BNP complaint to police backfires.

Comedienne Jo Brand is at the centre of a police investigation over quips she made on the comedy programme that temporarily replaced Jonathan Ross’s TV chat show.

A senior producer on the Friday night Live At The Apollo show has been questioned by the Metropolitan Police about the incident.

Ironically, the six-show series only hit the airwaves as a ‘fill-in’ while Ross served his suspension after the fallout over the lewd messages he and Russell Brand left on the answering machine of Andrew Sachs.

Outspoken: Jo Brand's remark on the BNP party was cheered by the Hammersmith Apollo audience

The remarks by Jo Brand concerned the leaking of the British National Party’s membership list.

Brand, 51 – who is a staunch Labour Party supporter – joked that as a result of the list becoming public knowledge on the internet, she now knew the addresses where to send the ‘poo’ through the post.

The details of almost 13,000 BNP members were leaked last November – including those of teachers, solicitors, church ministers and even a doctor and a serving policeman.

Their names, addresses and phone numbers were published, exposing many to the risk of vilification, disciplinary action and dismissal from their jobs.

Brand’s routine was a hit with the live audience, who laughed and cheered at her remarks. However, the joke, which was broadcast on the late-night BBC1 show from Hammersmith Apollo on January 16, offended members of the BNP.

While covering Jonathan Ross' show Brand joked about the details of the BNP party that were leaked on the internet

The following day, Simon Darby, the BNP’s deputy leader, made an official complaint to Hammersmith police alleging that Brand’s comment had been an act of incitement to cause racial harassment.

A police spokesman last night confirmed: ‘We have received a complaint and officers will be reviewing the programme to see if any offences have occurred.’

But a senior police source said: ‘It is an absurd case and very unlikely to get to court. A lot of police time and money appears to have been wasted investigating what for all intents and purposes is just a TV show joke.’

The offending remarks by Brand have been posted online on YouTube. She is seen telling the audience: ‘Let’s start with some important political news. Did you hear this, right, that BNP members and supporters have had their names and addresses published on the internet, hurrah! Now we know who to send the poo to!’

Further complaints from the BNP followed, to the BBC and the police, and a formal review was launched two weeks ago – at an estimated cost of thousands of pounds to the taxpayer.

Officers spoke with the show’s producer about the programme’s content but did not arrest or formally caution him. Miss Brand is believed to have told officers, through her producer: ‘It was just a joke!’

A file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last week to determine if there is enough evidence for a successful prosecution to be made against Miss Brand or the BBC.

A decision will be made by the CPS in the next few days.

But a police source said: ‘The chances of this going further are very remote. The idea that the BNP are claiming they are the victim of a race offence is mildly amusing, to say the least.’

Jo Brand’s agent, Vivienne Clore, said: ‘I have spoken to Jo and she thought all this had gone away. She is co-operating with any investigation.’

The Live At The Apollo series was brought in by the BBC as one of the programmes to replace Ross’s Friday night chat show.

Last night the BNP’s Simon Darby said: ‘The BNP is technically an ethnic group and, under Section 26 of the Race Relations Act, we would suggest there are grounds that an offence of incitement to commit racial harassment has been committed.’

A BBC spokesman said last night: ‘We do not comment on police matters. However, we believe the audience would have understood the satirical nature of the remarks.’

Daily Mail

Goodbye Brigadista

Legendary anti-fascist Bob Doyle died this week at the age of 93. Born into poverty in Dublin, the young Doyle Doyle joined the street battles against Ireland’s Blueshirt fascists. In October 1937 joined the International Brigades and fought in the Spanish Civil War where he ended up as a POW until 1939. Throughout his life he would re-visit Spain to campaign against Franco’s dictatorship.

Living in Notting Hill during the race riots of 1958 he helped to organise protests and patrols to protect immigrant West Indians. He also drew regular Sunday crowds of up to 600 at Speakers’ Corner, where he would attract attention by setting fire to newspapers and saying “That’s what I think of the capitalist press”.

At the age of 72 he discovered marijuanaand grew his own “Neasden Dope” in his back garden until he grew tired of local youths breaking in to his greenhouse

His autobiography, Brigadista: An Irishman’s Fight Against Fascism was published in Dublin in 2006.

RIP Bob.

Link to original story

The BNP is no friend of British workers

The BNP is trying to exploit the protests in Lincolnshire for its own racist ends by turning an issue about contracts and jobs into a racist one.

Everyone should be alert to the dangers of this protest spiralling out of control, as the BNP would wish, setting worker against worker rather than tightening employment rules to ensure that employers cannot use one group of workers to undercut another – of whichever nationality or race they may be from.

It is also vital that people are not fooled by fascist propaganda. Their policies would crash the British economy. Millions of Britons depend on foreign-owned firms for the jobs. If the BNP got their way and all non-whites and foreigners were booted out of the country then why wouldn’t all these foreign-owned companies pull out as well?

Despite the announcement of 2,500 job cuts this week, the steel company Corus still employs 24,500 people in Britain. When the BNP kick its Indian management out of the country they would be throwing these people onto the scrapheap.

Then there are the hundreds of thousands of British workers who rely on British companies winning overseas contracts. If it’s “British jobs for British workers” then will the BNP support the American aviation industry withdrawing all work from British Aerospace and Rolls Royce and giving it to American companies?

And finally, what about the millions of Britons living and working abroad? If the BNP kicked out everyone in Britain who they did not like why wouldn’t other countries do the same?

We live in a complex and interwined global economy. As we have so graphically seen during the recent financial collapse what happens in one country quickly affects another.

What we need is for workers to enjoy the same rights and conditions across Europe and for people to be paid the rate for the job in the country they are working in. This, together with proper trade union organisation of all workers – British and “foreign” – and not racial scapegoating is how we stop exploitation of workers and undercutting of wages. The BNP is no friend of the British worker.

HOPE not hate

Jon Cruddas: Nick Lowles: Probably the biggest anti-fascist campaign ever

The BNP is looking to exploit the recession to win Euro seats; but thousands of people will thwart its message of hate

Over the next few months Searchlight and its HOPE not hate campaign will be gearing up to prevent the BNP from winning seats in the European elections. We anticipate mobilising thousands of activists and delivering over 2 million leaflets and newspapers in what will be the biggest and most intense anti-fascist campaign in history.

And it is needed. The BNP poses a threat in six Euro regions, with as little as 7.5% required in the North West, where the party leader, Nick Griffin, is standing. With Ukip faltering, few local elections and the economy hurtling into recession, we will need everyone who opposes the BNP\'s message of hate to play a part. A BNP victory will change the political landscape in Britain.

The last few years have seen the British National Party make significant electoral gains across the length and breadth of the political landscape – often off the radar of the political and media class at Westminster, which has remained preoccupied with a very small part of the electoral map that decides Westminster elections: so-called middle Britain.

