Far-right extremist Phillip Galea was found guilty of plotting terrorist attacks in Melbourne, Australia.
Read the full story on The Guardian:
Tag: Islamophobia
Madonna and the bias of some American artists
Popstar Madonna caused controversy by performing in the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel last weekend. She was reportedly paid one million dollars by Canadian-Israeli businessman Sylvan Adams. Madonna defended her decision to perform in her statement:
“I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.” (1)
According to Sylvan Adams, it was easy to choose Madonna to be the star attraction of the event. Madonna “has expressed an affinity with the country and with Judaism via her Hebrew name Esther and her interest in Kabbalah.” Adams said:
“She’s a genuine friend of Israel, and she knows firsthand what our detractors – the lunatics from the BDS world – say is not true. She’s well aware about Eurovision and was keen to give it a boost.” (2)
Madonna is by no means the only American cultural figure or artist who has shown very unfortunate bias when it comes to Israel and Palestine. Last year, Pharrell Williams demanded that President Trump should stop playing his music at political rallies. The demand was completely justified, particularly because Williams’s song “Happy” was played at a Trump rally just hours after the horrible mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. (3) However, soon after that Williams performed his song “Happy” in the annual fundraising gala for Israel Defence Forces IDF in Los Angeles. Other celebrity guests included Ashton Kutcher, Andy Garcia and Gerard Butler. (4, 5)
References:
1) “Israel brushes off Eurovision boycott calls with a big assist from Madonna” The Washington Post 17.5.2019
2) “Sylvan Adams – The entrepreneur who’s bringing Madonna to Eurovision” The Jerusalem Post 13.5.2019
3) “Pharrell Williams demands Donald Trump stop playing his music at rallies” The Guardian 30.10.2018
4) “Pharrell Williams criticised for singing ‘Happy’ to Israeli soldiers as part of army fundraiser” The National 12.11.2018
5) “Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Gala Raises Record $60 Million for Soldiers” Variety 2.11.2018
Spanish far-right party Vox and the changing right-wing politics in Spain
Spanish Social Democratic Party PSOE was the clear winner of Sunday’s general election in Spain. PSOE won 28.7 % of the votes and 123 parliamentary seats, an increase of 38 seats. However, the left-wing coalition Unidas Podemos won 14.3 % of the votes and 42 seats, a loss of 29 seats. (1, 2)
A more significant upheaval seems to be taking place amid Spanish right-wing parties. The conservative party Partido Popular PP suffered historic defeat by losing over half of its seats (loss of 71 seats) and by winning 16.7 % of the votes. Ciudadanos won 15.9 % of the votes and 57 seats, an increase of 25 seats. (1) There have been indications that Ciudadanos is becoming more right-wing and the success of the party in this election will make it challenger of the PP. (2, 3, 4, 5)
The biggest shock was the success of far-right party Vox. The party won 24 seats and 10.3 % of the votes and it became the first far-right party to enter the Spanish parliament after decades (6). Vox has become known for its strong, aggressive rhetoric and its stance against multiculturalism, mass immigration, Muslims and women’s rights. Vox has drawn inspiration from French, British and American hard-line right-win populists. Members of the party have shown their admiration for President Trump and his policies and they like to use slogans that are similar to the ones used by Trump. (7)
Vox has quite interesting connections to neoconservatives and other right-wing politicians in the U.S. camp. Leading Spanish neoconservative and former Prime Minister of Spain, José María Aznar, is seen as influencer or “tsar” of the three Spanish right-wing parties Vox, PP and Ciudadanos (8). Aznar has spoken favorably about Santiago Abascal, current leader of Vox and former member of PP. Aznar said in October that Abascal is a “boy full of good qualities.” (9) Rafael Bardají, another leading Spanish neoconservative and former advisor of Aznar, is now strategist of Vox. Bardají is well-known for his strong support for Israel and for his anti-Muslim stance. Bardají is founder and former director of Madrid-based right-wing think-tank Strategic Studies Group GEES and he is also Executive Director of the Friends of Israel Initiative. (10, 11) Steve Bannon, former advisor of President Trump, endorsed Vox after meeting Bardají, last year. Bannon has wanted Vox to be part of his European far-right alliance The Movement. (7, 10)
