A 25-year-old man from Rugeley has been arrested after a bomb threat was made against Birmingham Central Mosque on Facebook.
West Midlands Police said they received a number of calls from concerned members of the public in relation to the threat on Sunday night.
A thorough search of the mosque was carried out by officers and specialist search dogs trained to search for explosives. Nothing out of the ordinary was found in the building, police said.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "At around 5:15am today (Monday) a warrant was executed at an address in Rugeley, Staffordshire and a 25-year-old man was arrested. He remains in custody this afternoon where he continues to help police with their enquiries."
Detective Inspector Nigel Harrison, who is leading the investigation, added: "We are grateful to the mosque for their cooperation with this ongoing enquiry and I would like to reassure the community that we are taking this incident extremely seriously."
Birmingham Mail
Showing posts with label far right terror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label far right terror. Show all posts
December 12, 2011
September 07, 2011
Eye-witness backs up NUJ account of EDL attacks
A journalist on the scene has spoken to Press Gazette about how photographers came under attack whilst covering an English Defence League demonstration in east London on Saturday afternoon.
The journalist, who said they did not wish to be named for fear of reprisals from the far-right group, backed up reports by the National Union of Journalists that a photographer was set on fire and that a female journalist had made a complaint of a sexual assault.
He said that it appeared that the photographer might have been sprayed with lighter fluid setting light to their shirt. The photographer carried on working but was later treated in hospital for minor burns, the source said.
He said: “There were a group of about 20 photographers standing on a raised piece of land behind the police line while Tommy Robinson [the EDL leader) was speaking near Aldgate. One of my colleagues was punched and a female photographer was hit inappropriately, they are classing it as a sexual assault.”
He added: “The EDL has a history attacking members of the media. I think they turn on photographers because we are more visible than writers who can blend in more easily.
“They don’t like journalists covering their events because it leads to reports and pictures coming out showing their violence.”
He said that he has covered a number of EDL events and knows of other incidents where journalists have been attacked, intimidated and even followed home by suspected EDL supporters.
A video emerged yesterday of Saturday afternoon's demonstration (link below) which showed an apparent EDL supporter scuffling with a photographer and then being detained by police.
A spokesman for the Met Police said: "We are investigating an allegation of an assault in which a 17-year-old male had his clothing set alight during the demonstrations in the Aldgate area at around 2.10pm on Saturday, 3 September, 2011. The victim’s outer clothing was scorched and he suffered small partial thickness burns to his hip. Officers on scene administered initial first aid and advised the male to attend hospital. The victim later attended hospital and was treated for the injury and released.
"No arrests at this stage and enquiries continue. Anyone with any information about this incident can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."
The English Defence League has yet to respond to a request for a comment.
Yesterday NUJ leader Michelle Stanistreet said: “These violent attacks are an appalling abuse of press freedom and a clear attempt by members of the EDL to deter journalists from carrying out their work.
“These attacks are designed to intimidate NUJ members and those in the local community who are determined to stand up to far-right groups.
“The police need to take decisive action to ensure that the thugs who attacked journalists during the EDL protest are identified and prosecuted."
You can view the video here
The Press Gazette
Thanks to Newshound for the heads up.
The journalist, who said they did not wish to be named for fear of reprisals from the far-right group, backed up reports by the National Union of Journalists that a photographer was set on fire and that a female journalist had made a complaint of a sexual assault.
He said that it appeared that the photographer might have been sprayed with lighter fluid setting light to their shirt. The photographer carried on working but was later treated in hospital for minor burns, the source said.
He said: “There were a group of about 20 photographers standing on a raised piece of land behind the police line while Tommy Robinson [the EDL leader) was speaking near Aldgate. One of my colleagues was punched and a female photographer was hit inappropriately, they are classing it as a sexual assault.”
He added: “The EDL has a history attacking members of the media. I think they turn on photographers because we are more visible than writers who can blend in more easily.
“They don’t like journalists covering their events because it leads to reports and pictures coming out showing their violence.”
He said that he has covered a number of EDL events and knows of other incidents where journalists have been attacked, intimidated and even followed home by suspected EDL supporters.
A video emerged yesterday of Saturday afternoon's demonstration (link below) which showed an apparent EDL supporter scuffling with a photographer and then being detained by police.
A spokesman for the Met Police said: "We are investigating an allegation of an assault in which a 17-year-old male had his clothing set alight during the demonstrations in the Aldgate area at around 2.10pm on Saturday, 3 September, 2011. The victim’s outer clothing was scorched and he suffered small partial thickness burns to his hip. Officers on scene administered initial first aid and advised the male to attend hospital. The victim later attended hospital and was treated for the injury and released.
"No arrests at this stage and enquiries continue. Anyone with any information about this incident can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."
The English Defence League has yet to respond to a request for a comment.
Yesterday NUJ leader Michelle Stanistreet said: “These violent attacks are an appalling abuse of press freedom and a clear attempt by members of the EDL to deter journalists from carrying out their work.
“These attacks are designed to intimidate NUJ members and those in the local community who are determined to stand up to far-right groups.
“The police need to take decisive action to ensure that the thugs who attacked journalists during the EDL protest are identified and prosecuted."
You can view the video here
The Press Gazette
Thanks to Newshound for the heads up.
Labels:
Aldgate,
EDL,
far right terror,
Stephen Yaxley Lennon,
Tower Hamlets
September 01, 2011
More Britons face questions over links to Utøya killer Anders Breivik
Blogger Paul Ray in Oslo, where he denied having any links to Anders Breivik.
Photograph: Scanpix Norway/Reuters
Police press officer Roar Hanssen said: "We have some names and also some groups we are investigating. They came from Paul Ray, and also from Breivik and also from other things we have been investigating."
