Headlines 12 February, 2010
FRENCH POLICE CLOSE DOWN ILLEGAL MIGRANT SHELTER
7/2/2010- French police have closed down a makeshift shelter for illegal migrants in Calais a day after it was opened. The disused warehouse in the northern port was being used by about 100 migrants, mostly from Afghanistan. The building was rented by an activist group, which turned it into a camp in defiance of a ban on giving shelter to illegal immigrants in the town. Calais attracts migrants aiming to get into the UK. In September, a makeshift camp known as "the jungle" was closed. The move was criticised by human rights groups, who argued that many migrants should be treated like refugees.
'Manipulative zealots'
A local campaign group, No Border, took over the warehouse not far from the port on Saturday with the aim of turning it into a permanent shelter for migrants. But on Sunday morning, police put up a security cordon around the building, allowing those inside to leave in search of food but not to return. Eventually, there were only a few migrants and activists remaining in the warehouse when police moved in during the afternoon. "They forced their way in. There are no more migrants inside," Helene, an activist from No Border, told the AFP news agency. Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart had said she was ready to sign an eviction order to quickly get the migrants out and not "allow zealots to manipulate us and risk triggering an extreme response". French Immigration Minister Eric Besson made it clear he would not allow the re-establishment of a "new jungle" in or around Calais, because it might "serve as a rear base for human trafficking rings". But the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says the question of how to deal with migrants' humanitarian needs, especially during winter, has still not been resolved. Makeshift, insanitary camps such as "the jungle" sprang up after French officials closed the Red Cross centre at Sangatte in 2002.
© BBC News
LATVIAN FAR RIGHT GOES AFTER “DISLOYAL” RUSSIANS
7/2/2010- Latvian ultra-rightist have started another witch-hunt by threatening “disloyal car owners” who fix Russian symbols, like St. George Ribbon, or a Russian national emblem or colors on their vehicles. A website registered in the US and still operational, http://www.latvietislatvija.com (Latvian in Latvia), has published a so-called "Okupantu autoparks,” an “Occupants’ car park,” list of those who dared to decorate their cars with the Russian symbols, revealing personal data of these citizens. The black list reveals personal information and the names of 118 persons, including their home addresses and car plate numbers. The witch-hunt was organized not only in Latvia’s capital Riga, but also throughout the country. Any car seen with the abovementioned symbols was photographed and put on that list. Some people from that list have already been blackmailed by e-mail. There is a risk of their cars being smashed or desecrated with paint, but the real concern is for affected children. Latvian police says the website is out of Latvia’s jurisdiction, but the very fact of publishing personal info, probably stolen from some governmental source, is illegal, so an investigation has been launched to find out and fine those guilty. Most of the exposed “disloyal” cars are private, but in at least one case, when a driver of Renault Master belonging to Latvijas Pasts (Latvian Post) tied a St. George Ribbon to it, the end was bitter and he was fired immediately for “improper decoration of an operational vehicle’”– amid economic collapse in the country. Latvian police sees no incitement of ethnic hatred in this case, so the real patriots of the country continue with their job openly, waiting in ambush for disloyal citizens and publishing personal info on them for public use. Needless to say, the names of the crusaders themselves remain in the shadows. About 44% (up to 95% in certain regions of the country) of Latvia’s 2.3 million population are Russian-speakers, and many of them still cannot get citizenship because of it.
© RT
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CANCELS VIDEO LAUNCH (uk)
Future of FA anti-homophobia campaign in doubt
8/2/2010- The Football Association has cancelled this week's launch of its long awaited anti-homophobia video, pleading that it needs to review its strategy on tackling anti-gay prejudice and how the video fits into its overall campaign. The cancellation coincides with criticism and unease over the video's use of stridently homophobic language in a bid to expose and shame bigots. Produced by top award-winning advertising agency, Ogilvy, the video was due to have been launched by the FA at Wembley Stadium this Thursday, 11 February. The last minute "postponement" has caused consternation among football and gay groups who were backing the project, including the football diversity and equality campaign, Kick It Out, and gay rights group OutRage!. The FA's anti-homophobia video project was proposed by Peter Tatchell of OutRage! over two years ago, as a way of challenging prejudice on the pitch and on the terraces. The Football Association agreed the proposal and Kick It Out was delegated to produce it. "This last minute cancellation is a big disappointment. It has thrown the Football Association's commitment to tackling homophobia into disarray," said Peter Tatchell of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights group, OutRage! "Contrary to what the FA is now saying, the video and strategy was agreed nearly two years ago. This postponement comes on top of the FA's dissolution of the broad-based Tackling Homophobia Working Group. Set up several years ago, the group had helped push forward many of the FA's constructive initiatives to rid football of homophobia. "The FA has now reconstituted the Working Group with a hand-picked, much smaller and less representative number of members.
It no longer includes all interested stakeholders. Many relevant LGBT groups are not included. "I always wanted an MTV-style video, with an appealing, uplifting, positive message, featuring top players and a good music track. Sadly, the FA never seriously attempted to get top players to participate. "The video agreed by the Football Association and Kick It Out features strong homophobic language. The main character, a youngish man, abuses a newspaper seller, tube train passenger and an office worker with anti-gay taunts. The video finishes with him shouting homophobic abuse at a football match. The captions make the point that since homophobia is not acceptable at work, it should not be be acceptable on the terraces either. "I don't object to the use of anti-gay abuse to make a point. The shock value is likely to give the video the impact and controversy necessary to generate publicity and debate. It will get people talking, which is a good thing. But it was a mistake to not involve LGBT organisations in planning the video script. "The ad agency's advice was that shock tactics were the most effective psychological device to expose and shame bigoted fans into stopping their homophobia. They are professionals and experts in these matters," said Mr Tatchell. Gay former NBA basketball star John Amaechi has also criticised the video against homophobia. See his blog
© Peter Tatchell
HARRIET HARMAN SAYS WE WILL BE EQUAL!(uk)
The deputy leader wants to engineer a ‘new social order’ with her equality bill. Its effects may be long-lasting and costly
7/2/2010- Harriet Harman was sitting in her House of Commons office last week when the news came through that the Pope was on the warpath, with the British government in his sights. Labour MPs recall that the normally cheery Labour deputy leader emerged from her den behind the Speaker’s chair with a fierce scowl as she contemplated the situation. The subject of Benedict XVI’s ire was the government’s Equality Bill, the 205-clause piece of legislation that is the highlight of Harman’s 28-year parliamentary career. The Pope had used a speech on Monday in the Vatican to 35 British Roman Catholic bishops to denounce Labour’s equal rights policies as an assault on “natural law” — in effect claiming they were sinful. Church leaders had long been expressing concern that recent Labour legislation had placed unfair restrictions on, for example, Catholic adoption agencies, which would like to exclude gay couples from adopting. However, this blunt attack came out of a clear blue sky. The Pope claimed the government had acted to “impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs”. It was strong stuff, and the Pope’s remarks were carefully timed to coincide with the tricky passage of the bill through the House of Lords. Harman moved quickly to drop a planned amendment that church leaders from all denominations feared might undermine their freedom to continue barring gays and — in the case of the Catholics — women from the priesthood. The climbdown was enough to calm an explosive situation that threatened to wreck the bill. However, the Pope’s intervention raised the profile of legislation that could radically alter the balance of rights and responsibilities that underpin British society.
Some of the bill’s supporters like to portray it as a mere “tidying-up exercise” which adds a few common-sense measures and sorts out the jumble of equal rights laws dating back 30 years. Harman herself is less bashful: she has promised it will herald nothing less than a “new social order”. Critics warn that the “Orwellian” plan will enshrine left-wing values in a way that will be hard for a future Conservative government to unpick. If Labour loses the election — and if, as seems probable, the bill becomes law before parliament is dissolved — it could be the party’s legacy from beyond the political grave. MOST previous legislation in this field has concentrated on particular groups likely to suffer discrimination, such as women, disabled people or ethnic minorities. The new bill introduces the concept of the “protected characteristic”, namely age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religious belief (including lack of belief) and sexual orientation. In theory the bill protects men as well as women and straight people as well as gays. In other words, potentially everybody can be a “victim” and have recourse to the law. It is precisely the bill’s vaulting ambition that makes many critics jittery. Even the Government Equalities Office admits that its implementation will cost up to £310m, mainly in extra tribunal and court cases, with the burden borne principally by business. Buried within the 600 pages of the document are provisions that may sound innocuous but, according to Harman’s critics, could have a revolutionary impact. The idea of “positive action” is introduced for the first time. This would allow employers to choose to appoint a person from an under-represented group over another candidate where both were “equally suitable”.
Critics say this is a first step towards the positive discrimination schemes that have proved so divisive in America. There are also measures to ban age discrimination, something that will be welcome to older people who are rejected for jobs because of their date of birth. However, there have been warnings — rejected by the government — of unintended consequences, such as insurance products being withdrawn for older people, or even Saga holidays being forced to open its cheap deals to the under-50s. The bill also leaves the door open for the introduction of compulsory “gender pay audits” for companies employing more than 250 people, which would look at the relative pay of male and female staff. According to business leaders, these would be expensive to implement and have no effect on closing the pay gap. Undoubtedly the most controversial passage in the bill, however, is its first clause, which imposes a “socio-economic duty” on public bodies, such as government departments, quangos and local councils, to reduce “inequality”. This ambitious but deliberately vague provision has been called “socialism in one clause” and there have been warnings that it could lead to steep cuts in public services in middle-class suburbs as cash is redirected to poorer areas. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Harman insisted equality was not a “zero sum game” — where the gains of one person are offset by another’s losses. “Do we want to live in a society where everybody is treated fairly and nobody is discriminated against or meets bigotry or prejudice?” she asked. “The economies of the future that flourish are not ones that are hidebound by hierarchy and people knowing their place. Equality is very much tied up with meritocracy, which has got to be the basis of dynamic economies in the future.”
Professor Tony Travers, an expert in government at the London School of Economics, is unimpressed by the minister’s argument. He said that, while the measures might have little hard legal force, they would inevitably influence the way public servants made policy decisions, with potentially huge consequences, particularly for middle England, in a period where the country is recovering gingerly from recession. “Even though funding is already skewed heavily towards poorer urban areas, the proposed new policy implies a further move of money towards relatively deprived parts of the country,” said Travers. “Rural and suburban councils are likely to be particularly hard hit. But even within authorities, the Harman doctrine would have significant impacts. Resources and services would, by law, have to be tilted towards poorer neighbourhoods. “During the forthcoming period of very low growth in public spending, the new policy would certainly require real cuts to the services provided in more affluent parts of a council’s area.” Councils are already worried that their attempts to reduce council tax bills through outsourcing services will be hamstrung by the legislation. It requires them “to think about how to tackle discrimination and promote equality through their purchasing functions”, rather than how to save money. Decisions to award contracts to cheaper providers could theoretically be challenged by those offering more positive social action. Travers warned that, carried to its logical conclusion, the policy could lead to a collapse in the middle classes’ faith in the state, raising the prospect of a new class of “tax refusniks”. “Those who pay the highest taxes can expect to see public services diverted away from them,” he said. “Such a move would be a big change from the Blairite notion that taxpayers should be convinced their money provides them with good services in order that they continue to be willing to pay for them.”
One of the problems, critics believe, is that rights and equalities are indeed a zero sum game. A new right for employees is in turn a burden for their bosses. A new right given to the elderly may have to be paid for by the working-age population. This is especially true in the area of religion. Entrenching the right of gay people to hold lay jobs in the church will be seen as progressive by some. Conservative religious leaders, however, see this as an infringement of their right to follow the teachings of the Bible. The chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, last week made an eloquent plea to Harman to show more tolerance to religious groups. “There are times when human rights become human wrongs,” he said. “This happens when rights become more than a defence of human dignity, which is their proper sphere, and become instead a political ideology, relentlessly trampling down everything in their path. This is happening increasingly in Britain.” Harman insisted that her bill never intended to attack the exemptions enjoyed by faith groups, and yesterday moved to heal the rift with the church. “We said in relation to non-religious jobs that the general law applies to faith organisations like it applies to any other jobs, but with religious jobs there was this exemption,” she said. “We need to reassure religious organisations that we are not intending to change the situation of their exemption.” David Cameron’s response to Harman’s impending cultural revolution has been muted. As a so-called “modern” Conservative, the party leader presents himself as a sympathetic figure to the millions of black, gay and women voters. He is consequently reluctant to say anything that might lead to Labour accusations that he is “against equality”. The party has said it will support about 95% of the Harman bill, with criticism reserved mainly for the “socio-economic duty” provisions. There is, however, growing pressure for Cameron to take a stronger stand.
One member of the shadow cabinet said: “Dave recently gave an interview with the gay magazine Attitude, reaching out for the pink vote, while at the same time he presents himself as a staunch defender of faith schools and church-led social action. “The problem is that he may not be able to please all of the people all of the time. At some point he may have to make a choice on which side of the culture war he belongs.” Others say the Tories should focus on establishing equality of opportunity and rejecting the fantasy that society can promote equality of outcome. For the ambitious Harman, her personal crusade could yet lead to a higher prize: the Labour leadership. One MP said: “There is no doubt Harriet is passionate about this issue and believes in every word of this bill, but it is perhaps no coincidence that these reforms will appeal strongly to the trade unions, who make up 40% of the votes in any leadership contest.” She insists she has no plans to stand for the top job should Gordon Brown step down after the general election. But neither her many friends nor her equally numerous critics are ruling anything out.
The bill's main provisions
+ Public bodies face a new “socio-economic duty” to reduce inequality
+ The government will have the power to force firms employing 250 or more people to produce “gender pay audits”. Public sector bodies with 150 or more staff will have to publish similar pay gap reports
+ Employers can take “positive action” to appoint someone from an under-represented group where there are two equally qualified candidates
+ The public sector will be forced to consider equality when deciding on purchasing or outsourcing
+ Employment tribunals will be strengthened with new powers to make “wider recommendations” to companies, with the aim of preventing discrimination
+ Private members’ clubs will be banned from discriminating between members — for example, golf clubs will not be able to treat women members differently from men. Carers for the disabled or elderly will be protected from discrimination.