Quietly but steadily the BNP has been building its support. While many commentators have focused on its traditional heartlands in the Lancashire and Yorkshire mill towns, the BNP has been widening its base across the country. In 2007 the BNP stood 742 council candidates, averaging 14.7% of the vote. Last year they averaged 13.9% in 642 wards. The regional average vote is fairly consistent across the country.

The critical element to this palpable support for the BNP is that it has occurred against the backdrop of extraordinarily benign macroeconomic conditions. Well over a decade of continuous quarter-on-quarter growth, low interest rates, falling unemployment and general prosperity have obscured the economic and cultural issues the BNP has focused on. It has tapped into a deep sense of alienation among many who have not prospered in the good times, a corresponding fracture of working class identity, and indeed demonisation in popular culture – all refracted through the prism of race.

On 15 September last year, when Lehman Brothers went for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, the world changed. More specifically the world changed in terms of the climate within which the BNP is seeking to gain political traction. Any cursory reading of history suggests that recession and depression breed extremism; everything else being equal, the BNP will expect to benefit from the suffering and the insecurities that will intensify over the coming months and years.

The Guardian

German police raids close down neo-Nazi 'Hate Crew' :

Augsburg, Germany - German police raided homes in Bavaria state Thursday, seizing recorded neo-Nazi music and other evidence to close down a skinhead network estimated to have 15 to 20 members. The rightists, based in the Swabia region, styled themselves the Hate Crew of Swabia, making no secret of their racist attitudes.

Police based in the city of Augsburg had been investigating the group for months and hope to indict seven men aged 26 to 33 for spreading Nazi propaganda, sedition, glorifying violence, promoting racism, money laundering and evasion of taxes.

Most of the charges involve sales of compact discs of neo-Nazi music. Police said they seized thousands of CDs, sales records, cash and four clubs during the raids.

Many young neo-Nazis in Germany wear jackboots, shave their heads and sing by heart the hate-filled lyrics of skinhead rock music.

Some Hate Crew members were active in the far right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) and were affiliated with neo-Nazi groups. Police in Augsburg said they searched eight properties in Bavaria state and another just outside the state line

The Earth Times

'BNP' constable back on the beat

A POLICE officer who was named on a leaked list of BNP members is returning to work.

Joe Cutting, a constable in Southwark, was suspended in November after he featured on a list of 12,000 members published on the internet.

He is now being allowed to return after an internal Metropolitan police investigation found there was no evidence to justify sacking him.

The force said Pc Cutting, who was due back on the beat this week, had been "exonerated" by the inquiry, but declined to explain how his name had come to appear on the BNP membership list.

The decision will raise new concerns about alleged racism within the force following a spate of discrimination claims in recent months and allegations from the National Black Police Association of continuing prejudice.

It will also present an immediate challenge for the new Met Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, who was appointed yesterday.

Some of Pc Cutting's fellow officers were reported to have had serious concerns about his return to duty. It is not known if Sir Paul was informed of the decision taken by the Met's directorate of professional standards, which is headed by Commander Moir Stewart. Pc Cutting appeared on the BNP list with a Met volunteer special constable.

Fellow officers are said to have marched Pc Cutting out of Southwark police station after stripping him of his warrant card.

It is understood that at least one disciplinary hearing was held at which witnesses for Pc Cutting, who has been in the Met for about four years, managed to convince investigators that he was not involved with the far-Right BNP. One unconfirmed explanation that is thought to have been offered is that his name was added to the membership list after he wrote a cheque on behalf of another person.

The Met confirmed that Pc Cutting had been cleared to return to work and said that a full investigation had found "no evidence to prove" that he was a member of the BNP.

A spokesman added that the matter had also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

In a statement, the Met added: "On 21 November 2008 two serving Metropolitan police officers were suspended following the publication, on the internet, of a membership list for the British National Party. One of these officers was a full-time police constable and the other a volunteer special police constable.

"The Metropolitan Police's Directorate of Professional Standards commenced an investigation into this matter. Following this investigation both officers have been exonerated and are returning to full duties with immediate effect."

Police officers are banned under the legally-binding 2003 Police Regulations from membership of the BNP, the National Front and Combat 18.

They are also prohibited from engaging in activity which is deemed "likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of their police duties".

A separate policy introduced by the Association of Chief Police Officers in 2004 also states that officers cannot be members of the BNP on the grounds that this would conflict with their duty to promote racial equality.

The new controversy follows a series of high-profile discrimination claims against the Met from senior Asian officers, including the former Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur.

His claim, which was strongly denied by the Met and former Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, was settled out of court with no admission of liability, while a second, equally prominent case involving Met Commander Shabir Hussain, in which he claimed that there was a "golden circle" of white officers in the force, was ultimately rejected by a tribunal as unfounded.

Despite this, the National Black Police Association last year called for potential ethnic minority recruits to boycott the force, claiming that it was racist and that senior managers were not tackling the problem seriously.

Supporters point out that the Met has significantly increased the number of ethnic minority recruits entering the force and now has one of the best records in the country for improving diversity.

Investigations into other names on the leaked BNP membership list have suggested that some were wrongly included with the total number of more than 12,000 individuals listed on the document thought to be considerably higher than the party's actual membership.

Evening Standard

German Far-Right Hails Holocaust Denier Williamson

Richard Williamson

Germany's far right has welcomed the move by German Pope Benedict XVI to lift the excommunication of British bishop Richard Williamson, who denied the Holocaust in an interview last week. German Jewish leaders are appalled at the decision.

In the churches and chapels of the Society of Saint Pius X, the incense burners at the holy masses have been swung with even greater vigor since the weekend in joy over the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to lift the excommunication of their founding father, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the bishops he ordained, among them Archbishop Richard Williamson.

British bishop Richard Williamson denied the Holocaust in an interview on Swedish television.
Germany's far right is equally pleased with the decision and is hailing Williamson as a hero -- because he has denied the Holocaust. He told Swedish television in an interview broadcast last Wednesday: "I believe there were no gas chambers." He claimed that only 300,000 Jews perished in the Nazi concentration camps, instead of the 6 million figure that is widely accepted by historians.

"A bishop is saying what he believes," said one far-right supporter in the Internet blog German Wehrmacht which featured the transcript of the interview along with a video clip of it. "One must distance oneself from the content of the video if one wants to avoid any kind of trouble," the author goes on to warn, in reference to the fact that denying the Holocaust is a crime in Germany. Nevertheless, he adds, "thoughts are free."

Another far-right site, Störtebeker-Network, also celebrates the Society of Saint Pius X. Williamson, says an editorial posed on the site, has shown "how one should position oneself as a true Christian these days against general materialistic decay and decadence, by holding on to the original values of one's faith."

One commentator writes: "His Excellency Williamson: after David Irving there's a further Briton who has given us Germans a big reconciliation gift."

The closing of ranks between the German pope and the right fringe of his church is threatening to turn into the biggest mistake of his term.

The head of the Society of Saint Pius, Bernard Fellay, knows why Benedict XVI announced the lifting of the excommunication of Williamson and other brethren of the society: "1,703,000 rosaries were said to Our Dear Lady to bring about the end of this disgrace," he told SPIEGEL ONLINE.

