A former council candidate for the far-right British National Party has appeared in court on domestic abuse charges.
At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week, Thomas Sweeten, 43, of Glencairn Terrace, Kilmaurs, pleaded guilty to breaching the special bail condition barring him from communicating with his estranged wife.
The court heard that on November 20 – just three days after the bail order was imposed – he went to a house in Hurlford, where his wife Kirsty was. He also admitted committing a breach of the peace on the same occasion at the Hurlford property by repeatedly placing himself in front of his wife in a bid to prevent her escaping, thereby placing her in a state of fear and alarm.
Sentence was deferred until January 26 for social enquiry and community service reports. Sweeten, who had previously been remanded in custody, was released on bail.
The former publican was the sole BNP candidate in the elections for East Ayrshire Council in May 2007. He polled 86 first preference votes in the council’s Annick Ward. A native of Glasgow, he has lived in Kilmaurs for a number of years and was the licensee of the village’s Wheatsheaf pub before becoming a lorry driver.
Kilmarnock Standard
December 18, 2009
December 17, 2009
British National Party required to explain ‘inadequate’ accounts
The British National Party’s former treasurer could face criminal proceedings for delivering “inadequate accounts” to the Electoral Commission
The BNP’s 2008 accounts finally emerged three weeks before the fine for their late submission to the Electoral Commission would have doubled to £2,000.
Like the 2007 accounts, the latest financial statements do not give a true and fair view of the state of the party’s affairs at 31 December 2008 and of the year’s results, in the opinion of Silver & Co, the party’s regular auditors. However this year the BNP had no easy target to blame of the likes of Kenny Smith, one of the leaders of the party’s internal rebellion in winter 2006, who was used as the excuse for failings in both the 2006 and 2007 accounts.
In 2008 the party simply could not get its act together. As Nick Griffin, the party chairman, explained in his introduction to the accounts, soon after June 2008, when Jenny Noble took over as party treasurer from John Walker, it “became apparent that the task of maintaining central office accounts had become too big for any one individual”. So the job was “outsourced” to “an independent Chartered Accountant and Accounts Technician with the aim of presenting acceptable accounts for the accounting year 2009”.
In other words the BNP gave up on the 2008 accounts, though Griffin admitted lamely: “We recognize that it is not acceptable to present inadequate accounts”.
The failure meant that the accounts not only did not give a true and fair view but also did not “comply with the requirements of the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 as adequate records have not been made available”. In 2007 the accounts did comply with the PPERA, despite not giving a true and fair view.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission told Searchlight that they had “a number of concerns” about the financial statements and the inadequate records referred to in Griffin’s report and have urgently requested more detailed information about the inadequacies from the party’s auditors. The BNP has until 8 January to reply, after which the Electoral Commission will consider what further action to take.
Under the PPERA 2000 the party’s treasurer on 31 December 2008, the last day of the accounting period concerned, commits a criminal offence by not complying with the regulations governing party accounts. Although the 2008 accounts are presented by Philip Reddall, he was appointed BNP treasurer only in autumn 2009. At the end of 2008 Noble was still the treasurer, until she was shunted out in April 2009 to run the Trafalgar Club, a task she appears to have performed with similar lack of success.
Her only defence, if the Electoral Commission decides to prosecute, would be that she took all reasonable steps and exercised due diligence to ensure the accounts were adequate, or that the failures were attributable to the period before she became treasurer and she did her best to put things right.
Despite the unreliability of the accounts, the figures are very interesting as they prove that the BNP has lied repeatedly to its members and donors.
The BNP started its main fundraising drive at the tail end of 2007 and built it up throughout 2008 with a number of appeals for objectives such as the launch of its provocatively racist Racism Cuts Both Ways booklet, the May 2008 election campaign and the notorious Truth Truck appeal.
The accounts show that the party did indeed raise more money than ever before. Income from donations and fundraising activities (the distinction is unclear) amounted to £688,764 compared to £221,456 in 2007.
Nevertheless the party ended the year with a loss of £82,642, an increase of £32,000 over the previous year’s loss. It was also a far cry from the £100,000 profit claimed in June 2009 by Jim Dowson, the militant anti-abortion campaigner behind the BNP’s fundraising efforts, who controls its Belfast telesales centre and other essential party functions. It was Dowson too who supplied the “independent chartered accountant”, John Thompson, who works for Dowson’s various business interests in Belfast, now charged with getting the BNP’s books into better shape for 2009.
