Category Archives: Anti-Muslim violence

Patriots Defence League president allegedly spat on Canberra driver

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Aaron HudsonThe local head of an Australian “patriots” league allegedly spat on a Canberra driver after monitoring the activities of a local Islamic centre this week, police say.

Aaron Raymond Dudeck, 21, is accused of spitting on the man’s cheek and calling him a “Muslim c—” after their cars collided in Canberra’s south about 8.45pm on Monday, the night of the Sydney Lindt cafe siege.

Police believe Dudeck, also known as Aaron Hudson, is the president of the ACT branch of the Patriots Defence League, an organisation claiming to defend the Australian “way of life”.

He was allegedly driving in the car park of the Canberra Islamic Centre in Monash. The court heard suggestions he was acting on directions from the league’s Sydney branch.

Police say he was watching the centre, a focal point for the local Islamic community, to establish whether it was operating as a mosque or a library. Dudeck allegedly overtook the victim’s car as it approached the exit of the centre’s carpark. Court documents suggest Dudeck later slammed on his brakes, and the car behind him crashed into the rear of his vehicle.

Dudeck is accused of getting out of his car, walking up to the other man’s window, and saying: “Look what you have done you f—ing idiot, you stupid idiot, you Muslim c—.” He then allegedly spat through the man’s open window. Dudeck called police after the crash, allegedly telling them: “If he says one more word, I will knock him out, useless f—ing Arab c—.”

Dudeck was arrested the next day and appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to an offensive behaviour charge, but not guilty to common assault and driving while disqualified.

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‘Bigot’ Eric King who was spared jail for Islam hate mail says he will continue to share his views online

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Eric King (2)A man branded a “vile, reprehensible bigot” by police after he sent offensive photographs and social media posts to an Islamic community centre near Truro has been spared jail despite saying he will continue to share his views on Facebook.

Eric King, aged 60, was handed a four-day-a-week curfew and a suspended sentence when he appeared before Truro magistrates on Tuesday.

King, of Wheal Eliza Close, St Austell, smeared dog excrement on images depicting the prophet Mohammed having intercourse with a pig and of a naked woman squatting on an Islamic State flag with the letters “IS” scrawled across her buttocks and posted them to Tipu Choudhury, general secretary of the Cornwall Islamic Community Centre at Carnon Downs.

At an earlier hearing, King admitted sending two indecent or grossly offensive messages to the centre via its Facebook page and sending an indecent or grossly offensive letter to Mr Choudhury.

Gail Hawkley, for the prosecution, said when King was arrested he told officers he was a member of the English Defence League and the British National Party. When asked if he would stop after he had been to court he said: “I shouldn’t think so,” said Ms Hawkley, who added: “[He said] ‘I was hoping that whoever saw the letter would kill themselves’.”

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Sydney siege aftermath: Man charged following alleged hate threats to Auburn mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hundreds of extra police will flood popular destinations in Sydney following the Martin Place siege and alleged hate threats, including hoax phone calls threatening to destroy a mosque in Auburn.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Fuller said police dealt with a number of “hate and bias” crimes following the fatal siege but said extra officers were being stationed across Sydney’s CBD to ensure people felt safe.

“There has been some issues of hate or bias crime but it’s certainly minimal compared to the outpouring of support and you’ve all seen the flowers at Martin Place,” Mr Fuller said.

The announcement of additional officers came as police arrested a man who allegedly made threatening phone calls to a mosque in Auburn in western Sydney. Police allege the man, 30, rang the mosque and made several threats.

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Accrington mosque suffers fire damage after caravan parked outside is torched

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Accrington mosque fire damageA mosque has been damaged during a nearby arson attack on a caravan.

Firefighters from Hyndburn were called to Richmond Hill Street in Accrington to tackle the torched caravan parked on the road.

The flames spread to the nearby mosque causing severe damage to two windows and the heat caused damage to two other windows.

Another nearby car also suffered heat damage during the incident at around 9pm on Monday, December 15.

Lancashire Police said they are treating the caravan fire as suspicious and are working with the fire and service to establish a cause.

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More damage at Minnesota Islamic center sparks fear

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Central Minnesota Islamic Center vandalism (2)An Islamic faith center in St. Cloud was damaged again this week, and its leaders are voicing fears about its members’ safety.

The Central Minnesota Islamic Center in the 300 block of Fourth Avenue South reported a broken window shortly after 7:30 p.m. Monday. Two people were inside when it happened, center spokesman Mohamoud Mohamed told the Times. He said they were on the other side of the building and weren’t injured.