Meanwhile the head of the German arm of the Society of Saint Pius, Pastor Franz Schmidberger, is attempting damage control in the wake of Williamson's comments on the Holocaust. "It's clear that the comments Bishop Williamson is reported to have made don't mirror the stance of the Society of Saint Pius X and only the author himself is responsible," he declared in a statement.

Williamson himself has made no further comment and is believed to be in Argentina. If he were to travel to Germany he would very soon have to contend with the Regensburg public prosecutor's office, which has opened an enquiry into his remarks, which constitute an illegal offense in Germany.

"Complicit in the Murder of Christ"

Schmidberger's argument that the Society of Saint Pius isn't anti-Semitic despite the comments of its senior bishop Williamson isn't especially convincing given that Schmidberger merely states: "Our Lord Jesus Christ in his human nature is Jewish, his sacred mother is Jewish, all the apostles are Jewish. For that reason no upstanding Christian can be anti-Semitic."

The Central Council of Jews in Germany begs to differ. It had pointed out what it said was an anti-Semitic passage in a letter written by Schmidberger and his brethren before Christmas. The letter was sent to all bishops of the 27 Catholic dioceses in Germany, and none of the Roman Catholic bishops protested against it.

In the letter, Schmidberger stated: "We look on with sorrow as Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI go into a Jewish synagogue." Another passage reads: "The Jews of our days (are) not only our older brothers in faith as the pope claimed during his visit to the synagogue in Rome in 1986; rather they are complicit in the murder of Christ as long as they do not distance themselves from the guilt of their forefathers by acknowledging the divinity of Christ and through baptism."

Schmidberger now says: "The statement that today's Jews bear the guilt of their fathers" only refers to "those Jews who welcome the killing of Jesus Christ."

"Pure Anti-Semitism"

Is that enough to placate the Central Council of Jews? Its vice president Dieter Graumann told SPIEGEL ONLINE on Monday: "It's not just that one passage. The whole letter breathes the spirit of pure anti-Semitism."

None of Germany's bishops got in touch with Jewish leaders in response to the controversy, said Graumann. So far only the bishops of Aachen and Hamburg have said the Catholic Church doesn't have anything to do with the Society of Saint Pius because its bishops had been excommunicated.

Now that the pope has lifted that excommunication, Germany's Catholic bishops won't be able to avoid the issue so easily in the future. Graumann had demanded that the Catholic Church distance itself more forcefully from this peripheral group on its right wing. Instead, the German pope has rehabilitated it.

The German Bishops' Conference this week tried to defuse the row. Bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff, the chairman of the conference's commission on relations with the Jewish faith, said the church "utterly disagreed" with Williamson's Holocaust denial.

Graumann is appalled by the lifting of the excommunication. "By rehabilitating the Pius Brothers the Vatican is importing all the old anti-Semitism back into the church after one thought it had got over that stance long ago. The danger is obvious. If neo-Nazis are cheering the Pius Brothers, then the Catholic Church must surely ask itself whether it's done something wrong," he said.

Spiegel

Bishop's reinstatement prompts Holocaust row

Waddon byelection: Andrew Pelling blasts BNP at Holocaust service

Andrew Pelling

Croydon MP Andrew Pelling has urged voters to “keep the BNP at bay” at a Holocaust memorial service.

He said the annual event, held at Ruskin House, Coombe Road, on Saturday, had “a special relevance” to Waddon residents because they were “the subject of a strong push for votes from the openly racist British National Party” in their local council byelection.

"I urge all tolerant people to vote in this election in the name of good neighbourliness and good community relations to keep the BNP at bay,” Mr Pelling said.

However, Waddon BNP candidate Charlotte Lewis said: “I think it is cheap and sick of him [Mr Pelling] to compare the Holocaust with voting BNP.

“We do not want to genocide the Jewish people, we just think the Labour Government is trying to genocide the British people.

“We don’t want to kill anyone, we just want to preserve our country. We just want to put a stop to immigration, we have to close the doors.

Mr Pelling also used Saturday’s event to call for the government to work with its European partners to secure January 27 as an EU-wide public holiday marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

He said: “The Holocaust event is an important way of recalling the grief, the hate, the horror, the sorrow and the evil that calls to us down the decades.”

It is a reminder that modern society is still capable “to cast out and to persecute the outsider”, he added.

“The Stand up to Hatred theme of this year's Holocaust events emphasises how combating racist hatred must continue today.”

The second annual Holocaust event held at Ruskin House was organised by Croydon Trade Union Congress, Croydon Labour Party, Croydon Co-op, Folk & Blues Club and the Croydon Communists.

Croydon Guardian

Hate crime campaign gets a boost

Racist graffiti is treated as a hate crime by the council

A campaign to raise the public's awareness of hate crime is being stepped up by Kirklees council.

Fifty posters urging the public to report such crime are being displayed on buses in Batley, Dewsbury and Huddersfield until 1 February.

And 160 frontline council workers who come into contact with the public will be trained in how to report hate crimes and how to help people affected.

Hate crime includes racism, homophobia and attacks on the disabled.

It covers physical attack, threat of attack, verbal abuse or insults, damage to property, offensive graffiti, intimidation and bullying.

National first

Karen Johnson, head of Kirklees Safer Stronger Communities Service, said: "This initiative sends a strong message that we will not tolerate hate crime.

"We would urge anyone affected to report it and get support."

During the first phase of the campaign launched last year, 160 community rangers, social workers, housing officers, police community support officers, and other staff received hate crime awareness training.

That number will be doubled over the next two months.

Kirklees council is also the first local authority in England to set up specific reporting centres for disability hate crime.

People can report incidents online or attend one of the 48 reporting centres, based in community rooms, housing offices and advice centres in Batley, Dewsbury and Huddersfield.

BBC

Row over BNP’s use of Castle Hill

HUDDERSFIELD British National Party members have ‘adopted’ Castle Hill on promotional cards for their political group.

The wallet cards are designed to promote the BNP in the Huddersfield area.

Also, people can put their details on the back and post the card to get an information pack about the party.

About 1,000 of the cards were printed and sent out, some via the BNP magazine Identity.

Robert Walker, the BNP’s Huddersfield organiser, said they chose the hill’s image because it symbolised local community and history, things which are important to local party members.

He added: “When BNP leader Nick Griffin visited a few years ago we had cut-glass items made with Castle Hill on to be raffled.

“They were popular and so we chose it as a motif for the cards. Castle Hill is a focal identity for Huddersfield and we thought we would adopt it.

“I know my local history and what this town’s about and I am passionate about it.”

But the appearance of Huddersfield’s most famous landmark on the BNP cards has met with dismay in some quarters.

Harman warns of BNP Euro victory

The far-right British National Party could win its first seat in the European Parliament by claiming just 8% of the vote, Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman will warn.

Ms Harman is expected to say it would be "shameful" for the UK to elect a BNP MEP in the June 4 polls, just months after the US elected Barack Obama as its first black president. She will warn that Labour's analysis of recent council elections shows the BNP winning and coming second in seats traditionally held by all three main parties from the North West and North East to the Midlands, London, Yorkshire and Essex.