Breivik, 32, admitted killing 77 people last month when he detonated a truck bomb outside government offices in Oslo, and then went on a shooting spree at a youth camp at Utøya, 25 miles away.
He was questioned again on Wednesday and prosecutor Paal-Fredrik Hjort Kraby said officers focused on Breivik's manifesto, his alleged links to a group called the Knights Templar and potential ties to the UK.
Hanssen said: "A lot of people are mentioned in Breivik's manifesto and we, of course, want to speak to them and there are some links to the UK. I don't know if there are specific areas they are from but there are some rightwing groups."
Ray was interviewed last week after claims he may have been the "mentor" mentioned by Breivik in his "manifesto", posted online shortly before he carried out the killings on 22 July.
Ray, who wrote his blog under the name Lionheart, has said it appeared Breivik drew inspiration from some of his ideas and writings, but he has repeatedly denied any link, saying he never met Breivik and was horrified by the killings. He said he travelled to Norway to "clear his name".
Breivik wrote that he attended the founding meeting of the Knights Templar Europe "military order" in London in 2002 where he met a "mentor" who used the pseudonym Richard, after Richard the Lionheart. He signed the 1,500-page document with an anglicised version of his name and datelined it London 2011.
Breivik also repeatedly praised the English Defence League, saying he had 600 EDL supporters as Facebook friends and had spoken with members and leaders. The EDL has condemned the killings and has denied any official contact with Breivik, insisting it is a peaceful, non-racist organisation opposed to extremism.
Kraby said Norwegian police did not have evidence that Breivik had accomplices, but "did not rule out the possibility."
Norwegian officers are now deciding whether to carry out the interviews in the UK or in Norway.
Hanssen said: "We can ask for help from the British police. It is not decided what we will do yet but these are possibilities."
The Guardian
Labels:
Anders Breivik,
EDL,
far right terror,
Paul Ray,
Utoya Killings
August 04, 2011
It’s time to act against the EDL
Searchlight has long complained that the Home Office has failed to appreciate the threat posed by the English Defence League. It fails to classify the EDL as a far-right extremist organisation and pays little attention to it other than as a law and order issue.
Searchlight hopes that the connection between Anders Breivik and the EDL might prompt the authorities to reconsider.
The EDL began its life as a street gang opposing “militant Islam” but it quickly morphed into a more dangerous anti-Muslim organisation. It opposes all new mosques and other Islamic buildings, its slogans and chants abuse the Muslim faith and its supporters have increasingly been involved in violent attacks.
As has been demonstrated elsewhere in this magazine, it shares much of the same ideology and interpretation of the world with the Norwegian killer.
Indeed, several EDL supporters have written approvingly of the car bomb that ripped through the administrative heart of Oslo. Even its leader, Stephen Lennon, while distancing himself from the murders of young people, claimed that Breivik was articulating legitimate concerns.
“People should look at what happened in Oslo and understand that there is growing anger in Europe,” he told the press. “You suppress people’s rights you suppress people’s voices and people will just continue to go underground – but that doesn’t make the problem go away.”
The EDL is not a terrorist organisation but it could act as a conveyor belt for potential terrorists. “I think they are best viewed as a ‘gateway organisation’ to terrorism – like Hizb ut-Tahrir – and subjected to the same kind of monitoring,” says Dave Rich, of the Community Security Trust.
EDL supporters have displayed a growing militancy in recent months. Some have called for the taking up of arms while others are actively demanding a more confrontational and violent strategy.
A cursory study of the Facebook pages of EDL supporters reveals many posing with guns and other weapons.
The growing relationship between the EDL and elements within the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association should be cause for concern.
The EDL arguably presents the biggest threat to community cohesion in the UK today. Its strategy of provocative marches and physical attacks on political opponents is designed to increase tensions and divisions in communities with a large Muslim population.
Worse still, it is politicising a generation of young extremists, some of whom could go on to commit more violent acts.
It is time the Home Office reclassifies the EDL as an extremist organisation and allows the police to deploy the same manpower and resources on monitoring its activity as they would in relation to other extremist groups.
Thanks to Nick Lowles at Searchlight
Searchlight hopes that the connection between Anders Breivik and the EDL might prompt the authorities to reconsider.
The EDL began its life as a street gang opposing “militant Islam” but it quickly morphed into a more dangerous anti-Muslim organisation. It opposes all new mosques and other Islamic buildings, its slogans and chants abuse the Muslim faith and its supporters have increasingly been involved in violent attacks.
As has been demonstrated elsewhere in this magazine, it shares much of the same ideology and interpretation of the world with the Norwegian killer.
Indeed, several EDL supporters have written approvingly of the car bomb that ripped through the administrative heart of Oslo. Even its leader, Stephen Lennon, while distancing himself from the murders of young people, claimed that Breivik was articulating legitimate concerns.
“People should look at what happened in Oslo and understand that there is growing anger in Europe,” he told the press. “You suppress people’s rights you suppress people’s voices and people will just continue to go underground – but that doesn’t make the problem go away.”
The EDL is not a terrorist organisation but it could act as a conveyor belt for potential terrorists. “I think they are best viewed as a ‘gateway organisation’ to terrorism – like Hizb ut-Tahrir – and subjected to the same kind of monitoring,” says Dave Rich, of the Community Security Trust.
EDL supporters have displayed a growing militancy in recent months. Some have called for the taking up of arms while others are actively demanding a more confrontational and violent strategy.
A cursory study of the Facebook pages of EDL supporters reveals many posing with guns and other weapons.
The growing relationship between the EDL and elements within the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association should be cause for concern.
