Warn of Neo-Nazi Terrorism in Europe

A few months ago a classified internal document from the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) from Germany stated, "We must assume that there will be further xenophobic acts of violence by individuals or perpetrator groups in the form of bodily injury also resulting in death in some cases, arson attacks (against asylum seekers' homes, for example) and, in some isolated cases, also homicide."

Investigators pointed then to the attacks perpetrated in Norway by Anders Behring Breivik as an example of the possibilities.

This is absolutely true. Just a few days ago a 45-year-old academic researcher from Poland has been arrested on suspicion of planning to detonate explosives in a vehicle at the Parliament building during a budget debate.

The man's motives were described as "nationalistic, xenophobic and anti-Semitic" and he is also described by Polish officials as having been inspired and fascinated by Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway last year.

In Spain has happened something similar. In October, a young man from Mallorca planned to use explosives to blow up the University of Illes Balears. He was interested in Adolf Hitler and just a few months before had read the ‘Mein Kampf’; at home had made racist comments and shown repulse among Jews and black people. 

Intolerance in football...

Premier League clubs will be encouraged to operate whistle-blowing mechanisms to ensure racist incidents can be reported in confidence as part of a range of measures agreed by the Football Association to tackle discrimination.

After 18 months in which the issue of racism on and off the pitch has dominated headlines, the recommendations are the result of work carried out in the wake of a Downing Street summit convened by the prime minister in February following the John Terry and Luis Suárez incidents.

But, unfortunately, these kinds of incidents are very common in football. Italian club Lazio was fined $52,000 by UEFA following racist chanting by its supporters in September; the Serbian Football Association was fined $105,000 following an Under-21 match in which opposing players from the England team said they were racially abused. 

Just a few days ago, other case has emerged and the Football Association is investigating that a player was racially abused by spectators during an FA Cup second-round match and in other country, Russia, a fan group has written an open letter to the Russian club's officials, demanding that they refrain from signing black and gay players while maintaining 'We're not racists.'

The 'manifesto' was outlined in a direct letter to the Russian club’s officials, asking that Zenit refrain from signings any new players from outside of their neighbouring nations. The group demanded that only players from fellow Slav nations like Belarus and the Ukraine, along with Baltic and Scandinavian countries should be allowed to play for Zenit.

20 ANIVERSARY OF LUCRECIA PÉREZ ASSASINATION

PRESS RELEASE

20 ANIVERSARY OF LUCRECIA PÉREZ ASSASINATION

MCI ask Spanish government for more determination and  action in the struggle against racism.

Lucrecia Pérez was an afrodescendent migrant from Dominican Republic. Her murdered was the first racist motivated crime in the democratic Spain. It was overwhelmed condemned by majority of the people and public institutions. Today more than ever is needed to point out that social environment the make that crime possible are still there.

Economic crisis is having a deep impact in the increase of xenophobic prejudices against migrants, as it´s shown by officiatl statistics. Besides, organized extremismt groups are harassing minorities and feeding intolerance against migrants putting in danger the coexistence in the more complex diversity society as it is Spain nowadays.

Xenophoby has been strongly boosted by some succed of xenophobic political countries in several European countries such as Greek, Hungary, Holland, Germany and Austria among others. Democratic responses against them are not made in the proper way.

There are mulptiples factors that fooster xenophoby racism and related intolerance. These are some of the most important element of a compolex diagnosis:

·  Xenophoby and related intolerance are increasing. Migrants, roma, religious minorities are suffering this attitudes as it´s shown by official statistic data.

·  Internet is used almost without limitation to spread hatred and intolerance.

·  Xenophobic populism and neo-fascist activities are very well coordinated at European level.

·  Hate incidents and crimes are still going on.

Therefore, Movement against Intolerance ask to civil society to get active against this serious problem, Plus, MCI demands to Spanish Government more determination and decisive actions against racism and xenophobia.

Measures to be adopted:

·   To enforce article 510 of Penal Code to fight against hatred on the internet

·   To ban activities that promotes criminal intolerance

·   To ban political parties and organizations that promotes intolerance and hatred

·   To enforce and improve legislation against racism

·   Integral support to victims of hate crimes and their solidarity organizations

·   To create police unites specialize in fighting hate groups

·   To implement long term and wide actions plans against intolerance based on the concept of prevention. Tolerance and Human Rights must be spread.