Speaking to the Progressive London conference, Ms Harman is expected to promise that Labour will use the 2009 European Parliament elections to "draw a line in the sand" against the advance of the BNP, which she denounced as "a party of racial hatred".

The proportional representation voting system used for Euro-elections increases the BNP's chances of winning a seat, she will warn.

"In the North West, where Nick Griffin, the BNP chairman, is standing, Searchlight estimates they only need about 8% of the vote to break through into the European Parliament," Ms Harman is expected to say. "That would be shameful for Britain just as the US shows the way forward by electing an inclusive, progressive president."

And she will add: "The BNP threat cannot be ignored. A new Labour analysis of council elections shows that even where they are not winning they are coming second in areas which are Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory-held. Their poison is spreading. They are winning and coming second in the North West, the North East, the Midlands and London - from Yorkshire to Essex.

"Labour will, with a vigorous door-to-door campaign, not allow the BNP to peddle their pernicious lies that people have been 'abandoned by Labour'. It is Labour on the doorstep which will show this to be false and the run-up to elections on June 4 will be seized as an important opportunity to do this."

Ananova

Islam film Dutch MP to be charged

A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements. *

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

"In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to... draw a clear line," the court in Amsterdam said.

Mr Wilders said the judgement was an "attack on the freedom of expression".

"Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted," he said.

Not only he, but all Dutch citizens opposed to the "Islamisation" of their country would be on trial, Mr Wilders warned.

"Who will stand up for our culture if I am silenced?" he added.

* 'Incitement' *

The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders's "one-sided generalisations" against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.

"The Amsterdam appeals court has ordered the prosecution of member of parliament Geert Wilders for inciting hatred and discrimination, based on comments by him in various media on Muslims and their beliefs," the court said in a statement.

"The court also considers appropriate criminal prosecution for insulting Muslim worshippers because of comparisons between Islam and Nazism made by Wilders," it added.

The court's ruling reverses a decision last year by the public prosecutor's office, which said Mr Wilders's comments had been made outside parliament as a contribution to the debate on Islam in Dutch society and that no criminal offence had been committed.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that they could not appeal against the judgement and would open an investigation immediately.

Gerard Spong, a prominent lawyer who pushed for Mr Wilders's prosecution, welcomed the court's decision.

"This is a happy day for all followers of Islam who do not want to be tossed on the garbage dump of Nazism," he told reporters.

* 'Fascist book' *

In March 2008, Mr Wilders posted a film about the Koran on the internet, prompting angry protests across the Muslim World.

The opening scenes of Fitna - a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife" - show a copy of the holy book followed by footage of the bomb attacks on the US on 11 September 2001, London in July 2005 and Madrid in March 2004.

Pictures appearing to show Muslim demonstrators holding up placards saying "God bless Hitler" and "Freedom go to hell" also feature.

The film ends with the statement: "Stop Islamisation. Defend our freedom."

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said at the time that the film wrongly equated Islam with violence and served "no purpose other than to offend".

A year earlier, Mr Wilders described the Koran as a "fascist book" and called for it to be banned in "the same way we ban Mein Kampf", in a letter published in the De Volkskrant newspaper.

Mr Wilders has had police protection since Dutch director Theo Van Gogh was killed by a radical Islamist in 2004.

Correspondents say his Freedom Party (PVV), which has nine MPs in the lower house of parliament, has built its popularity largely by tapping into the fear and resentment of Muslim immigrants.

BBC NEWS

HOPE not hate campaign briefing

Nick Lowles briefs you on the HOPE not hate campaigns strategy to beat the racist BNP in Junes European elections.

Obama web team works on anti-BNP brief

Obama: Hope Not Hate campaign

Barack Obama's web strategists have been brought on to support a UK campaign 'to counter racism and fascism'.

Blue State Digital, the consultancy behind Obama's online success will work with The Hope Not Hate campaign.

The campaign was founded by Searchlight, an anti-British National Party (BNP) organisation.

The web strategists will help Searchlight work to stop the BNP winning a seat in the European election. They have already invited thousands of people to join the campaign online.

The company is working on providing tools for Hope Not Hate's new website and will be developing messaging, emailing and fundraising campaigns.

Blue State Digital, which has offices in New York, Washington, and Boston, opened a London office in December 2008. The office is run by London director Matthew McGregor, who has worked for political campaigns including Livingstone's 2008 mayoral bid.

PR Week

Canvey Island Football Club Press Statement

Following a recent publication by the British National Party ahead of the upcoming Canvey Island East By-Election, the club feels that it is necessary to clarify its position. The publication shows BNP candidate John Morgan standing next to the sign for Canvey Island FC at Park Lane.

Canvey Island FC is a club that welcomes people of ALL races and religions to Park Lane, and therefore strongly oppose the policies of the BNP. We have actively supported anti-racism campaigns, most recently the "One Game, One Community" initiative launched by Kick It Out. No permission was asked to take this picture, and had it been sought, then the request would have been categorically rejected.

We would like to completely disassociate ourselves from the BNP, and sincerely hope that players and supporters of all ethnic backgrounds continue to be involved with Canvey Island FC for many years to come.

Canvey Island Football Club

Canvey Island Football Club angry at BNP election leaflet photo

CANVEY Island Football Club claims the far-right British National Party is using the club to boost its chances of winning a by-election.

The BNP is one of fout parties challenging for the vacant Canvey East town council seat in tomorrow’s by-election.

Gulls officials are furious about a BNP election leaflet, which shows the party’s candidate, John Morgan, standing by the St George’s flag, painted on the gates of the club’s Park Road ground.

In December, players gave their support to the football industry’s anti-racism campaign, One Game One, Community and the club has stressed it does not want to be associated with the party.

Gulls publicity officer Glenn Eckett said: “The leaflet makes it look like we support the BNP, which we certainly do not.

“It didn’t ask if it could take the photo. Had it asked permission we would have said no. The BNP has extreme views which we don’t support. We want to highlight the fact we welcome people of all races and religions at Park Lane.”

The BNP has denied the leaflet suggests it has the support of the football club. Spokesman Simon Dauby said: “The football club is a landmark on Canvey and the picture was just to localise the leaflet.

“If we had a picture taken outside a mosque, it wouldn’t mean the Islamic population supported us.”

Its candidate, Mr Morgan, 42, of Gwendalen Avenue, Canvey, won 18.5 per cent of the vote when he stood for the BNP in the Canvey North ward at the borough council elections last May.

The Echo repeatedly tried to contact Mr Morgan, but he failed to get back to us before we went to press.

Also standing in the election tomorrow are: * Colin MacLean, 37, an estate agent, of Lottem Road, Canvey – Conservative * John Payne, 76, retired, of Komberg Crescent, Canvey - Labour * Nicola Pontius, 62, retired, of May Avenue, Canvey – Canvey Island Independents The polling station, at Leigh Beck Junior School, in Point Road, Canvey will be open from 7am until 10pm.