© The Times Online
SCANDAL OF UNWANTED GYPSY SITES (uk)
7/2/2010- Cash-strapped councils are being bullied into creating gypsy campsites that no one wants – not even the travellers. The claim has been made as town halls face a multi-million pound bill to develop an extra 7,500 sites for “gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople” in line with new housing laws. Officials say the council-built sites will help stop unauthorised camps that cost millions in enforcement actions and planning appeals, as well as causing tensions with local communities. But critics say illegal camps, like the one that has led to the so-called Battle of Hemley Hill in Buckinghamshire, will keep springing up as travellers flout laws and use human rights laws to defend their actions. The Government’s Homes and Communities Agency claims there is a national shortage of pitches. Whitehall has allocated £100million to the end of 2011 to “house” 25,000 gypsies and travellers on new and upgraded sites but the Sunday Express has revealed the cost could top £800million by the 2016 time limit. Targets imposed by the Government mean local authorities must provide permanent sites with rubbish collection, running water, electricity and other services. In return travellers must pay rent and council tax. Some planners have claimed they are being forced into a position where swathes of the countryside could be turned into “huge gypsy sites”. Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire, which already provides 34 of the 42 sites it must have by 2017, last week turned down an application for a camp near Evesham, claiming the area was swamped with travellers. Councillor Judy Pearce, the council executive’s planning head, accused Gordon Brown of bullying by setting tough targets.
Regional planners believe Worcester, Wychavon and Malvern Hills should provide about 170 more permanent and temporary sites for up to three caravans. It currently provides 93. Ms Pearce said the figures were not realistic and did not take into account the fact that not all travellers wanted to stay in the same place. She added: “You must bear in mind that this district is well on the way to meeting the target.” Juliana Crowe, of the Worcestershire Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Partnership, said: “We would like to see a bigger focus on places in need of sites rather than just forcing numbers on districts.” Campaigners at Hemley Hill, where nine traveller families have lived illegally since last Easter, say official camps would make no difference. The land in the Chiltern Hills is home to a Roman road, is in the green belt and is an area of outstanding natural beauty. More than 600 objectors face an anxious wait until the outcome of a planning inquiry in April. The travellers will use laws passed by the Government as proof of the need for more sites, alleging that Wycombe District Council, which covers Hemley Hill, has made no provision for them. Town hall chiefs hurriedly commissioned a £17,000 report that came up with half a dozen potential sites, but they face opposition over those too. Protester Trisha Kelly said: “These families do not want to stay on official campsites. They know that once they settle in one place it makes it easier for the authorities to track them down. “There will be a lot more Hemley Hills and a lot more money wasted on new campsites and planning rows.” Government figures show the number of traveller caravans in England grew by more than 1,200 in the past two years to 17,900, an eight per cent rise. A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said: “It is important we have enough authorised sites to stop the vicious cycle of evictions that is costly to the taxpayer and affects the travelling community’s quality of life and the wider public.”
© The Express
KEPA DENOUNCES INCLUDING COSTS OF SETTLING REFUGEES IN DEVELOPMENT AID FIGURES (Finland)
“Government wants to make Finland biggest recipient of Finnish development aid”
7/2/2010- The Finnish government’s plans to change the way that Finnish government aid to developing countries is calculated is being criticised by the Service Centre for Development Cooperation (KEPA). According to the organisation, the changes could make Finland itself the biggest recipient of its own development aid. Finland currently lists the first year of expenses incurred from receiving refugees from developing countries within its annual refugee quota as development cooperation spending, as well as costs from asylum-seekers whose applications have been excepted, and those who have are taken into Finland as part of family unification. Under the current methods of calculation, EUR 18 million in refugee costs were marked down as development cooperation spending in 2008. The government is currently assessing the possibility to include the costs of rejected asylum seekers in its development aid. The aim is to decide on the matter by March so that the new system of calculation might be applied when reporting on last year’s development spending to the OECD, which keeps the official international statistics. In the state budget, these refugee costs add up to EUR 39 million. According to KEPA, such a move would make Finland itself the biggest recipient of its own development assistance. In 2008, the largest recipients of Finnish development funding were Tanzania (EUR 27 million), Mozambique (EUR 26 million), and Vietnam (EUR 19 million). Niina Pitkänen, development policy secretary at KEPA says that at the very least, the money marked down as development funding should be spent on improving living conditions in poor countries, and not in boosting the Finnish economy. Many other OECD member countries, including Sweden, include spending that does not actually bring any new resources to poor countries in figures on spending on overseas aid. These include refugee expenses, as well as writing off Third World debt, and scholarships for university students from developing countries.
© The Helsingin Sanomat
FAR-RIGHT PARTY ALLOWED TO DISTRIBUTE CDS TO STUDENTS (Germany)
German authorities say there are no legal grounds to ban the distribution of CDs targeting school children by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD).
6/2/2010- The head of the federal department for media harmful to young persons, Elke Monssen-Engberding, said the CD merely contained political opinions and therefore could not be banned. She said there had to be a balance between protecting teenagers and respecting the right to freedom of speech. "Political content alone is not enough to warrant a ban," she said, adding that the CD did not contain calls for violence. Monssen-Engberding however suggested that schools should nonetheless try to prevent the material from being distributed to students. A ban, however, she said was not justified.
Disappointment over decision
The NPD, Germany's leading far-right party, has welcomed the decision on their website. The party could "continue to try to transmit its ideas to young people, schoolchildren and first-time voters", NPD member Claus Cremer said. According to Monssen-Engberding's office, the NPD has been distributing free CDs with songs and interviews by party members outside schools since 2004. Police in the state of Lower Saxony had requested for the CD to be banned arguing that it contains elements of Nazi ideology. The interior ministry of Lower Saxony reacted with disappointment to the decision. "We find it strange that the CD has not been classified as dangerous to youth," a ministry spokesman said. The office for the protection of the constitution said that "independent of this decision we still regard the CD as dangerous." The material conveyed an anti-foreigner agenda, a spokeswoman said. "We therefore will continue to work with schools to raise this issue with both teachers and parents." The NPD, which has an overtly anti-immigration program, is under official observation by the German office for the protection of the constitution which describes the party as racist, anti-Semitic and revisionist. Although the party has no seats in the federal parliament, it is represented in two of 16 German state legislatures. Attempts to ban the party have failed in the past.
© The Deutsche Welle
Headlines 5 February, 2010
CALL FOR IMMEDIATE EVACUATION AND RE-SETTLEMENT OF THE ROMA COMMUNITY IN LEAD CONTAMINATED CAMPS IN KOSOVO
5/2/2010- The UK Association of Gypsy Women has embarked on a campaign that will call on the UN for immediate evacuation and re-settlement of the Roma community residing on lead contaminated camps in Kosovo. We are appealing for the support of Romany/Roma/Traveller NGO’s, individuals and all human rights organisations that will use their influence to lobby European and US Governments, not least Antonio Guterres UN High Commission for Refugees and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon regarding the plight of the Roma community residing on the Osterode and Cesmin-Lug refugee camps in Northern Kosovo. The families’ original homes were at the “Roma Mahalla”, on the southern shore of the Ibar River, part of the oldest Mahalla in the Balkans, having thrived for almost 150 years. The homes here were burned by Kosovan Albanians in an attempt of ethnic cleansing as the conflict for Kosovo was ending: The families were packed into the contaminated camps by the UNHCR with an assurance their stay would be for just 45 days until a safer place could be found, however that was more than a decade ago. The Roma refugee camps were built close to the Trepca lead mine and smelting works. The factory was closed by order of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UMIK) in 2000, but the slag heaps were never cleaned up.
Osterode camp is overlooked by a 200 metre high mountain of 100 million tons of toxic lead waste. Deadly grey dust blows continually down on the camp below, subjecting the families on a daily basis to toxic lead poisoning on an unprecedented scale. There are some 650 families, with around 400 children, 200 of which are under the age of ten, residing on Osterode. So far 77 deaths to date in the camp, their organs have simply packed up. Furthermore, even if an immediate evacuation-re-settlement is orchestrated, it will take up to 10 years of intensive medical treatment to rid their blood of the poison. Meanwhile, as many as 200 children are forgotten and abandoned by the UNHCR. The lead blackens the children’s teeth, blanks out their memory and stunts their growth: mood swings from nervous hyperactivity to something akin to coma; epileptic fits etc, every child conceived on the camps will be born with irreversible brain damage. Armed with this knowledge then and the evidence of the highest levels of poison in the blood ever recorded in history on humans, self affected abortion is preferable.
Dorit Nitzan of World Health Organisation (WHO) regional office, Belgrade, warned this is the worst lead poisoning that they know of in Europe. Lead in the blood is measured in micrograms per deciliter, measured in tens. More than 100 mg/dl in the blood is considered a catastrophically high level. (WHO tests showed the children had so much lead in their blood that medical equipment could not measure it accurately. It should be noted allegedly, that the Kosovo Force (KFOR) soldiers working in the contaminated areas were frequently tested for lead poisoning and were relocated to other parts of the province if the results were above acceptable limits. Medical treatment, known as “Chelation”; was given to some of the children to clear the blood of the lead- sponsored by WHO but, the success of the treatment assumes that the children have been removed from the source of the pollution. Only one family is known to have left the camp, they were taken to Germany for their child to receive treatment and re-settled there. Leading toxicologist Professor Alistair Hay, UK Government advisor, said he had never encountered a situation in all the years he had been looking at lead where the situation is as catastrophic as it is for these children.
In 2008 the UNHCR and its sister organisation, UNMIK, abandoned the people on the camps and handed responsibility of them over to the Kosovan Government. The WHO, International Committee Red Cross (ICRC) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have called for immediate evacuation and proper medical treatment for the people on the camps. Roma families are being ‘voluntarily’ and forcibly returned from European Countries back to Kosovo steadily, it seems with utter disregard to the lifethreatening situation in which they may find themselves. Widespread discrimination against Roma people in Kosovo and the political, security and economic situation is not conducive to their return, moreover, one would imagine, that obtaining documentation and the repossession of property would prove to be extremely difficult for them. We believe, the Dutch and Norwegian Governments have funded the rebuilding of the Roma Mahalla in Southern Mitrovica, the US Government have also launched a new project to re-house 50 families from Cesmin Lug where children go barefoot even in the winter on the polluted earth, however, the Roma people cannot be expected to feel safe going back to live in the Kosovan Albanian majority south after what happened in 1999, nor should they be encouraged or forced to do so.
Paul Polansky: Author, Historian, Poet, and Former Advisor to the UN on Roma in 1999, and Human Rights Activist, has tried in vain to get the refugees human rights recognised, has recently returned from a week in the camps. He told me of nine year old Ergin who is suffering from Kidney Failure and his seven year old brother, who shares Ergin’s special diet, he is five years old and is in an even worse condition than Ergin. Although, Ergin has been hospitalised six or seven times during the past year, he will not survive without his special diet. Neither will his brother. Ergin was taken off the special diet last September by the Kosovo Agency for Advocacy & Development, who are a Pristina-based Albanian NGO that has a contract with the Minister of Communities and returns to administer the Romani camps in north Mitrovica, KAAD said: the government could no longer meet the cost of the 7 euro’s a day for the special diet. Theirs will be probably be, the next two deaths in Osterode. It appears then, that the Kosavan government can find a better use for that 7 euro’s a day, other than to spend it on rescuing two little children from the jaws of death.
As Paul Polansky said, we have already lost an entire generation of Romani children to irreversible brain damage’, his contention is that it is doubtful, that they will be able to father another generation We strongly feel that the situation of the Romany/Roma/Traveller people across the whole of Europe today, especially that of Ostrode and Cesmin Lug camps are frighteningly reminiscent of events preceding the holocaust and can no longer be ignored. An article in 1996 in the Observer, by Nick Cohen, stated ‘Gypsies have become the Jews of Europe’. It drew comparisons with the attitudes towards the Jews of the 1930s and the Gypsies of the 90s, comparisons that in UKAGW view remain unchanged today. The situation in Kosovo needs intervention as a matter of urgency. In 2000, the EU leaders pledged to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by 2010, mindful of this then, the time is now for all human rights activists to lobby for the immediate evacuation and re-location, of the Roma community from the living hell that they are forced to endure on a daily basis on the toxic waste camps in Kosovo.
© Romea
ANTI-RACISM DEMONSTRATION HELD IN PRAGUE (Czech Rep.)
4/2/2010- Roughly 100 people attended the March against Racism and Neo-Nazism in Prague yesterday afternoon. The quiet march ended outside the Faculty of Law of Charles University in the Jewish Quarter from where the participants went home. Tens of police patrolled the event. The participants met at Prague's namesti Miru square. After speeches they marched through Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square shouting slogans such as Stop to Nazism! The march was staged by the group Facebook Against Racial Bias. Activists said the march wanted to "actively intervene against the growing ultra right as the public and the government are ignoring the serious problem." The march also wanted to remember victims of World War Two. Facebook Against Racial Bias is a group of five young people who are not from any party.
© The Prague Daily Monitor
IN SPITE OF NUMBERS, DUTCH MUSLIM ARE POLITICAL NON-ENTITY
Several Muslim parties will participate in Dutch municipal elections on March 3. But in spite of a sizable Muslim electorate, they have so far been unable to garner many votes.
5/2/2010- The Islam Democrats (ID), represented by a single delegate in The Hague’s city council since 2006, wanted desperately to avoid a swift implosion, as has been the fate of some other young Dutch political parties in recent memory. They failed. The party fell prey to infighting and is now divided into two feuding camps. The party’s plans to participate in the upcoming municipal elections in Rotterdam, Utrecht, and other Dutch cities, have been put on hold. Mohammed Rabbae, a former member of parliament for the Green party and currently chair of national organisation representing Moroccan interests, expressed his regrets over the schism. “More unity would be good,” he said. Two years ago, Rabbae still believed the ID would blossom into a stable, national political force representing Muslims. “These are people who operate within the limits of Dutch law, but are also able to give a voice to the Islamic community’s grievances. They have done well challenging the dominant stereotypes of Muslims,” Rabbae said. The power struggle within the ID’s ranks came as no surprise to Rabbae however. “Sectarian and personal interests are often paramount in Islamic movements,” Rabbae said, citing the lack of a “uniting leader” and an established base as contributing factors. The Netherlands is home to some 825,000 Muslims, according to government statistics, accounting for five percent of the population. In cities like The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, approximately one in ten residents adhere to the Muslim faith. This makes the electoral potential for Islamic parties significant. But while populist Geert Wilders gathers much of his support by scolding Muslims in the Netherlands, parties that want to unite them are yet to find their constituency.
