Neo-Nazi boss to appeal to top court for hotel ban

Udo Voigt, chairman of the far-right National Democratic Party, is preparing to appeal to the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe, after he was allegedly barred from a hotel for his political views.

Voigt's wife booked four days in the Hotel Esplanade in the eastern German spa town of Bad Saarow in December 2009, but the hotel refused to accept the booking, saying that Voigt's "political beliefs" meant that the hotel could not fulfil its aim of "providing every single guest with an excellent wellness experience."

Voigt's legal complaints have been unsuccessful so far, and according to a report on news magazine Der Spiegel's website on Sunday, he is planning to appeal to the BGH next Friday.

His lawyer countered the hotel's decision by saying that other guests could be disturbed by the presence of "black Africans, Muslims and severely disabled people."

But, Voigt's lawyer said, "in a free democracy, our citizens are expected to show tolerance that some people might consider an imposition." Otherwise a democratic society cannot function, "because there would be too many moves towards discrimination, and at the end we have a fractured society without solidarity."

The hotel's lawyer argued that Voigt was demanding "tolerance that neither he nor the NPD extend to others."

The Local

The very tolerant English Defence League (by Latuff)

High resolution files here and here.

Carlos Latuff at Indymedia

North West Leicestershire BNP parish councillor in racism probe

Police have advised a BNP councillor to apologise over a posting on his website which has been condemned as racist.

Wayne McDermott, a parish councillor in North West Leicestershire, posted a comment supposedly said by a Scottish councillor on a radio talk show. The comment, which has now been removed from Councillor McDermott's website, used insulting racist terms and suggested it was okay to torture terrorists.

A Leicestershire police spokeswoman said: "Police were contacted at around 9.30am on Monday by a member of the public expressing concerns about comments posted on a website blog. Officers have investigated the incident and discussed the comments with the owner of the blog and advised him to remove the post and issue an apology."

On his website the councillor, who is a member of Ellistown and Battleflat, says he works as an engineer, is married with three young children, is a BNP member and the party's East Midlands election officer. The BNP was contacted yesterday but did not respond. The Mercury also attempted to contact Coun McDermott directly and left him messages but he did not respond.

The incident has caused outrage among Conservative and Labour politicians. The Conservative North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said: "The British National Party has tried to project an image that they are a normal mainstream political party. However, as this incident shows, you don't have to scratch hard at the surface to find out that they are still the same old BNP. There is no place for such racism and intolerance within our national or local politics. We will continue to fight and oppose what Mr McDermott and his friends stand for."

Labour county councillor for Loughborough East, Jewel Miah, said: "These are very racist comments and they are not welcome in a civilised society. I'm angry that this man put this up on the internet, it's absolutely right that they should be taken down – this just shows the contempt that the BNP holds for civilised society."

Mr McDermott has been nominated to become a governor at Ellistown Primary School. Leicestershire County Council said it had been made aware of the website article. At the school, there were two vacant governor positions and two nominated candidates, including Mr McDermott. A county council spokesman said last night: "Wayne McDermott was nominated to the position of parent governor at Ellistown very recently. The governing body will be assessing what the situation is and how to proceed."

This is Leicestershire

EU governments urged to stay focused on combating anti-Semitism and hate

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today (8/6) urged governments of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) "to maintain a distinct focus on combating anti-Semitism" at a conference on new challenges in the fight against discrimination and intolerance.

ADL presented recommendations to the Conference on Combating Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding, which opened yesterday in Bucharest, Romania. Stacy Burdett, ADL Associate Director of Government and National Affairs, is a Public Advisor to the U.S. delegation led by Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA).

ADL addressed delegates and called on Participating States to:
Maintain a distinct focus on combating anti-Semitism. The problem of anti-Semitism and intolerance is not a fleeting one and the work to address it must be sustained. A recent ADL attitude survey in five OSCE states showed a plurality of respondents espousing the same classical anti-Semitic canards and conspiracy theories that have made Jews vulnerable through the centuries.