Echo News

Waddon byelection: BNP candidate quizzed by police in 2006

The British National Party candidate for Waddon was questioned by police over possible election fraud in 2006.

Charlotte Lewis stood in the May elections for a ward in Sutton, despite living in Thornton Heath. Electoral rules dictate candidates must live or work in the borough they intend to represent, but Miss Lewis did neither. She had placed on her nomination form an address in Lind Road, Sutton, as her home residence – only for a London newspaper to expose the address as false. Miss Lewis claimed she was in a relationship with a resident at that address at the time but admitted she did not live there full time.

Speaking ahead of the Waddon byelection, Miss Lewis said she had been “taken advantage of” by a party organiser who has since left the organisation. She said: “It was down to the previous branch organiser. There was a guy who lived in Sutton who was supposed to stand but he disappeared. I was drafted in at the last minute. I very much regret what happened in 2006. I was taken advantage of and it won’t happen again. I am wiser and that person who cannot be trusted has gone.”

The 36-year-old said she had got confused as the Greater London Assembly constituency combines both Croydon and Sutton. She added: “I did not have time to familiarise myself with electoral law.”

Miss Lewis was questioned by the police at the time but the incident was not taken up by the electoral commission, nor the local council, and no charges were brought against her.

Your Local Guardian

Church asked to ban BNP members

The General Synod

The Church of England is to be asked to ban clergy from joining the British National Party (BNP).

The general synod - the Church's parliament - will be urged to adopt a similar policy to other bodies which forbid BNP membership, like the police.

The move comes after the leaked publication of the names of 12,000 BNP members in November.

The list contained five "Reverends" but the Church said none was a licensed or serving clergy member.

Police policy

The Association of Chief Police Officers policy states that no member of the police service may be a member of an organisation whose constitution, aims or objectives contradict the general duty to promote equality.

It specifically mentions the BNP as one such organisation.

At the meeting of the synod next month one of its members, Vasantha Gnanadoss - who works for the Metropolitan Police - will submit a private members motion calling for a similar policy to apply to all clergy, candidates for ordination and lay persons speaking on behalf of the Church.

She said the policy would make it more difficult for organisations like the BNP to exploit the claim that there are members of the Anglican clergy that support them.

"Of specific relevance to this motion are some of the tactics adopted by the BNP, which in recent years has sought to identify itself as Christian and sometimes specifically with the Church of England, in order to further its agenda," she said.

Disciplined clergy

William Fittall, secretary general of the general synod, said it was already Church of England policy that people should not enter ordained ministry if they held racist views.

He added, however, that it would be harder for the Church to enact a formal policy aimed at the BNP.

"Not long ago the synod passed the Clergy Discipline Measure, which specifically said you could not discipline a member of the clergy for political views or membership of a political party," he said.

A BNP spokesman said the party was aware of the efforts of Ms Gnanadoss and denied it was racist.

"There are members of the general synod who are sympathetic towards us," he said.

"This is a disgraceful way to politicise the Church. The Church has got far more important things we feel to worry about... rather than a vindictive campaign against a perfectly legitimate political party".

WP Remix

BNP meet under false name

Eddy Butler Eastern Regional Organiser

Far-right British National Party members were last night accused of attempting to trick a Norfolk business into hosting their meetings by booking the venue under a bogus name.

The BNP - which has made repeated claims that it has nothing to hide as a legitimate political party - attempted to book a function room at a pub near Norwich under the pseudonym Broadland Historical Society.

An email, seen by the EDP, was sent to members planning to attend the meeting at the White Horse in Trowse on Sunday. It said: “We are in the downstairs meeting room. Use the entrance in the car park… The meeting has been booked under the name Broadland Historical Society. Please be discreet when in the bar area.”

Yesterday, Andrew Coleman, landlord at the White Horse, said he had cancelled the booking the moment he had been warned of the group's true intentions. He plans to put up posters explaining the decision in case any party members have not been informed and arrive on Sunday.

He said: “A lot of groups use our facilities and, when they made the booking, this seemed like a perfectly legitimate organisation.

“We can't get involved in these kinds of politics, particularly as they weren't open and honest about it from the start. It's not the type of people you want your pub to be associated with.

“I've always treated bookings on face value but now I am going to be a lot more suspicious and check out anything which doesn't seem quite right. The worrying thing is that the meeting would have taken place behind closed doors so, if I hadn't been tipped off about this, I would never have known. It's quite possible they're making similar bookings with other businesses without knowing what's going on under their own roof.”

The BNP did not respond to media inquiries yesterday. Its media office telephone was constantly engaged and emails went unanswered.

The meeting was due to be attended by the party's eastern area regional organiser Eddy Butler to discuss upcoming European and county council elections.

Last year, police were called to a BNP meeting at Stoke Holy Cross, near Norwich, attended by controversial leader Nick Griffin. Villagers had already objected to his presence and vandals struck, smashing windscreens and damaging cars with paint, while the meeting took place.

Mr Griffin had defended his right to speak in the county, telling the EDP that most opponents were “silly students and elderly University of East Anglia lecturers who do not represent the people of Norfolk”.

The BNP members' list, which was leaked in November, revealed the party has 12,000 members nationwide, including 220 from Norfolk.

EDP24

Bexley day of action

Welling Station, Station Approach, Welling, Kent DA16 3AU

Saturday, 17 January 2009: 12.00am

The BNP is fiercely contesting a council by-election in East Wickham, Bexley which will be held on Thursday 22 January. Indications are that it is going to be a very close contest and so it is vital that all anti-fascists from across London mobilise to prevent the BNP from making a breakthrough.

Welling has long been a stronghold for the far right. The BNP had its headquarters and a bookshop there until the mid-1990s. During the BNP's tenure, racial attacks increased fourfold and there were four racist murders in the neighbourhood, including that of Stephen Lawrence.

Nick Griffin and the BNP will also be out on Saturday so it is vital that we have enough people there and everyone arrives at 10am promptly.

There are trains to Welling out of Charing Cross at 17 and 47 minutes past each hour (the 9.17am arrives in Welling at 9.47am).

Please do your best to attend, let’s not allow the BNP to make a breakthrough in Bexley

Click here to view map of location

HOPE not hate

Threats against Lithuanians probed

DUNGANNON police are probing death threats made to two Lithuanian families by a person claiming to represent a far-right organisation.

The threats, which were allegedly issued by the Combat 18 group, centre on two families living at Coolcush Court in Dungannon.

Last week police had been called to attend a separate incident at the two properties after vandals had smashed windows with a crowbar.

Since then a person claiming to represent Combat 18 contacted police to claim responsibility for the attack and ordered those in the two houses to leave the area.

Inspector Stephen Moneypenny condemned the threats and said every precaution was being taken to ensure the Lithuanians' safety.

"Police are taking this threat seriously and measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of the individuals concerned," he said.

Anyone who can help the police with their inquiries is asked to contact detectives on 0845 600 8000.