The EDL arguably presents the biggest threat to community cohesion in the UK today. Its strategy of provocative marches and physical attacks on political opponents is designed to increase tensions and divisions in communities with a large Muslim population.
Worse still, it is politicising a generation of young extremists, some of whom could go on to commit more violent acts.
It is time the Home Office reclassifies the EDL as an extremist organisation and allows the police to deploy the same manpower and resources on monitoring its activity as they would in relation to other extremist groups.
Thanks to Nick Lowles at Searchlight
July 28, 2011
Swimming in the sea of hate: Breivik’s far right links
Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Breivik once offered his personal feelings on the state of the world during a series of postings on several far right and anti-Muslim websites, including Stormfront, Gates of Vienna, enationalist and Nordisk.
In a posting on Stormfront in 2008, Breivik described it as “ironic” that in his words, “the only three racially pure countries in the world are Japan, Korea and Taiwan”. He then went on to give a breakdown on the racial and ethnic make up of several European countries, a piece of work he says took “25 hours to create/research”.
Breivik made his postings on the British section of the forum in October of 2008, claiming that he was living in Sweden and was writing a book “about the Islamification of Europe and how to cope with these upcoming problems”.
Stormfront is the world’s most important white supremacist internet forum used by neo-Nazis from across the globe. It is run by Don Black, a hardline neo-Nazi and a former KKK Grand Wizard and member of the US Nazi Party.
Complaining that the right wing in Europe and the US was “fractured”, Breivik wrote about how he hoped the various groups “can try and reach a consensus regarding the issue” which he saw as being the “Islamification of Europe/US”. He wanted these united groups to “overthrow the governments which support multiculturalism”.
Recommending a series of groups he hopes can deal with “60 MILLION Muslims in western and Eastern Europe” he also claims that Britain or Denmark will be the first western countries to face “civil war due to Muslim immigration”.
Unsurprisingly, these views are not too dissimilar to those of BNP leader Nick Griffin who has often claimed that there will be a “civil war” in this country as a result of a conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims. Breivik then links to a series of far-right websites, mainly BNP ones that he approves of, including the blogsite of the BNP’s former deputy and current press officer Simon Darby.
Breivik also posted on the anti-Muslim Gates of Vienna blogsite, again in the autumn of 2008. In them he takes to task leading anti-Muslim bloggers, such as Fjordman, who is quoted extensively in Breivik’s manifesto and is a supporter of the EDL. Breivik agrees with their critique of Islam and its threat to Western Europe but he believes that their suggested solutions are not enough to save the West. Addressing Fjordman’s view that immigration into Europe should be halted, Breivik writes: “anti-immigration laws/closed borders will only delay a Muslim takeover at best. Even in areas with a poor living standards/weak economies (like Kosovo was) they will outbreed non-muslims. It will only take them a few more decades.”
Instead, he calls for the forced deportation of those Muslims already here and criticises leading anti-Muslim bloggers, such as Dr. Pipes, Fjordman, Bat Ye’or, as they were “scared to propagate a conservative revolution and armed resistance”.
He added: “Why haven’t you or any of the other current authors on the Eurabia related issues/Islamisation of Europe (Fjordman, Spencer, Ye`or, Bostom etc.) brought up the “D” word? I assume because it is considered a fascist method in nature, which would undermine your/their work? Why would it undermine their efforts when it is the only rational conclusion, based on the above argument? As far as I know, it’s not illegal in Europe to suggest deportation as a future method when discussing future hypothetical World Orders (correct me if im wrong though, Im not 100% sure, lol)!?”
He made a similar criticism in his 1,500 manifesto: “The reason why authors on the Eurabia related issues/Islamisation of Europe - Fjordman, Spencer, Ye’or, Bostom etc. aren’t actively discussing deportation is because the method is considered too extreme (and thus would damage their reputational shields). This would un-doubtfully undermine their work and probably disallowing them to publish any future books. However, the warning about Islam has been repeated for more than two decades and it is apparent that 40 more years of dialogue, without action, would have a devastating effect on Europe. If these authors are to scared to propagate a conservative revolution and armed resistance then other authors will have to.”
Several of the anti-Muslim bloggers referenced by Breivik in his postings and in his manifesto have supported the EDL. These include Fjordman, Robert Spencer (Jihad Watch blog), Edward S May (Gates of Vienna) and Pamela Geller (Atlas Shrugs). As recently as 19 July, just three days before the massacre in Norway, an article written by Fjordman appeared on the EDL website. He ended it by writing: “I see brave people, ordinary men and women, who after years of humiliation and degradation are finally sick and tired of having to watch evil groups and organizations from other parts of the world being allowed to colonize their country and destroy their freedom, with barely a peep of protest from the local authorities. From that perspective, the EDL represents the only good news to come out of the repressive and dysfunctional country known as modern Britain in years. The organization has even inspired similar groups in other parts of Western Europe.
“I don’t know what the EDL will amount to in the future, but right now it represents potential and hope. That’s why I support the efforts of the EDL, and that’s why you should do so, too.”
In 2009, Breivik also registered as a member of Nordisk (Nordic), which has more than 22,000, mainly Scandinavian, members. Discussions on the forum range from White Noise music (Nazi / skinhead music) to political strategies for obliterating democracy.
Nordisk (Nordic) was launched in 2007 and was a rapid hit with nationalists in Sweden. Members span from high-ranking members of the Sweden Democrats, a nationalist party with seats in the Swedish parliament to leading members of the nazi movement and to unhinged psychopaths. What unites the whole lot is a hatred of immigration and immigrants. Subjects are generally discussed in a racist manner and have included discussions about the book The Turner Diaries, a novel that has served as a terrorist manual, was labelled the “terrorist bible” by the FBI and served as a direct inspiration for the Oklahoma bombing of 1995 in which 168 people were slaughtered. Nordisk is described as a portal “themed with Nordic identity, culture and tradition”. The forum was established by the Nordiska Förbundet (Nordic League) organisation, founded in 2004 by members of the right-wing extremist National Democrats and the hardcore nazi Swedish Resistance Movement.