The loss left the BNP bankrupt to the tune of £168,233. While that may not be much compared to some political parties, it is a significant proportion of the party’s turnover of under £1 million and the latest in a trend of growing losses. To stay afloat the party continued to raid the funds of its branches and groups, stayed in arrears with its tax and VAT payments and relied on the advance payment of membership subscriptions for the following year.
Far from spending the increased income on campaigning, most of the money has gone to paying party staff and propping up the party’s lacklustre publications and its failed Excalibur merchandising operation.
The start of 2008 had seen Excalibur’s move, to great acclaim, into new premises with a “vast array of new equipment”. At the end of the year Excalibur was out on its ear after Searchlight, in conjunction with Lancaster Unity and Wales Friends of Searchlight, had tracked it down to a Deeside Industrial Estate (click here for details).
According to the accounts, Excalibur’s stock, consisting of tatty, cringe-making and overpriced goods, including white mugs reading “I’m a white mug”, may have been worth £5,000 to £6,000 at the end of the year, but “the very nature of the stock raises questions as to its realisable value”. In other words, no one wants to buy them – even the BNP doesn’t have enough white mugs to buy its white mugs.
The total cost of the BNP’s “commercial activities”, consisting of Excalibur, Identity, Voice of Freedom and unspecified other printed material, amounted to £285,341 compared to income of £130,526, a loss of £125,000.
Staff wages and “professional fees” – a term that includes staff paid without accounting for income tax and national insurance – grew by over £100,000 compared to 2007. The accounts state there were 13 staff. Management and administration costs rose by £96,000 to £263,000. Rent and associated costs of the short-lived Excalibur unit undoubtedly pushed up this total.
Campaign expenditure was a mere £74,580, of which only £41,095 was on leaflets and £14,325 was the cost of fundraising. Back in March 2008 a BNP appeal letter asked for donations towards the 2008 London and local council election campaigns, promising that the London campaign would cost at least £80,000. That now emerges as another lie.
The party did buy £29,000 of equipment, far less than it made out when it moved into the Excalibur unit. It also spent £19,550 on buying vehicles. The figure does not include the “truth truck”, an advertising vehicle and trailer better known as the lie lorry. Contrary to statements in fundraising appeals that the lorry was “bought and paid for”, Searchlight established that the party was renting it from Dowson’s Adlorries.com business. The accounts do not refer to the “Truth Truck” by name but state that the party leases one vehicle under an agreement that does not give “rights approximating to ownership”.
The accounts also reveal some interesting non-financial details. The Young BNP was “defunct” during the year, “with the failed head being removed at the end of the year and replaced by a new team”. The reference is to the summary dismissal of Danny Lake and his replacement by Mike Howson, a man in his mid-forties, after Lake raised concerns about the “psychopathic” behaviour of Mark Bulman, an erratic and alcoholic teenage YBNP member who was also treasurer of Howson’s BNP branch.
The BNP’s security department is described as responsible for running party events “correctly to ensure the health and safety of all those attending”. This is the bunch of thugs who surround Griffin wherever he goes and have scant concern for the “health and safety” of those on the receiving end of their activities.
The South African influence remained strong, with both Arthur Kemp and Lance Stewart on the party’s 15-strong Advisory Council. Kemp is the BNP’s website editor and during 2008 was also in charge of Excalibur dispatch and “developing Voting Membership educational material”. Stewart, a former high-ranking officer in the South African Police, heads the BNP’s “Intelligence Department”.
BNP members, of whom the accounts state there were 9,801 at 31 December 2008, will not understand or care about the shambolic state of the BNP’s finances revealed in these statements, the potential criminal charges faced by the former treasurer or the proof that the party’s fundraising appeals were a pack of lies. They will not doubt go on pouring money into the bottomless and unaccountable pit that is the racist BNP.
Hope not hate
The BNP’s 2008 accounts finally emerged three weeks before the fine for their late submission to the Electoral Commission would have doubled to £2,000.