Even though Vox is now known for its Islamophobia, the party has actually received funding from Iranian dissident groups. When Vox was founded as a splinter group of PP in 2013, one of the founders of Vox, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, arranged funding for the new party from exiled Iranian group National Council of Resistance of Iran NCRI. According to a spokesperson for the NCRI, the organization gave funding without knowing that Vox would become a far-right party. The NCRI is now considered to be a “front organization” of Iranian terrorist cult Mojahedin-e-Khalq MEK. Several American politicians have shown their support for MEK. President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and National Security Advisor John Bolton consider MEK to be a legitimate opposition to the current Iranian government. (12)
References:
1) “Analysis: How did Sunday’s elections change Spain’s political landscape?” El País 29.4.2019
https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/04/29/inenglish/1556519911_184823.html
2) Elecciones generales 2019 – Resultados El País 29.4.2019
https://resultados.elpais.com/elecciones/generales.html
3) “Everyone against Ciudadanos” El País 30.11.2017
https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/11/30/inenglish/1512056948_465189.html
4) “Spain’s Albert Rivera shifts party rightward ahead of vote” Financial Times 24.3.2019
https://www.ft.com/content/1774e27e-4a29-11e9-8b7f-d49067e0f50d
5) “Ciudadanos disputa al PP el liderazgo de la derecha” El País 29.4.2019
https://elpais.com/politica/2019/04/28/actualidad/1556462369_564500.html
6) “Spanish election: socialists win amid far-right gains for Vox party” The Guardian 29.4.2019
7) “Vox: Who are the Trump-inspired far-right Spanish nationalist party and what do they stand for?” The Independent 11.1.2019
8) “A Darkening Horizon” Jacobin 17.12.2018
https://jacobinmag.com/2018/12/spain-municipal-elections-vox-far-right
9) “Abascal, busting Spain’s ‘traitors’ to resurrect far-right” Yahoo Finance 29.4.2019
10) “Bannon sets his eyes on Spain” European Council on Foreign Relations ECFR 24.10.2018
https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_bannon_sets_his_eyes_on_spain
11) Contributors – Rafael Bardají Octavian Report
https://octavianreport.com/contributor/rafael-bardaji/
12) “Spain’s Vox Party Hates Muslims – Except the Ones Who Fund It” Foreign Policy 27.4.2019
Far-right conspiracy theories about the Notre Dame Cathedral fire
The devastating fire of iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has made headlines everywhere and created vast amount of far-right conspiracy theories. The wild conspiracy theories started to circulate immediately.
In order to get more information about the fire, Fox News reporter Shepard Smith interviewed controversial French pro-Israel right-wing politician, media critic, conspiracy theorist and Islamophobe Philippe Karsenty (1, 2). After Smith asked about the fire, Karsenty said that the fire was “like a French 9/11.” Karsenty continued by saying that French churches have been desecrated every week during the past year and said that “the story of the politically correct, the political correctness which will tell you it (i.e. fire of Notre Dame) is probably an accident.” Smith interrupted the interview. (3, 4, 5)
Prominent counter-jihadists were quick to spread claims about Muslim reactions and involvement in the fire. Pamela Geller quoted a source claiming that Notre Dame inferno was “intentionally set” and she wrote on her blog that the fire is “emblematic of the decline and demise of Christianity and Judeo-Christian culture in Europe.” (6, 7) Robert Spencer claimed that Muslims “laughed” and “celebrated” the fire of Notre Dame (8). Breitbart News and Frank Gaffney Jr. used the fire as an opportunity to take swipe at Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Gaffney said that the destruction of Notre Dame is “a particular assault on Christianity” and he found it strange that even before the fire was out, it was said that the fire wasn’t “a deliberate attack.” (9) Fake CNN Twitter account claimed that the fire was caused by terrorism (4).