• Maintain the Personal Representative on Anti-Semitism as well as Personal Representatives on Racism and Xenophobia, and on Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims.
• Fulfill their pledge to collect hate crime data. Data collection is a powerful tool to confront anti-Semitism and bigotry because it highlights the issue of hate violence for policymakers and the public -- and prompts government outreach and police training to identify, report, and respond to hate violence.
• Create the expectation of leadership from political Leaders. Communities too often grow accustomed to a level of harassment and violence they have come to view as "acceptable." Government officials and civic leaders should seek out opportunities to speak out against anti-Semitism and hate and make clear that hate crime victims and targeted communities have the support of the state's highest officials. Government and civic leaders set the tone for national discourse and plan an essential role in shaping attitudes.
• Support the specialized work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Tolerance and non-Discrimination Unit and utilize and promote its education programs and other tools to combat anti-Semitism and hate crime.
• Support Civil Society hate crime response initiatives. In too many states, government and law enforcement efforts to address hate crime are inadequate and communities lack proper frameworks for communication with relevant officials. Those states should work nationally and support ODIHR's region-wide efforts to build the capacity of non-governmental organizations and community organizations to monitor and respond to hate violence and to provide victim assistance where other sources of support may be lacking.
• Parliaments should serve as catalysts for action against anti-Semitism. It was the Parliamentary Assembly that first adopted important language on anti-Semitism that was included in the 2004 Berlin Declaration. The UK's All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism provides an excellent model of parliamentarians documenting and challenging anti-Semitic attitudes and encouraging government action at the highest level. Parliamentarians across the OSCE region should embrace and seek to replicate this model. In addition, the hearings, reports, and advocacy by the United States Helsinki Commission -- a parliamentary group which works full time to encourage states to comply with OSCE commitments – were instrumental in building momentum toward an OSCE focus on anti-Semitism and intolerance.
• OSCE should craft model hate crime response policies for Participating States. ODIHR should craft model guidelines for a comprehensive national approach to combating hate crime that could be used to strengthen efforts across states with differing legal contexts. Hate crime response policy guidelines could help develop and implement new laws, and strengthen existing laws, but could also be valuable in improving the response to hate violence in countries where no hate crime laws exist.

Since 2003, the Member States of the OSCE have undertaken detailed commitments to combat anti-Semitism, to collect data on hate crime and to promote education on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. The OSCE comprises 56 nations, including the U.S., Canada and the countries of Europe and Eurasia. More information on the League's involvement with the OSCE is available at www.adl.org/osce.

ADL

BNP Mosque leaflet dismissed as "rubbish"

A plea for racial tolerance has been made after a British National Party (BNP) leaflet claimed people in a West town had been denied the chance to comment before a 'mosque' was given planning approval.

Plans for an Islamic centre above and behind a kebab shop in Yeovil was given planning permission in 2003 after an application was made for a change of use from office to religious meeting rooms.

The BNP leaflet claimed the public should have been told the use was specifically for an Islamic centre or mosque, and that failure to do so showed a "culture of institutionalised silence and deceit" by officials and councillors. The leaflet, promoted by Robert Baehr, a BNP candidate in South Somerset district council elections, has already been delivered to hundreds of homes in Yeovil.

Candidates from other parties yesterday dismissed the BNP's claim as "rubbish".

John Grana, one of 12 candidates standing under the banner of the Central Committee, Local Residents Working Together, said: "This sort of leaflet is laughable and divisive.

"We stand for religious tolerance and freedom of thought. Yeovil welcomes people from everywhere. If I trace my own ancestry, I find Italian, Irish, Scottish and English blood. There is a richness in the mix we have."

Simon Gale, the council's head of development and building control, said: "In planning terms there is no requirement to state the distinctive religious use."

A BNP candidate has sparked a row by seeking jobs in two constituencies - 450 miles apart.

Michaela Mackenzie, 55, is chasing election as a Scottish MP for the seat of Mid-Scotland and Fife, which covers an area north of Edinburgh. But she is also standing for election to South Gloucestershire Council in the South West.

Western Daily Press

'The BNP has nothing to offer the people of Bolton'

The BNP has sparked outrage in Bolton by confirming it will field a candidate in next month's local elections. A candidate will stand in the Tonge with The Haulgh ward.

It is the first time the far-right British National Party has put forward a candidate in Bolton and the news has been greeted with dismay by politicians and campaigners against racism.

Bolton-west MP Ruth Kelly, who is Communities and Local Government Secretary, said: "I would urge everybody to stand up for decent, honourable community values and to vote against the BNP. In my opinion they spread poison and lies. It is down to every single one of us to stand up against that."

This year's local elections will be on Thursday, May 3.

In addition to its candidate in Bolton, the BNP is also fielding eight candidates in Bury. The chairman of the Bolton Against Racism campaign, Ian McHugh, said: "The BNP has nothing to offer the people of Bolton but race hatred and racism.

"The poor meeting attendance record of BNP councillors elsewhere in the region shows their lack of commitment to local democracy and their disregard for those they have been elected to serve. Boltonians have a long history of tolerance and working together to better the town and its citizens and we're confident they will turn their back on the racism and intolerance of the BNP."

Yaseer Ahmed, who lives in Daubhill and is on the national Commission for Racial Equality, urged everyone in the Tonge ward to turn out and use their vote to prevent the BNP getting a foothold.

The ward had a turnout of just 31.1 per cent of voters in the last council elections.

Mr Ahmed, who is also a member of the Bolton Council of Mosques, said: "There's no room for the BNP in Bolton. We should not give a platform to any group or people that would upset this town's diversity and harmony and end up promoting racial hatred and a lack of trust between communities and even neighbours."

Bolton's Labour council leader Cllr Cliff Morris said: "I'm disappointed they are fielding a candidate. We should be doing everything in our power to make sure they do not get any votes."

Cllr Frank White, a Tonge ward Labour member and the council's executive member for community cohesion, said: "I'm totally confident in the good sense of the people of Tonge to vote for one of the democratic parties."

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