Some of its members openly incite violence. In March 2010, for example, an anonymous user wrote: “Cars parked next to large buildings with fertilizer + diesel give a nice blast. Skyscrapers go down like the World Trade Centre towers. I haven’t said anything about killing. You'll hope the buildings are empty, and if not so, too bad...I don’t understand why people don’t realise that we have to wage war. The top politicians in government, who live in nice areas a long away from the immigrant threat, have decided that “wogs” can come here and live on our soil. In our society. Take advantage of what our forefathers have built up for us. In my world, nothing you do to these monsters is immoral.”
The language of the far-right is the language of hate. In the modern internet age people are less likely to join organisations but instead flit between groups, causes and campaigns with a much looser affiliation. This is what Breivik appears to have done. It is clear he read, digested and disseminated information on a wide range of neo-nazi, nationalist and anti-Muslim forums. Breivik went down a terrorist path but he shared a common ideology and hatred with the likes of the BNP and EDL.
Thanks to Nick Lowles at HOPE not Hate/Searchlight
In a posting on Stormfront in 2008, Breivik described it as “ironic” that in his words, “the only three racially pure countries in the world are Japan, Korea and Taiwan”. He then went on to give a breakdown on the racial and ethnic make up of several European countries, a piece of work he says took “25 hours to create/research”.
Breivik made his postings on the British section of the forum in October of 2008, claiming that he was living in Sweden and was writing a book “about the Islamification of Europe and how to cope with these upcoming problems”.
Stormfront is the world’s most important white supremacist internet forum used by neo-Nazis from across the globe. It is run by Don Black, a hardline neo-Nazi and a former KKK Grand Wizard and member of the US Nazi Party.
Complaining that the right wing in Europe and the US was “fractured”, Breivik wrote about how he hoped the various groups “can try and reach a consensus regarding the issue” which he saw as being the “Islamification of Europe/US”. He wanted these united groups to “overthrow the governments which support multiculturalism”.
Recommending a series of groups he hopes can deal with “60 MILLION Muslims in western and Eastern Europe” he also claims that Britain or Denmark will be the first western countries to face “civil war due to Muslim immigration”.
Unsurprisingly, these views are not too dissimilar to those of BNP leader Nick Griffin who has often claimed that there will be a “civil war” in this country as a result of a conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims. Breivik then links to a series of far-right websites, mainly BNP ones that he approves of, including the blogsite of the BNP’s former deputy and current press officer Simon Darby.
Breivik also posted on the anti-Muslim Gates of Vienna blogsite, again in the autumn of 2008. In them he takes to task leading anti-Muslim bloggers, such as Fjordman, who is quoted extensively in Breivik’s manifesto and is a supporter of the EDL. Breivik agrees with their critique of Islam and its threat to Western Europe but he believes that their suggested solutions are not enough to save the West. Addressing Fjordman’s view that immigration into Europe should be halted, Breivik writes: “anti-immigration laws/closed borders will only delay a Muslim takeover at best. Even in areas with a poor living standards/weak economies (like Kosovo was) they will outbreed non-muslims. It will only take them a few more decades.”
Instead, he calls for the forced deportation of those Muslims already here and criticises leading anti-Muslim bloggers, such as Dr. Pipes, Fjordman, Bat Ye’or, as they were “scared to propagate a conservative revolution and armed resistance”.
He added: “Why haven’t you or any of the other current authors on the Eurabia related issues/Islamisation of Europe (Fjordman, Spencer, Ye`or, Bostom etc.) brought up the “D” word? I assume because it is considered a fascist method in nature, which would undermine your/their work? Why would it undermine their efforts when it is the only rational conclusion, based on the above argument? As far as I know, it’s not illegal in Europe to suggest deportation as a future method when discussing future hypothetical World Orders (correct me if im wrong though, Im not 100% sure, lol)!?”
He made a similar criticism in his 1,500 manifesto: “The reason why authors on the Eurabia related issues/Islamisation of Europe - Fjordman, Spencer, Ye’or, Bostom etc. aren’t actively discussing deportation is because the method is considered too extreme (and thus would damage their reputational shields). This would un-doubtfully undermine their work and probably disallowing them to publish any future books. However, the warning about Islam has been repeated for more than two decades and it is apparent that 40 more years of dialogue, without action, would have a devastating effect on Europe. If these authors are to scared to propagate a conservative revolution and armed resistance then other authors will have to.”
Several of the anti-Muslim bloggers referenced by Breivik in his postings and in his manifesto have supported the EDL. These include Fjordman, Robert Spencer (Jihad Watch blog), Edward S May (Gates of Vienna) and Pamela Geller (Atlas Shrugs). As recently as 19 July, just three days before the massacre in Norway, an article written by Fjordman appeared on the EDL website. He ended it by writing: “I see brave people, ordinary men and women, who after years of humiliation and degradation are finally sick and tired of having to watch evil groups and organizations from other parts of the world being allowed to colonize their country and destroy their freedom, with barely a peep of protest from the local authorities. From that perspective, the EDL represents the only good news to come out of the repressive and dysfunctional country known as modern Britain in years. The organization has even inspired similar groups in other parts of Western Europe.
“I don’t know what the EDL will amount to in the future, but right now it represents potential and hope. That’s why I support the efforts of the EDL, and that’s why you should do so, too.”