Divided amongst themselves
Rabbae said the Dutch Muslim Party (NMP), led by Henny Kreeft, a former member of the assassinated Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn’s political party, suffered the same problems as the ID. The NMP will participate in seven municipal elections in March, including those in Rotterdam and The Hague. The party will try to appeal to the same narrow slice of the electorate the ID hopes to sway. Talks between the NMP and ID last year yielded no results however. Both parties cannot even agree on why the talks failed. In The Hague, a city of almost 500,000, a grand total of three Muslim parties will now be participate in local elections. Still, NMP leader Kreeft denies his community is divided. The Netherlands is also home to a multitude of Christian parties, he pointed out. “Would you ask them the same question?” Kreeft wondered. In Rotterdam, with 600,000 people including approximately 30,000 Muslims who can vote, Kreeft’s NMP will be the only Muslim party to partake in the March 3 elections.
‘No Turk will vote for a Morrocan’
Theo Coskun, who leads the Socialist Party in the Rotterdam city council, thinks little of the electoral threat posed by the NMP. “No Turks will vote for a Moroccan. The opposite is even less likely,” he said. Coskun used to go by the typically Dutch surname of Cornelissen, until he married a Turkish-Dutch woman 14 months ago and adopted her last name. Coskun knows Rotterdam’s Muslim community well – a sizable one in a town where 48 percent of the population is of foreign descent. He thinks the NMP will meet the same fate as another Muslim party, the Islamic Party Netherlands, that participated in the last municipal elections and failed to gain even a single seat. In 2006, the IPN got a measly 626 votes, 0.2 percent of all ballots cast. Coskun likes to put the potential voting figures into what he feels is proper perspective. “A lot of people who call themselves ‘Muslim’ are very secular,” he said. According to Rabbae, himself still a member of the Green party, most Muslims prefer established political parties. Muslim reluctance to support Islamic parties is often explained by the poor track record Muslim parties have in their countries of origin. Rabbae understands fears that some Muslim immigrants may have, but also referred to the Turkish AK party "that operates well within the limits of established law” he said. Even though Muslim parties have drawn little support so far, their members believe they can address legitimate political concerns. NMP-founder Henny Kreeft, for instance, feels that Muslim interests are not sufficiently spoken for within existing parties. Muslim politicians needed to “confirm to political profiles” within established parties, he Kreeft said. Alaattin Erdal, who will lead the Christian democratic CDA in one of Rotterdam's boroughs said Muslims voters like casting their ballots for established parties candidates. They do, however , prefer choosing candidates of shared ethnicity. “Their vote carries more weight that way. Muslims are not looking to be marginalised politically by voting for marginal parties,” Erdal said.
Disappointed by the establishment
Some politicians are on the fence. Abdelhafid Bouzidi, for instance, who led a national committee last year in support of the controversial Muslim philosopher Tariq Ramadan. Both the Green party and left-wing liberal D66 have offered him a prospective seat on their Rotterdam delegations since. Bouzidi (31) did not take them up on the offer. He is still uncertain what type of political party he should join. “In essence, I fit in well with existing parties. But I have been somewhat disappointed by them. And I am not the only one,” he said. Bouzidi felt most offended by Ramadan’s dismissal. Ramadan served the local government in an advisory capacity but was fired after his involvement in an Iranian government-funded TV-programme became public. Parties across the political spectrum, including Labour, Greens and Christian democrats, came out in favour of Ramadan’s dismissal. “Still, my gut says the time is not yet ripe for a Muslim party,” Bouzidi said. Ironically, Ramadan has come out saying he doesn't feel Muslim's should isolate themselves in separate political parties. Still, Rabbae feels a a political party based on Islam would do much to enrich the Dutch political landscape. “Muslims are still feared in the Netherlands, and these feelings are stoked by people like Wilders. It would not hurt if Muslims went on the offensive and demonstrated that it is possible to be both a democrat and a Muslim,” he said.
© The NRC
ANTI-ISLAM DUTCH LAWMAKER SAYS HE’S BEING DENIED A FAIR TRIAL
4/2/2010- The Dutch lawmaker on trial for his provocative views on Islam said Wednesday he was being denied the right to a fair trial after the court rejected most of his requested defense witnesses, including a convicted murderer who invoked the Koran to justify his actions. The Amsterdam District Court ruled that Geert Wilders could only call three witnesses out of the 18 he wanted. Among those it turned down was Mohammed Bouyeri, imprisoned for life in 2005 for murdering a Dutch critic of Islam, filmmaker Theo van Gogh, on an Amsterdam street the previous year. In a statement released after the brief hearing, Wilders said, “This court is not interested in the truth. This court doesn’t want me to have a fair trial. I can’t have any respect for this. This court would not be out of place in a dictatorship.” Nonetheless, Wilders said he was still hopeful of an acquittal. The testimony phase will begin later this year. Wilders and his supporters say the case is much more than the trial of one man accused of discrimination and inciting hatred. They say the right of Europeans to speak what they believe to be the truth about Islam is at stake. “This is not merely a lawsuit against Geert Wilders [but] … a trial against all freedom-loving people. A trial against millions,” states a Web site set up Wednesday by Wilders, dedicated to the trial. The case against Wilders, who heads the Freedom Party in the Netherlands, relates in part to his short documentary film, Fitna, which features passages from the Koran along with footage of terror attacks and jihadists extolling violence while quoting from Islam’s revered text. The complaint also refers to comments he has made about Islam in the Dutch media, in particular an open letter published in 2007 calling for the Koran to be outlawed in the Netherlands on the grounds that it contains verses instructing Muslims “to oppress, persecute or kill Christians, Jews, dissidents and non-believers, to beat and rape women and to establish an Islamic state by force.”
As part of the effort to prove his contention that his views on the nature of Islam are accurate, Wilders had wanted the court to hear, in their own words, van Gogh’s unrepentant and Koran-quoting killer as well as two hard-line Iranian ayatollahs, a radical imam based in The Hague, and a controversial Sunni scholar. Also on his witness list were scholars and researchers specializing in Islam, human rights and law, including a former Muslim who is an expert in shari’a (Islamic law). The public prosecutor opposed Wilders’ request, and the court on Wednesday agreed that he could only call three of the 18. One of the three is Wafa Sultan, a Syrian-born critic of Islam who caused an uproar in a 2006 al-Jazeera interview when she spoke of a clash “between civilization and backwardness, chaos and rationality, a conflict between freedom and oppression, democracy and dictatorship, human rights on the one hand and the violation of these rights on the other, between those who treat women like animals, and those who treat them like human beings.” The other two permitted witnesses are Dutch scholars Hans Jansen, an expert on Islamic fundamentalism; and Simon Admiraal, whose research focuses on radicalization in Arabic sermons. The judges also ruled that the three witnesses’ testimony would have to be heard behind closed doors. “Apparently the truth about Islam must remain a secret,” the Wilders trial Web site commented. In their ruling, the judges said the accused would have ample opportunity to tell the court during the trial how he views its decision to disallow most of the witnesses he had requested.
‘A judgment on Islam’
Among those rejected by the court were:
+ Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the secretary of the powerful Council of Guardians and current Friday prayer leader in Tehran, who frequently rails against America.
+ Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, a former head of Iran’s judiciary, who said in February 2000 that the fatwa issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 calling for the death of Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie was “divine” and “irrevocable” and would be carried out, “Allah-willing.”
+ Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an influential Egyptian Sunni scholar controversial for having called Palestinian suicide bombings against Israelis justifiable “martyrdom operations.”
Radio Netherlands International reported that “some feared that had the judges allowed all seventeen [sic] defense witnesses, the trial would become a judgment on Islam, rather than a judgment on whether or not Geert Wilders has incited hatred.” Robert Spencer, author on The Complete Infidel’s Guide to the Koran and the editor of Jihad Watch – and another of those on Wilders’ list turned down by the court – said Wednesday that Sultan, Jansen and Admiraal would be “excellent” witnesses. “Nonetheless, this decision indicates the court’s bias against Wilders, and so does not bode well for him,” he commented. Spencer said the court was “railroading” Wilders. “He had wanted to call Mohammed Bouyeri, the Qur’an-inspired murderer of Theo Van Gogh, who would have proven his point immediately, and others who would have buttressed the truth of what he has said,” he said. “That the court has hindered his ability to do this shows that the railroad tracks are being laid into place.”
© CNS News
ANTI-MUSLIM DUTCH LAWMAKER'S TRIAL TESTS FREEDOM OF SPEECH
3/2/2010- A flamboyant populist and founder of a virulently anti-immigrant political party, Geert Wilders sees himself as a champion of free speech in the Netherlands. Others would disagree. Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament, is in court this week to face five counts of inciting hatred and discrimination for describing Islam as a fascist religion and Moroccan youths as violent and for calling for the banning of the Koran. The trial, which resumed Wednesday, Feb. 3, after a two-week break, is seen as a test of the limits of free speech and the famously tolerant country's commitment to protecting minority rights. Wilders, a 46-year-old with bleached-blond, bouffant hair, made international headlines in 2008 when he made a short film called Fitna, in which verses from the Koran were displayed against a background of violent film clips and images of Islamic radicals' terrorism. Described as "offensively anti-Islamic" by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the film led to protests in the Muslim world and prompted Britain to ban Wilders from entering the country. But it also brought Wilders more popularity at home. His Party for Freedom finished second in last year's European Parliament elections, winning 17% of the Dutch vote. His party also holds nine seats in the Dutch parliament. Because of his extreme anti-Muslim views, Wilders is often compared to the leaders of Europe's other far-right parties, such as Nick Griffin of the British National Party and Jean-Marie Le Pen of France's National Front. But he claims (though his opponents strongly disagree) that his policies are rooted in the Dutch tradition of tolerance: he says that Islam is a threat to women's rights, and he criticizes Muslims' anti-gay rhetoric. Now under 24-hour surveillance because of the many death threats he's received, Wilders told TIME last year that Islam itself stirs hatred. "The Koran is full of incitements to violence," he said. "Islam wants to dominate every part of life and society. It does not want to integrate or assimilate, but to dominate. It should not be compared to other religions but with totalitarian ideologies like communism or fascism."
Muslims hardly dominate Dutch society. According to official figures, Muslims account for only about 5% of the country's 16.5 million people, and immigration has trickled to a near halt in recent years. But even if Wilders offers an extreme and distorted view of Muslims, it is a view that has increasing resonance with voters, says Ian Buruma, author of a book about the 2004 murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim radical, Mohammed Bouyeri. "There is real anxiety over immigration and the Muslim issue, globalization and economic uncertainty. That climate of insecurity and resentment makes voters vulnerable to the kind of populist demagoguery that Wilders is very good at." If prosecutors thought Wilders would wilt in the courtroom, they underestimated his sense of theater. The politician is using the case against him to put Islam on trial, vociferously defending his right to free speech. He suffered a setback on Wednesday, however, when the Amsterdam District Court rejected his demand that the Supreme Court hear the case because he's a member of parliament and then denied his request for 18 witnesses to testify on his behalf — including Bouyeri, who is serving a life sentence for van Gogh's murder. (After he killed the filmmaker, Bouyeri used a knife to stick a note to the body, threatening Wilders and other politicians for criticizing Islam.) Wilders said in making his request that Bouyeri is "living proof" that Islam inspires violence. Another proposed witness rejected by the court was Ayatullah Ahmad Jannati, a hard-line Iranian politician who chairs the Guardians Council, which oversees legislation in the country and approves candidates for elections. "The court is denying me a fair trial," Wilders said afterward, adding that he was "angry, disappointed, but ready to fight."
If Wilders is convicted, he faces up to 16 months in prison. But he appears to be relishing the proceedings thus far, likely hoping the trial will give his party a boost ahead of next year's national elections. Speaking to the court last month, Wilders even quoted Thomas Jefferson, saying that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. "I believe in my heart and soul that freedom in the Netherlands is being threatened," he said. "It is not only our right but our obligation as free people to speak out."
© Time Magazine
VAN GOGH'S KILLER REJECTED AS WILDERS WITNESS (Netherlands)
Mohammed B. will not be allowed to testify in the case against Geert Wilders, leader of the populist PVV party, an Amsterdam court has ruled.
4/2/2010- Mr Wilders had called a total of 18 witnesses, 15 of whom have been rejected by the court. Wilders wanted to put an Islamic extremist in the witness box to illustrate what he sees as the danger of Islam, and justify his criticism of the religion. However, the court accepted only the three Islam experts whom Mr Wilders had called, rejecting all others. Mohammed Bouyeri is convicted of murdering filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004. He shot the outspoken Islam critic in the street and cut his throat. The court also rejected a plea by the politician’s defence that the case should be transferred to the Supreme Court, because Mr Wilders is an MP. The far-right politician is being prosecuted for inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims. He is also charged with insulting a group, because he compared the Koran with Hitler’s Mein Kampf and Islam with Nazism.