Like the 2007 accounts, the latest financial statements do not give a true and fair view of the state of the party’s affairs at 31 December 2008 and of the year’s results, in the opinion of Silver & Co, the party’s regular auditors. However this year the BNP had no easy target to blame of the likes of Kenny Smith, one of the leaders of the party’s internal rebellion in winter 2006, who was used as the excuse for failings in both the 2006 and 2007 accounts.
In 2008 the party simply could not get its act together. As Nick Griffin, the party chairman, explained in his introduction to the accounts, soon after June 2008, when Jenny Noble took over as party treasurer from John Walker, it “became apparent that the task of maintaining central office accounts had become too big for any one individual”. So the job was “outsourced” to “an independent Chartered Accountant and Accounts Technician with the aim of presenting acceptable accounts for the accounting year 2009”.
In other words the BNP gave up on the 2008 accounts, though Griffin admitted lamely: “We recognize that it is not acceptable to present inadequate accounts”.
The failure meant that the accounts not only did not give a true and fair view but also did not “comply with the requirements of the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 as adequate records have not been made available”. In 2007 the accounts did comply with the PPERA, despite not giving a true and fair view.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission told Searchlight that they had “a number of concerns” about the financial statements and the inadequate records referred to in Griffin’s report and have urgently requested more detailed information about the inadequacies from the party’s auditors. The BNP has until 8 January to reply, after which the Electoral Commission will consider what further action to take.
Under the PPERA 2000 the party’s treasurer on 31 December 2008, the last day of the accounting period concerned, commits a criminal offence by not complying with the regulations governing party accounts. Although the 2008 accounts are presented by Philip Reddall, he was appointed BNP treasurer only in autumn 2009. At the end of 2008 Noble was still the treasurer, until she was shunted out in April 2009 to run the Trafalgar Club, a task she appears to have performed with similar lack of success.
Her only defence, if the Electoral Commission decides to prosecute, would be that she took all reasonable steps and exercised due diligence to ensure the accounts were adequate, or that the failures were attributable to the period before she became treasurer and she did her best to put things right.
Despite the unreliability of the accounts, the figures are very interesting as they prove that the BNP has lied repeatedly to its members and donors.
The BNP started its main fundraising drive at the tail end of 2007 and built it up throughout 2008 with a number of appeals for objectives such as the launch of its provocatively racist Racism Cuts Both Ways booklet, the May 2008 election campaign and the notorious Truth Truck appeal.
The accounts show that the party did indeed raise more money than ever before. Income from donations and fundraising activities (the distinction is unclear) amounted to £688,764 compared to £221,456 in 2007.
Nevertheless the party ended the year with a loss of £82,642, an increase of £32,000 over the previous year’s loss. It was also a far cry from the £100,000 profit claimed in June 2009 by Jim Dowson, the militant anti-abortion campaigner behind the BNP’s fundraising efforts, who controls its Belfast telesales centre and other essential party functions. It was Dowson too who supplied the “independent chartered accountant”, John Thompson, who works for Dowson’s various business interests in Belfast, now charged with getting the BNP’s books into better shape for 2009.
The loss left the BNP bankrupt to the tune of £168,233. While that may not be much compared to some political parties, it is a significant proportion of the party’s turnover of under £1 million and the latest in a trend of growing losses. To stay afloat the party continued to raid the funds of its branches and groups, stayed in arrears with its tax and VAT payments and relied on the advance payment of membership subscriptions for the following year.
Far from spending the increased income on campaigning, most of the money has gone to paying party staff and propping up the party’s lacklustre publications and its failed Excalibur merchandising operation.
The start of 2008 had seen Excalibur’s move, to great acclaim, into new premises with a “vast array of new equipment”. At the end of the year Excalibur was out on its ear after Searchlight, in conjunction with Lancaster Unity and Wales Friends of Searchlight, had tracked it down to a Deeside Industrial Estate (click here for details).
According to the accounts, Excalibur’s stock, consisting of tatty, cringe-making and overpriced goods, including white mugs reading “I’m a white mug”, may have been worth £5,000 to £6,000 at the end of the year, but “the very nature of the stock raises questions as to its realisable value”. In other words, no one wants to buy them – even the BNP doesn’t have enough white mugs to buy its white mugs.
The total cost of the BNP’s “commercial activities”, consisting of Excalibur, Identity, Voice of Freedom and unspecified other printed material, amounted to £285,341 compared to income of £130,526, a loss of £125,000.