In 2009, Breivik also registered as a member of Nordisk (Nordic), which has more than 22,000, mainly Scandinavian, members. Discussions on the forum range from White Noise music (Nazi / skinhead music) to political strategies for obliterating democracy.
Nordisk (Nordic) was launched in 2007 and was a rapid hit with nationalists in Sweden. Members span from high-ranking members of the Sweden Democrats, a nationalist party with seats in the Swedish parliament to leading members of the nazi movement and to unhinged psychopaths. What unites the whole lot is a hatred of immigration and immigrants. Subjects are generally discussed in a racist manner and have included discussions about the book The Turner Diaries, a novel that has served as a terrorist manual, was labelled the “terrorist bible” by the FBI and served as a direct inspiration for the Oklahoma bombing of 1995 in which 168 people were slaughtered. Nordisk is described as a portal “themed with Nordic identity, culture and tradition”. The forum was established by the Nordiska Förbundet (Nordic League) organisation, founded in 2004 by members of the right-wing extremist National Democrats and the hardcore nazi Swedish Resistance Movement.
Some of its members openly incite violence. In March 2010, for example, an anonymous user wrote: “Cars parked next to large buildings with fertilizer + diesel give a nice blast. Skyscrapers go down like the World Trade Centre towers. I haven’t said anything about killing. You'll hope the buildings are empty, and if not so, too bad...I don’t understand why people don’t realise that we have to wage war. The top politicians in government, who live in nice areas a long away from the immigrant threat, have decided that “wogs” can come here and live on our soil. In our society. Take advantage of what our forefathers have built up for us. In my world, nothing you do to these monsters is immoral.”
The language of the far-right is the language of hate. In the modern internet age people are less likely to join organisations but instead flit between groups, causes and campaigns with a much looser affiliation. This is what Breivik appears to have done. It is clear he read, digested and disseminated information on a wide range of neo-nazi, nationalist and anti-Muslim forums. Breivik went down a terrorist path but he shared a common ideology and hatred with the likes of the BNP and EDL.
Thanks to Nick Lowles at HOPE not Hate/Searchlight
July 25, 2011
Searchlight statement
There is a story running on BBC News 24 claiming that we are saying that there is no link between Breivik and the EDL. I have no idea where the BBC got this claim from but it wasn't from us. We know of some links. We've just released this statement to the media.
"The anti-fascist group Searchlight are appalled at the atrocities that occurred on Friday in Norway and have today launched an online book of condolence. Anders Behring Breivik clearly has some links with UK extremist groups and over the next days, weeks and months the details of these will emerge.
Searchlight has found some links between Breivik and the British far right and will be revealing these shortly.
The events in Oslo and Utoeya Island demonstrate how dangerous far right extremism is and that we must all continue to be vigilant in the fight between against extremism of all forms.
"Searchlight welcome the Government's renewed focus on right wing extremism and hope that they and the Police will start to take organisations like the EDL seriously. In particular we urge the authorities to classify the EDL as a far right extremist group, something which it is not doing at present."
Thanks to Nick Lowles at Searchlight/HOPE not Hate
You can sign the book of condolences here
"The anti-fascist group Searchlight are appalled at the atrocities that occurred on Friday in Norway and have today launched an online book of condolence. Anders Behring Breivik clearly has some links with UK extremist groups and over the next days, weeks and months the details of these will emerge.
Searchlight has found some links between Breivik and the British far right and will be revealing these shortly.
The events in Oslo and Utoeya Island demonstrate how dangerous far right extremism is and that we must all continue to be vigilant in the fight between against extremism of all forms.
"Searchlight welcome the Government's renewed focus on right wing extremism and hope that they and the Police will start to take organisations like the EDL seriously. In particular we urge the authorities to classify the EDL as a far right extremist group, something which it is not doing at present."
Thanks to Nick Lowles at Searchlight/HOPE not Hate
You can sign the book of condolences here
July 24, 2011
Reclassify the EDL
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to learn any lessons of the appalling events in Norway to ensure that this country is "more secure against horrific outrageous like this".
He could make a start by ordering the Home Office to reclassify the English Defence League. Despite the violence and racial hatred whipped up by this street gang the authorities refuse to label the group as "far-right extremists". As a result the police do not monitor the group like they do dozens of Muslim organisations and take little interest in its activities. One police officer who has responsibility for monitoring extremists recently told us that the EDL was only an issue when it had a knock-on effect on Islamist extremist groups.
With evidence pointing to Anders Breivik's admiration for the EDL and an increasingly militant tone being taken by EDL units across Britain, surely it is time for the authorities finally to take this threat seriously.
I'll be writing more about this shortly but let's hope it doesn't take an atrocity for the authorities finally to act against the EDL.
Thanks to Nick Lowles at HOPE not Hate/Searchlight
Labels:
Anders Breivik,
EDL,
far right terror,
Norway
July 23, 2011
Norway attacks: Utøya gunman boasted of links to UK far right
Anders Brehing Breivik took part in online discussions with members of the EDL and other anti-Islamic groups
Anders Brehing Breivik, the man accused of the murder of at least 91 Norwegians in a twin bomb and gun massacre, boasted online about his discussions with the far right English Defence League and other anti-Islamic European organisations.
The Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, said Norwegian officials were working with foreign intelligence agencies to see if there was any international involvement in the slaughter. "We have running contact with other countries' intelligence services," he said.
Breivik was arrested on Utøya island where he shot and killed at least 84 people, mostly teenagers, at a youth summer camp for supporters of Norway's Labour Party after bombing Oslo's government district just hours before.Dressed as a policeman, he ordered the teenagers to gather round him before opening fire on them. Survivors described how dozens of people were mown down. Edvard Fornes, 16, described how the gunman told the youths, "Don't be shy," and, "Come and play with me," before executing them. "There were two kids lying, hiding, in a ditch saying, 'please, please don't shoot us,' and he shot them."