© The NRC
FINLAND WORKS TO STEM INFLUX OF BULGARIAN ROMA ASYLUM SEEKERS
3/2/2010- Last year, over 700 Romanians from Bulgaria travelled to Finland seeking asylum. Lawmakers, hoping to discourage the trend, are working to strip these EU citizens of asylum seeking benefits. In order to house the high number of Roma from Bulgaria, authorities turned an old hotel in Espoo into a refugee centre. ”The majority of these asylum seekers are families with children. This place was built quickly and there isn’t much to do,” says Salahudin Elmi who heads the centre. Finland provides asylum seekers with three meals a day. In addition, they are eligible for a small allowance. For example, a family with two children receives six euros a day. In December alone, over 200 Roma from Bulgaria arrived in Finland. Last month, however, fewer made the journey. “Many of them believed they could remain in Finland. However we inform them rather quickly that it's extremely difficult to gain asylum as an EU citizen,” says Elmi. Nonetheless, a rejected asylum seeker can still collect benefits for an additional 30 days. Now that is changing. “We are proposing to exclude EU citizens from refugee reception services. We would also require a person to pay for expenses if they try to seek asylum more than once,” says Minister of Migration Astrid Thors. It's expected that the number of EU citizens seeking asylum in Finland will taper off once they can no longer benefit from Finland's hospitality. Indeed, the emergency refugee centre in Espoo is to be closed by the end of the month.
© Novinite
MSF BLASTS 'INEFFECTIVE' MIGRANT CAMPS IN ITALY
2/2/2010- Camps for refugees and migrants in Italy are "ineffective," the humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) said Tuesday. "The way migrant centres are run seems to be in great part ineffective," MSF said in a statement. "More than 10 years after the centres for migrants were established in Italy, they are managed as if they were thought of as emergency camps" and are capable of "barely satisfying primary needs," it said. Alessandra Tramontano, the head of medical services of MSF in Italy, lamented the poor standard of medical assistance in the "absence of the local and national health authorities." Tramontano, giving the conclusions of a survey of 21 camps between December 2008 and August 2009, said some camps did not have toilet paper and soap while others were infested by rats. MSF said the southern centres of Trapani and Lamezia Terme were "wholly inadequate" and should be shut down. "The climate is increasingly hostile for immigrants in Italy, as the events in Rosarno clearly demonstrated," said the head of MSF's operations in Italy, Kostas Moschochoritis. He was referring to violent clashes last month in Rosarno, southern Italy, between immigrant seasonal labourers and residents that left dozens injured. The violence prompted more than 1,000 immigrants to leave the area, most on special buses arranged by the Italian authorities.
© AFP
FINI'S ABOUT-FACE (Italy)
3/2/2010- When Gianfranco Fini is asked what he would like to do when he grows up, a broad smile appears on his face. The chairman of the Italian parliament and the number two man in the party launched by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi - who is currently visiting Israel - says, "One of the stupidest things a politician can do is declare his intentions for the future." Despite the fact that he is breathing down the prime minister's neck and is considered the Italian right's only alternative to Berlusconi, Fini stops for a moment, looks at the picture of his one-year-old and three-year-old daughters on his table, and adds: "When I grow up, I want to be a father." Fini, who led the former post-Fascist party, the National Alliance, once defined Benito Mussolini as "the greatest personality of the 20th century." In 1992, Fini led 50,000 people on a march marking the 70th anniversary of Mussolini's historic march in Rome. Then a decade ago, Fini began a dramatic process of "repenting" - which climaxed in a much-publicized visit to Israel in 2003 following an extensive interview he'd given to Haaretz. During the interview, Fini promised that if he were invited to Israel, he would apologize to the Jewish people and accept historical responsibility for the crimes of Fascism. His luxurious office in the parliament building is adorned with numerous official souvenirs. The interview takes place after a ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Italian parliament in which Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel delivered a speech - at Fini's request - met with long and thunderous applause. Fini is still moved by the ceremony. Even after his visit to Yad Yashem, which received wide media coverage, his acceptance of responsibility in the name of the Italian people for the crimes of Fascism and his definition of the Holocaust as "total evil," there were those who claimed his motives were purely political. "Seven years later," Fini says in response, "I think no one can any longer cast doubt on my intentions and positions regarding the issue of the Holocaust and the Jewish people."
Anti-Semitism on Holocaust Day
On the morning of the interview, a few hours before the ceremonies were due to begin, anti-Semitic slogans were found in several central locations in Rome, sachets of sugar with anti-Semitic jokes written on them were served with coffee in a bar in northern Italy and newspapers reported that a program which made it possible to watch Mussolini's speeches directly on an iPhone was having tremendous success. Nevertheless, Fini says, "the phenomenon of anti-Semitism exists in Italy, but its dimensions are not worrisome." In addition to anti-Semitism, he says, there is also growing curiosity and interest in the Holocaust. "It is important to note that the anti-Semitism of today is different from that of the past," he adds. "Today anti-Semitism hides behind the anti-Zionist phenomenon. Behind the threats to attack Israel lies the desire to annihilate the Jews." Berlusconi's government is considered one of the most right-wing in the history of the republic, and its ally, the Northern League party, is known for its extremist positions against Islam and its fierce opposition to immigration. According to Fini, who for some time has advocated a moderate policy with regard to migrants and a dialogue with Islam, "this is not racist politics, but rather shortsighted politics - stupidity that stems from fear." In response to Berlusconi's remarks in 2001 that Islam is inferior to Western culture, which aroused an international storm, Fini says merely that "these are only words and no importance should be attached to them."
In the past year, the relationship between Fini and Berlusconi has gone awry. Fini, who also expressed decisive opposition to Berlusconi's attacks on the legal system, claimed the Italian prime minister does not distinguish between democratic leadership and an absolute monarchy; he was even heard saying Berlusconi might possibly be linked to Mafia affairs. For that reason, Fini has been attacked for several months now by Il Giornale - the newspaper owned by the Berlusconi family. "You must decide whose side you are on," the paper wrote, threatening to expose embarrassing details about Fini's private life. Fini, for his part, prefers not to talk about his relationship with the prime minister. "The relations between the two are good," Berlusconi's office said laconically. However, representatives of the political right report that there is tension between them and attribute this to their different personalities: Fini has adopted a serious and well-balanced system of leadership, and his personal life, even if it has raised eyebrows, has never been a subject of public discussion.
Something they can both agree on
There is at least one subject on which both leaders agree completely - their great sympathy for Israel. "Israel is the only democracy in the region and the only one which is based on Western values," says Fini. "Israel has the right to defend itself because it is a state under attack. Italy recognizes this right, adopts pro-Israeli policies in the European Union and leads initiatives." Fini refuses to criticize the way the Israeli government conducts itself as that, he says, is the job solely of the Israeli people. Even on the subject of the settlements, which Berlusconi described in his interview with Haaretz earlier this week as possibly "constituting an obstacle to peace," Fini will say merely: "I am assuming that the current government won a democratic majority in the elections. There is no doubt that Italy could, like the other European nations, raise its voice and say it is a shame and a disgrace that Israel is continuing to build in the settlements. But Italy prefers to recognize [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's courage to declare the freeze in the settlements and to wait and see whether the other side will also declare courageous and important steps. Two sides are necessary for peace. And very often I have the feeling, especially inside the European Union, that there are high demands of Israel but understanding for the Palestinian side."
When asked about Italy's ties with the Arab countries and its flourishing commercial relations with Iran, Fini says: "We must differentiate between the Arab countries and the Muslim countries. Egypt is an example of an Arab country that is making an important contribution to the peace process. Iran, on the other hand, is a Muslim country that openly declares its desire to annihilate Israel. There is no doubt that, in the face of such extremist positions, not only Italy but also the entire European Union has to take stringent steps." "It is always necessary that there be realpolitik and commercial and economic ties," he says. And in what seems to be a critique of Berlusconi he adds, "but one must not forget the thin line beyond which realpolitik can lead us to shutting our eyes in the face of danger. There are people who think that by having relations, it will be possible to influence Iran more. I think differently." Still, when necessary, the chairman of the Italian parliament knows how to lend his support to the prime minister. "Berlusconi's visit [to Israel] will be historic since this is the first time he will make a speech in the Knesset and the first time there will be a joint meeting between the Italian and Israeli governments," he says. Fini points out some of the pro-Israeli moves adopted by Italy in recent years - putting Hamas on the list of countries that support terror, boycotting the Durban II conference and the parliament's discussion of the Goldstone report. "I would be happy," he adds, "if Berlusconi would declare in his speech in the Knesset that he also plans to adopt the proposal Elie Wiesel made on Holocaust Day - according to which a law would be enacted declaring acts of terror to be crimes against humanity. It is true that an Italian law is not applicable beyond the borders of our state, but it would be an important [message] to the entire international community. It's small things like that which really make a difference."
© Haaretz
ARREST OF EX-NEO-NAZI SOUGHT IN AUSCHWITZ THEFT (Poland/Sweden)
2/2/2010- A Polish court issued a European arrest warrant Tuesday for a former neo-Nazi leader suspected in the theft of the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign at Auschwitz. Rafal Lisak, spokesman for Krakow's district court, said 34-year-old Anders Hogstrom of Sweden is suspected of incitement to commit theft of a cultural treasure. The sign - German for "Work Sets You Free" - was stolen in December from the site of the Nazis' former Auschwitz death camp in southern Poland. After a nationwide manhunt, Polish police found the sign in the woods three days later, cut into three pieces, and charged five Polish men with its theft. Lisak did not give any further details, but Polish prosecutors have previously identified Hogstrom as the mastermind of the theft. It was unclear whether Hogstrom had chosen a lawyer to represent him in the case. However, a trustee who was appointed to represent him in financial and legal matters, Goran Wahlstrom, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Hogstrom was innocent and the victim of false rumors in the Swedish press. He declined to elaborate. In the 1990's, Hogstrom founded and led the Swedish neo-Nazi group National Socialist Front, according to experts on Sweden's extreme right. He later quit the group and spoke out against the extreme right movement. Hogstrom has reportedly given conflicting information about his role in the theft. Tabloid Aftonbladet quoted Hogstrom as saying he was acting as a middleman between the Polish thieves and an English-speaking buyer. But in a video clip posted Jan. 9 on the Web site of another tabloid, Expressen, Hogstrom said he had simply been tipped off about the theft and tried to stop it. The European arrest warrant is designed to speed up extradition within the European Union. The Auschwitz sign is one of the most well-known slogans for Nazi Germany's atrocities during World War II and the Holocaust. Between 1940 and 45 more than 1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau or died of starvation or disease while forced to perform hard physical labor at the camp.
© The Associated Press
MACEDONIA DISCRIMINATION ACT SKIPS HOMOSEXUAL ORIENTATION
2/2/2010- Sexual orientation is not among the criteria under which Macedonian citizens are protected of discrimination. The draft Discrimination Protection Act in the Republic of Macedonia excludes sexual orientation, leading Macedonian press to come up headlines such as “Sex Unconstitutional in Macedonia.” They were motivated by a statement of Macedonian Labor Minister Xhelal Bajrami, who explained that sexual orientation was excluded from the legislation because Macedonian legislation did not have any such legal terms. “If anybody feels discriminated in this way, they can still file a complaint,” Bajrami said as quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio, without specifying on what grounds this could be done. The BNR points out that the draft has already been criticized by Brussels experts who think it is not in line with the EU human rights and non-discrimination criteria.
© Novinite
ANGRY MALTA PROTESTS OVER NEW FRONTEX RULES
1/2/2010- Malta has raised strong objections to new Frontex operational guidelines and may even pull out of participation in patrols by the EU border agency. The guidelines say that if it is not possible to return migrants picked up by Frontex vessels to the country they left from, they must be sent to the country hosting the Frontex mission. Malta has always insisted that migrants rescued on the high-seas should be taken to the nearest port. The guidelines were drafted by the European Council and will be discussed by the European Parliament. They provide that Frontex units will first try to return migrants to the country from where the boat carrying them departed. When this is not possible, the migrants should be taken to the country hosting the mission, rather than the nearest port of call, as stipulated by international maritime laws. The guidelines do make an exception. In the event of people being ill on board the rescued vessel, when there are pregnant women on board or if the boat is deemed to be unseaworthy, the migrants may be taken to the nearest port of call. In terms of the new guidelines, should Malta host a Frontex mission, as it has done in the past two years, it will have to take all the immigrants rescued, even if they were picked up outside its search and rescue region and closer to other countries. "We will still continue to follow our international obligations to the letter as we've always done but we will not accept changes to these international obligations," a Malta government spokesman said.
© The Times of Malta
GERMANY'S VERY OWN MINARET DEBATE TURNS NASTY
A small Muslim community in a western German town would like to build a minaret on its mosque. But the plan has triggered passionate opposition from locals, many of whom rely on rhetoric from the extreme right in railing against the "symbol of Islam's quest for power."
5/2/2010- "Willkommen," reads the stencilled print on the wall along the riverside boardwalk in the small town of Völklingen. Not content to just welcome its German guests, however, the message is translated into a number of languages. "Bienvenue ... bienvenidos ... velkommen," it reads. And "hosgeldiniz," a nod to the city's substantial Turkish population. Elsewhere in the city -- particularly in the quarter known as Wehrden -- Muslim immigrants may not feel quite as welcome. A small mosque on the banks of the Saar River there has applied for a permit to build a small minaret on its roof -- triggering a wave of at-times vehement protest reminiscent of the fuss surrounding the November 2009 referendum in Switzerland to ban minarets in the country. "I am against the Islamification of our fatherland!" reads a message, posted by "Tommy" on the Web site of the local paper Saarbrücker Zeitung. "Islam is the greatest threat facing humanity," he adds. In a town meeting held on the subject in late January, a number of locals came out against the minaret plan. According to Berlin daily Die Tageszeitung, several expressed fears that Germany was being "infiltrated" by "the Turks." The plan foresees a minaret stretching a mere eight meters (26 feet) above the roof. The head of the Turkish-Muslim community planning the minaret, Adnan Atakli, has assured locals that there are no plans to broadcast calls to prayer from the minaret and that he merely sees it as an "ornament."
Doesn't Shy Away from Far-Right Rhetoric
And not everyone has come out against the plans. Many have pointed out that such an adornment would only improve the not-terribly-attractive quarter where the mosque is located. Furthermore, almost 10 percent of the Völklingen population is made up of immigrants, many of them Muslims. Some say it only makes sense that they be allowed to build a small minaret. Still, politesse has hardly characterized the debate in Völklingen. Indeed, the back and forth is reminiscent of the campaign in Cologne in 2008 to block the construction of a mosque there. The campaign was led by a group called Pro-Cologne, a group that doesn't shy away from far-right rhetoric. Similar debates have taken place in numerous European countries as the right wing seeks to tap into widespread skepticism toward Islam. The Swiss referendum, which saw 57.5 percent of voters come out against the minaret ban, clearly showed just how anchored anti-Muslim sentiment may be in Europe. Indeed, a group called Pro-NRW (short for the German state North Rhine-Westphalia) now plans to cooperate with right-wing political parties in numerous European countries to organize a European Union-wide minaret referendum.
