Month: May 2009

Churchill’s grandson branded the BNP’s action as ‘offensive and disgusting’

Churchill’s grandson slams BNP image

Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson has described as “offensive and disgusting” a decision by the BNP to use his image in a party election broadcast.

Pictures of Britain’s wartime leader feature alongside archive footage from the Second World War in the British National Party’s broadcast, to be aired on Tuesday night.

BNP chairman Nick Griffin can be seen adopting part of Churchill’s famous “blood, toil, tears and sweat” speech to promote his own manifesto.

Conservative MP for Mid-Sussex, Nicholas Soames, hit out at the appropriation of his grandfather’s image and said he had tried to get the Electoral Commission to ban its use by the BNP.

Mr Soames said: “My views are that they have behaved in a disgusting manner. They should not take my grandfather’s name in vain. He would have been appalled by their views and the way they claim to represent the wartime generation. It’s nonsense. Were it possible to take action, we would. We find it offensive and disgusting.”

In a magazine called The Rune published in 1995 and edited by Mr Griffin an article appears to praise the exploits of the SS during the Second World War.

It says: “The tales of Waffen SS courage and sacrifices are almost limitless.”

It adds: “In an unbiased assessment of war crimes, however, the Waffen SS were undoubtedly no worse than the troops of other nations – countless Allied war crimes are simply not publicised.”

A year later, Mr Griffin picketed Coventry Cathedral to hand out leaflets referring to the “mass murder” during the Allied bombing of Dresden.

BNP deputy chairman Simon Darby has refuted suggestions Mr Griffin supported the actions of the Waffen SS. Referring to his party’s election broadcast, he said: “There is a substantial amount of Churchillian rhetoric in it.”

Guardian

May 26, 2009
EC Against Racism and Intolerance Report on Germany

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) Report on Germany :

EC Against Racism and Intolerance Report on Germany

May 26, 2009
Turkey urges police action on BNP flyers

Turkish Govement is acted on early and timely information received from Turkish Forum UK members.. Turkish Forum is again leading the way through its wast resources on information transfer between the Turkish communities around the world.. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFORMED MEMBERS .. DR. KAYAALP BUYUKATAMAN, PRESIDENT-CEO, TURKISH FORUM

From The Sunday Times May 24, 2009

The country’s government is considering referring the party to the police over racist promotional material

BNP leader Nick Griffin launched his party?s European election campaign earlier this month, setting out its opposition to Turkey joining the EU

Jason Allardyce

The Turkish government has demanded the withdrawal of election leaflets distributed in Scotland by the British National party, claiming they are intended to incite racial and religious hatred.

Flyers promoting the BNP’s European election campaign suggest that millions of Turkish Muslims would flood into Britain if the country were to be granted full EU membership.

One BNP leaflet being handed out on the streets of Glasgow said taxpayers’ money “shouldn’t be wasted on expanding Europe so that millions of Muslims in Turkey can join the invasion of foreign job snatchers”.

Another urges voters to “oppose the dangerous drive backed by the other main parties to give 80m low-wage Muslim Turks the right to swamp Britain”.

Officials at the Turkish embassy in London have complained to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and have suggested the matter be referred to the police because the leaflets potentially breach race relations legislation.

“It is obvious that these are racist and highly inflammatory statements which insult both Turkey and the Turkish nation as a whole and put hundreds of thousands of Turks and Turkish Cypriots who live and have been born in Britain at risk of racist abuse and attacks,” said Orhan Tung, a spokesman for the embassy.

“I think the leaflets are a clear breach of both the Race Relations Act and the Racial and Religious [Hatred] Act, which makes it an offence to distribute written material with the intent to stir up religious or racial hatred.

“We believe that the relevant British authorities such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission should consider taking legal action against the party in question.”

The Equality and Human Rights Commission also criticised the material and warned that Scotland needed immigration to counter the effects of an ageing declining population.

A spokeswoman said: “Because immigration to Scotland is necessary and because we want to build the population to meet the challenges of the future, we want to work against the tension and unease rather than ignite it as the BNP seems to be doing.”

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it is examining the complaint and that the government is “firmly committed to the elimination of all forms of racism and intolerance”.

John Walker, a spokesman for the BNP, denied its literature was racist. “We oppose the creeping Islamification of Europe and our country which we see as a threat. If the Turkish embassy doesn’t like it, that’s tough – our duty is to look after Britain’s interests.”

Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP, launched his party’s European election campaign earlier this month, setting out its opposition to Turkey joining the EU and putting British jobs at risk.

He claims the party could win up to seven seats in next month’s European elections. Mainstream parties fear that it may win at least one seat, including in northwest England where Griffin is standing.

May 25, 2009
Kyrgyzstan: President Urges Greater Ties With Turkey

May 25, 2009 Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said that his country’s ties with Turkey should be improved to strengthen trade and allow greater cooperation on strategic issues, Today’s Zaman reported May 25. Bakiyev added that Turkey helped Kyrgyzstan after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Bakiyev’s remarks came ahead of Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit on May 26, the first Turkish presidential visit since 2001. Gul visited Kyrgyzstan in 2005 when he was Turkey’s foreign minister.

May 25, 2009
Turkey rejects Cyprus warning, urges EU to keep own promises

Erdogan slammed the EU for failing to ease the economic isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)

2006-11-09 13:16:13 Today Online, November 9, 2006

Turkey rejected an EU warning that its failure to grant trade privileges to Cyprus might derail its accession to the bloc, but pledged commitment to reforms and said the responsibility of keeping membership talks on track “falls more on the EU.”