Alice Weidel, leader of Germany’s far-right party Alternative for Germany AfD claimed that the fire is linked to rising “intolerance”against Christians in Europe (10). Just like Pamela Geller, British far-right figure Katie Hopkins told about a rumor that the fire was intentionally set. Hopkins also wrote on Twitter:
“Jewish and Christian Parisians have been warning a long time. They are being hunted out of their city by Islamists, fleeing in their thousands. They are hounded from their former home. ‘Paris is lost.'” (11)
American far-right media personality Glenn Beck suggested that Islamists may have started the fire (12). British far-right media personality Paul Joseph Watson Tweeted that one worker claimed that “the blaze was deliberately set.” White supremacist Richard Spencer hoped that the fire would “spur the white man into action.” Perhaps the most bizarre conspiracy theories have claimed that the fire was an attempt to “burn evidence” of “ritual sacrifice of children.” (5)
A partner organization of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe has found an increase in attacks on churches in France, this year, but there is no indication that Notre Dame had been targeted (10). If you look at the most recent published hate crime statistics regarding France, the overall amount of hate crimes recorded by police seemed to be smaller in 2017 compared to year 2016. The most significant motive of hate crimes seemed to be racism and xenophobia, followed by bias against sexual orientation, antisemitism and bias against Muslims. The amount of reported attacks on Christian properties seemed to be smaller than in 2016. (13)
While the fire of Notre Dame has dominated the headlines in mainstream media, another fire has hardly been noticed. A small fire broke out in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, on the same evening. Luckily the fire brigade of the Islamic Waqf was able to put out the fire quickly. (14) The cause of the fire is thought to have been an accident. When the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told about the fire in the mosque, it also added that “the Presidency confirmed its solidarity and sympathy with our friends in France” over the fire of Notre Dame (15).
References:
1) Information about Philippe Karsenty on Powerbase
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Philippe_Karsenty
2) “French ‘bulldog’ politician Karsenty doubles down on al-Dura video fight” Jewish Telegraphic Agency 12.12.2012
3) Fox News reporter Shepard Smith interviews Philippe Karsenty YouTube 15.4.2019
4) “The cause of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire remains unknown. Everything else is a rumor” USA Today 16.4.2019
5) “Within Minutes Of Notre Dame Cathedral Fire, Conspiracies Reigned” Huffington Post 15.4.2019
6) Pamela Geller on Twitter 15.4.2019
https://twitter.com/PamelaGeller/status/1117885949084520448
7) “Notre Dame ‘Emblematic’ Of Christianity’s Decline In Europe” Geller Report 16.4.2019
https://gellerreport.com/2019/04/notre-dame-emblematic-of-christianitys-decline-in-europe.html/
8) “‘Allah est grand’: Muslims laugh, celebrate as blaze destroys Notre Dame cathedral during Holy Week” Jihad Watch 15.4.2019
9) Interview of Frank J. Gaffney Jr. on Breitbart News Daily 17.4.2019
10) “Germany’s AfD claims Notre-Dame fire linked to anti-Christian attacks” The Local (Germany) 16.4.2019
https://www.thelocal.de/20190416/germanys-afd-links-the-fire
11) Katie Hopkins on Twitter
https://twitter.com/KTHopkins/status/1117861244168544256
12) Comment of Glenn Beck on indy100.com 16.4.2019
13) OSCE ODIHR Hate Crime Reporting
http://hatecrime.osce.org/france?year=2017
14) “Al Aqsa mosque catches fire same time as Notre Dame cathedral” Gulf News 16.4.2019
15) “Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque struck by fire on SAME night Notre Dame burns” The Express 17.4.2019
Far-right populist Finns Party
The parliamentary elections in Finland on Sunday turned out to be a real cliffhanger. Social Democratic Party (SDP) won the elections with a very narrow margin. Far-right populist, anti-immigration Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset) came surprisingly close to victory. (1)
Members of the Finns Party are known for their Euroscepticism, ethno-nationalism, xenophobia, anti-immigration stance, racism and Islamophobia. In 2012, Finnish Supreme Court ordered Jussi Halla-aho, current leader of the party, to pay fines for his Islamophobic blog posts dating back to year 2008. Halla-aho is well-known in the counter-jihad circles, his comments have been published for example on Gates of Vienna website. (2, 3) Sebastian Tynkkynen, new MP of the party, was convicted of incitement against an ethnic group and breaching religious peace in 2017 because of his anti-Islamic Facebook posts during summer 2016 (4). Ano Turtiainen, also new MP of the party, was fined for inciting violence against the Red Cross in 2018 (5). Teuvo Hakkarainen, veteran MP of the party, was fined because of his anti-Muslim comments on Facebook in 2017 (6). Olli Immonen and Juho Eerola, both MPs of the party, and Jussi Halla-aho have been members of Suomen Sisu, a far-right, enthnonationalistic, Nazi-spirited organization (7, 8). Immonen caused an uproar in 2015 with his Facebook post against multiculturalism:
“I’m dreaming of a strong, brave nation that will defeat this nightmare called multiculturalism. This ugly bubble that our enemies live in, will soon burst into a million little pieces. Our lives are entwined in a very harsh times. These are the days that will forever leave a mark on our nation’s future. I have strong belief in my fellow fighters. We will fight until the end for our homeland and one true Finnish nation. The victory will be ours.” (9)
Immonen’s post was compared to the manifesto of Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik and Immonen happened to publish his post around the time of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Norway (10, 11). Laura Huhtasaari, MP of the party, seems to have become Finnish poster-girl for the far right. Huhtasaari is an admirer of President Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and, alongside Jussi Halla-aho, one of the leading Islamophobes in Finland. Huhtasaari likes to imitate President Trump by using motto “Finland First.” (12, 13) When British far-right figure Katie Hopkins visited Finland with prominent counter-jihadist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff in January (14), Hopkins arranged a live interview with Huhtasaari in Helsinki. During the interview, Huhtasaari repeated her motto “Finland First” as well as her Islamophobic and anti-immigration views. When Hopkins asked, who Huhtasaari would like to meet, Huhtasaari mentioned that she had already met Jordan B Peterson (Canadian far-right academic) and that she would like to meet Paul Joseph Watson (British far-right vlogger). When Hopkins asked again, who Huhtasaari would like to invite to Finland, she said she likes Nigel Farage (British far-right Brexiteer). (15)
References:
1) “SDP takes top spot, populists rally, heavy losses for PM’s Centre in Finnish election” YLE News 15.4.2019
2) “Supreme Court orders Halla-aho to pay for hate speech” YLE News 8.6.2012
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/supreme_court_orders_halla-aho_to_pay_for_hate_speech/6171739
3) “Jussi Halla-aho” Gates of Vienna website
https://gatesofvienna.net/repression/jussi-hall-aho/
4) “Ex-Finns Party youth leader convicted of hate speech” YLE News 16.1.2017
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/ex-finns_party_youth_leader_convicted_of_hate_speech/9406509
5) “Finns Party pol fined for inciting violence against Red Cross” YLE News 12.9.2018
6) “Three Finns Party politicians in court over online hate speech” YLE News 4.1.2017
7) “Three anti-immigration PS MPs will pay Hirvisaari’s fine for hate speech” Migrant Tales 1.3.2012
http://www.migranttales.net/three-anti-immigration-ps-mps-will-pay-hirvisaaris-fine-for-hate-speech/
8) “What is Suomen Sisu?” Varis 13.12.2018
https://varisverkosto.com/2018/12/what-is-suomen-sisu/
9) “Finns Party Member Olli Immonen Wants to End the Nightmare Called ‘Multiculturalism’” Finland Today 26.7.2015
10) “PM: ‘I cannot accept Immonen’s remarks'” YLE News 26.7.2015
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/pm_i_cannot_accept_immonens_remarks/8182347
11) “Norway attacks: at least 92 killed in Oslo and Utoya island” The Guardian 23.7.2011
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/23/norway-attacks
12) “WARNING: ISLAMOPHOBIC CONTENT – Laura Huhtasaari (Suomen Uutiset)” Migrant Tales 14.1.2019
http://www.migranttales.net/warning-islamophobic-content-laura-huhtasaari-suomen-uutiset/
13) “A Guide To The Far-Right Power Players Tearing Europe Apart” Huffington Post 25.8.2018
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/guide-far-right-players-europe_n_5b7bf18ee4b0a5b1febee47a
14) “With Katie Hopkins and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff in Oulu” Tundra Tabloids 14.1.2019
http://tundratabloids.com/2019/01/14/with-katie-hopkins-and-elisabeth-sabaditsch-wolff-in-oulu/
15) Katie Hopkins interviews Laura Huhtasaari
Back to 1930s-style politics
Some people said already long time ago that Muslims have now the same role Jewish people had during 1930s. That seems to become more and more obvious. Many kinds of right-wing groups and parties seem to use Muslims as a way to foster divisive politics and to strengthen their own power.
I have already written about the rising Islamophobia in Britain. Anti-Muslim hate crimes increased across Britain by 593% in the week after the Christchurch terrorist attacks (1). The British Conservative Party seems quite complacent regarding Islamophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric within the party (2). British far-right UKIP party hired notorious Islamophobe Tommy Robinson as a special adviser (3). British far-right figure Katie Hopkins has started touring in Europe and USA with prominent counter-jihadist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff (4, 5).