Islam's 'Quest for Power'
The debate in Völklingen is once again showing how quickly right-wing rhetoric can cross over into the mainstream when it comes to debates on Islam in Europe. Local right-wing extremists -- two of whom are in the Völklingen city council -- have argued that minarets are "symbols of Turkish dominance." They point to a speech given by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in February 2008 in Cologne. In it, he said that "mosques are our barracks, minarets our bayonets, the domes our helmets and the believers are our soldiers." The Völklingen mosque belongs to the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), which has close ties to Turkey. "We are being quietly infiltrated by the Turks!" said one participant at the late January town meeting, according to Die Tageszeitung. The local news paper, however, has used the exact same rhetoric on its editorial pages. "This minaret should not be built," the Saarbrücker Zeitung wrote in late January. "It symbolizes Islam's quest for power and is nothing less than a provocation. In the course of the Muslim conquests, minarets were first used as watch towers and only subsequently as religious symbols. Following the violent seizure of new territories, minarets were built as manifestations of Muslim rule." Minaret opponents are now looking into the possibility of holding a referendum on the issue in Völklingen. Yet another one.
© The Spiegel
BERLINERS FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM AMONG MUSLIMS(Germany)
Anti-Jewish sentiments are thought to be deeply rooted in a fifth of the ethnic German population, and some Muslim residents also hold clearly anti-Semitic views. Berlin activists wants to change that.
5/2/2010- Yasmin Kassar is one of the many activists in Berlin who find anti-Jewish sentiments among young Muslims intolerable. For a year and a half now, the Syrian-German woman has been working to change people's attitudes in Kreuzberg, a neighborhood with a large Muslim population. "You can see that whenever the Israeli-Palestinian conflict gets worse - like when we had the Gaza conflict towards the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 - anti-Semitic views are articulated here more often by residents with a Muslim background," Kassar told Deutsche Welle. But instead of criticizing the particular aspects of the Israeli government's policies, it's often Jews in general who become the target of verbal - and in rare cases physical - attacks in Berlin. At the Kreuzberg Initiative Against Anti-Semitism (KIGA), Yasmin helps to develop programs and concepts to enable multi-ethnic schools to tackle anti-Jewish sentiments with sound arguments. There's a lot of work to be done. According to a recent study conducted by the Emnid polling institute among young Turks living in Germany, a minority has taken a real interest in learning more about Jews, their contributions to German society and what they had to endure in Nazi Germany.
Invisible targets
The leader of Germany's opposition Green party, Cem Oezdemir, who has Turkish roots himself, calls it a form of "anti-Semitism without Jews. "These young Muslims are often people who don't know any Jews in person," Oezdemir said. "Their radical views stem from an over-identification with the Middle East conflict, from parents who are willing to employ all the well-known Jew-related cliches, and from schools that don't know how to tackle the problem in classes full of students with migrant backgrounds." The Berlin project Anti-Semitism in the Context of Migration and Racism (AMIRA) has been tackling the problem since 2007. The organization's Gabriel Freville says he and his colleagues aim to provide social workers on the ground with viable programs and arguments for their discussions with young Muslims about Jewish life in the city and anti-Semitism. "It's a question of attitude, of how you approach the youngsters," says Freville. "If somebody says 'I hate Jews' it's important not to start moralizing, telling him that he's a bad guy. Instead, you have to try to understand his reasoning and look into the problems behind it."
Knowledge gaps
The Emnid survey found that almost 70 percent of those polled knew nothing or almost nothing about the Holocaust. Seventy-five percent said they had never been to a concentration camp memorial site in Germany, let alone a Jewish museum. Ufuk Topkara is trying to change that. The historian, who also has Turkish roots, shows young Muslims around Berlin's Jewish Museum. "While they're here in the museum, young Muslims start questioning everything they've ever heard about Jews before. You can see this in their faces," Topkara told Deutsche Welle. "Only, I very much doubt whether this has a lasting effect when the kids are back in their normal environment," he added. Others say too much fuss is being made about anti-Semitism within Germany's Muslim communities. While admitting that anti-Jewish sentiments can certainly be found there, Kenan Kolat, chairman of the secular Turkish Community in Germany, says this phenomenon should be placed in a wider context. "There never was a Holocaust, they say. The Jews capitalized on the 9/11 aftermath, they say. All Jews are rich - you can find all these prejudices among some Muslims here and it is just a reflection of what you find in society here at large," Kolat told public broadcaster ARD.
© The Deutsche Welle
TRIAL OF ALLEGED NAZI DELAYED (Germany)
3/2/2010- The trial in Germany of an alleged Nazi death camp guard was postponed today after reports the 89-year-old defendant was experiencing health problems. Doctors reported that John Demjanjuk was suffering from dangerously low haemoglobin levels and needed treatment, although proceedings should be able to resume tomorrow as scheduled. The retired US car worker is accused of being an accessory to the murders of 27,900 people while allegedly serving as a guard at the Sobibor death camp. Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk denies the charges, saying he was never a guard at any Nazi camp. Demjanjuk suffers from several medical problems but has been declared fit to face trial, so long as court sessions are limited to two 90-minute sessions per day. Presiding Judge Ralph Alt rejected motions from the defense for the trial to be ended, which argued, among other things, that Demjanjuk was no longer fit for the proceedings. Even though Demjanjuk lies in a bed with his eyes closed throughout the court sessions, he has indicated he is listening and understanding what is going on, Alt said in his ruling. Demjanjuk's family, however, said his condition has been getting worse as the trial has progressed. "He has had five blood transfusions in Germany and they are becoming more frequent as his condition continues to worsen," his son, John Demjanjuk Jr, said in an email to reporters. "We are hopeful he will endure long enough to be acquitted again." Wednesday's session was the third so far to be abandoned due to health issues since Demjanjuk went on trial on November 30. The trial in Munich comes after 30 years of legal action against Demjanjuk on three continents. Demjanjuk had his US citizenship revoked in 1981 after the Justice Department alleged he hid his past as the notorious Treblinka guard "Ivan the Terrible". He was extradited to Israel, where he was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1988, only to have the conviction overturned five years later as a case of mistaken identity.
© Ireland on-line
NAZI DEATH CAMP SURVIVOR RECOGNISES JOHN DEMJANJUK (Germany)
A Russian survivor of the Nazi death camp Sobibor has said that a man on trial for working at the death camp, John Demjanjuk, was definitely one of the guards.
3/2/2010- ohn Demjanjuk is accused of being a guard at Sobibor camp in occupied Poland and aiding the murder of 27,900 Dutch Jews who were gassed during his alleged time there. "I remember him, I remember them all," Alexei Vaitsen, 87, told Czech Radio. "He was a guard. I saw him leading a group of prisoners to work in a forest." Mr Vaitsen, a Jewish veteran paratrooper who is seriously ill after several heart attacks, was shown a photograph of John Demjanjuk by a reporter. Mr Vaitsen is the first living witness to positively identify Demjanjuk, who is on trial in Munich in what is likely to be the last major case dealing with war crimes by the Nazi regime. Demjanjuk, 89, claims that he was a prisoner of the Germans for the whole of the war and has not said a word since the trial begun last month. He was arrested, tried and sentenced to death in Israel 20 years ago but was cleared when new evidence surfaced. "I'm glad he was put on trial," said Mr Vaitsen, who lost his entire family in the war and escaped from Sobibor after a rebellion in late 1943. "But can you really call that a trial when he refuses to communicate with the judge? "I would like a real trial for him, one that he couldn't escape again." Efraim Zuroff, chief Nazi-hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem, told Czech Radio the discovery was "great news" but said it had to be verified. Prosecution lawyers are using testimony from survivors to prove that if Demjanjuk was a guard at the camp, he would have played an active role in the mass killings there.
© The Telegraph
SERBIAN NEO-NAZI LEADER ARRESTED IN GERMANY
3/2/2010- Authorities say a Serbian neo-Nazi leader who fled his homeland after being convicted of inciting hatred has been arrested in Germany. Alfons Obermeier, a spokesman for prosecutors in Munich, said Goran Davidovic was arrested Tuesday aboard a train near the Austrian border. Obermeier said Wednesday that he was arrested under a Serbian warrant and now faces extradition. Davidovic was convicted in Serbia of inciting national, ethnic and religious hatred for infiltrating an anti-fascist rally in 2005. He was sentenced to one year in prison but fled to Italy. Italian authorities had agreed last year to hand over Davidovic to Serbia. It wasn’t immediately clear how he managed to leave the country.
© The Associated Press
POLITICIANS RENEW CALLS FOR NPD BAN (Germany)
Seven years after Germany’s high court refused to ban the neo-Nazi NPD party, a growing number of politicians are advocating a renewed attempt to end their legitimacy.
1/2/2010- Members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian sister party the CSU, and opposition centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) want the right-wing extremists off the country’s political playing field, daily Bild reported on Monday. “The NPD follows clearly anti-constitutional goals and must disappear from the political landscape,” Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) told the paper. “I am working on a new case for an NPD ban.” To strengthen his case, Herrmann encouraged the country’s domestic intelligence agency to disengage its top spies in surveillance of NPD leadership. The 2003 ban request reportedly failed because the constitutional court believed that domestic intelligence agents from the Verfassungsschutz could have influenced the actions of the neo-Nazis under their watch. “For a successful ban we don’t need the information from (them),” Herrmann told the paper. “There is enough material that proves the NPD is an enemy of the constitution.” SPD member and Berlin Interior Minister Ehrhart Körting agreed. "According to my estimation the NPD is an anti-constitutional party that should be banned," he told the paper. "This is open to see. For this I don’t need any (Verfassungsschutz) people." Meanwhile Interior Minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Lorenz Caffier (CDU) told the paper that existing evidence shows the right-wing extremist party to be aggressively attempting to attack Germany democracy and replace it with Nazi ideology. SPD interior expert Sebastian Edathy also supported the disengagement of intelligence agents to further the case against the neo-Nazi party.
© The Local - Germany
KYRGYZ PROTESTERS SEEK PROTECTION FOR MIGRANTS IN KAZAKHSTAN
1/2/2010- About 100 protesters in downtown Bishkek today demanded that the government do more to protect Kyrgyz migrant workers' rights in neighboring Kazakhstan, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. The protesters, who gathered in the Kyrgyz capital's Ala-Too Square, said that Kazakh city officials, migration officers, and police in the main Kazakh cities treat Kyrgyz labor migrants poorly and that they often work in "slave-like" conditions. Protesters told RFE/RL that Kyrgyz labor migrants are under constant pressure in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh and Kyrgyz governments have signed several agreements in the past to regulate labor migration. According to Kyrgyz human rights organizations there are about 100,000 Kyrgyz labor migrants working in Kazakhstan, where wages are much higher and there are more jobs available.
© RFE/RL
FRANCE URGED TO EASE ETHNIC STATISTICS TABOO
Heran, the former head of national demographics institute, led the 27-strong committee that on Friday presented its report to Yazid Sabeg, a businessman of Algerian origin appointed by Sarkozy to advise him on fighting discrimination.
5/2/2010- The French government was Friday urged to ease its taboo on statistics on ethnic origin in a report commissioned by President Nicolas Sarkozy's "diversity tsar" to look at ways of fighting discrimination. The report said France's ban on officially classifying people by ethnicity or asking questions in the national census about their race or origins should be maintained. But it recommended that censuses should henceforth include a question on the nationality or place of birth of people's parents, an apparently minor change but for France a major easing of its staunch opposition to ethnic statistics. "It is the only way of being able to follow the course of the children of immigrants, to see what happens to them, what are their destinies... their exposure to discrimination," said Francois Heran. Heran, the former head of national demographics institute, led the 27-strong committee that on Friday presented its report to Yazid Sabeg, a businessman of Algerian origin appointed by Sarkozy to advise him on fighting discrimination. Sabeg sparked a heated political row when he suggested as he commissioned the report last year that the ban on ethnic statistics should perhaps be lifted. Other countries have detailed figures on the ethnic make-up of their populations but these are largely banned in the French republic which is based on the idea that all citizens are equal and free from distinctions of race or religion. In reality French citizens or residents of foreign origin are often subjected to racism and discrimination, which in part led to the riots that broke out in 2005 in high-immigrant suburbs across the country. Sarkozy has argued that the lack of statistics on France's ethnic groups frustrates attempts to measure and deal with inequality. The new report comes amid a debate on national identity that has divided France. Critics argue that it is fomenting anti-foreigner and anti-Muslim sentiment and is little more than a ploy by the rightwinger Sarkozy to grab far-right votes in regional elections to be held next month. The government is due to hold a seminar next Monday to consider its conclusions from the national identity debate.
© AFP
FRENCH ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS DOUBLE IN 2009
4/2/2010- Anti-Semitic crimes in France coinciding with the Gaza war drove the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2009 to nearly double over the previous year, according to a new report. The Jewish Community Protection Service counted 832 anti-Semitic acts committed in France last year, compared to 474 in 2008, according to a report made public Thursday. Some 42 percent of the incidents, 354, took place in January, during Israel's military operation in Gaza. By February, the number of monthly anti-Semitic acts was down to 62 and by the summer, the number had dropped below those of 2008 for the most part. The Protection Service said that 43 percent of the anti-Semitic incidents in 2009 involved written statements such as graffiti, 28 percent spoken comments and threats, 10 percent violence, 9 percent vandalism, 2 percent arson or attempt at arson, and 8 percent distributed printed material. Thousands joined in pro-Palestinian protests across France during the Gaza war in late December 2008 and January 2009. Several of those protests turned riotous, and many anti-Semitic crimes were reported in connection with the marches.