Madrid

November 12, 2012

France against Homophobia...

As part of a broad raft of measures to help fight homophobia in France, the government has announced plans to include educating primary school children about homosexual relationships and same-sex parenting.

French Minister for Women’s Rights and spokesperson of the Government Najat Vallaud-Belkacem on Wednesday unveiled wide-ranging plans to fight homophobia in France that include teaching primary school children about issues affecting LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people.

It seems like France has decided to be at the forefront against homophobia. 

Najat Vallaud Belkacem has presented on 31 October an extensive plan to fight against homophobia. She foresees France as being at the forefront of the promotion of LGBT rights in Europe.

At the international level, France will take part in an EU LGBT action plan that would draw new laws and policies to strengthen equality and non-discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in the EU. As well, French embassies will support LGBT rights organisations operating abroad.

International Day of Non-Violence...with violence.

The International Day of Non-Violence is marked on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

The International Day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including

through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence".

"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."

(Mahatma Gandhi

The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1927)

A very different thought than the Golden Dawn Party ideas.

A few weeks ago, about 40 burly men, led by Giorgos Germenis, a lawmaker with the right-wing Party, marched through a night market in the town of Rafina demanding that dark-skinned merchants showed permits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhJntEn4ddA&feature=player_embedded

Golden Dawn’s tactics are similar to ones it used before parliamentary elections in June. Preying on fears that immigrants are worsening crime rates and economic hardship, the group has been stepping up attacks against immigrants, many of whom are legal citizens, with the police frequently standing by.

The group recently opened an office in New York and an outpost in Australia as a mechanism to promote hatred. 

Racism and football...

The Chelsea captain and former England captain John Terry has received a fine of 220,000 pounds and a four game ban after being found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.

A statement from the Football Association said that Terry had been charged with "using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand and which included a reference to colour and/or race", contrary to FA rules.

A few months ago, Luis Suarez was banned for eight matches and fined £40,000 after being found guilty of misconduct, regarding "using insulting words towards" Patrice Evra of Manchester United.

English football (and other countries as well) continues to troubled by the scourge of racism. And that was what a Parliamentary reported a few weeks ago. 

Greek neo-Nazi party sets up New York office

The Greek neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party reportedly set up an office in New York City in a bid to bolster its support among expatriate Greek communities.

The populist ultranationalist party has been collecting food and medicine at drives in New York for Greeks left destitute by the country’s massive financial crisis and recently distributed the aid in Athens, according to the Kathimerini daily.

The website of the Golden Dawn New York branch, which features the party’s black swastika-like symbol across a dark New York skyline, promises the aid will be donated “only to Greek people.”

Anti-Semitic, a Hate Crime

WINNIPEG police are asking for the public’s help in tracking down the perpetrators of anti-Semitic posters that were put up around the downtown a few days ago.

The posters, which are headlined with a reference to Hitler, accuse Mayor Sam Katz of funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars into the pockets of a dozen business people, all but two of whom are Jewish, since he was elected in 2004.

The messages are not signed and there is no reference to any individual or group who might be behind them.

Sadly, such incidents do also happen in Europe. For example, ninety incidents of anti-Semitic nature were recorded in Berlin during the first three months of 2012. The Secretary of State Bernard Kromer announced in Parliament that one third of those incidents had been classified as violent.

Antisemitic incidents map 2012: 

Assault on Montenegrin Gay Activists Condemned

Civil society activists and officials have condemned the beating up of three men - two of whom took part in making a video promoting gay rights in Montenegro.  

Danilo Marunovic, director of the video, Todor Vujosevic, an actor in it, and their friend, Mirko Boskovic, a journalist at Montenegro's public broadcaster, RTCG, were attacked on the night between Sunday and Monday, allegedly by fans of a sports club. The video was produced in November 2011 as part of a project of two local NGOs, the Centre for Civic Education, CGO, and LGBT Forum Progress. The video advocated increased tolerance for the LGBT community in Montenegro, showing two men kissing each other while watching a football match. One was Vujosevic. 