The developments in Britain are similar to the situation in mainland Europe, North America and Australia. Anti-Muslim rhetoric and sentiment has become commonplace within right-wing political circles and mainstream media. Therefore it is no wonder that Muslim leaders around the world have criticized mainstream media, politicians and academics for cultivating systemic and institutionalized Islamophobia (6). During his recent visit to Cairo, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres expressed his concern regarding the growing anti-Muslim sentiment and the increase of hate crimes all over the world (7).
During this spring there will be several important elections in Europe and elsewhere. European far-right populist and nationalist parties are expected to gain more votes because of their anti-immigrant and Islamophobic rhetoric (8). However, the first elections to watch for will take place today in Israel where Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to win the elections with his far-right allies (9).
References:
1) “Anti-Muslim hate crimes soar in UK after Christchurch shootings” The Guardian 22.3.2019
2) “The Guardian view on Tory Islamophobia: inaction speaks volumes” The Guardian 28.3.2019
3) “Brexit party leader hires prominent anti-Muslim extremist as adviser” The National 23.11.2018
4) “Finland: Katie Hopkins and Elizabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff at the Finnish House of Parliament during live sessions” Tundra Tabloids January 2019
5) Katie Hopkins on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/KTHopkins/status/1105498588627521536
6) “‘Systemic Islamophobia’ fuels terror attacks, say Muslim leaders” The Guardian 18.3.2019
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/18/uk-muslim-leaders-seek-funding-for-mosque-security
7) “UN head warns against growing anti-Muslim sentiment during Cairo visit” Middle East Eye 2.4.2019
8) “Populists are whipping up a storm as Europe faces lurch to the right” The Guardian 6.4.2019
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/06/brexit-distraction-far-right-nationalists-eu-elections
9) “Israelis prepare to go to the polls: here’s what we know” The Guardian 8.4.2019
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/08/israelis-prepare-to-go-to-the-polls-heres-what-we-know
The growing threat of right-wing extremism
According to some media reports, Australian white supremacists have attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing several Muslims. This is another terrible reminder that right-wing extremism and terrorism is becoming a truly serious threat to us all.
Before we get more information about the horrible attack and the attackers, here is an old post of mine regarding the growing problem of right-wing extremism and terrorism in USA – I published this post in my old blog in August 2017:
STATISTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN USA
The threat of Islamic extremism and terrorism was one of the most important themes during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. After becoming the president, he has banned foreign nationals from six predominantly Muslim countries from entering USA. Several wealthier Muslim-majority countries, where the Trump Organization has business interests, are not on the list. President Trump claimed that the temporary ban is needed in order to avoid terrorist attacks. Some critics have argued that the ban is just a backdoor way to bar Muslims from entering USA (1).
What seems to have been overlooked is right-wing extremist terrorism. The Investigative Fund and Reveal have compiled a database of nine years of domestic terrorism incidents in USA (2). The database gives very interesting statistical information about the domestic terrorism in USA.
DOMESTIC TERRORISM INCIDENTS IN USA
January 2008 – End of December 2016
Type of domestic terrorism | Number of incidents | Foiled plots* (% of total) | Number of fatalities |
Islamic extremist | 63 | 76 % | 90 |
Right-wing extremist | 115 | 35 % | 79 |
Left-wing extremist** | 19 | – | 7 |
* foiled plots = no attack took place ** including ecoterrorism and animal rights (Source of the data: The Investigative Fund)
During January 2008 – end of December 2016 there were 63 Islamist terrorism cases. Vast majority (76 %) of these cases were foiled plots, i.e. no attack actually took place. 48 % of these cases were sting operations. 13 % of Islamist terrorism cases caused fatalities. However, the total number of fatalities was greater.
According to the database, there were nearly twice as many (115) right-wing extremist terrorism incidents. Only 35 % of these cases were foiled plots and only 12 % were sting operations. The right-wing extremist terrorism was often more deadly – nearly 1/3 of these incidents caused fatalities.
Left-wing extremist terrorist incidents were comparatively rare. Only 10.5 % of these cases were sting operations.