Tyrone Times

BNP links to immigration service staff

After nearly 300 allegations of brutality and racist abuse, official inquiry is launched

An official investigation has been launched after two immigration service staff working with asylum-seekers were found to have links to the British National Party, The Independent has learnt.


One guard employed to look after asylum-seekers at a detention centre has been forced to resign after his name was found on a membership list of the BNP. Another man has been suspended while his employer investigates alleged links to the same far-right organisation.

Both cases raise serious concerns about racism within the immigration system, where membership of extreme political groups has long been suspected. Over the past two years The Independent has helped reveal nearly 300 allegations of brutality, including 38 claims of racism, made by asylum-seekers about private security and immigration staff. Some of the allegations included abusive and racist language, in which refugees fleeing persecution were referred to as "monkeys" or told to "go back to their own countries".

The only two services where membership of the BNP can be grounds for dismissal are the police force and the Prison Service.

In the case of the immigration service, everyone working in immigration removal centres or in the guarding or removal of asylum-seekers must sign a declaration making clear that they are not members of the BNP, Combat 18 or the National Front. Those who are found to belong to any group that promotes racism will lose their accreditation to work in the immigration system.

Last night, the UK Border Agency said it "will not tolerate racist behaviour by individuals working in immigration removal centres. All allegations are investigated and the UKBA can revoke an individual's accreditation to work for the agency or have any contact with detainees."

It is understood that a security guard resigned after a list of BNP members was leaked to the media last year.

In the case of the suspended guard, the investigation is being conducted by the private contractor. During his suspension, the man will not be able to work with refugees or enter any immigration building.

BNP policy on immigration stipulates: "We will also clamp down on the flood of 'asylum-seekers', all of whom are either bogus or can find refuge much nearer their home countries."

Last month the Home Office received another report, this time from its own complaints watchdog, that raised serious concerns about the treatment of complaints of racism made by asylum-seekers, many of which had been miscategorised as "poor service" complaints. The report, written by the Home Office's Complaints Audit Committee (CAC), and seen by The Independent, said senior officials had "joined us in voicing concern that serious complaints such as allegations of assault aggravated by racism have been handled as service delivery complaints and as a consequence have not been properly managed".

The Labour MP Diane Abbott said last night: "If it is true that staff employed to work with asylum-seekers and immigrants are members of the BNP then it is yet another sign that the Home Office are allowing for the mistreatment of immigrants in this country. For years, campaign groups and my colleagues and I have been pointing out that hiring private contractors to work as immigration guards is a bad idea. It seems we will now have more proof of this. People who come to this country deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect that is afforded to citizens."

A spokesperson for Medical Justice, which helped compile a dossier of nearly 300 complaints of alleged abuse, said: "We hear detainees complain about racism on an almost daily basis and it's virtually unheard of for a complaint to be upheld. The sheer volume of detainees complaining suggests among certain immigration guards there seems to be a canteen culture of racism which can flourish if left unchecked. Detainees feel dehumanised."

In its report, the CAC further warned: "Complaints of racism have caused us concern, as failures to report and investigate them fully may leave the UK Border Agency liable to prosecution under the Race Relations Act and to other anti-discrimination legislation... We have learnt of special problems in the detention estate, where complaints forms have a tick-box marked 'racism' and where officials believe that racism has been widely used as an inappropriate add-on to service delivery complaints, such as a detainee claiming that he had been served cold food because of his ethnic origin.

"We have reservations about the accuracy of this view in light of Sir William MacPherson's definition of a racist incident as 'any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person'. As we do not routinely audit service delivery complaints, we cannot calculate the extent of alleged misuse of the term 'racist'."

The CAC said the Home Office should have supplied all misconduct complaints alleging racism. "We received only four complaints of racism from Colnbrook [detention centre, near Heathrow Airport] in 2007. This would appear to be a low number of potential complaints according to evidence collected by the HMIP [prison inspectorate] team, whose survey yielded the information that 18 per cent of detainees said they had been victimised by staff on the basis of their nationality and 15 per cent said they had been victimised on the basis of their ethnic or cultural origin."

The Independent

Prince forced to apologise for calling comrade 'Paki'

Outrage as video shows Harry make 'racist' remark. MoD inquiry to examine three-year-old incident

Prince Harry was facing an Army investigation last night into his conduct after his racist reference to a comrade as a "little Paki friend" in a video diary obtained by a Sunday newspaper was met with a barrage of criticism.

The Queen's grandson issued a full apology, recognising the offence caused by his comment about a fellow officer cadet at the Sandhurst military academy. But attempts by St James's Palace to explain that the third in line to throne was using the term as a "nickname" for a friend met with an implacable response from politicians and anti-racism campaigners.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, said the language used by the gaffe-prone prince had been "completely unacceptable". The Rahmadan Foundation, a Muslim youth association, described Harry, who is training to become a combat helicopter pilot with the Army Air Corps, as a "thug" who needed to show "real remorse". The video, in which Harry is also heard calling another Sandhurst colleague a "raghead", is the latest controversy to surround the prince. In 2005, he apologised to Jewish groups after he attended a fancy dress party wearing a Nazi armband.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the prince's conduct on the video diary, shot three years ago while he was training to become an officer in the British Army, would be "looked into" by his commanding officer. But unless a formal complaint is received from Lieutenant Ahmed Raza Khan, the high-flying Pakistani officer who was the target of the prince's remark, it is understood that Harry will not face formal disciplinary proceedings.

An Army spokeswoman said: "The Army does not tolerate inappropriate behaviour in any shape or form. The Army takes all allegations of inappropriate behaviour very seriously and all substantive allegations are investigated."

Defence sources suggested the prince was likely to receive nothing more severe than words of advice because the incident had taken place in 2006, he had issued a public apology and has an "excellent" military record, which includes 10 weeks of frontline duty as a forward air controller in Afghanistan's Helmand province last year.

The film, which was obtained by the News of the World, is a blow to the Army at a time when it is trying to increase its intake of ethnic minority recruits, who are currently under-represented in the armed services.

The footage, shot while Harry was waiting in an airport departure lounge with fellow cadets to travel to Cyprus for manoeuvres, carries a commentary from the prince as he pans over sleeping colleagues before zooming in on the face of Lt Khan. Harry says: "Ah, our little Paki friend, Ahmed."

In a statement, St James's Palace said the prince was "extremely sorry" for any offence caused: "Prince Harry used the term without any malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon. There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult his friend."

Officials in Pakistan said senior officers were yesterday discussing whether to allow Lt Khan, who received a special award from the Queen as the best foreign student in Harry's Sandhurst class, to speak to the media about the incident. One high-ranking Pakistani army officer said the prince's choice of language would cause disquiet: "This will be very offensive thing for someone to say. I do not know why he said this."

The sentiments were echoed by a British uncle of Lt Khan, who said that his nephew had never characterised himself as close friend of the prince. Iftikhar Raja, from Croydon, south London, said: "I am proud to be British and if someone called me Pakistani I would be proud to be called that, but Paki is definitely a derogatory remark. We expect better from our Royal Family on whom we spend millions of pounds for training and schooling."