Another youth, Ida Knudsen, 16, said she had been in a group of 100 who had initially ran from the killer, but that was reduced to around 60 as the gunman pursued them. Eventually she was one of 12 who climbed into a boat and escaped.
With the entire island a crime scene, officers were still combing the shoreline on Saturday and boats were searching the water for more bodies amid fears the toll could rise further. The police were continuing to investigate whether there had been a second gunman on the island.
The disclosure of Breivik's claimed links with other far right organisations came as details emerged about the rightwing Christian fundamentalist and freemason behind Norway's worst post-war act of violence.
It was revealed that the 32-year-old former member of the country's conservative Progress Party – who had become ever more extreme in his hatred of Muslims, left wingers and the country's political establishment – had ordered six tonnes of fertiliser in May to be used in the bombing. While police continued to interrogate Breivik, who was charged with the mass killings, evidence of his increasingly far right world view emerged from an article he had posted on several Scandinavian websites, including Nordisk – a site frequented by neo-Nazis, far right radicals and Islamophobes since 2009.
The Norwegian daily VG quoted one of Breivik's friends saying that he had become a rightwing extremist in his late 20s and was now a strong opponent of multi-culturalism, expressing strong nationalistic views in online debates.
Breivik had talked admiringly about conversations he had had with unnamed English Defence League members and the organisation Stop the Islamification of Europe over the success of provocative street actions leading to violence.
"I have on some occasions had discussions with SIOE and EDL and recommended them to use certain strategies," he wrote two years ago.
"The tactics of the EDL are now to 'lure' an overreaction from the Jihad Youth/Extreme-Marxists, something they have succeeded in doing several times already." Contacted about the allegation by email by last night the EDL had not answered.
The latest disclosures came as the Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg flew by helicopter to a hotel in the town of Sundvollen – close to the island of Utøya – where many survivors were taken and where relatives converged to reunite with their loved ones or to identify their dead.
"A whole world is thinking of them," Stoltenberg said, his voice cracking with emotion. He said the twin attacks made Friday the deadliest day in peacetime Norway. "This is beyond comprehension. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare for those who have been killed, for their mothers and fathers, family and friends," he said.
Buildings around the capital lowered their flags to half-staff. People streamed to Oslo cathedral to light candles and lay flowers; outside, mourners began building a makeshift altar from dug-up cobblestones. On Saturday the Queen wrote to Norway's King Harald to offer her condolences and express her shock and sadness.
Breivik's Facebook page was blocked, but a cached version describes a conservative Christian from Oslo. The profile veers between references to lofty political philosophers and gory popular films, television shows and video games. The account appears to have been set up on 17 July. The site lists no "friends" or social connections.
The Guardian
Anders Brehing Breivik, the man accused of the murder of at least 91 Norwegians in a twin bomb and gun massacre, boasted online about his discussions with the far right English Defence League and other anti-Islamic European organisations.
The Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, said Norwegian officials were working with foreign intelligence agencies to see if there was any international involvement in the slaughter. "We have running contact with other countries' intelligence services," he said.
Breivik was arrested on Utøya island where he shot and killed at least 84 people, mostly teenagers, at a youth summer camp for supporters of Norway's Labour Party after bombing Oslo's government district just hours before.Dressed as a policeman, he ordered the teenagers to gather round him before opening fire on them. Survivors described how dozens of people were mown down. Edvard Fornes, 16, described how the gunman told the youths, "Don't be shy," and, "Come and play with me," before executing them. "There were two kids lying, hiding, in a ditch saying, 'please, please don't shoot us,' and he shot them."
Another youth, Ida Knudsen, 16, said she had been in a group of 100 who had initially ran from the killer, but that was reduced to around 60 as the gunman pursued them. Eventually she was one of 12 who climbed into a boat and escaped.
With the entire island a crime scene, officers were still combing the shoreline on Saturday and boats were searching the water for more bodies amid fears the toll could rise further. The police were continuing to investigate whether there had been a second gunman on the island.
The disclosure of Breivik's claimed links with other far right organisations came as details emerged about the rightwing Christian fundamentalist and freemason behind Norway's worst post-war act of violence.
It was revealed that the 32-year-old former member of the country's conservative Progress Party – who had become ever more extreme in his hatred of Muslims, left wingers and the country's political establishment – had ordered six tonnes of fertiliser in May to be used in the bombing. While police continued to interrogate Breivik, who was charged with the mass killings, evidence of his increasingly far right world view emerged from an article he had posted on several Scandinavian websites, including Nordisk – a site frequented by neo-Nazis, far right radicals and Islamophobes since 2009.
The Norwegian daily VG quoted one of Breivik's friends saying that he had become a rightwing extremist in his late 20s and was now a strong opponent of multi-culturalism, expressing strong nationalistic views in online debates.
Breivik had talked admiringly about conversations he had had with unnamed English Defence League members and the organisation Stop the Islamification of Europe over the success of provocative street actions leading to violence.
"I have on some occasions had discussions with SIOE and EDL and recommended them to use certain strategies," he wrote two years ago.
"The tactics of the EDL are now to 'lure' an overreaction from the Jihad Youth/Extreme-Marxists, something they have succeeded in doing several times already." Contacted about the allegation by email by last night the EDL had not answered.
The latest disclosures came as the Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg flew by helicopter to a hotel in the town of Sundvollen – close to the island of Utøya – where many survivors were taken and where relatives converged to reunite with their loved ones or to identify their dead.
"A whole world is thinking of them," Stoltenberg said, his voice cracking with emotion. He said the twin attacks made Friday the deadliest day in peacetime Norway. "This is beyond comprehension. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare for those who have been killed, for their mothers and fathers, family and friends," he said.