The three were reportedly attacked by fans of the Podgorica sports club Buducnost in the centre of capital and received minor injuries. CGO and the LGBT Forum Progress condemned the attack, saying that it was clear that the motive for the act was hatred, and the three men's only crime was contributing to a culture of tolerance. LGBT Progress filed a criminal complaint against four unnamed fans for the attack and against one alleged accomplice, whose identity is also known. Vijesti Television stated that one of its sport journalists, Dijana Drobnjak, was in the company of the attackers. She has been suspended from her duties pending an investigation. 

The NGO Human Rights Action said that the fan club, called Varvari, should be banned if it was proven that it contributed to the incident. 

Officials also condemned the attack. "We strongly condemn this act of vandalism … and expect the authorities to resolve the case quickly and efficiently and punish the perpetrators in line with the law,” Jovan Kojicic, the government's chief advisor on human rights and anti-discrimination, said.

11/09/2012 -Balkan Insight

White Terror

In 'White Terror' is possible to see as Nazism is spreading all around Europe and  Spain.

There has been a significant change in the far-right movement: while veterans have retired, are too old or have died, the new ideologues are emerging throughout Europe and are expanding their ideas.

They don’t need to shave his heads because they have created corporations, distribution companies, music clubs, magazines, websites, etc.

The propagators of Hate have found the best tool to spread their ideas: the Internet. 

Two sportists banished from Olympic Games

Firstly, Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou was banished from the Olympic Games after making racist comments and expressing right-wing sentiments on Twitter.

And just a few days ago, a Swiss soccer player was expelled from the Olympics for his threatening and racist message on Twitter about South Koreans. Michel Morganella posted the message after playing in the 2-1 loss against South Korea on Sunday. 

This is not the kind of message from a competition like Olympic Games...racism, xenophobia and intolerance must be eradicated from all areas including sport or Internet.   

A strong message against hatred by the Italian government

"You can't just cry after every massacre and then forget the tears", the Integration Minister said. "Tears have to become concrete commitments to fight against the sowers of hatred."

The Italian government plans to introduce new legislation to beef up measures countering anti-Semitism and hate speech in cyberspace because of the increase in the number of websites with intolerance content. 

European Day for Victims of Hate Crimes

In Memoriam of Oslo´s Massacre

July the 22^nd

European Day for Victims of Hate Crimes

One year ago, Norway suffered the worst massacre since World War II. 76 people were murdered, most of them just because their political ideas as young members of Labour Party. That’s why some European NGOs are asking for an European Day for Victims of Hate Crimes, in order to preserve their memory and dignity and raise awareness about destructive capacity of those ideologies that promotes hatred and violence.

The unnamable killer is a terrorist inspired by the ideology of intolerance. Ideas shared by a Right Wing Extremist willing to destroy democracy and whipped out values of equality, tolerance and diversity. They clearly intend to terminate the global Human Rights advances.

The July 22^nd hatred motivated terrorist attack wasn´t an isolate tragedy. Another hate crime have shocked European Society. German neo-Nazi murders scandal linked to intelligence service, racist crimes in Italy, harassment of Roma people in central Europe, attacks to jews and muslims, desecration of religious places and homophobic aggressions are some examples of this wave of hate and violence in Europe.

Europe is not very used to remembrance however memory is more important than ever in order to preserve the victim´s dignity. We need more commitment and determination against racism and related intolerance. Democratic courage is required for a better struggle against the imminent threat of poisoned extremist ideologies.. Europe assumed values of equality, tolerance and diversity after the tragedy of Holocaust in order to shout “never again”, these principles are in danger and that means vulnerability for human beings.

An European Day for Victims of Hate Crimes is part of a comprehensive strategy to defeat ideologies that promote hatred and violence, and a way to preserve human dignity, democratic values, and Human Rights. The July 22^nd attack was a turning point for the struggle against intolerance. The shared sorrow of Utoya and Oslo is a call for justice emerging from an irreparable loss of human lives. This is why ONGs are proposing to the European Parliament to set up this European Day for Victims of Hate Crimes. Besides we encourage  civil society, institutions and citizens to support this initiative.

In Oslo, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Warsaw, Berlin…. …  July the 22^nd

The homophobia, stupid...

We don’t event want to mention his name, privacy is a great value to protect and much more for children. But we don’t want to miss the opportunity to show our solidarity with him; he is only 6 years old and he already knows what means to be discriminated and suffer homophobic hatred. Harassment, contempt and emptiness have become part of his daily reality.