Independent

Hamezeian cleared of breaking council rules

A COUNCILLOR accused by a political rival of breaking town hall rules has been cleared.

Jim Hamezeian, leader of the Peoples Party on Barrow Borough Council, was alleged to have breached the code of conduct at the election count last May.

Complainant Mike Ashburner, a British National Party candidate who stood against Cllr Hamezeian for the Ormsgill ward, claimed he was verbally attacked by Cllr Hamezeian after the result of the ballot was read out.

“He (Jim Hamezeian) held up to me a poster which read: ‘Down with the racist and fascist scumbags’ and then subjected me to a torrent of vile abuse,” Mr Ashburner told the Evening Mail.

Cllr Hamezeian admitted holding up the poster and chanting the words on it.

But he said: “I didn’t subject anyone to any sort of abuse or whatever they’re accusing me of, absolutely not.”

Now the council’s standards committee has looked into the matter and cleared Cllr Hamezeian.

In a statement, Ola Oduwole, corporate services director and monitoring officer for the council, said: “It had been alleged that after the count at the council elections in May 2008 for the Ormsgill ward, where he stood as a candidate, Cllr J Hamezeian thrust a poster in the complainant’s face with some words written on it and subjected him to incomprehensible abuse.

“The committee found that Cllr J Hamezeian was not acting in his official capacity when the incident occurred and therefore did not fail to comply with the code of conduct.”

Mr Ashburner has complained about Cllr Hamezeian before.

Mr Ashburner reported Cllr Hamezeian to local government watchdog, the Standards Board for England, claiming the Iranian-born councillor was breaching the 1689 Bill of Rights.

But the Standards Board for England decided not to investigate the complaint.

On Friday, following the standards committee’s decision, Cllr Hamezeian said: “I’m very annoyed that these people have got nothing better to do than constantly complaining and pestering me.

“They are wasting taxpayers’ money and they should be the ones penalised.

“As far as the result of the investigation is concerned, I knew there was nothing to investigate, I knew I had done nothing wrong and there was no reason for the complaint or the investigation.”

Mr Ashburner said of the standards committee’s ruling: “I think the decision is perverse and I will be challenging it.”

North West Evening Mail

Growing Links Seen Between Hells Angels and Neo-Nazis

Motorcycle gangs have long kept the police busy with violence and drug trafficking. But now investigators are alarmed by a new threat: Militant neo-Nazis are rising through the ranks of the Hells Angels in Germany.

The man who generally goes by the nickname Maxe wanted to become a model citizen, at least that's what he said after his release from prison. Markus W. made headlines during a World Cup match over 10 years ago when he and other German football hooligans viciously attacked French policeman Daniel Nivel, leaving him severely disabled. For his part in the attack, Maxe served four years in a French prison for causing "grievous bodily harm."

After his early release in 2002, he promised to transform from a right-wing thug to a social worker. He wanted to study social sciences and meet people who "have problems with society." He wanted young people to benefit from his experience: "I can tell you, boys, violence doesn't pay."

But only 10 weeks after he was released from prison, police were once again investigating him on aggravated assault charges -- although they couldn't prove anything. Following the broadcast of the World Cup final soccer match between Germany and Brazil in the summer of 2002, he was involved in a brawl at a fair near his hometown of Hanover. Since then, Maxe has regularly appeared before judges on a variety of charges -- like insulting a Turk or assaulting an Algerian.

Although he no longer aspires to become a social worker, he has managed to climb the social ladder in one sense: Maxe has worked his way through the ranks in Hanover to become a leading member in the local charter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.

Aside from his violent history, German authorities have been keeping an eye on Markus W. because he is part of an alarming development. All across Germany investigators have noted an increasing number of contacts between German motorcycle gangs and militant neo-Nazis. 

Observations of the far-right scene by agents of the country's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, revealed connections to motorcycle gangs, the government said in a recent statement. It also noted "occasional" indications of "joint activities and meeting places as well as isolated cases of cooperation between right-wing extremists (especially skinheads) and motorcycle gangs, primarily at a local level."

Close Links Seen in Hanover 

Such "joint activities" at a "local level" take place in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Baden-Württemberg. According to investigators, though, the closest connections between motorcycle gangs and right-wing extremists exist at the Hanover charter of the Hells Angels.

The Hanover boss of the Angels, Frank H., has promoted Markus W. to the position of club secretary, making him his right-hand man and bringing him into the inner circle of this strictly hierarchical club, alongside the treasurer and the sergeant at arms, who is responsible for security. This marks a disturbing development for investigators at the State Office for Criminal Investigation (LKA) in Lower Saxony because the Hanover charter is not just any group -- it is recognized as the largest in Germany and one of the most influential in the worldwide Hells Angels organization.

The LKA in Lower Saxony says that the club in Hanover has connections to organized crime. A team of eight investigators is currently looking into the activities of the motorcycle gang. These law enforcement officials have dubbed themselves EG1, or the "one-percent investigating group," a reference to the Angels' claim that 99 percent of their members are law-abiding citizens, while only one percent are self-proclaimed outlaws.

'Structured Like a Company' 

Although the Hells Angels do their best to maintain the myth of a peaceful club of rugged Boy Scouts on motorcycles, the investigators of EG1 say that many Angels operate like a criminal gang. They "delegate responsibilities and work in a calculated and systematic manner," says Frank Federau of the LKA, adding that they hire the services of PR professionals and top-flight lawyers. In some ways they are "structured like a company."

Investigators have discovered a complex network with right-wing links, from seemingly harmless tattoo parlors to paramilitary units. And they suspect that illegal sources of income are disguised behind security services, merchandising and events.

One such event was the Tattoo Convention held last year in Hanover -- organized by secretary Markus W., alias Maxe. He ensured that shops with close ties to the far-right scene were given every opportunity to display their services. They included a tattoo and piercing parlor located in a nearby town and managed by Hannes F. and Marcel U., two martial arts experts with long-term connections to the militant neo-Nazi scene. The two men have also come a long way in the Hanover charter of the Hells Angels, rising from "hangarounds" to "prospects" -- the final stage before being accepted in the club as a full-fledged member.

Shop owner Hannes F. takes obvious pleasure in serving his customers, and piercer Marcel U. appears particularly eager to welcome "customers who love to experiment." As a source of inspiration he presents tattoo designs that are popular among right-wing extremists, including Wehrmacht soldiers and mysterious runic symbols used by neo-Nazis. They also proudly display a photo album with a picture of a tattoo that is clearly reminiscent of Adolf Hitler's erstwhile deputy Rudolf Hess.

Research by investigators has shown that Hannes F. has been a member of a racist sect called "Artgemeinschaft" ("Community of Species") as well as of the neo-Nazi group "Hildesheim Kameradschaft." In March 2008, he had to appear before the district court in Halle, in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. He was charged with working for the "Lower Saxony section" of "Blood and Honor," an international network that markets extreme right-wing bands and has been banned in Germany since 2000. The court found that there was convincing proof that Hannes F. had organized far-right events in the spirit of Blood and Honor even after the ban -- and he was given a fine.

