muslim community - police can now reprimand, or even imprison, women found dressed in the burka (full body covering) on the streets of the city. The police stress that this is an old regulation - originally designed to stop people covering their faces completely in masks at carnival time. It is all about public safety. "When you're patrolling as a police officer, you should see the faces of people. Because if you can't see the faces, you don't know who it is, what they want to do," said commissioner Francois Vermeulen of Antwerp police. "If you put on a Mickey Mouse mask and you start walking around in Antwerp, you will be stopped by the police. It's that simple. It's not only women in a burka or a headscarf and a veil." But the police admit that the women they have stopped for this reason do not know about, or do not understand, the statute. Back in Ledegen the police are still at a loss. The threatening letters have stopped for the time being, but the unpleasant feeling of a home-grown extremism remains. "In a small town like this, everybody knows everybody. I think it must be a skinhead, a neo-Nazi, a neo-fascist, someone like that. I really don't know," said Rik. On the factory floor, Naima is hard at work packing prawns and other delicacies produced by the factory. She is still putting on a brave face. "When I arrived here in my headscarf Rik said it was no problem. I never thought there would come a time when I would take it off. Now I just hope there'll be a day when I can come back to work with my headscarf on again."
©BBC News

NEWS - Archive January and February 2005