Staff wages and “professional fees” – a term that includes staff paid without accounting for income tax and national insurance – grew by over £100,000 compared to 2007. The accounts state there were 13 staff. Management and administration costs rose by £96,000 to £263,000. Rent and associated costs of the short-lived Excalibur unit undoubtedly pushed up this total.
Campaign expenditure was a mere £74,580, of which only £41,095 was on leaflets and £14,325 was the cost of fundraising. Back in March 2008 a BNP appeal letter asked for donations towards the 2008 London and local council election campaigns, promising that the London campaign would cost at least £80,000. That now emerges as another lie.
The party did buy £29,000 of equipment, far less than it made out when it moved into the Excalibur unit. It also spent £19,550 on buying vehicles. The figure does not include the “truth truck”, an advertising vehicle and trailer better known as the lie lorry. Contrary to statements in fundraising appeals that the lorry was “bought and paid for”, Searchlight established that the party was renting it from Dowson’s Adlorries.com business. The accounts do not refer to the “Truth Truck” by name but state that the party leases one vehicle under an agreement that does not give “rights approximating to ownership”.
The accounts also reveal some interesting non-financial details. The Young BNP was “defunct” during the year, “with the failed head being removed at the end of the year and replaced by a new team”. The reference is to the summary dismissal of Danny Lake and his replacement by Mike Howson, a man in his mid-forties, after Lake raised concerns about the “psychopathic” behaviour of Mark Bulman, an erratic and alcoholic teenage YBNP member who was also treasurer of Howson’s BNP branch.
The BNP’s security department is described as responsible for running party events “correctly to ensure the health and safety of all those attending”. This is the bunch of thugs who surround Griffin wherever he goes and have scant concern for the “health and safety” of those on the receiving end of their activities.
The South African influence remained strong, with both Arthur Kemp and Lance Stewart on the party’s 15-strong Advisory Council. Kemp is the BNP’s website editor and during 2008 was also in charge of Excalibur dispatch and “developing Voting Membership educational material”. Stewart, a former high-ranking officer in the South African Police, heads the BNP’s “Intelligence Department”.
BNP members, of whom the accounts state there were 9,801 at 31 December 2008, will not understand or care about the shambolic state of the BNP’s finances revealed in these statements, the potential criminal charges faced by the former treasurer or the proof that the party’s fundraising appeals were a pack of lies. They will not doubt go on pouring money into the bottomless and unaccountable pit that is the racist BNP.
Hope not hate
Shock for Stoke BNP as leader quits
Alby Walker (left) with BNP leader Nick GriffinCouncillor Alby Walker told his nine-strong group last night that he was standing down with immediate effect. And he is also unlikely to stand for re-election to the council in May.
Mr Walker, aged 52, told The Sentinel that he wanted to devote more of his time to family and work commitments. The ward member for Abbey Green had led the group since being elected to the city council in May 2006. However, there have been rumours of growing friction within the group over its future leadership and political direction.
Mr Walker announced his resignation in a brief email to council officials, saying: "As from your receipt of this email I am standing down as group leader of the BNP group. When this issue has been resolved within the BNP group the new leader will inform you of the new group structure in due course."
Mr Walker admitted he had been contemplating the move for some time. He said: "I am finding it difficult to juggle the political workload with my work commitments outside the council, running a joinery business. I have also had numerous things on my plate in my personal life, including my wife Ellie's treatment for breast cancer. I increasingly felt that I was not giving the role and my responsibility to the group my full attention, so in the interests of the group I have taken the decision to stand down."
Mr Walker also hinted that he is considering giving up his council seat ahead of the May elections. He said: "I won't deny the rumours at this stage, but I will have to discuss it with the group before I can make a proper decision."
But he declined to say whether he would remain a BNP party member. He added that he felt he had helped to change public perceptions of the BNP in the city and boost support for the far-right party. He said: "When I took over, BNP councillors were regarded as lazy ward members who didn't make a positive contribution to debates. I have totally transformed the group and our approach to politics, and I just hope that whoever takes over will take that forward."
The group will be run by deputy leader councillor Michael Coleman until a new leadership structure can be decided.
Mrs Walker, aged 54, said she fully supported her husband's decision, but she had no plans to leave the group. She said: "I support what he is doing, but I think it's a shame as he is really the backbone of the group."