Johannes K. was a co-defendant in the trial in Halle -- and he also has ties to the Hells Angels. He and Hannes F. know each other from the days when they were in Blood and Honor. K. has a tattoo parlor in Hildesheim. The shop drums up business for the motorcycle gang's activities in the red light scene, and sells Hells Angels' merchandising articles.

Combat Training 

Johannes K. is a prime example of the myriad connections between motorcycle gangs and right-wing extremists. In addition to the tattoo parlor, K. also runs an army shop with special equipment "from soldiers, for soldiers." In his self-styled "Combat and Survival School," the military aficionado offers a variety of courses, including "marksmanship" training.

According to investigators, the paramilitary exercises organized by Johannes K. were also attended by a member of the "Self-Defense Service of Saxony-Anhalt." This militant group -- whose German abbreviation "SS-SA" blatantly alludes to the Nazi period -- serves as a "national security service" and provides guards at events held by right-wing extremist groups.

The Angels need a good deal of security to protect themselves from nosy outsiders. Even their local clubhouse -- Angels Place -- is guarded by burly men. It stands well protected at the end of a cul-de-sac in Hanover. Unwanted visitors are kept out by muscular guards. This is the local headquarters of Hells Angels boss Frank H., a huge former boxer who is well known to the authorities. Just last December, he threw a party for Angels from all across Germany and wished them "a real good time." Strippers worked hard to create the right party mood -- and the beer from in-house brand "81" did the rest. The name "81" stands for the eighth and the first letter of the alphabet: "HA" as in Hells Angels.

There were also a number of visitors to the party who get their kicks out of the number "18" -- in reference to the letters "AH" for Adolf Hitler. The logo "Max H8" was also visible on the clothing of a number of revelers: "H8" encodes the number "88," which stands for the banned Heil Hitler greeting still favored by many in the right-wing extremist milieu. At the same time, "Max H8" stands for "maximum hate."

Code of Silence 

Although the police are continuously observing the club, it's hard to pin anything on the Angels. The motorcycle gang in Hanover officially maintains that it is totally apolitical. At least that is the explanation provided by press liaison Django. He says that symbols with a Nazi connection are not political statements, but merely a provocation by some members. The Hells Angels admit that some of their members have a long criminal record, but they point out that this is no reason to stop them joining. The main thing is that they respect the rules of the organization.

One of these rules is a ban on cooperating with the authorities. Motorcycle gangs, just like the Mafia, observe the omertà -- the code of silence. Just a few weeks ago, investigators in Lower Saxony looked on in frustration as the brotherhood of bikers got off lightly once again. A total of 14 Hells Angels from Bremen faced charges in Hanover in connection with the brutal attack on members of a rival gang, the Bandidos. After only two days of proceedings, the judge, public prosecutor and defense agreed to a deal, in large part because the state witness, a former Angel, suddenly refused to testify. As a result, 11 Hells Angels immediately got off with a suspended sentence.

"Gentlemen, stay out of trouble," said Judge Jürgen Seifert as he admonished the howling and hooting bikers. Wishful thinking. The gang members who had traveled to the trial brazenly clapped their hands. In the last row of spectators a smiling Angel applauded. He was wearing a Lonsdale sweatshirt -- a popular brand among right-wing extremists.


Speigel Online

German Mayor in Hiding after Far-Right Threat

The mayor of a small town in eastern Germany has gone into hiding after a threat on his life appeared on a far-right Web site. The case follows the knife attack by a suspected neo-Nazi this month, generating fears that the far-right scene is becoming more violent.

The mayor of the small town of Warin in eastern Germany has gone into hiding after a threat against him appeared on a far-right Web site.

Hans-Peter Gossel, 53, has been under police protection for a week after the following entry appeared on Altermedia, a Web site popular with neo-Nazis: "Watch out!!! It's high time for Lebkuchen cake knives!! The next 'victim' is making himself available! Gossel?" Gossel said the Web site also contained a video showing a matchstick man being cut up with a knife. 

The message appears to have been in reference to the near-fatal stabbing of the police chief of the southern city of Passau, Alois Mannichl, two weeks ago by a suspected neo-Nazi. Mannichl was stabbed in the stomach at his front door and survived after emergency surgery. His attacker is still at-large.

A spokesman for the police in the city of Schwerin, which is responsible for Gossel's protection, said: "We are treating this as a serious threat that refers directly to the attack on Mannichl." 

"I was shocked," Gossel told SPIEGEL ONLINE. He said he wanted to spend the next few days away from Warin and would visit friends. 

The threat may be linked to a dispute between Gossel and the obscure Interim Partei Deutschland (IPD) party, which Germany's domestic intelligence agency says has links with right-wing extremism. The agency has been monitoring the IPD for some time. The party rejects the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and its chairman, Edgar Romano Ludowici, has described himself as "Reich interior minister of the exile government of the Second German Reich in the borders of 1937."

Gossel criticized the IPD after it purchased a house in Warin last summer. He also campaigned against the party's setting up offices in the town because he was worried it would use the property as a training center. 

The attack on Passau's police chief has raised fears that Germany's far-right scene is becoming more brazen -- and violent. Recent figures show that the number of far-right crimes committed in the first 10 months of 2008 exceeded the total for the whole of last year. A report in Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper last week said the German intererior ministry had registered 11,928 such crimes by the end of October, a rise of almost 30 percent relative to the same time period last year and exceeding all of 2007's total of 9,206 crimes. The final figures will be released in early 2009. 

Separately, the small Bavarian town of Gräfenberg says it is being terrorized by neo-Nazis from outside town who have been staging demonstrations there for the past two years. 

The next such rally was set for Wednesday, New Year's Eve, but was prohibited by the regional authority which said it would be too dangerous for the demonstrators given all the New Year's fireworks in circulation. 

The far-right protestors have been offered an alternative date of January 10 for their march. That would be the 35th neo-Nazi demonstration in the town since November 2006. The town council is involved in a protracted dispute with far-right campaigners because it has refused them access to a local war memorial. 

For the past two years, demonstrators wearing combat boots, many with their faces concealed by hoods, scarves or sunglasses, have regularly marched through Gräfenberg holding burning torches and beating drums in menacing scenes that evoke Nazi-era rallies.

A local citizen's group co-founded by Gräfenberg Mayor Werner Wolf has made headlines by waging a colorful campaign to counter the far-right protestors, for example, by playing loud Samba music and running deafening motorized saws to drown out their speeches. 

Mayor Wolf said last month that, in recent years, he and other members of the Citizen's Forum organizing the counter-demonstrations had received anonymous threats. 

He received an e-mail, for example, stating that "those who fight us must expect to get hurt," and he had a bag of paint hurled at his house. The names and photos of fellow campaigners had been published on far-right leaflets, said Wolf, and demonstrations had been held in front of their homes. 

Speigel Online