Buildings around the capital lowered their flags to half-staff. People streamed to Oslo cathedral to light candles and lay flowers; outside, mourners began building a makeshift altar from dug-up cobblestones. On Saturday the Queen wrote to Norway's King Harald to offer her condolences and express her shock and sadness.
Breivik's Facebook page was blocked, but a cached version describes a conservative Christian from Oslo. The profile veers between references to lofty political philosophers and gory popular films, television shows and video games. The account appears to have been set up on 17 July. The site lists no "friends" or social connections.
The Guardian
April 30, 2010
County Durham teenager convicted of terror plot
A teenage white supremacist from County Durham has been found guilty of terrorism offences.
Nicky Davison, 19, was convicted of three separate charges of possessing records useful in committing or preparing acts of terrorism.
Newcastle Crown Court heard he was part of a white supremacist group called the Aryan Strike Force, with his father.
Terror manuals were found on computers at the home he shared with his mother in Annfield Plain last June.
The teenager's father, Ian Davison, has already admitted preparing for acts of terrorism and producing a chemical weapon, the deadly poison ricin, one of the world's most dangerous substances.
The pair will be sentenced together.
The court heard Nicky Davison helped his father administer the Aryan Strike Force website, which aimed to carry out terrorist operations and overthrow the government.
The former milkman's assistant, of Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, was a founder member of the web group set up by his 41-year-old father.
The jury at Newcastle Crown Court took 50 minutes to convict the teenager after hearing the group planned to fight against what it called the Zionist Occupied Government and believed the state had been taken over by Jews.
Racist father
Jurors heard a police raid at the home he shared with his mother and younger brother found copies of The Poor Man's James Bond and the Anarchist's Cookbook on two computers.
Nicky Davison denied any knowledge of the documents and the court was told a "mischievous" friend had downloaded them.
In his defence, Davison said he joined the group to please his racist father.
After the verdict, Det Supt Neil Malkin of Durham Police said: "Violent extremism will not be tolerated.
"The hard work carried out by officers to collect the wealth of evidence that has helped secure this conviction demonstrates Durham Constabulary's determination to disrupt extreme right-wing activity in all its forms.
"This has been a complex case requiring careful deliberation of the evidence by the jury over a period of three weeks and the successful conviction of Nicky Davison underlines the quality of the investigation."
BBC News
Nicky Davison, 19, was convicted of three separate charges of possessing records useful in committing or preparing acts of terrorism.
Newcastle Crown Court heard he was part of a white supremacist group called the Aryan Strike Force, with his father.
Terror manuals were found on computers at the home he shared with his mother in Annfield Plain last June.
The teenager's father, Ian Davison, has already admitted preparing for acts of terrorism and producing a chemical weapon, the deadly poison ricin, one of the world's most dangerous substances.
The pair will be sentenced together.
The court heard Nicky Davison helped his father administer the Aryan Strike Force website, which aimed to carry out terrorist operations and overthrow the government.
The former milkman's assistant, of Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, was a founder member of the web group set up by his 41-year-old father.
The jury at Newcastle Crown Court took 50 minutes to convict the teenager after hearing the group planned to fight against what it called the Zionist Occupied Government and believed the state had been taken over by Jews.
Racist father
Jurors heard a police raid at the home he shared with his mother and younger brother found copies of The Poor Man's James Bond and the Anarchist's Cookbook on two computers.
Nicky Davison denied any knowledge of the documents and the court was told a "mischievous" friend had downloaded them.
In his defence, Davison said he joined the group to please his racist father.
After the verdict, Det Supt Neil Malkin of Durham Police said: "Violent extremism will not be tolerated.
"The hard work carried out by officers to collect the wealth of evidence that has helped secure this conviction demonstrates Durham Constabulary's determination to disrupt extreme right-wing activity in all its forms.
"This has been a complex case requiring careful deliberation of the evidence by the jury over a period of three weeks and the successful conviction of Nicky Davison underlines the quality of the investigation."
BBC News
July 06, 2009
Police fear far-right terror attack
Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command fears the extreme right will stage a deadly terrorist attack in Britain to try to stoke racial tensions, the Guardian has learned.
Senior officers fear the attack will be a "spectacular" that is designed to kill people. The counter-terrorism unit has moved officers to beef up its monitoring of the extreme right's potential to stage attacks.
Commander Shaun Sawyer told a meeting of British Muslims concerned about the danger posed to their communities that police were responding to the growing threat.
Sawyer said of the far right: "I fear that they will have a spectacular ... They will carry out an attack that will lead to a loss of life or injury to a community somewhere. They're not choosy about which community."
He said the aim of any attack would be to cause a "breakdown in community cohesion".
Sawyer revealed that the Met commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, had asked the counter-terrorism command, SO15, to examine what the economic downturn would mean for far-right violence. The assessment concluded that it would increase the possibility.
Sawyer told the meeting last Wednesday that more of his officers needed to be deployed to try to thwart neo-Nazi-inspired violence. He said the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaida remained the unit's priority, but said of its far-right section: "It is a small desk ... we need to grow that unit."
Sources have told the Guardian that while they believe the neo-Nazi terrorist threat has grown, they have no specific intelligence of an attack.
"There is an increased possibility of violence from the far right. There is a trend," said one senior source, adding that the ideology of the violent right was driven by "people who don't like immigration, people who don't like Islam. We're seeing a resurgence of anti-semitism as well."
Similar warnings about the terror threat of the far right have been issued in America recently. In April, an internal report drawn up by the US department of homeland security warned of a possible rise in violent rightwing extremist groups fuelled by the recession and hostility over the election of the first black president. The report said threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups had been largely rhetorical so far, but a prolonged economic downturn could create a fertile recruiting environment for rightwing extremists.
