Be very afraid

[Fenris]

Far-right British National Party candidate Sharon Eubanks, center, celebrates her win in the Kingstanding local election, with supporters at the count at the Stockland Green leisure centre, Birmingham, Britain, early Friday, May 5, 2006. British voters pounded Tony Blair's Labour Party in early returns from local elections Friday, inflicting losses that could further weaken the prime minister's authority. (AP Photo/PA, David Jones)

[terrya]

1. Oh, my....

:scared:

[stop the bleeding]

2. stupid question

are they racist?

I see the "white patriots" signs what is that about?

[maddezmom]

6. yes

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3896747.stm
:scared:

[Kutjara]

7. Two words.....

...Neo Nazis.

[Fenris]

11. Very much so.

One of their central party planks is the immediate halting of immigration to Britain. The frightening thing is that one poll found 59% of Britons agreed with that policy (although in fairness a similar poll in America could produce equitable results). The BNP is very much into racial identification. Essentially British Neo-Nazis who are able to sound deradicalized enough to be palatable to some in England.

[stop the bleeding]

12. didn't or don't the Dutch have a similar party? n/t

[Kutjara]

14. Sadly, there's been a resurgence...

...in far right parties across Europe, as disaffected young people, who lack meaningful employment opportunities, are turning to the brutally simple messages of racial purity and white supremacy. While these parties have existed in some form fairly continuously since WWII, it is only recently that they've been able to hook up through the Net and begin to coordinate their activities.

Hitler started with much less.

[stop the bleeding]

15. Thank you - why is there so much hate? n/t

[Kutjara]

17. Quite a few reasons.

And they vary somewhat from country to country.

In Germany, for example, the reintegration of the country has been a struggle and unemployment in the former East Germany is high. The recent addition of several former Soviet Bloc countries to the European Union has led to an influx of (legal immigrants) from these countries, who are willing to work for significantly lower wages than are Germans. Also, guest workers from Turkey and North Africa, who came to the country during the boom times, when there was a labor shortage, are now increasingly viewed with resentment for taking 'German' jobs.

In France, its Algerians who are the 'problem.' Added to this is the steady influx of illegal immigrants from North Africa who smuggle themselves through Marsailles.

In Poland, there is a lingering anti-Semitism, paradoxically fuelled by the fact that Polish Jews were virtually wiped out by the Holocaust. The result is an almost medieval villification of Jews (horns, Christ killers, league with Satan, etc.) and their 'hidden machinations.'

In Spain, its the North African migratory farmworkers who pick the fruit and vegetable crop and then decide not to go home.

In Britain, its a combined resentment of immigrants from Eastern Europe 'taking British jobs' and lingering resentment of Asian and Afro Carribbean immigrants (though it tends to focus more on new arrivals and first generation rather than families that have 'assimilated').

What's added fuel to the fire in recent years is, of course, the 'threat' of Islam. Neo Nazi groups are, like our own Governments, using the Muslim boogeyman to scare otherwise sensible people into believing utter crap. It 'helps' that many of the immigrants are not only 'foreign' but also 'Muslim,' making them doubly evil.

The Neo Nazi movement in Europe is still quite small, but that's no reason for complacency. Their message of fear, hate and easy solutions to complex problems is being listened to by people who should know better. As the generation that saw the horrors of fascism and intolerance dies out, the message is being forgotten. I hope to hell we don't all have to learn it the hard way again.

[Vinnie From Indy]

18. It is corporatism that is fueling this rage

Unrestrained capitalism breeds discontent that is duly exploited by evil men.

The unrestrained, never ending goal of maximum profitability at the expense of everything else and merged with the power of the nation-state is the true definition of fascism.

[Rocknrule]

3. Another freeper rally

Where's the portapotties?

[undergroundpanther]

8. The racist thugs

in polo shirts are the portapotties..

[Kutjara]

4. Its a major worry...

...that these Nazi creeps will take advantage of the current parlous state of the three main parties to grab a foothold in local councils and, ultimately, Parliament. To legitimize the racist bigotry of such scum by electing them to public office is a national disgrace.

[phusion]

5. "Kingstanding local election"

is that like city council? These skinheads won a seat? :scared:

[Kutjara]

9. Yep.

The vermin won a city council seat. Great, isn't it? I could puke.

[myrna minx]

10. Is Kingstanding a working class community?

I'm wondering of these far-right wins may be as a result the the vacuum left by the Labour Party leaving labor behind?

[Kutjara]

13. Very much so...

...its a suburb of Birmingham, which was Britain's industrial hub for much of the 20th century. When industry went into decline, Birmingham suffered more than most. Although the city has gone through something of a revival in recent years, unemployment is still higher than the national average, there is a volatile ethnic mix and large areas of the city's periphery is still blighted by brutalist 60's public housing projects.

This is prime real estate for nazi vermin to foment discontent and blame everything on 'foreigners.'

[Chomp]

16. That's exactly it Myrna. nt