© JTA News
FRANCE’S PHOBIA FOLLIES(opinion)
3/2/2010- French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s has proposed to ban the wearing of burqas while accessing public services. This includes mass transit, hospital services and public schools among others. The proposal is nothing more than a thinly veiled political stunt. The intention is to steal votes from the far-right National Front (an extremist political party whose leader openly admits torturing Algerians “because it was necessary”) ahead of regional elections in which the President’s party is projected to lose seats. The President’s party (the Union for a Popular Movement) is projected to receive 27 percent of the national vote, while it received 33 percent in the last election, held in 2004. This proposal is Islamophobic and should be defeated. It’s worth noting that the French notion of secularism is much stronger than that of the United States’ separation of church and state, and is focused on keeping religious displays entirely out of the public arena. France already has many laws limiting ostentatious religious expression in public, especially among public employees. But even given this history of keeping religious displays out of public, this proposal goes too far. It’s an unnecessary infringement on individual liberties of expression and religion and unfairly denies French citizens access to public services to which they are entitled.
It’s not exactly as if there were millions of French Muslims parading around with full-body veils. According to the French government’s calculations, about 1,900 women (out of some 65 million French) in France regularly wear a burqa, and many of them have decided to do so of their own volition, not through coercion. While requiring a woman to wear a burqa in public is offensive and oppressive, what’s happening in France is not even close to that situation and isn’t an exploding trend that needs to be curbed. Denying an entire class of citizens its right to access public services (including hospitals) entirely because of the clothes they happen to be wearing is simply cruel and unsupportable. Political ploys should not cost citizens their right to individual expression, and they should certainly not cost them their right to access hospitals or other basic public services. Instead of trying to distract the population from the government’s inability to lower unemployment, the French government should start tackling real issues that are actually affecting real French people. Banning the burqa is a pointless and dangerous distraction whose only goal is to score political points ahead of an election in which the President’s party is expecting to fail.
© The Indiana Daily Student
FRANCE DENIES CITIZENSHIP TO MOROCCAN MAN WHO FORCES WIFE TO WEAR FULL VEIL
Niqab breaches secularism and women's rights, says minister, ruling husband's behaviour 'incompatible with French values'
2/2/2010- France is to refuse to grant citizenship to a Moroccan man who forces his wife to wear the full veil, arguing that his adherence to a strict strand of Islam is incompatible with the country's values, the immigration minister said today. Eric Besson said he had signed a decree explaining that the man, whose identity was not made public, was being denied citizenship because his behaviour towards his French wife contravened secularism and women's rights. "It emerged during the inquiry and the interview process that this person forced his wife to wear the full veil, deprived her of freedom of movement with her face exposed and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women," Besson said in a statement. According to Le Figaro, which obtained a copy of the ruling handed down by the council of state, France's highest legal body, the man behaved towards women in a way which made him "incompatible" with the values of France. "Monsieur X displays in an everyday manner a discriminatory attitude towards women, going as far as refusing to shake their hands and advocating the separation of boys and girls including, at home, of brothers and sisters," the ruling read. "The lifestyle he has chosen may be justified by religious precepts but is incompatible with the values of the Republic, notably the principle of equality of the sexes."
This is not the first time France has cited the niqab – a veil that leaves only the wearer's eyes showing – as grounds for the refusal of citizenship. In 2008, a Moroccan woman, Faiza Silmi, was told she could not become French because her veil and "radical" interpretation of Islam were obstacles to assimilation. Last week, a committee of MPs voted to support a parliamentary resolution condemning the niqab, and called for a ban on the garment in public facilities such as hospitals and post offices, and on public transport. They shied away, however, from recommending a ban on women covering their faces anywhere in public. The decision to reject the application for citizenship comes after a demand last month by the justice minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, that Muslim men who force their wives to wear the full veil be denied the right to become French. Amid debate over the niqab in December, the interior minister, Brice Hortefeux, echoed her sentiments, saying that allowing supporters of the full veil into "the national community" was not a "desirable" course of action. "Nothing would be more normal than to systematically refuse access to residency permits to the person wearing the veil and to her husband," he said.
© The Guardian
MUSLIM ORGANISATION CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA (France)
A French Muslim organisation has condemned a weekend attack on a mosque north of Paris. The phrases “Islam get out of Europe" and "France is for the French" were scrawled on the walls and entrance of a mosque in Crepy-en-Valois.
1/2/2010- The mayor’s office of Crepy-en-Valois denounced what it called a “horrible, idiotic act”, while the French Council of the Muslim Faith said the attack was the latest in a long line of incidents that had targeted mosques in France. The organisation called on authorities to take action to end the "series of shameful and hateful profanities that target houses of prayer." The Council, whose members are elected by French Muslims, also called for French President Nicolas Sarkozy to back a parliamentary commission that would examine the rise of Islamophobia in France. The proposal was dropped from last week’s report that called for a ban on the full Islamic veil in official public spaces like government offices, hospitals or schools. Last month a mosque in the southern town of Castres was targeted and had swastikas and the phrase daubed Sieg Heil on its walls. France is home to Europe's largest Muslim minority, estimated at between five and six million people.
© Radio France International
RUSSIAN NEO-NAZI MURDER SQUADS KILL 71 IN 2009
Russia's battle against the country's neo-Nazis is reaching boiling point as it emerged they killed 71 people last year.
2/2/2010- One group recently posted a sickening video message on the internet celebrating a stabbing attack which killed a Ghanaian man in December. Yet members of the country's most prominent ultra-nationalist group deny their tactics are violent. The Slavic Union spoke to Sky News during their bi-monthly "training" in remote woods just outside Moscow. Dressed in winter camouflage they greet each other with macho hugs as they gather round a campfire and help each other attach red arm bands emblazoned with their adapted swastika. Rifles and semi-automatic weapons are assembled and they are ready to start flexing their muscles. These neo-Nazis see themselves as hero warriors fighting for the rights of Russians in Russia. They begin "practice" fighting with knives and firing at trees - all part of the "non-violent" approach. Up to 20 of their members are in jail for racially motivated murder and attacks - senseless murder of those whose crime may simply have been not looking Russian enough. Sasha Zorg's upper body is covered in tattoos, one of which is a swastika. He has been in prison twice for shooting two migrant workers. "I call it my struggle," he tells me. "I'll continue." The group spend as much time photographing each other with guns as they do training. The man at the centre of many of the poses is the Slavic Union's leader Dmitry Dyomushkin. He's keen to cultivate an image of himself as the respectable face of a Far Right which he sees as a legitimate challenge to the current government. "Sixty per cent of Russians support our goals," he said. "But even with this majority we are not allowed to be part of the political process because the government has squeezed out opposition. "The whole new generation of Russians are nationalists - our influence on young people is very strong."
His quest for a publicly acceptable image is not helped when his followers do a group Nazi salute, hailing the regime which 25 million Russians gave their lives to end. The chilling face of extremism was revealed when another neo-nazi group calling themselves "the warriors of the white revolution" unveiled their video message of the attack on Ghanaian Solomon Attengo Gwa-jio in St Petersburg. They described the footage as "a new year gift" as they pledged further acts of terror. No one has been arrested for the December attack, during which the victim was stabbed 20 times. It sadly echoes so many other incidents of random racist brutality. Most are committed by young Russians who seem to inhabit a world of violence where patriotism and nationalism have become - too often fatally - confused. Moscow-based human rights group SOVA said authorities are finally tackling the problem, though not for the right reasons. "I think mostly it's not because of the murders themselves but because the potential of riots based on this ethnic hatred," SOVA director Alexander Verkhovsky told Sky News. He says the situation is reaching boiling point, forcing the authorities to act. "The authorities would hate to lose control over some district or city," Mr Verkhovsky said. "And so they try to suppress any activity including violent activity which may turn to such riots."
© Sky News
KREMLIN SHOCKED AS KALININGRAD STAGES HUGE ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST (Russia)
Special envoy sent to Russia's western exclave as thousands take to streets in biggest protest since Soviet Union fell
2/2/2010- Dmitry Medvedev sent his special envoy to the western outpost of Kaliningrad today after thousands of Russians took to the streets in the largest rally since the fall of the Soviet Union. The protest, staged at the weekend, saw between 10,000 and 12,000 people gather in Kaliningrad's main square to demand the resignation of the governor and shout slogans against the ruling United Russia party. Smaller opposition rallies were held in other towns, including Vladivostok – the scene of regular protests by car drivers over the past 18 months – as well as Moscow and St Petersburg. Riot police violently broke up a peaceful demonstration in Triumfalnaya Square, Moscow, on Sunday, arresting 100 people. Although opposition rallies have taken place throughout the Vladimir Putin era, the scale of the Kaliningrad protest appeared to have caught the Kremlin off guard. The region – the former German city of Königsberg, which was seized by Stalin during the second world war – is separated from the rest of Russia and bordered by EU member states Poland and Lithuania. Medvedev sent his plenipotentiary envoy, Ilya Klebanov, to Kaliningrad to investigate. Sources suggested that the Kremlin-appointed governor, Georgy Boos, was also likely to be summoned back to Moscow for a dressing down. Solomon Ginzburg, an opposition leader and independent deputy, said a wide coalition of residents had taken part in the rally, including communists, liberals and ultra-nationalists. He said people were fed up with rising communal and transport charges and wanted Boos – appointed by Putin in 2005 – to resign. "Unlike most Russians, we can compare living conditions here with those in Poland and Lithuania," said Ginzburg. "Boos promised us the same standards as the EU. It turned out he was lying." Saturday's rally was even bigger than the 1991 protests against an attempted putsch by KGB hardliners, he added.
United Russia was now planning a counter-rally, bussing in paid supporters from outside the city. "This won't convince anybody. We don't live in Turkmenistan but in Europe. And it's the 21st century," said Ginzburg. Analysts said the Kremlin was unlikely to draw the conclusion from Kaliningrad that it needed to liberalise Russia's tightly controlled political system. Instead, the authorities, fearful of social unrest spreading to other parts of the country, were likely to snuff out other mass rallies. "The scale of this protest is too big not to react immediately. It's dangerous [for the Kremlin] if something similar is repeated elsewhere," said Nikolai Petrov, an expert on regional elites at Moscow's Carnegie Centre. The government's commission in Kaliningrad would see what lessons had to be learned, he added. Human rights groups called on the authorities today to stop blocking peaceful demonstrations. Those arrested at Sunday's demonstration included Oleg Orlov, the chairman of the Memorial Human Rights Centre, and Boris Nemtsov, the leader of the pro-democracy Solidarity opposition movement. "Russian law clearly allows for freedom of assembly," said Tanya Lokshina, the deputy director for Human Rights Watch in Moscow. "But these arrests of human rights leaders and peaceful protesters are a prime example of how blatantly the authorities violate this right."
The Obama administration also expressed concern about Sunday's arrests in Moscow. "The detention of at least 100 protestors, including prominent human rights defenders and opposition political leaders, together with reports of mistreatment against some of the demonstrators, constitutes another blow against freedom of speech and assembly, which are universal and fundamental rights that deserve to be protected and promoted," the U.S. Department of State said in a statement. A letter published in today's New Times magazine, meanwhile, revealed widespread corruption and abuse of office by riot police in Moscow. The letter, written by Moscow's OMON police battalion, revealed that officers have quotas for the number of opposition demonstrators they are supposed to arrest, and have pay docked in they fail to fulfil them. The letter also said OMON police were told by officers that foreign agencies funded anti-government demonstrations, as well as neo-Nazi marches and gay pride events.
© The Guardian
RUSSIAN PROTEST INSPIRED BY EU NEIGHBOURS
1/2/2010- The leader of the largest anti-government protest in Russia for almost a decade has said that his region's proximity to EU countries is producing an appetite for political change. Between 7,000 and 12,000 people held a rally in Kaliningrad on Saturday (30 January), in a demonstration that had initially targeted local tax hikes but which ended in calls for more democracy and for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to resign. "We don't get our knowledge about the world here from state television, like people in provincial Russia, but from what we see when we visit our neighbours," the protest organiser, Maksim Doroshok, told Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza. "We see that in neighbouring Poland, where they brought in reforms, where there is democracy, it's cheaper, people earn more, civic bodies function better. Why should we be any worse? Our region is the most European in the whole [Russian] federation because we know Europe and we know how to fight for our rights." Mr Doroshok, a 40-year-old electrician and a senior figure in the Solidarnost (Russian for "Solidarity," named after the Polish Solidarnosc trade union) opposition movement in Kaliningrad, highlighted the parallels between himself and Lech Walesa, a shipyard worker from Gdansk in Poland who in the 1980s led Solidarnosc in a struggle against his country's Communist regime. "There is a different spirit at rule here. There is a wind blowing from your Gdansk," he told the Polish paper.
The weekend protest in the Kalinigrad exclave, a piece of Russian territory surrounded by Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea, was the largest anti-government demonstration in the country since 2001. The province, which is home to around 1 million people and a number of military facilities, has been touted by Moscow as a model for potential EU-Russia integration, but suffers from poor living standards and high levels of tuberculosis and HIV. Mr Putin in 2005 abolished elections for the post of governor and installed a loyalist - lighting components millionaire Georgy Boos - to run Kaliningrad, amid fears that the region was drifting away from central control. Small-scale pro-democracy protests also took place across Russia over the weekend, with gaggles of demonstrators in Moscow, St Petersburg and Vladivostock calling for reforms. The main rally, in Moscow, saw police detain 100 out of the 300 or so protestors, newswires report, with senior opposition leader, Boris Nemstov, among those put under arrest.
© EUobserver
BITS FROM RUSSIA
Kirov Court Orders Closure of Far-Right Web Site
2/2/2010- In a rare application of anti-extremism legislation, a district court in Kirov, Russia ordered the closure of a far-right web site, according to a January 27, 2010 article in the Nizhny Novgorod edition of the national daily "Kommersant." The Leninsky District court handed down its verdict in approval of the local prosecutor's office, which moved to close the web site of the local branch of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI)--Russia's largest far-right group. The prosecutor's office sent its motion to the court after reviewing a video clip on the organization's site entitled "Day of the Migrant." The prosecutor argued that this video clip called for "violent action against ethnic and social groups--Vietnamese, Armenians, Azeris, Gypsies, and homeless people." The prosecutor also asked that the clip be placed on the federal list of banned extremist publications. The Moscow leadership of the DPNI reacted by characterizing itself as an "opposition movement" being unfairly rgeted by "corrupt" officials. The DPNI has in the past been linked with anti-migrant riots and other acts of violence, but unlike most neo-Nazi groups, it is operates legally and often participates in officially approved marches and demonstrations, implying a certain level of official approval and respectability.