It is a decade since an extreme rightwing terrorist used bombs to claim lives in Britain. In 1999, David Copeland bombed three targets in London in a fortnight. His strike against a gay pub in Soho, London, killed three people and left scores injured. It followed attacks against the Muslim community in Brick Lane, east London, and the bombing of a market in Brixton, south London.
The senior source said since Copeland's bombing campaign, community tensions had worsened between British Muslims and other groups. "When Copeland attacked we did not have the religious tensions with the Muslim community. What kind of schism would a Copeland-type event cause now?"
British Muslims have been a particular target of neo-Nazi propaganda, and groups representing them say they have felt increasingly vulnerable after the al-Qaida attacks on London in July 2005.
The threat the far right poses to Britain's Jewish communities is monitored by the Community Security Trust, which says attempted terrorist violence by neo-Nazis in Britain has increased in the past few years. The CST says nine white men have been "convicted of offences involving explosives, terrorist plots, violent campaigns or threats to carry them out". One of them, Martyn Gilleard, was convicted last year of three terrorism offences and jailed for 16 years. The self-confessed fan of Nazi Germany had kept nail bombs under a bed at his home in Goole, east Yorkshire.
David Rich, of the CST, said: "The violent fringes of the far right have shown a desire and intention to carry out terrorist violence against minorities in the UK. The last five years has seen an increase in terrorist cases involving the far right, more than before David Copeland."
Most of those convicted are believed not to have been part of a group. Opinion among those tracking the violent far right differs. Some believe neo-Nazi terrorists are acting outside networks, making it harder for them to be caught and investigated.
Rich said: "There's no one directing people, it's a mindset" – a reference to the easy availability of extremist rightwing material and information about making homemade bombs.
The veteran anti-fascist campaigner Gerry Gable, of the group Searchlight, praised police efforts to tackle neo-Nazi terrorism but warned the threat remained: "They believe that violence begets violence. They hope it will cause a backlash."
The Guardian
Senior officers fear the attack will be a "spectacular" that is designed to kill people. The counter-terrorism unit has moved officers to beef up its monitoring of the extreme right's potential to stage attacks.
Commander Shaun Sawyer told a meeting of British Muslims concerned about the danger posed to their communities that police were responding to the growing threat.
Sawyer said of the far right: "I fear that they will have a spectacular ... They will carry out an attack that will lead to a loss of life or injury to a community somewhere. They're not choosy about which community."
He said the aim of any attack would be to cause a "breakdown in community cohesion".
Sawyer revealed that the Met commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, had asked the counter-terrorism command, SO15, to examine what the economic downturn would mean for far-right violence. The assessment concluded that it would increase the possibility.
Sawyer told the meeting last Wednesday that more of his officers needed to be deployed to try to thwart neo-Nazi-inspired violence. He said the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaida remained the unit's priority, but said of its far-right section: "It is a small desk ... we need to grow that unit."
Sources have told the Guardian that while they believe the neo-Nazi terrorist threat has grown, they have no specific intelligence of an attack.
"There is an increased possibility of violence from the far right. There is a trend," said one senior source, adding that the ideology of the violent right was driven by "people who don't like immigration, people who don't like Islam. We're seeing a resurgence of anti-semitism as well."
Similar warnings about the terror threat of the far right have been issued in America recently. In April, an internal report drawn up by the US department of homeland security warned of a possible rise in violent rightwing extremist groups fuelled by the recession and hostility over the election of the first black president. The report said threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups had been largely rhetorical so far, but a prolonged economic downturn could create a fertile recruiting environment for rightwing extremists.
It is a decade since an extreme rightwing terrorist used bombs to claim lives in Britain. In 1999, David Copeland bombed three targets in London in a fortnight. His strike against a gay pub in Soho, London, killed three people and left scores injured. It followed attacks against the Muslim community in Brick Lane, east London, and the bombing of a market in Brixton, south London.
The senior source said since Copeland's bombing campaign, community tensions had worsened between British Muslims and other groups. "When Copeland attacked we did not have the religious tensions with the Muslim community. What kind of schism would a Copeland-type event cause now?"
British Muslims have been a particular target of neo-Nazi propaganda, and groups representing them say they have felt increasingly vulnerable after the al-Qaida attacks on London in July 2005.
The threat the far right poses to Britain's Jewish communities is monitored by the Community Security Trust, which says attempted terrorist violence by neo-Nazis in Britain has increased in the past few years. The CST says nine white men have been "convicted of offences involving explosives, terrorist plots, violent campaigns or threats to carry them out". One of them, Martyn Gilleard, was convicted last year of three terrorism offences and jailed for 16 years. The self-confessed fan of Nazi Germany had kept nail bombs under a bed at his home in Goole, east Yorkshire.
David Rich, of the CST, said: "The violent fringes of the far right have shown a desire and intention to carry out terrorist violence against minorities in the UK. The last five years has seen an increase in terrorist cases involving the far right, more than before David Copeland."
Most of those convicted are believed not to have been part of a group. Opinion among those tracking the violent far right differs. Some believe neo-Nazi terrorists are acting outside networks, making it harder for them to be caught and investigated.
Rich said: "There's no one directing people, it's a mindset" – a reference to the easy availability of extremist rightwing material and information about making homemade bombs.
The veteran anti-fascist campaigner Gerry Gable, of the group Searchlight, praised police efforts to tackle neo-Nazi terrorism but warned the threat remained: "They believe that violence begets violence. They hope it will cause a backlash."
The Guardian
Labels:
David Copeland,
far right terror,
Martyn Gilleard
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