This is much more than a simple and individual case, this is the narrative experienced by millions of people all around the world suffering all the different levels of homophobic perversion and hatred.

Although homosexual marriage has been passed and it has a strong social support, homophobia has not been defeated yet in Spain as the following data shows:

• About 30% of students has carried out homophobic actions such as insults or pejorative  comments.
• About 15% has thrown out objects, hit or isolated their classmates as consequence of their sexual orientation.
• 3% has been part of homophobic beatings.

Homophobic speech damages, even though Alcala de Henares Bishop would not understand this. As it was clearly demonstrated in the homily he addressed a few months ago.

In our opinion there is a contradiction between ethic-moral attitude and his words. We wonder if he would be touched by this data:

• 78 countries out of 193 still have legislation criminalising same-sex consensual acts between adults. Punishments range from a number of lashes (e.g. Iran), two months of prison (e.g. Algeria) to life sentence (e.g. Bangladesh) or even death (Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen). 

Alcala de Henares Bishop should analyze the limits of his own compassion. Superstitions, indifference to suffering and human condition criminalization, are examples of immorality. It is easy to preach at home while thousands of Christians are being persecuted as consequence of their faith exactly in the same way that other thousands of human beings are being persecuted because of their sexual orientation.

Our personal commitment with Human Rights make us stand by all of them.

We want to express our concern about the trivialization of this cause, because to overcome homophobia means for millions to live or die, freedom or oppression, dignity or humiliation. Activists all around the world are fighting every day and putting their lives at risk in order to defend the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals rights.

Every single day from the beginning, Movement Against Intolerance has been active against homophobia offering legal and social advice to victims of homophobic discrimination, preventing homophobic attitudes at school, radio broadcasting against intolerance, working with media, lobbying policy makers, making public demonstrations and researching on homophobic hate crimes. We also support LGTB movement participating in international meetings whose participant States “are not sensitive enough” with the homophobic issue or are just homophobic. 

World Refugee Day - 20 June

20 June each year is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.

About 43 million people have been obligated to left their original countries as consequence of violence, threats and persecution because of their nationality, religion, race, political ideology or social group membership. 

Movement Against Intolerance shares the complaint made by UNITED FOR INTERCULTURAL ACTION since 1993 about  the Fatal Realities of 'Fortress Europe'.

Since then, UNITED has been monitoring the deadly results of the building of 'Fortress Europe' by making a list of the refugees and migrants who have died in their attempt of entering Europe. About 16,264 people.

Over the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar transit thousands of people each year and the resulting data are also terrible: At least 198 migrants died in 2011 in the Coasts of Andalusia.

The rise of genocide memorials

Members of England's European Championship squad have visited the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camps. This comes as memorials and museums marking the sites of mass killings around the world witnessed an increase in visitors.

A delegation led by Wayne Rooney and England manager Roy Hodgson took time out from training on Friday to visit the notorious death camp Nazi Germany operated on Polish soil after invading its neighbour during World War II.

Another group headed by captain Steven Gerrard travelled to Oskar Schindler's factory in Krakow.

The visits received a mixed reaction from commentators, with the Daily Mirror's Oliver Holt saying the "harrowing visit... made an extremely powerful statement" at a time "football is wrestling with new and grave concerns over racism among players and supporters".

But for the Daily Mail's Melanie Phillips, it was a "deeply distasteful football PR stunt", which was "intended to cleanse the besmirched reputation of English football".

Yet England's players are not the first footballers to visit Auschwitz. Holland and Italy, who are also camped in Krakow, have already been, as have representatives of the German team.

And they join the millions of tourists who have walked through the iron gates at Auschwitz bearing the legend Arbeit Macht Frei (work makes you free) to pay their respects.

Last year, a record 1.4 million people visited the site, while Holocaust memorials all over the world are also seeing numbers soar.

At the same time, other sites of massacres or genocide and cemeteries are becoming increasingly popular with tourists.

BBC News - 11/06/2012

Greek far-right Golden Dawn MP wanted for assault

Greek prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for the spokesman of the far-right Golden Dawn party after he slapped a left-wing politician in the face on live television.

