Immigration and Racism in Britain and USA

Well, the Sayan case really made some uproar here - from the left over the the centrists to the conservatives.

On page 10, tomorrow's - no: today's, it's after midnight - Süddeutsche summarises all the recent attacks by right wings - nearly 20 within the last couple of weeks:

The annual "Verfassungsschutzbericht": extreme-right violent crime on the rise

Three articles in relation to the annual Constitutional Protection Report ("Verfassungsschutzbericht") put these stories into context.

The number of xenophobic acts of violence increased in 2005 - by 23%. The number of extreme-right crimes in all increased - by 27%.

At the top of the list are still the East-German states of the former GDR. The ratio of acts of violence with extreme-right background per 100,000 inhabitants is 4,3 in Sachsen-Anhalt; 3,8 in Brandenburg, 2,3 in Thüringen, 2,1 in Sachsen.

Extreme right violence in West and East

The ratio actually dropped in Brandenburg, which has long topped the list. It had still led the table of xenophobic crime - by far - in 2004. In the 90s already, high school students from multicultural Berlin started getting "security trainings" ahead of school excursions into the surrounding countryside, after too many pupils had been harassed.

The ratio dropped in Berlin itself too. But it increased sharply in Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen and Sachsen - as well as in the West-German states of Saarland and Bremen (both now 1,4, in Bremen up from 0,2).

With the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein (bordering Denmark) now in fifth place, ahead of the neighbouring East-German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the problem is by no means an exclusively postcommunist one. Only the south-German states of Baden-Württemburg, Bayern, Rheinland-Pfalz and Hessen, as well as (surprisingly?) the industrial Ruhr state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, are mostly spared.

No-go zones, drunk violence

Responding to the figures, Minister Schäuble warned against "no-go zones" where foreigners don't dare to go. He noted a high propensity for violence in the skinhead scene: "These skinheads don't commit their mostly xenophobic acts of violence with a strategic terroristic target, but generally filled with hate and under the influence of alcohol".

The Africa Council, a group of 25 associations, wants to publish a map ahead of this year's World Championships that shows what the "no-go zones" for people of colour are.

The World Championships might be something of a headache in this context, in fact. And not only because of how former government spokesman Karsten Heye adviced foreign visitors to avoid certain "smaller and medium-sized cities" in the East of the country.

The World Championships: the extreme-right plans "solidarity marches" for Iran

In fact, the state security agencies are refocusing their attention. Previously, it concentrated on the danger of Islamists trying to infiltrate stadium staff to prepare terrorist attacks. They checked the credentials of 250,000 people who are to work in the stadiums in some function or other; few have been barred from working. But now they are faced with the prospect of extreme-right youth agitating in front of the stadiums.

Curiously - to those in countries like mine where the extreme-right has long switched boogeymen from Jews to Muslims - in Germany extreme rightists have announced on the web that they will hold "marches of solidarity" when the Iranian team is playing. Since Iranian PM Ahmadinejad called for wiping Israel off the map, the Iranians count as "friends" among the German far right. Trouble is especially feared at the game between Iran and Angola, in East-German Leipzig, on 21 June.

Other extreme right agitation also focuses on the soccer games. Police in Berlin has confiscated thousands of flyers in the offices of the neo-nazi NPD (represented in the state parliament of Sachsen). The flyers featured the German shirt with the number 25 - that of African-German international Patrick Owomoyela - and the slogan "White - not just the colour of the shirt! For a truly national team!".

How (not) to tackle extreme-right violence

Yet again, the newspaper points out, the problem is not exclusively East-German. In 2003, a planned attack on a Jewish community centre in Munich was nipped in the bud. In fact, the way the debate "suffers .. from a barely concealed rejection of East-Germans", as if, as "is often indicated, if only the Wall had been left in place, the problem would never have emerged", is contra-productive in fighting it.

Contraproductive might also be government revisions of anti-fascist initiatives. An internal document from the ministry of Christian-Democrat Ursula von der Leyen recommended to also use the money to fight Islamist radicalisation. Many of the existing programmes are at risk because they have so far been funded by the "Civitas" programme. The Mobile Advice Centres, which received half of this money, have not shied away from conflicts with politicians, and now it's unclear whether the government wants to extend this funding.

Social Democrat Kerstin Griese noted: "It would be nonsensical, if experienced people from these projects would now have to end their work".

Banning anti-fascists from using the swastika

On the same note, another article notes the court case against an online company that sells products that feature the swastika, reproduction of which is banned. Point is, that this company actually sells anti-fascist t-shirts, banners, and the like. But some of them feature a swastika inside a "Stop" traffic sign, or otherwise twisted to show opposition to it.

The "Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart" was merely to decide whether to allow an actual court case to take place. It saw no objection, pointing out that any use and distribution of the swastika is forbidden, regardless of whether those who do so express approval of the symbol or not. The goal of the law, it noted, is not merely to stop national socialist activity, but rather to ban the symbol from political life, period.

Sources, all from the Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23 May 2006:
- "Krisengebiet Ost", p.2
- "In schlechter Verfassung", p.2
- "Das Gesetz des Vergessens", p.2
- "Gericht verhandelt über Anti-Nazi Symbole", p.6

Thats it for me; thanks Walter for the added info, I'll check that article out tomorrow.