Mr Coleman was last night unavailable for comment.
Labour group leader councillor Mohammed Pervez said: "I think this is a matter for the BNP to sort out. I don't want to get involved in their affairs; I've got far more important things to do."
The Sentinel
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Stoke-on-Trent
Breaking news: Alby Walker stands down as BNP leader on Stoke Council
The British National Party (BNP) group leader on Stoke-on-Trent City Council has announced that he is standing down from the post with immediate effect. Alby Walker, who represents Abbey Green ward, told councillors about his decision on Wednesday evening. He will remain as a councillor. The BNP group currently has a total of nine councillors on the authority.
More news as we get it...
More news as we get it...
December 16, 2009
BBC news website asks users: 'Should homosexuals face execution?'
The BBC's Have Your Say talkboardThe BBC today asked users of its news website "Should homosexuals face execution?" on a talkboard discussion for a World Service programme for African listeners. Posted on a BBC News premoderated talkboard, the thread was designed to provoke discussion ahead of the latest edition of interactive World Service programme Africa Have Your Say.
"Yes, we accept it is a stark and disturbing question, but this is the reality behind an anti-homosexuality bill being debated on Friday by the Ugandan parliament which would see some homosexual offences punishable by death," the post said.
The talkboard post asked users to send in their views to the programme, which goes out on the World Service and is also available online.
"Has Uganda gone too far? Should there be any level of legislation against homosexuality? Should homosexuals be protected by legislation as they are in South Africa? What would be the consequences of this bill to you? How will homosexual 'offences' be monitored?," the post added.
Premoderated posts included one from Chris, Guildford, posted at 8.59am, which attracted 51 recommendations of support. He wrote: "Totally agree. Ought to be imposed in the UK too, asap. Bring back some respectable family values. Why do we have to suffer 'gay pride' festivals? Would I be allowed to organise a 'straight pride' festival? No, thought as much!! If homosexuality is natural, as we are forced to believe, how can they sustain the species? I suggest all gays are put on a remote island somewhere and left for a generation - after which, theoretically there should be none left!"
Another, from Aaron in Freetown, said: "Bravo to the Ugandans for this wise decision, a bright step in eliminating this menace from your society. We hope other African nations will also follow your bold step."
The Africa Have Your Say programme aired at 4pm today. By 5.30pm, the headline of the discussion had been changed to "Should Uganda debate gay execution?".
Liliane Landor, the BBC World Service acting head of Africa region, defended the radio programme and talkboard post, saying it allowed gays and lesbians from Uganda, whose voices have never been heard in the UK, to talk with dignity about the impact the legislation would have on their lives.
The show also included the opinion of those who supported the anti-homosexual legislation, including religious leaders, she said. "The programme was a dignified exchange between people who have differing beliefs," Landor added.
Landor said that the World Service realised that the headline on the talkboard was blunt, but it was carefully put in context. "We wanted to frame the question starkly, in order to reflect the stark reality of the Ugandan bill," she added.
The BBC Pride board, composed of gay and lesbian staff at the corporation, lobbied the World Service to change the headline and close discussion "to minimise negative reflection on the BBC".
Eric Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk, labelled the post "more than offensive". "It's completely unacceptable. And it's mainly British people replying," he said on Twitter.
The talkboard post is understood to have been written by a female member of the BBC World Service Africa bureau. The World Service, which broadcasts in 32 languages on TV, radio and the web, is part of BBC Global News, but funded by the Foreign Office.
Guardian
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World Service
Man charged over murder and terror offences remanded in custody
A man appeared in court today charged with soliciting murder and terror offences, police said.
Trevor Hannington, from Hirwaun, South Wales, appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court accused of possessing records containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and disseminating a terrorist publication, contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
The 58-year-old is also accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to stir up racial hatred. Hannington was remanded in custody until January 15 2010 when he will appear at the Old Bailey, a statement from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit said.
Michael Heaton, 42, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, also appeared at the magistrates’ court charged with soliciting murder and using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to stir up racial hatred. He was bailed until January 15 when he will also appear at the Old Bailey, police said.
In an earlier statement, North East Counter Terrorism Unit and South Wales Police said the investigation was not linked to international terrorism. He added: “We recognise that local people may have concerns as a result of this enquiry and our officers are in regular contact with the local community to keep them as informed as possible about the investigation. We would like to thank local residents for their patience, support and understanding.”