Ilias Kasidiaris, who was elected to Greece's parliament in last month's elections, was debating with two female politicians on a chat show.

Video footage shows him throwing a glass of water at one of the women.

When the other intervened, he slapped her in the face three times.

Anti-immigration

Mr Kasidiaris appeared to have been provoked when Rena Dourou of the radical left-wing Syriza party mentioned his alleged involvement in an armed robbery in 2007.

He jumped up and threw a glass of water across the table at her, a You Tube clip of the Antenna television channel showed.

When Liana Kanelli of the Greek Communist party, the KKE, apparently threw a newspaper at him, he responded by slapping her around the face with three right-left blows.

A journalist at Antenna told the AFP news agency that colleagues were unable to stop Mr Kasidiaris from leaving the building.

Golden Dawn has risen in profile after it won just under 7% of votes, or 21 seats, in parliamentary elections on 6 May.

The party's staunch anti-immigration policy has led to accusations of racism and instigating violent attacks against immigrants.

Golden Dawn's leader, Nikos Michaloliakos, has also denied the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz and questioned the Holocaust, but he rejects the label neo-Nazi.

Greece's political system has been thrown into dissarray as the results of last month's elections failed to give any party enough seats in parliament to form a coalition.

Another vote is due to be held on June 17 to try and end a political impasse that eurozone leaders say is harming Greece's ability to tackle its economic crisis.

BBC News

Germany and others at Euro 2012 plan Auschwitz visits

The visit by Germany coach Joachim Loew and some of his players to Auschwitz on Friday will be gesture for tolerance and against racial hatred that other teams at Euro 2012 aim to follow.

"We are aware of the responsibility we have representing Germany when we travel to Poland and Ukraine," Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff said of the visit by the national federation DFB delegation.

Loew will be accompanied by team captain Philipp Lahm and his two Polish-born team-mates Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, for the visit to the memorial at the former Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The England team, which is to stay in Krakow, had already planned a visit to Auschwitz, about 60 kilometres away, while the Italia and Dutch teams were also planning visits.

In the host countries - the historically-minded Poland and Ukraine - the past casts a long shadow, particularly for German players.

The team visits will be of a private character, with museum officials to avoid any media spectacle at the site where the Nazis killed some 1.3 million people, mostly Jews, during World War II in occupied Poland.

Visitors to the museum in southern Poland during the tournament will also have to leave behind football accessories like team scarves, horns and flags.

For Irving Roth, who survived Auschwitz and also the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany as a 14-year-old from the Czechoslovak town of Kosice, the debate over whether teams should visit the site was superfluous.

"I think everyone should come here," he said.

"Why else do we have symbols of good and evil? To remind ourselves, to learn from them, to ask how that could have happened. Auschwitz was the ultimate killing machine, and these sportsmen should visit the camp in a fully official way."

Bernhard Storch, whose family was murdered by the Nazis, said: "All players, all teams should see this place,"

Storch, who is from Bochnia, near Krakow, but now lives in the United States, added: "They should see it, and they should learn. Nobody will reproach the German players with anything, and I think they will still sleep well and be able to score goals.

"There is nothing here that they should be afraid of. It is very important that they should come here."

Edie, a 17-year-old from Dallas, Texas, who visited Krakow with a Jewish youth group, thinks the visit by Germany players, who are only a few years older, would be important.

"Of course Nazi crimes have nothing to do with them personally! But it's important to pay tribute to the victims and to show we disagree with those who deny the Holocaust."

If the Germany team, with its players of diverse ethnic backgrounds, should visit Auschwitz, that would also be a strong symbol for the "other Germany," says Amid, 24, who is from Israel.

"Current Germany is different and acts differently from Nazi Germany. And if the German national team symbolically honours the victims of Nazi Germany with their visit, this is also a clear gesture for those 'fans' who spread extreme-right and racist slogans in stadiums," he said.

Irving Roth, 83, still remembers well the pain he felt as a nine-year-old for no longer being allowed to play in the local football club because he was a Jew.

A visit to Auschwitz by the German team would also be a call for tolerance, a gesture against hatred of minorities, he said.

"They should not only come to Auschwitz, they should also see Birkenau, where the extermination happened," Roth says with a firm voice.

"And they should meet with a survivor who tells them of that time. I would volunteer to do that!"