Russian Government Stats Show Extremist Crimes Up Dramatically Since 2004
27/1/2010- The head of the MVD's anti-extremism unit has released statistics on the number of extremist crimes in Russia, according to a January 26, 2010 report by the Sova Information-Analytical Center. General Yuri Kokov gave the following figures, which show a rapid growth in the number of such crimes over the past five years.
According to his statistics, 130 extremist crimes were recorded in 2004, 460 in 2008, and 549 in 2009. As usual, the MVD stats did not distinguish between hate crimes and crimes connected to Islamic extremists, insurgents in Chechnya, or even peaceful opposition demonstrators, whom police are targeting with increasing frequency by abusing anti-extremism legislation. But General Kokov did say that there are 150 neo-fascist groups active in Russia. General Kokov admitted that his statistics are not 100% reliable. He also added that 549 extremist crimes do not seem like much compared to the overall crime number for 2009 of 3,000,000. "Nevertheless," he said, "it ought to be pointed out that even one crime connected to the specific and delicate sphere of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations can drastically destabilize
or even explode the situation, not only in one specific region, but in the entire state... That is the main danger presented by extremist incidents. Sometimes, a typical bar fight or night club brawl can lead to unpredictable consequences, including mass disorders on inter-ethnic or inter-religious grounds. It's enough to remember what happened in Kondopoga, Salsk, Kalmykiya."
Far-Right Activist on Trial for Murder
27/1/2010- The murder trial of the head of the local branch of an extremist far-right group has begun in Blagoveshchensk, Russia (Amur region), according to a January 15, 2010 report in the local newspaper "Amurskaya Pravda." The defendant, who is not named in the report, heads the local branch of the Movement Against Illegal Migration (DPNI), a group linked with racist violence in several cities. He allegedly beat Chinese man to death on September 15, 2009. According to prosecutors, two Chinese citizens encountered the defendant and some other far-right activists near a large store. The defendant then allegedly pulled out a wooden bat and hit the victim on the head, knocking him down. He then allegedly hit him several times with the bat as he lay on the ground, striking him in the head and torso. The victim died four days later in the hospital. A security camera outside the store recorded the attack, and police detained the suspect two days later. He reportedly confessed to a personal hatred of Chinese people. Local police chief Sergey Marchenko was quoted in the article saying that the local branch of the DPNI, "beat up, terrorized and robbed foreigners--not just Chinese, but also Uzbeks, Tajiks and Kyrgyz." He added that other members of the DPNI face weapons and extremism charges. It is not clear, however, if other DPNI members will be put on trial. Their leader, whose name was not mentioned in the article, faces charges of "aggravated assault motivated by ethnic hatred."
St. Petersburg Police Detain Far-Right Activist in Shooting of Anti-Fascist
27/1/2010- Police in St. Petersburg, Russia detained a suspect in the shooting of a member of an anti-fascist group, according to a January 21, 2010 report by the Regnum news agency. The suspect is a 29 year old male who is a member of a far-right group. He faces charges of "hooliganism" and simple assault, though police are checking to see if they can tie him to other unsolved crimes.
College Students Found Guilty of Murder in Moscow, But Not Hate Crime
27/1/2010- A jury in Moscow has found two college students guilty of murdering a Tajik man during an attack on him and three other migrants, according to a January 22, 2010 report by the Sova Information-Analytical Center. The January 21 verdict found the students guilty of "hooliganism using a weapon" and "murder motivated by hooliganism." The jury was unconvinced by the prosecutor's argument that the defendants, who confessed that they killed the victim, had acted out of ethnic hatred.
The jury recommended that one of the defendants receive a reduced sentence. The Moscow City Court is expected to announce its decision on sentencing in the near future.
Trial Set for Neo-Nazi Gang in Krasnodar
25/1/2010- Members of a neo-Nazi gang face a pending trial on extremism charges in Krasnodar, Russia, according to a January 21, 2010 article in the national daily
"Komsomolskaya Pravda." According to the prosecution, the "Pit Bull" gang was founded in February 2007 with the express purpose of committing acts of violence against non-Russians. Their first victim was a "non-Slavic" woman whom the defendants allegedly assaulted in October 2008. They allegedly followed that up with a March 2009 attack on a man they perceived as "non-Slavic." The gang's two alleged founders face charges of "creating an extremist organization" and aggravated assault charges motivated by ethnic hatred. It is not clear from the report how many other defendants there are, nor what charges they face.
Obninsk Police Detain Neo-Nazi Suspect in Racist Attack
25/1/2010- Police in Obninsk, Russia detained a local neo-Nazi on suspicion that he attacked a citizen of Uzbekistan, according to a January 21, 2010 report by the Sova Information-Analytical Center. The 19 year old suspect allegedly attacked his victim in August of 2009. In 2008, he was given a suspended sentence for "hooliganism" in a trial of several neo-Nazi gang members.
© UCSJ
FAR-RIGHT ACTIVIST BUDAHÁZY FINED FOR CRIMINAL DAMAGE (Hungary)
3/2/2010- Pest Central District Court fined activist György Budaházy and another defendant Ft 500,000 plus Ft 300,000 costs on Tuesday for vandalising the Soviet memorial on Szabadság tér in October 2006. Budaházy and his defence lawyer immediately lodged an appeal, while the other convicted man and his lawyer asked for three days to consider the verdict. Spectators shouted "murderers", "Zionism", "hatred of Hungarians" and "double standards". Police detained a man for disorderly conduct. Budaházy was taken back to prison after the verdict, as he is also suspected of terrorism, abuse of explosives, preparing a murder and physical assault. Jobbik MEP Krisztina Morvai announced that she will run as an independent MP. Far-right website kuruc.info has launched a campaign in favour of Budaházy who it described as "languishing in jail" and accused Jobbik of "leaving a fellow activist in the lurch" by not including him as one of its 176 candidates for MP. Budaházy wrote in an open letter to his supporters that he will run as an MP, although he "despises it" and considers "partocracy" a "pointless charade".
© Politics Hungary
HUNGARY TRIES AGAIN TO OUTLAW HOLOCAUST DENIAL
31/1/2010- Hungary's caretaker government has introduced legislation to make Holocaust denial punishable by three years’ imprisonment. Passage of the long-delayed proposal could take place before the April 11 parliamentary elections, said Attila Mesterhazy, the prime ministerial candidate of the ruling Socialists, if the opposition parties agree. Political observers here believe that is unlikely to happen, but the proposal may well pave the way for such law reform by the next Parliament following April's elections. The government’s latest of several attempts to make Holocaust denial illegal was introduced on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. At ceremonies in Budapest last week to honor the Holocaust dead, who included some 600,000 Hungarian Jews, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the most effective approach to counter the aggressive rise of anti-Semitism in Hungary would be through the legislative process. Meanwhile, some neo-Nazi movements in Europe are organizing their annual “Day of Honor” in Hungary to mark the last stand of the Nazis and their Hungarian supporters against the Soviet Army at Buda Castle on Feb. 11, 1945. The organizers, including the Hungarian National Front, have neither sought nor received official permission to hold the event this year, but reportedly they have said they assume the rally will take place as usual at Heroes’ Square in this capital city.
© JTA News
GAZA WAR SAW ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKS RISE TO RECORD HIGH (uk)
Britain's Jews faced surge of abuse after Israel's invasion in January 2009
5/2/2010- The number of anti-Semitic attacks in the UK reached record highs last year as anger over Israel's assault on Gaza led to an explosion of race hatred targeted at Britain's Jewish community. The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which monitors attacks against Jews, said 924 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded last year – a 69 per cent increase on 2008 and the highest number since the charity began keeping records of anti-Semitism in 1984. The charity said Israel's three-week invasion of Gaza in January last year led to an unprecedented outpouring of anger directed at Britain's Jews, with more anti-Semitism recorded in the first six months of 2009 than in any entire previous year. Of the 924 confirmed incidents, 124 were violent assaults, three of which involved what the CST classified as an "extreme threat to life". It was the highest number of physical assaults recorded against the Jewish community since records began and represents a 41 per cent increase on the previous year. Physical assaults tended to be most common within areas where members of the Orthodox or Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities are most visible, such as Salford and Bury in Greater Manchester and Hendon and Stamford Hill in north London. Non-violent incidents included widespread graffiti; bacon being placed on the doors of a synagogue in Leeds and a postal worker writing the words "Jewland" on a parcel meant for a British man staying on a kibbutz in Israel. The figures also suggested that anti-Semitism in Britain tended to spike when Israel conducted controversial military operations. Until this year's report, the last time anti-Semitism was at its highest was during 2006 when the Israel Defence Forces launched a one-month assault on Lebanon in retaliation at an attack by Hizbollah fighters. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of all the incidents reported last year made some sort of direct reference to the military assault on Gaza or Israel's war against Hamas.
Last night Gordon Brown said that anger over Israel's politics could not excuse the attacks on Britain's Jewish community. "The increase in anti-Semitic incidents recorded by CST in the early part of last year is deeply troubling," he said. "No strength of feeling can ever justify violent extremism or attacks and we will stand firm against all those who would use anti-Israeli feeling as an excuse or disguise for anti-Semitism and attacks on the Jewish community." His remarks came as it was revealed that police are investigating claims that anti-Semitic remarks were posted on an internet page set up by a student. More than 500 members joined a group – created on the social networking site Facebook – which boasted of attacks on the Jewish community in Ilford, east London. One of the messages posted branded Jewish people as “dirty, filthy scumbags”. The Jewish News said the Facebook group was created by a student at Loxford School of Science and Technology in Ilford. A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council, the local education authority, said the pupil had been disciplined, while Facebook said the group had been closed down as it breached the site’s policy on threatening hatred and violence. CST spokesman Mark Gardner said: "These record figures show that anti-Semitism is an increasingly significant problem for British Jews. The trend must be reversed and we call upon decent people to speak out against anti-Semitism in all its forms." The CST classifies an anti-Semitic incident as "any malicious act aimed at Jewish people, organisations or property, where there is evidence that the act has anti-Semitic motivation or content, or the victim was targeted because they are (or are believed to be) Jewish". The charity is also afforded third-party status by the police which allows it to inform the authorities of anti-Semitic attacks on a victim's behalf. The CST's investigators look into any incidents reported to them by individuals, synagogues or Jewish groups, but not every complaint is recorded as openly anti-Semitic. Last year 489 claims they received were discounted and judged to have no specific anti-Jewish agenda. The one area where anti-Semitism appears to have declined is on university campuses. In 2009 there were 97 incidents recorded at British universities, 38 of which involved repeated emails to a single Jewish academic from what was thought to be a single perpetrator. If those emails are discarded the number of anti-Semitic incidents at university actually fell by 13 per cent compared to 2008.
© The Independent
POLICE PROBE ANTI-SEMITIC FACEBOOK POSTS (uk)
4/2/2010- Detectives are investigating claims that anti-Semitic remarks were posted on an internet page set up by a student from east London. More than 500 members joined a group - created on the social networking site Facebook - which boasted of attacks on the Jewish community in Ilford, east London, it was reported. One of the messages posted branded Jewish people as "dirty, filthy scumbags". Another described a "fight" with a Jewish woman in a shop because she was "looking at me", the Jewish News said. The newspaper said the Facebook group was created by a student at Loxford School of Science and Technology, in Ilford. A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council, the local education authority, said the pupil had been disciplined. "A school in the borough was contacted with information about an anti-Semitic Facebook group. They immediately reported this to Facebook and the police and the group was closed down on the same day. Students do not have access to Facebook from school computer terminals. The student concerned has been dealt with and the school has taken disciplinary action. There is an ongoing police investigation so we are unable to comment further." A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers received an allegation that "anti-Semitic material" had been published on a social networking site on January 29. He said inquiries were continuing. A Facebook spokeswoman said the group breached the site's policy. "We want Facebook to be a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views, while respecting the rights and feelings of others," she said. "Groups that violate our policies, such as those which threaten hate or violence, will be removed by Facebook. We encourage users to report groups they feel may be in violation of our policies."
© The Press Association
DISCRIMINATION LAW BID DROPPED(uk)
4/2/2010- The Government will not push through proposals that churches argue would restrict their ability to deny jobs to gay people and transsexuals, Equality Minister Harriet Harman has confirmed. Her remarks came days after Pope Benedict XVI warned that the Equality Bill ran contrary to "natural law" and restricted the freedom of religious communities. The Government was defeated three times in the Lords last month as church leaders led by the Archbishop of York feared it would restrict their ability to control who they employed. Ms Harman said a Government amendment to the Bill had only sought to "make the distinction between religious and non-religious jobs clearer". During Commons exchanges on upcoming business, she said the amendment would not be brought back to Parliament and "the law will remain as it was". Asked to clarify the situation by Labour former minister Kitty Ussher (Burnley), Ms Harman said: "The Government's policy is clear and has not changed. "Our view is and remains that when it comes to religious organisations employing people they should comply with the law that applies with all other employers - whether it's the requirement to have written contracts, to pay sick pay or to pay the minimum wage and not to sack people unfairly or to discriminate against them." She said "specifically religious" work was exempt from the non-discriminatory laws. "So a religion can't discriminate against gay people or women when they hire a bookkeeper but they can when they are choosing a minister of their religion," she said. "The amendment which we moved in the House of Lords did not and was not intended to change that policy position; what it sought to do was make the distinction between religious and non-religious jobs clearer. The Lords didn't regard that amendment as helpful; we'll therefore leave the law as it is and not bring back the amendment to this house."
