Men fascinated by mass killer Anders Breivik targeted mosques

John Roddy and Tobias RuthA young fascist with a fascination for Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik has admitted plotting to damage mosques. John Roddy and his friend Tobias Ruth daubed racist graffiti on an Islamic Centre in Torbay and sent threatening messages. They were both warned they faced jail after Roddy admitted having a terror manual on his computer.

The pair were arrested in January after an area of Torquay was sealed off by armed police who feared they may be dealing with a terrorist cell. Roddy’s laptop contained an “al-Qaeda training manual” and Breivik’s “2083 A European Declaration of Independence”. Breivik was the inspiration of the plotters, who daubed the letters KT 2083, standing for Knights Templar, and referring to the mass killer’s manifesto.

Roddy, 20, of Lymington Road, Torquay, and Ruth, 19, of Morgan Avenue, Torquay, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause criminal damage and to send articles containing threats which were intended to cause distress. Roddy also admitted an offence under the Terrorism Act of possessing information likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, bailed the men at Exeter Crown Court but warned them they faced jail when they return for sentence next month. He said: “These are serious offences for which they must expect immediate custody. I warn them that all options including custody are open.”

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Oslo Freedom Forum founder’s ties to Islamophobes who inspired mass killer Anders Breivik

NORWAY-RIGHTS-OSLO FREEDOM FORUM

An Electronic Intifada investigation uncovers evidence that Thor Halvorssen, the founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum, receives significant funding from the same financiers who support the Islamophobes who inspired anti-Muslim Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik. Despite being presented with this evidence, the Norwegian government and Amnesty International are embracing Halvorssen, a long-time far-right activist and the scion of a politically-connected family tied to Venezuela’s US-backed opposition.

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Norway employer regrets hijab gaffe

Ebru Akinci

Senior management in western Norway have issued an apology after asking a female staff member refrain from using her hijab at work.

The incident was sparked off after Upper Secondary School pupil Ebru Akinci was called into the manager’s office at a Shell petrol station in Stavanger last week.

She had just started her new part-time job that day following a short period of training when general manager Sigve Grønnestad posed the question.

“I asked if it was okay for her if she did not wear her hijab during her working hours here. She answered me that she would think about it,” he tells regional paper Stavanger Aftenblad.

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Norwegian Defence League posts list of Muslim organisations

The Norwegian Defence League (NDL) has published a list of hundreds of Muslim companies and organizations on its website. The list had been compiled on the basis of listings in the Public Entity Registry. Lars Johnny Aardal, deputy leader of the NDL, said that it was published “to show the extent of Islam and Muslims in Norway”.

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Oslo: Norwegian Defence League supporter arrested over bomb threat

Oslo bomb threat suspectA 27-year-old man arrested in connection with a threat to bomb the Norwegian parliament has been an active supporter of the EDL’s sister organisation the Norwegian Defence League, it has been reported.

Police were alerted on Tuesday night after the driver of a bus on which the man was travelling overheard him make the threat during a phone conversation. Police launched a full-scale manhunt, while the area around the parliament building was cordoned off with armed police guarding checkpoints.

Early this afternoon police announced the suspect’s arrest, stating that they had found a gas pistol and a bulletproof vest during a raid on his apartment in Oslo.

He has not yet been named but the media say he was a participant in the Norwegian Defence League’s protest in Oslo in December, which was addressed by Steve Simmons of the EDL. The anti-racist organisation Vepsen reports that the man acted as a video cameraman on the December demonstration and was seen in conversation with several well-known NDL members.

Update:  See “NDL member charged with bomb scare”, Hope Not Hate, 15 February 2013

Norway’s problem with immigration

Terrorist Ander Behring Breivik expressed political motives for his atrocities on July 22 2011, claiming they were acts of “self-defense” against an “Islamic colonisation” of Europe. He elaborates on his world view in a 1500 page, largely plagiarised manifesto. Breivik is now in prison.

The man’s sanity was a pivotal topic in the public debate which followed, but so were possible influences on his extreme right-wing ideology. Breivik was a member of the anti-immigrant and politically populist Progress Party in his young adulthood, but quit in 2007.

A recent study suggests that xenophobia is strong in Norway.

In 2011 Norwegian politicians became acutely concerned about how they might have influenced the terrorist and agreed to tone down the rhetoric in debates on immigration, but as the 2013 general election is fast approaching, it is politics as usual.

“They didn’t do as promised,” says Mette Wiggen, Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds. Her study of xenophobia is based on careful reading of academic literature, mainstream media and online discussions in blogs and on news sites, before and after July 22, 2011.

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Hijab will not be permitted in Norwegian police force, says minister

Minister of Culture Hadia Tajik concludes that the hijab will not become part of the Norwegian police uniform or be used in the court system in the near future.

Despite the Norwegian Faith and Ethics Policy Committee’s recommendation to make the hijab legal to wear for police officers and judges while at work, Tajik rejected the committee’s proposal in Parliament Monday.

A majority of 12 out of 15 members of the committee suggested to permit the use of hijab in the Norwegian police force and among judges, but according to Tajik no changes wil be made to the current ban in the near future.

Norway Post, 8 January 2013

See also “Norway minister nixes police hijab”, Press TV, 8 January 2013

Norwegian Defence League holds anti-Islam rally in Oslo

Norwegian Defence League protest Oslo December 2012About 40 people gathered for an anti-Islam demonstration in Oslo, and were met with jeers and chants of “no Nazis on our streets” from a larger group of counterdemonstrators.

The protest was staged by the Norwegian Defence League, a group inspired by the larger English Defence League, which has carried out rowdy anti-Islam protests in Britain. The defence leagues say they’re not racists but “patriots” opposing a perceived Islamization of Europe.

Police spokesman Finn Belle said Saturday’s demonstration was peaceful and police successfully kept the two sides apart. He said three counterdemonstrators were detained for disturbing the peace and were fined before being released.

Associated Press, 15 December 2012

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