["Oberlandesgericht" would be the 'appellate court', (on of) the highest (regional) court(s) in a state.]

c.i.

It's known as the revenge of the oppressed.

spendi, Wrong. It's called human understanding. Irregardless of how one feels about the laws, we must always treat humans with respect and dignity.

Like Barbara Boxer, who recently said:

"My people?"

Here's a loosely-connected topic of mine, today:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=75514&highlight=

Posted on Monday, May 22, 2006. From a September interview with Rashad Akhtar, a twenty-seven-year-old British Muslim, who alleges that the graphic used on the lid of Burger King ice-cream cones resembles the Arabic spelling of "Allah." The interview was conducted by Davina Patel, a reporter for the London newspaper Eastern Eye. Burger King apologized and said they would redesign the lid. Originally from Harper's Magazine, March 2006.

I'm Hatin' It

The Enlightenment happened at half past 12 a.m. in Burger King, Park Royal. I had ordered my food, and a French guy got talking to me and asked, "Are you Muslim?" He said, "Look at this," and he showed me the cone. I saw it and I thought, "Wow," like anyone would. He said, "Turn it around."

I was thinking of my stomach. I was hungry. I would have loved to eat an ice cream. When I saw it, my mouth fell open. I dropped the ice cream. I canceled my order. That was the defining moment of my life.

The Burger King logo is there in Arabic. "Allah" is spelled exactly how it is there, and the Burger King logo is where the ominah should be. Why, there is no way it could be a coincidence. How can you say it is a spinning swirl? How does it spin on something that is static? You cannot spin it around unless you have a mechanical device. You spin it one direction, to the right, and it is offending a billion people.

I'm not talking about Muslims in the Park Royal vicinity, or in the U.K. I'm talking about globally. Everyone who sees this is going to be offended. If you put a different symbol on there, you're offending Jews, Christians, Sikhs, or Hindus. I am going to try my best in life, so that these people do not operate in a single Muslim country again, so that we get an apology to every single Muslim on this planet in their language, in their country, on a national TV station: "Sorry. We, as an American company, are sorry. We didn't mean to offend you."

What angers me most is that most people, once they have finished with it, they look at it and say, "Nice cone. Nice design. Nice cone design." They chuck it away. That is disrespectful. Don't throw it away. Keep it as evidence. A reminder of what these people are doing every single day of our lives.

We showed this to Muslim customers in Burger King and they were disgusted. We went to the manager. "Is this true?" we asked. He said, "Yes, my brother. It is true." I spoke to two other Pakistani Muslim guys there and they said, "We are sickened." They were cussing Burger King.

I feel humiliated. I want to humiliate the person who did this to an extent that he never works again. I'm going to make him see that it was the biggest mistake in his life. I want to meet the guy. I want to ask the guy, "What does this mean to you?" then never see his face again.

In a way, I'm glad he did this to me. It has opened my eyes. The fear of God, the love of God, the love of not letting anyone disrespect God. Even though it means nothing to some people and may mean nothing to some Muslims in this country, this is my jihad. I'm not going to rest until I find the person who is responsible. I'm going to bring this country down.

Link to Article

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And you Brits are convinced that Starbucks is still your biggest problem???

Thanks for sharing, SierraSong. Subversive swirls, whatever next.

People find the image of the Virgin in pizzas, too, and the stories get into magazines, but so far the catholics count this as a blessing and a minor miracle, those who aren't amused by it at least. So far I've never heard of any Italian pizza palace proprietor being killed for it.

That's funny, 'cause another poster showed me a photo of cloud that looked like an icecream swirl that was apparently the word "Allah" and he told me it was proof of it's existence, (he didn't mention it also "proved" it's desire and ability to influence weather when it wants to, it seems mostly to demonstrate it's power rather than save any drought or hurricaine victims)

There's a McDonalds restaurant not far from here, I feel sick every time I walk past it. Does that make me a Muslim?

If everyone who intended to eat at Mickey Dee's were obliged to stand behind the shop and breathe deeply for five minutes before going in, the chain would go out of business . . .

There was a bit of a sidebar in the FIFA thread, that was wholly OT there, so I'm moving it here..

(Yes, that was a random aside that ended, few posts later, with nimh posting stats and graphs. Are you really surprised? )

This graph, nimh, is this physical incident?, verbal?...or both?

I would suspect that incidents toward Indians result from the activities of a small sector of the English population with a racist agenda--just as racial incidents in the United States are often the result of the actions of a small segment of the population with a racist agenda--or anti-homosexual incidents from a similarly small segment of the population.

That said, there is no good reason to assume that a much larger segment of the population, who would never contribute to crime statistics, are nevertheless racist or homophobic--whether in England or the United States. I rather suspect that Steve and L E represent the well-educated, well-bred and decent segment of the population of England. I wonder if both gentlemen are willing to assert that there is not such casual racism, which might occassionally rise to crime, among the "Chav" sector of the population. Poverty breeds ignorance, and ignorance can breed racism.

Whatchoo doin standin behind there, breathin deep for, dude?