Before President Trump signed the ban regarding the six predominantly Muslim countries, he claimed that vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related offences since 9/11 came from outside USA. According to the database, only 13 % of perpetrators or alleged perpetrators were foreign born and only 1 % of them came from the countries that are on Trump’s list. The Department of Homeland Security analysis came to the same conclusion – it stated that citizens of nations named in the ban are “rarely implicated in U.S.-based terrorism.” (2)
References:
1) Samuel Osborne: “Muslim-majority countries where Donald Trump does business not included in travel ban” The Independent 27.6.2017
2) David Neiwert: “Home is where the hate is. Trump’s fixation on demonizing Islam hides true homegrown US terror threat” Reveal 21.6.2017
https://www.revealnews.org/article/home-is-where-the-hate-is/
“Time for some structured anarchy” – British hard-line Brexiteers preparing to fight for Brexit
With less than three weeks to the official Brexit day, Prime Minister May is expected to face another defeat on Tuesday, when the parliament will vote on her Brexit deal proposal. The hard-line Brexiteers are getting ready to fight for Brexit. The hard-liners also seem to want to polish their image.
Boris Johnson wrote on The Telegraph on the 24th of February:
“…I am getting sick of the constant suggestion that anyone who sticks up for Brexit must have far Right tendencies. I can’t understand why people are suddenly claiming that anyone who wants to get out of the EU – and follow the instructions of the British people – is a zealot, or an extremist, or Ukip, or Blukip, or some kind of ultra-conservative bigot. Where is this stuff coming from?” (1)
Johnson himself has become infamous for his racist and Islamophobic remarks. Last year he caused an uproar by comparing veiled Muslim women to “letter boxes” and “bank robbers.” Bizarrely, Johnson was not considered to have breached the Conservative Party’s code of conduct. (2)
Last Tuesday, chairman of the European Research Group ERG Jacob Rees-Mogg once again accused May’s government and the Remainers of trying to block Brexit. He wrote in The Sun:
“…the extreme Remainers do not just want an extension — they want reversal (i.e. of Brexit referendum) and see this as a first step.
It is worth remembering that those who love the European Union prefer it to democracy and always have done.”
“…the Government must prove that it is committed to the referendum result, for that is the authoritative constitutional voice.
No responsible government ought to allow the constitution to be subverted because of its own weaknesses. The conventions are there for good reasons and, if ignored, confidence in the system that has served well for centuries will be damaged — with consequences that could include the rise of extremist parties. Failure to deliver Brexit would be a gift to Tommy Robinson.” (3)
Leave Means Leave campaigner Nigel Farage tweeted yesterday that “it’s time for some structured anarchy.” He also advertised March To Leave campaign and “historic rally of Brexiteers” on Parliament Square, London, on the 29th of March. (4)
References:
1) “Brexiteers are not far-Right zealots. Just ask the younger Tony Blair” The Telegraph 24.2.2019
2) “Conservatives rule Boris Johnson comparing Muslim women in veils to letter boxes and bank robbers was ‘respectful'” The Independent 21.12.2018
3) “We the people have spoken on Brexit… let us now have have lift-off ” The Sun 5.3.2019
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8570432/jacob-ress-mogg-people-have-spoken-on-brexit/
4) Nigel Farage on Twitter:
British Conservative Party suspends 14 members because of alleged Islamophobia
The Tories have suspended 14 members after abusive Islamophobic comments were uncovered on social media. Many of the comments were found on a Facebook group supporting hard-line Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg. The Muslim Council of Britain and former Conservative Party chairman Sayeeda Warsi repeated their calls for an inquiry into the anti-Muslim abuse and Islamophobia within the Tory Party. Mrs Warsi said that the party had “a deep-rooted problem of anti-Muslim comments, Islamophobic comments, racist comments” and that the party chairman and the prime minister had not taken the problem seriously enough.
Read the full story on The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/05/tories-suspend-14-members-over-alleged-islamophobia
Far-right party’s online poll got surprising results in Czech Republic
Czech Republic has been considering relocation of Syrian orphans. Czech far-right party “Freedom and Direct Democracy” SPD opposed the proposal and decided to organize an online poll in order to get support for their stance. However, 73% of the people who joined the survey supported helping the orphans. SPD quickly erased the poll from their website.
References:
“Czech far-right supporters expose their party, back Syrian orphans” EurActiv 22.2.2019
IDIS Observer 