© The Press Association
YOUR EQUALITY LAWS ARE UNJUST, POPE TELLS UK BEFORE VISIT
• Bishops told to fight moves with 'missionary zeal' • Secular groups preparing protests for September trip
2/2/2010- Pope Benedict XVI marked the announcement of his first papal visit to Britain with an unprecedented attack on the government's equality legislation yesterday, claiming it threatened religious freedom and ran contrary to "natural law". Speaking at the Vatican to visiting Catholic bishops of England and Wales, he described changes to the law as unjust and urged them to invoke "missionary zeal" to resist them. The comments came during a five-yearly trip to the Vatican by the bishops, during which they made presentations on their concerns about the place of religion in an increasingly secular society. The pope's broadside appeared to be aimed squarely at recent legislation that prevents Catholic adoption agencies from discriminating against gay couples, and the proposed equality bill, which would make it harder for churches to exclude job applications from homosexuals or people who have changed their gender. The pope said: "The effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal [of equality] has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed." He also used the address to confirm that he would visit the UK in September. But his comments drew swift criticism from the National Secular Society, which said it would stage protests during the state-funded trip. Terry Sanderson, the society's president, said: "The taxpayer is going to be faced with a bill for £20m for the visit in which he has already indicated he will attack equal rights and promote discrimination."
Sanderson said he would seek to bring together gay and feminist groups, family planning organisations, abortion rights and victim support groups, and anyone else who "felt under siege" from the Vatican's "current militancy". But yesterday the Pope urged the bishops to make their voices heard and defend the faith, saying that Christian teaching did not undermine or restrict the freedom of others. "Continue to insist upon your right to participate in national debate through respectful dialogue with other elements in society. In doing so, you are not only maintaining long-standing British traditions of freedom of expression and honest exchange of opinion, but are giving voice to the convictions of many people who lack the means to express them: when so many of the population claim to be Christian, how could anyone dispute the gospel's right to be heard?" he said. "If the full saving message of Christ is to be presented effectively and convincingly to the world, the Catholic community in your country needs to speak with a united voice. This requires not only you, the bishops, but also priests, teachers, catechists, writers – in short, all who are engaged in the task of communicating the gospel – to be attentive to the promptings of the spirit, who guides the whole church into the truth, gathers her into unity and inspires her with missionary zeal." Before the group meeting yesterday, the pope met the 35 bishops, who each reported on diocesan matters. The archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, said they were encouraged by the pope's words. "It has been clear that he knows the situation and applied it to a move in legislation to look for equality. Adoption agencies either closed or moved away from the Catholic church because of the legislation. That was an example of what I believe was an unreasonable curtailment of the Catholic contribution. Of the 480 agencies, only 11 were Catholic. It was disproportionate.
"We do not support the notion of discrimination. But you have to distinguish between people." A Catholic commentator said the impact of the sexual orientation regulations had left a deeper impression on the bishops than the equality bill. Clifford Longley said: "The bishops are still very bothered by the gay adoption issue, they felt it was grossly unfair. The equality bill was more of an Anglican priority. The Catholics were concerned, but it wasn't top of their agenda." He said the pope's letter was a vote of confidence in England and Wales's bishops, urging them to be proud of their beliefs and to resist state attempts to squeeze them out. His response to the bishops could be seen as an assessment of their performance. Longley added: "He is telling them to stand up for their right to be heard. He does accept that in a secular society they will be one voice among many."
© The Guardian
TEEN LEAVES UKIP OVER ITS 'BNP BURKA BAN POLICY' (uk)
30/1/2010- A young politician who quit the UK Independence Party over its controversial ‘burka ban’ policy says the group is going the way of the far-right BNP. Alex Ellis-Roswell, 16, from Canterbury, handed in his membership after UKIP leader Lord Pearson said the veils worn by some Muslim women should be outlawed to help improve British security and to avoid dividing communities. Announcing his defection to the Libertarian Party this week, Ellis-Roswell – who is a prospective candidate for Canterbury City Council – said his former party was becoming increasingly Islamophobic. He said: “I joined UKIP about a year ago because I believed they were the only Eurosceptic libertarian party out there and had the best chance of going places. “But at the moment they seem to be going down the same route as the BNP. “The burka ban was the last straw for me. I was quite ashamed and didn’t want people to know I was associated with the party so I went quiet for a while. “It’s sad really because UKIP was starting to gain a lot of support, but then they went down the whole Islamophobia route and I don’t think it will stop at attempting to ban the burka.
“It’s a no-win situation to start acting like the BNP.” Lord Pearson’s comments regarding the burka were echoed last week by his predecessor and current Kent MEP Nigel Farage. The Bromley resident told KOS Media he thought banning the veil was no different to asking people not to wear motorcycle helmets in banks, or hoodies at Bluewater shopping centre. Responding to Ellis-Roswell’s decision to quit the party, Mr Farage admitted his and Lord Pearson’s comments had upset some members. He said: “I can see how the burka ban might upset some people, but if you look closely we weren’t saying stop people wearing them in the street. “What we were saying was that if you’re in an airport or on a train, then modern security laws say you have to show your face. “I’m sorry if Alex is upset, but he shouldn’t confuse that with us going the way of the BNP, because we are not and we never will be. “But we’ve also had lots of people getting in touch with us – including serving ministers – saying at last someone is getting back to Christian values in this country.” Ellis-Roswell, who has been home-schooled for the last two years said he was en route to becoming UKIP’s Canterbury branch secretary before deciding to quit the party. Should he win a seat at next year’s local elections he would become the UK’s youngest city councillor ever aged just 18 years and six weeks.
© The Kent News
AN UNDECLARED APARTHEID (Europe, feature)
The Journal examines the ethnic divide that is trapping Roma "Gypsies" across Europe in cycles of poverty and persecution
By Eloise Nutbrown
3/2/2010- In 2004, Romanian municipal authorities evicted more than one hundred "gypsies" from their homes in the central region of Harghita County and relocated them to isolated, squalid land on the outskirts of nearby towns. Resettled in a series of small metal cabins, Roma families and young children were cramped together in close proximity to the hazardous waste from a sewage plant. As far as lobbyists at the time were concerned, this was just one of a series of human rights violations that had taken place across Europe in recent years, specifically targeting the Roma population in acts of so-called "anti-gypsyism". One year later, on 2 February 2005, eight European governments—including Romania—gathered in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, to sign the Declaration of the Decade of Roma Inclusion. Responding to realities of Roma poverty and segregation—particularly in the Eastern states of Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary—prime ministers pledged that the next ten years would be characterised by visible improvements to the social and economic welfare of Europe’s largest and most marginalised ethnic minority. The rhetoric that surrounded the initiative at its launch was of integration and the promise of opportunity that had so far been withheld from the continent’s seven to nine million Roma. Priority areas of education, employment, health, and housing were flagged as the focus for change and 'Nothing About Us Without Us' splashed as the mantra for an empowered Roma voice. The politicians had an agenda - and a convincing sound bite.
In part, what the promisingly-titled initiative was supposedly trying to change, through international collaboration, was the stigma attached to a largely enigmatic ethnic minority. Yet, for some, the programme could only ever be a boon to events organisers and political think tanks faced with the task of reversing a history of persecution and transforming the profile of a group still pejoratively labelled "gypsies" both popularly and politically. Undoubtedly, the "gypsy" figure continues to produce paradoxical stereotypes in the popular imagination. On the one hand, we tend to indulge in the notion of exotic and romantic travellers - women dressed in bright colours and gold jewellery, telling fortunes in archaic painted caravans. On the other, however, it has become the universal brand of threatening "tramps and thieves" who wander Europe begging and stealing. Both have tended to attach themselves to Roma communities and their culture. The image of the rootless vagrant has endured despite the historical fact that for centuries they have been citizens of their countries of nationality.
To bring clarity to the myths: Roma ancestry is commonly traced to India, from where a nomadic culture is believed to have brought them to Europe as travellers over 1000 years ago. Whilst they were initially welcomed as the harbingers of exciting new culture and trade this very quickly succumbed to suspicion and exclusion. The recent history of the Roma is undeniably chequered with discrimination. They were victims of early enslavement, repression under the Soviet Union, and also the Nazi Holocaust, during which 500,000 Roma were killed. In the early 90s Roma women were also disproportionately subjected to a government-sponsored family planning programme in ex-Czechoslovakia. Sterilisation was pushed as a solution to reduce what they saw as a worryingly high gypsy birth rate. Financial incentives encouraged Roma women to sign-up to the scheme, whilst social workers used violence and threats to force reluctant women to undergo the medical procedures that would prevent them from having more children. Although it was swiftly culled as an official policy one year later, after the Human Rights Watch expressed, the practice continued covertly. The police were sent complaints claiming Roma women were now being asked to sign their consent whilst semi-conscious, in the midst of labour. Accusations were also brought against doctors believed to have tied the fallopian tubes of women whilst they were undergoing caesarean section. There were no prosecutions, however, and it is only recently the Czech Republic has officially acknowledged that the illegal sterilisations took place.
Guests on the European Council’s first Human Rights talk show View Point unanimously agreed that the Roma were being used as the European 'punch bag': scapegoats for any social ills. The program launched this month with a discussion of the racial problems close to home and a mixture of panellists exchanging perspectives with remarkable consensus. An 'undeclared apartheid' was going unacknowledged, it was concluded. The refusal at all levels to view Roma as authentic members of a nation state kept them at a permanent social and economic disadvantage: denied the education and employment that would allow them to participate fully in society or even to have a public voice. Instead, the Roma were confined to insular communities in the growing ghettos seen on the outskirts of many European cities. Michael Guet, Head of the Roma and Travellers Division of the Council of Europe, even suggested that local politicians built on the problem by exploiting segregation—evoking negative gypsy stereotypes in the circulation of anti-Roma 'hate speech'—to account for social problems in small municipalities.
This was certainly the case in 2008, when the world was shown pictures drawn by Italian school children, as young as nine years old, of illegal Roma settlements being razed to the ground. The camp they depicted—mostly home to Roma refugees from Eastern bloc countries—had recently been firebombed in an alleged xenophobic attack. The children had produced essays that said: "Burning the houses of the Roma is justified", and one child had written: "They steal babies and use them for begging or sell their organs for transplants." The incident took place not long after the national election of the centre-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi, which included the anti-immigration Northern League and the neo-fascist Alleanza Nazionale. It was commonly held the party had gained its victory on a pledge to tackle illegal immigration. Interior minister, Roberto Maroni, had said Italy would crack down on the issue of unauthorised Roma camps "by the end of the year". He also said city officials and police would be granted new powers to deal with the problem. This pledge has finally reached fruition as, this week, one of the largest makeshift Roma camps in Europe has been cleared and its 600 residents relocated to legal tenaments in the north of Rome. Rome’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, has heralded the transfer a success and an important step in the direction of eradicating the illegal camps where Roma live often without running water. Yet, although the camps were basic, some of the families had lived there for 40 years and didn’t want to leave.
However, this is not the only story highlighting continued tension between Europeans and their Roma constituents to hit the headlines in the first month of 2010. Five years on, in the year that marks the halfway point of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, and with more than a touch of grim irony, it was revealed the Czech Republic is ostensibly forcing thousands of healthy Roma children into special schools designed for the mentally impaired. Amnesty International have released a report claiming Roma comprise 80 percent of the children attending the remedial facilities, which provide sub-standard education and cover only part of the national curriculum. It is leaving Roma children at a severe disadvantage, the human rights body have said. Fotis Filippou, the author of the report, told the media: "Segregation in education is unlawful. But, unfortunately, it is still practiced in the 21st century in the European Union." Last week, Amnesty performed another public naming and shaming, this time directed at the Romanian government for failing to reform the discriminatory housing legislation which allowed 100 Roma to be dumped in unhealthy ghettos in 2004. Halya Gowan, programme director for Europe and Central Asia, was quoted criticising the patterns of forced evictions that have continued to target Roma communities across the country, claiming it "perpetuates racial segregation and violates Romania's international obligations".
Incidents of violence and miscarriages of justice, directed against the Roma, have been continually recorded across Europe in recent years by organisations such as the European Roma Rights Centre. Yet, it is in Hungary that campaigners observe the most dangerous social climate of ‘Roma-phobia’. On 23 February 2009, the home of a family of four on the outskirts of Tatárszentgyörgy in Hungary, was set ablaze. A Roma man and his four-year-old son were shot dead as they fled the building, which had been set alight in a drive-by attack. Since then, cases of violence against Roma communities have increased rapidly. The most isolated homes on the outskirts of towns have been targeted in a spate of shootings and murders. Upcoming elections are expected to see support bolstered for the ultra-right-wing Jobbik Party, which has close links with an outlawed neo-Nazi militia, the Hungarian Guard. The group, who wear fascist-style uniforms and are armed, have been convicted of many of the recent killings. Members of the Jobbik Party have also made explicit statements against Roma, Jews and other minorities, and in last year's European Parliamentary elections they won 15 percent of the Hungarian vote.
The growth of right-wing sentiment has produced a surge in refugee applications from Hungarian Roma families visiting Canada. After the murders in Hungary began, the number of applicants for asylum increased almost fivefold—to 1,353—and the figure is now expected to be even higher. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Hungary is now Canada's third-largest source of refugee claimants. Despite evidence of persecution, however, all of the 2009 asylum applications have been rejected. Canadian officials argue that Hungarian citizens are not considered legitimate asylum claimants. Their EU status means they are free to live in any of the other 26 member countries. The influx of Roma has so alarmed the Canadian government that immigration minister, Jason Kenney, personally visited Budapest last summer to lobby the Hungarian government to respond to anti-Roma crimes. Despite this international pressure, there is little reason to hope that discrimination against Roma communities is nearing its end. In Life on the Edge, a recent documentary commissioned as part of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, Roma film director Arpad Bogdan concludes, that prejudice against the Roma on account of criminality, although wildly disproportionate, was not entirely unfounded. The social segregation of ghettos, he claims, trap the Roma in cycles of poverty that force some into lifestyles of begging and thieving. A recent survey showed 85 percent of Hungarians feel negatively about Roma "due to personal experience". The threat of a pogrom hangs over those Roma communities living in the 650 ghettos across the country, and this vicious cycle is only suggestive of more violence and discrimination to come.
© The Journal
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