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that Turkish sea and air ports would remain off limits to Greek Cypriot vessels if the European Union fails to deliver on promises to ease trade and travel restrictions on the breakaway Turkish Cypriots.

He acknowledged there could be a “period of stagnation” in ties with the EU, but ruled out the possibility of accession talks collapsing a little more than a year after they began in October 2005.

The European Commission had issued earlier on Wednesday a critical report on Turkey’s progress towards membership, urging Ankara to improve human rights and fulfil obligations on Cyprus or face the consequences at a summit of EU leaders on December 14-15. “The Cyprus problem is a political problem and it does not constitute an obligation with respect to our negotiating process, which is of a technical nature,” a Turkish government statement said.

“An EU summit decision that will guarantee the sustainability of the process will depend on the political vision of EU leaders regarding the EU’s future,” it said. “The responsibility at this point falls more on the EU than on Turkey.” Erdogan slammed the EU for failing to ease the economic isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Ankara, under promises made in April 2004 when the Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of a UN plan to end Cyprus’ 32-year division.

The plan was massively rejected by the Greek Cypriots, who joined the EU in May that year, with the Turkish Cypriots left out in the cold. “If the restrictions on the TRNC are not lifted we will not give up the determination we have displayed so far on the issue of ports,” Erdogan told reporters. “Our decision on that is definite.”

Ankara is under pressure to open its ports to the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government of EU-member Cyprus under a customs union pact with the bloc. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul pledged support for efforts by Finland, the current holder of the EU presidency, to resolve the stalemate before the critical EU summit next month.

“Turkey will maintain its constructive attitude,” he said. “We hope there will be positive developments (but) everybody concerned should display a reconciliatory and sincere will for a solution.” Ankara accuses the Greek Cypriots of using their EU membership as leverage to extract concession from Turkey on the Cyprus conflict.

With elections looming next year, the government is also under pressure due to dwindling public support for EU membership amid what Turks widely see as endless EU lecturing and demands in a process that does not even guarantee ultimate accession.

Finland’s efforts suffered a blow last week when planned talks were scrapped as the parties failed to agree on their format.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said Wednesday the Finnish proposals had no chance of success because they were “unbalanced,” the Anatolia news agency reported. “When the EU decided to lift our isolation, they did so to reward our ‘yes’ vote to the UN plan,” Talat said. “We are not obliged to give anything in return for that now.”

The Commission report also highlighted human rights problems in Turkey, including ones relating to freedom of speech, the use of torture and women’s and minority issues. Ankara said it did not agree with some of the criticisms in the report, but stressed its commitment to reform to catch up with EU standards.

“Reform is a continuous process,” the government statement said. “Naturally, we will continue to do what is necessary… The government is fully determined to do that.”

Shortly before the Commission issued the report in Brussels, Erdogan said Turkey was determined to pursue its membership goal despite the difficulties.

“Suspension, rupture… these are impossible,” he said. “Our efforts will continue. Even a country like Great Britain waited 11 years to become a full member.” – AFP

May 25, 2009
Kurd official denies US trains rebels
Wed May 20, 3:16 PM ET Previous 216 of 438 Next

A PKK fighter takes position with his rifle during a training session in 2007 in northern Iraq, 10 kms near the Turkish border. A senior Iraqi Kurd official on Wednesday joined the United States in rejecting Iranian accusations that the US military trains separatist Kurdish rebels for undercover work in Iran.

(AFP/File/Mustafa Ozer)
- Play Video Iraq Video:Multiple bombs in Baghdad Reuters
- Play Video Iraq Video:U.S. soldiers killed in Baghdad Reuters
- Play Video Iraq Video:Kirkuk suicide bomber kills at least 7 Reuters
Wed May 20, 3:16 pm ET

ARBIL, Iraq (AFP) – A senior Iraqi Kurd official on Wednesday joined the United States in rejecting Iranian accusations that the US military trains separatist Kurdish rebels for undercover work in Iran.

“With all due to respect to Mr Khamenei, it appears that he has received incorrect information,” said Jabbar Yawar, about the accusations made by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“The United States has no military base in Kurdistan to train the PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan),” said Yawar, the spokesman for the Peshmerga ministry, the Kurdish equivalent of the Iraqi defence ministry.

“The United States put the PJAK and the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers’ Party) on their list of terrorist groups, so how can they support these groups they regard as terrorists.”

Khamenei said on Tuesday that the United States was trying to make mercenaries out of young Kurds.

“Behind our western border, the US is training terrorists. It is spending money and handing out weapons to be used against the Islamic republic” of Iran, he said.

“Americans have dangerous plans for (Iraqi) Kurdistan … Their plans are not aimed at defending the Kurdish people, but they want to control them,” Khamenei said in a televised speech.

The US Defence Department on Tuesday dismissed the accusations and countered that Tehran was meddling in Iraq.

“I find it ironic that the Iranians would be accusing us of meddling, when in fact over the last six, seven years in Iraq they have consistently been trying to undermine the peace and stability that we are trying to bring to the Iraqi people there,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

The border region with Iraq has often seen deadly clashes between Iran’s armed forces and the Kurdish separatists.

Iranians have targeted PJAK, an Iranian Kurdish separatist group which has launched attacks on Iran from rear-supply bases in the Kurdish mountains of northern Iraq.
May 25, 2009