The Scottish Sun exposes the Nazi connections of leading SDL supporter Paul Newlands.
Organising resistance to Islamophobia
Press TV reports on yesterday’s Unite Against Fascism conference in London.
Spanish court overturns veil ban
A Spanish court has overturned a city’s ban on wearing face-covering Islamic veils in municipal buildings, saying it infringes religious liberties.
In 2010, Lleida, in the northeastern region of Catalonia, became the first town in Spain to impose such a ban. It was temporarily suspended by a regional court following an appeal by a Muslim association but then later upheld.
Spain’s Supreme Court on Thursday accepted a second appeal and said the city was not entitled to order such a ban. It said that in line with Spanish and European rulings, such a prohibition must be based on a law, which does not exist in Spain at present.
The Lleida ban was largely symbolic since only about 3 percent of its population is Muslim and very few wear such garments.
Belgium: liberals echo far right in calling for action against elected Muslim politicians
Belgian politicians have submitted a proposal to impeach or limit the influence of Muslim extremists in power. MPs fear that Muslim politicians do not shake hands with women and are creating an isolated community.
Alain Destexhe, a liberal member of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels, and Deputy Mayor of Koekelberg Philippe Pivin submitted the proposal in front of the Belgian Parliament on Wednesday to exclude extremist parties from a range of local functions. The proposal is currently open for signatures by other members of Parliament.
BNP set for protest at Skegness abattoir
A political party has announced it will be visiting Skegness to hold a protest and day of action against a Halal abattoir. The Lincolnshire Coastal Branch of the BNP will be at the Heath Road site on Saturday, March 16 from noon to voice its views and drum up support for the party.
Speaking about the protest, Robert Ashton, branch & group organiser, said: “We visited the abattoir back in January and we will be going on the Saturday [March 16] to hold a static protest. We will gather, say a few things and the BNP advertising truck will be going around the town.” Continue reading
CCTV coverage of Llanelli mosque deters attackers
A woman who fought for CCTV coverage at a Llanelli mosque where Muslims claim to have suffered years of abuse said the situation has now improved.
Anne Stevens-Bevan, of Llanelli’s Ethnic Minority Help Association, fought tirelessly for improved security at the mosque on Station Road after people going there to pray said they had been abused.
Moscow mayor says no to more mosques in the city
The Mayor of Moscow says there are no plans to build a new mosque in the city, and says the “excessive” number of economic migrants was a “harmful thing”.
“It has turned out that the praying Muslims are not at all Russian citizens and they are not Moscow residents. They are labor migrants. There are only 10 percent of Moscow residents among them and building mosques for everyone who wants it – I think this will be over the top,” Sergey Sobyanin said in an interview with Moscow’s Echo radio.
The top city official went on to say that “Muscovites now get irritated by people who speak a different language, have different manners, with aggressive behavior. This is not purely ethnic, but this is connected with some ethnic traits,” Sobyanin said.
At the same time, the Moscow Mayor explained that there are no ethnic enclaves in the city and expressed the hope that such enclaves would never appear as closed districts like that usually have a very high crime rate.
Unite Against Fascism national conference tomorrow
For a Europe without fascism, racism and xenophobia
Unite Against Fascism national conference
Saturday 2 March, 10am to 5pm
TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS
Unite Against Fascism’s conference this Saturday (2nd March) will bring together a broad coalition of anti-racist and anti-fascist activists, faith communities, trade unions and political parties set out a strategy to defeat the rise of fascists and neo-Nazis in Britain and across Europe.
13 charged over Sunderland mosque protest
Fascists throwing firecrackers at counter-demonstrators during last October’s protest
Police have charged 13 people after a demonstration at the site of a new mosque in Sunderland turned violent, as far-right groups including the EDL clashed with local Muslims and anti-fascists.
Around 200 people attended the pre-planned demonstration on St Mark’s Road in Millfield on Saturday, October 6, 2012, where a former council transport depot is being converted into a mosque for up to 150 Pakistani Muslims.
The English Defence League, Scottish Defence League and Sunderland Anti-Fascist Coalition were among the protesters. Continue reading
Manuel Valls’ double standard on religious headwear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hERkZGLl_L4
Via Loonwatch, here is French interior minister Manuel Valls demonstrating the double standard he applies to religious headwear, in a video put together by the Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France.