This is the fourth incident of damage at the Islamic center in the past month, Mohamed said. He said this one was particularly concerning, because it appeared that someone used something heavy to break the window. “Every corner of our facility has now been attacked,” he said. “It is very sad to see that happening in this century, especially during this season.”

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Blackburn man speaking to police told onlookers he would burn down their mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A man who was being spoken to by police shouted abuse at people who were watching from across the road. Blackburn magistrates heard that Phillip Anthony Townley told onlookers he would burn down their mosque.

Townley, 56, of Cornelian Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to racially-aggravated threatening behaviour. He was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months, made subject to an electronically-monitored curfew between 8pm and 8am for six weeks and ordered to pay £280 costs.

Passing sentence, District Judge James Clarke said Townley attempted to justify his behaviour by claiming to be an Englishman. “Your behaviour went against everything expected of an Englishman – tolerance, understanding and respect for others,” said District Judge Clarke. “The society we live in expects better.”

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Turkish mosque attacked with fireworks in Netherlands

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Selimiye MosqueA Turkish mosque located in eastern Dutch city of Enschede was attacked with fireworks late on Saturday.

The attack caused material damage to the Selimiye Mosque, which is owned by the Foundation of Religious Affairs of Netherlands (Hollanda Diyanet Vakfı – HDV).

The chairman of the mosque’s foundation, Sebattin Yıldız, gave a statement to Anadolu Agency and said that the attack had taken place late on Saturday night and had caused the mosque’s windows to break.

“A person whose face was covered left a firework on the mosque’s window” Yıldız said, according to the footage recorded by security cameras.

Yıldız added that they had been exposed to similar attacks in the past that had included threat notes and xenophobic writing on the mosque’s walls.

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Far-right Islamophobe tries to exploit Sydney hostage crisis as Australian Muslims face racist backlash

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ralph Cerminara stages publicity stuntRalph Cerminara, president of Australian Defence League, burst into an angry rant and had to be escorted away by police after an outburst near the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in central Sydney as the hostage crisis continued.

“Half the reason we’ve got this problem today is because of left wing bigots… These people may be murdered because of your left wing bigotry… It’s finally happened!” Cerminara shouted angrily before being taken away by police.

Cerminara’s flare-up was an ominous warning of the backlash the Muslim community could face when the siege is finally resolved. And a terrorism expert agreed, saying that racist attacks targeting Australia’s Muslim community are “quite likely”.

Ben Rich, a researcher into political violence at Monash University’s School of Social Sciences, said some Australian Muslims could face reprisal due to the incident in Sydney.

“I can’t say to what extent it’s going to be, but I’d say it’s quite likely,” Mr Rich said. He predicted that any violence would probably not be “organised by any particular political party” but was more likely to be “just a group of guys deciding ‘let’s go do something, let’s go attack someone’.”

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Man convicted over Islamophobic spitting incident in Bristol

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hasina KhanA Muslim woman who was spat at during a racist rant in Cabot Circus has spoken of her shock at the people who turned a blind eye.

Jack Hughes, 26, of Upton Road, Bristol, was fined £336 for assault at a court hearing this week for his attack on Hasina Khan.

As reported by the Bristol Post when it happened in July, Hughes spat on her hand and hijab head dress while launching into an Islamophobic rant.

Hasina issued an passionate plea for help to track down the perpetrator through this newspaper.

Following his conviction, which includes 120 hours of community service, she said: “It is my body and if I chose to cover it that’s my decision. There are lots of beautiful women who chose to cover their bodies and they should not live in fear of being attacked.

“What is frightening is that a small woman was attacked by a male in broad daylight in a public place, there were many onlookers who turned a blind eye and who did not even approach the woman to ask if she was okay. That is a very bad snapshot of society.

“I hope other women come forward and report the attacks they have experienced.”

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Muslim woman attacked at Vienna bank

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Selver SA 60-year-old Muslim woman was seriously injured after being attacked at a bank in Vienna, in an incident which appears to have been motivated by Islamophobia.

Pensioner Selver S. was waiting in a queue to collect her pension at a Bawag bank branch in Schönbrunner Strasse (Meidling) when a man approached her, insulted her and repeatedly shoved her, knocking her to the floor. She was taken to hospital, suffering a spinal injury.

A 40-year-old man was arrested outside the bank shortly afterwards.

Her son Engin told the Heute newspaper that she suffered a lumbar fracture and had to spend seven days in Hanusch hospital. She had to have an operation on her spine and is now being cared for at home by her son.

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