Wales Online
Trevor Hannington, from Hirwaun, South Wales, appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court accused of possessing records containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and disseminating a terrorist publication, contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
The 58-year-old is also accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to stir up racial hatred. Hannington was remanded in custody until January 15 2010 when he will appear at the Old Bailey, a statement from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit said.
Michael Heaton, 42, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, also appeared at the magistrates’ court charged with soliciting murder and using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to stir up racial hatred. He was bailed until January 15 when he will also appear at the Old Bailey, police said.
In an earlier statement, North East Counter Terrorism Unit and South Wales Police said the investigation was not linked to international terrorism. He added: “We recognise that local people may have concerns as a result of this enquiry and our officers are in regular contact with the local community to keep them as informed as possible about the investigation. We would like to thank local residents for their patience, support and understanding.”
Wales Online
Barnbrook's apology for lying finally appears - after almost three months
More than a year after he blatantly lied to the electorate and nearly three months after a Barking and Dagenham Council disciplinary committee formally demanded that he apologise, pornmeister and pisshead Dicky Barnbrook has finally produced an apology - though clearly from between gritted teeth. Here it is, in all its glory:
'I would like to formally apologise in respect of statements I made in a video which was filmed during September 2008 and subsequently published.Barking and Dagenham suspended him during October, the Assembly censured him and ordered him to receive ethics training (which must have been a laugh to watch). It also demanded that he make a written apology which should appear on both the Assembly's website and his personal blog. Barking and Dagenham Council decided he must repeat the apology on his blog or risk the suspension being extended.
In the video I said “In Barking and Dagenham alone, 3 weeks ago, there was a murder of a young girl. We don’t know who’s done it, her girlfriend was attacked outside an educational institute . Again, 2 weeks ago, there was another attack by knives on the streets of Barking and Dagenham where 2 people were murdered.”
These statements were unintentionally inaccurate and I apologise for giving out this information based on anecdotal reports and thereafter for not ensuring that the videos were removed or at least amended, once I knew the information to be incorrect. I have a passionate interest in the scourge of knife-crime which affects our whole community and will continue to speak out on the issue. I have no wish, however, to stoke fear of crime and realise the importance of conveying accurate information. I will seek to work far more closely with the Police and other agencies in future to ensure that I am able to do this.'
BNP MEP questions Taliban place on terror group list
Andrew Brons (left) August 1981 in Fulham, campaigningwith the National Front and BNP leader Nick Griffin
Organisations and individuals on the list are subject to sanctions and travel restrictions in Europe, but Mr Brons told fellow MEPs in Strasbourg that whilst the Taliban was an “appalling, repressive and anti-democratic organisation” it was not in the league of global terrorism alongside Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaida and had no known cross-border ambitions.
The leader of Britain’s Labour MEPs Gelis Willmott said Mr Brons was “confused”, adding: “The Taliban are purposefully killing and maiming innocent women and children: of course they are terrorists.”
Mr Brons, referring to the current terrorist list of proscribed organisations, said: “What is the justification for placing the Taliban in the same category as Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida? Osama bin Laden and al Qaida are terrorists who have already committed terrorist acts worldwide and intend to commit more in the future. We must pursue those people to the ends of the earth and restrict them as much as possible.”
But he went on: “Whilst the Taliban are an appalling, repressive and anti-democratic organisation, the world is full of unpleasant regimes and the Taliban are not even in government. They are also killing and maiming our troops in Afghanistan, for which they are quite rightly hated. However, they would not be killing and maiming our troops if our troops were not deployed there. The Taliban, as far as I know, have no ambitions beyond their borders.”
He suggested that placing the Taliban and al-Qaida in the same category could provide ammunition for “the warmongers in the US and British Governments to pursue a pointless, murderous and unwinnable war in Afghanistan for years ahead”. He added: “Furthermore, wars against Muslim countries only provoke terrorist outrages.”
On al-Qaida, Mr Brons said there was “considerable doubt” about its existence “as an organisational entity, as distinct from an ideological one.” That meant there was no possibility of drawing up a definitive and inclusive list of its operatives: “The only strategy is to be watchful of those communities from which it recruits, regrettably including innocent people as well as the guilty.”
Ms Willmott commented: “Does Andrew Brons actually want to use this legislation to victimise innocent people in Muslim communities in the UK? The BNP are a party based on fuelling hatred. Their populist policies simply don’t work. I am very proud of the efforts of British troops in Afghanistan, often paying the ultimate price for everyone else’s freedom. And every British MEP should say they are too.”
This afternoon the European Parliament approved a resolution urging the EU to improve respect of human rights in the fight against terrorism.
“People suspected of terrorism or of links with Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida or the Taliban can end up on a UN ’black list of terrorists’ without knowing it.” said Dutch MEP Emine Bozkurt. “As a result, they cannot travel freely and their bank accounts and assets are immediately frozen without any possibility for them to claim their innocence and appeal against such measures. Once a name is on that list, it is almost impossible to delete it as no revision mechanisms are foreseen.”
Labour MEP and civil liberties spokesman Claude Moraes said the grounds for placing individuals and organisations on the terror list should be “defined by law, in a transparent and democratic manner”.
He added: “Recently, the European Court of Justice called on the EU for a revision of this procedure. A stronger role for the European Parliament is of significant importance to guarantee transparent procedures.”
Irish Examiner
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Man due in court on terror charges
'Wigan Mike' Heaton - even butcher than DewhurstsTrevor Hannington, 58, from Hirwaun, South Wales, is also accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to stir up racial hatred. He also faces charges of possession of records containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and disseminating a terrorist publication, contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Michael Heaton, 42, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, is also charged with soliciting murder and using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to stir up racial hatred.
North East Counter Terrorism Unit and South Wales Police said the investigation was not linked to international terrorism. A spokesman said: “We recognise that local people may have concerns as a result of this inquiry and our officers are in regular contact with the local community to keep them as informed as possible about the investigation. We would like to thank local residents for their patience, support and understanding.”
Both men will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court at 2pm.
Wales Online
Renowned artists contribute to Croydon Holocaust memorial
A holocaust-themed exhibition in the Clocktower is set to mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp
Award-winning photographer Marion Davies and ceramic artist Jenny Stolzenberg will be displaying some of their work in the Space C Gallery from January 8 to 30.
Jenny Stolzenberg has a permanent exhibition at the Memorial Garden in the London Jewish Cultural Centre which, in 2003, commissioned her to create a piece for presentation to Steve Spielberg. Her contribution to the Croydon exhibition will be row upon row of glazed and fired ceramic shoes - replicas of the footwear left behind by holocaust victims when the camps were liberated.
Marion Davies specialises in printing techniques that create distinctive images with enhanced texture and tone from black and white film. Her exhibits comprise a photographic journey into the devastation of the holocaust and also touches on how modern day Germany is confronting the consequences of the past. Admission to the exhibition is free.
A council spokesman said: “Overall it will provide a thoughtful background and context for the annual Holocaust Memorial Day activity which takes place in the Town Hall on Wednesday January 27.”
The main library is due to host a story-telling session for adults about the heroism of some of those affected by the holocaust. At midday the annual public candle lighting ceremony will be presided over by the Mayor, Councillor Margaret Mead, in the Town Hall foyer. The occasion will again feature the reading of the Holocaust Memorial Day pledge. This will be followed by a civic event at 12.30pm in the council chamber.
Councillor Gavin Barwell, Croydon’s cabinet member for safety and cohesion said: “With its thought provoking pictures and artefacts, we believe the event will better help people understand the importance of ensuring the horrific holocaust is never forgotten.”
Croydon Guardian
Award-winning photographer Marion Davies and ceramic artist Jenny Stolzenberg will be displaying some of their work in the Space C Gallery from January 8 to 30.
Jenny Stolzenberg has a permanent exhibition at the Memorial Garden in the London Jewish Cultural Centre which, in 2003, commissioned her to create a piece for presentation to Steve Spielberg. Her contribution to the Croydon exhibition will be row upon row of glazed and fired ceramic shoes - replicas of the footwear left behind by holocaust victims when the camps were liberated.
Marion Davies specialises in printing techniques that create distinctive images with enhanced texture and tone from black and white film. Her exhibits comprise a photographic journey into the devastation of the holocaust and also touches on how modern day Germany is confronting the consequences of the past. Admission to the exhibition is free.
A council spokesman said: “Overall it will provide a thoughtful background and context for the annual Holocaust Memorial Day activity which takes place in the Town Hall on Wednesday January 27.”
The main library is due to host a story-telling session for adults about the heroism of some of those affected by the holocaust. At midday the annual public candle lighting ceremony will be presided over by the Mayor, Councillor Margaret Mead, in the Town Hall foyer. The occasion will again feature the reading of the Holocaust Memorial Day pledge. This will be followed by a civic event at 12.30pm in the council chamber.
Councillor Gavin Barwell, Croydon’s cabinet member for safety and cohesion said: “With its thought provoking pictures and artefacts, we believe the event will better help people understand the importance of ensuring the horrific holocaust is never forgotten.”
Croydon Guardian
A place in the sun
Jim Dowson (pictured), Ulster loyalist, militant anti-abortionist and the man who bought the British National Party, has been at the centre of allegations from within and outside the party about his property dealings.Nearly two years ago Searchlight revealed that a property acquired in the village of Estubeny, near the City of Valencia in Spain, was being hired out to the BNP as a management training centre for party officers. At least two courses were organised there by Dowson’s Belfast-based fundraising and management training business, the Midas Consultancy, with which the BNP signed a three-year consultancy contract.
Local people were surprised to see a bunch of British fascists wandering around their village instead of the mothers and babies they had been told were being sheltered there through Dowson’s charitable activities.
Rumours abound that Dowson acquired the property with the help of his milch-cow, the supporters of his extremist anti-abortion UK LifeLeague. The organisation, which is secretive about its finances, uses highly provocative tactics, such as publishing the home addresses of abortion clinic staff.
It would not be the only time Dowson had not told the whole truth to donors. Last year the BNP claimed to have bought an advertising lorry, which it called the truth truck, after Dowson ran an appeal for the party to raise the £26,550 needed.
The vehicle turned out to be the same “truth truck” that Dowson had bought two years earlier for the UK LifeLeague, after appealing for donations from supporters. A press release in April 2006 claimed Operation Truth Truck would “enable the pro-life message to reach the unreached across the towns and cities of Britain”. The UK LifeLeague and the BNP had milked their gullible supporters twice over for the same “truth truck”, which the BNP in fact leases from Adlorries.com Ltd, one of Dowson’s businesses.
The Midas Consultancy boasts offices in London, Belfast, Dublin, Valencia, Budapest, Dubai, Atlanta and most recently Warsaw. It is now understood to be eying up Turkey for another mother and baby home scam.
Our investigators are still looking for an ex-pat South African who has set himself up as a property developer in Anna, another village near Valencia, and is said have links with Dowson’s local dealings.
Gerry Gable at Searchlight
Labels:
BNP,
British National Party,
fascism,
Jim Dowson,
Midas Consultancy,
Nick Griffin
December 15, 2009
Copenhagen climate conference: Nick Griffin calls world leaders mass murderers
BNP leader Nick Griffin at the Bella centreHe said world leaders and advocates of action on climate change such as Al Gore are “mass murderers” by supporting biofuels. He said land for growing food is being taken to grow fuels for crops and it will cause starvation greater than the famines caused by Russian dictator Stalin during the 1930s and Chairman Mao in the 1950s.
"It is a crime against humanity which in future will be seen as an enormous man-made famine. Under Stalin 20 million people died, under Chairman Mao 30 million died. This will be the third and the greatest famine of the modern era and I regard that as a crime.”
However Mr Griffin’s own party would not give more money to the third world.
“Britain is bankrupt. We cannot afford to go giving money to the third world,” he said. Mr Griffin has no official role at the conference but will be speaking to delegates in an attempt to “stop the juggernaut”.
“My message is stop and think before imposing the most outrageous tax increase on people ever proposed by a group of nations on the basis of an unproven theory that is contradicted by an increasing number of scientists,” he added.
Ben Stewart of Greenpeace said Mr Griffin will bring nothing helpful to the talks.
“Mr Griffin’s conversion to the causes of the developing world is as surprising as it is cynical,” he said. “In reality the environmental and development groups he has been disparaging have been in the forefront of concerns about biofuels. Griffin’s claims that climate change is a hoax is one of many curious things going on between his ears.”
Daily Telegraph
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