THE FOREIGNER (Norwegian News in English) 28 MAY 2014: NORWAY ANTI-TERROR POLICE ARREST FIVE

Police Security Service (PST) officers apprehend two further people in connection with The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) raid, Tuesday. According to PST information manager Martin Bernsen, they classify both men as “witnesses”. Regional publication Budstikka also reported they know that one male is 28, born in Algeria, and has been previously convicted of drugs offences. “The two men have been brought in for questioning”, said Mr Bernsen, “I have no further comment to make,” he told Dagbladet. One man was subsequently released, and the other indicted for attempting to obstruct police officers in carrying out their duties, NRK was informed. The new arrests come following today’s swoop on addresses in Oslo and Bærum, eastern Norway. Three Norwegian citizens, a 29-year-old man born in Somalia and two former Yugoslavia-born males aged 27 and 24, respectively, were arrested and charged as a result of that operation. Norwegian security personnel allege the three had breached 147d of the General Civil Penal Code regarding “participation in, or provision of financial or other material support to a terrorist organisation.” “There are reasonable grounds to suspect two of the persons charged of having participated as foreign fighters for The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria. The three persons charged were arrested to prevent additional support of or adherence to ISIL,” the PST said in their statement. Security police, who describe ISIL as an al-Qaida splinter group, also state they regard and treat ISIL as being “a terrorist organisation pursuant to Norwegian law.” NRK reported only two of the three arrested men fought in Syria. All deny guilt regarding the charges. Both the PST and military intelligence have expressed concerns about Norwegian citizens travelling to join those fighting against Syrian President Assad’s regime. They are concerned these individuals may use weapons knowledge gained during training against Norway. LINK: http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/norway-anti-terror-police-arrest-five/

THE GUARDIAN 6 MAY 2014: AUSTRALIA'S FAR-RIGHT FRINGE GROUPS SHOW SIGNS OF STEADY GROWTH

A POLITICAL OPINION FROM Antony Loewenstein It was a pitiful sight. In Brisbane last Friday, the far-right Australia First party announced that it would rally on the streets in solidarity with Greece’s neo-Nazi aligned political organisation, Golden Dawn. In the end, less than 10 supporters arrived and faced off with around 200 unionists and members of the Antifa group shouting "immigrants are welcome, Nazis are not!”. Before the rally, Australia First released a statement that called on the Greek government to “release from gaol the illegally imprisoned Golden Dawn members of parliament, including the leader of the Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos.” Golden Dawn are one of the most aggressive and successful fascist parties in Europe, surging into the Greek parliament and assaulting immigrants and minorities. They’re a sign of the times across Europe in the 21st century, with far-rightists becoming more mainstream as a reaction to the extreme austerity policies imposed by the European Union and global organisations in the wake of the financial crisis. Not long ago, it was politically acceptable to blame Jewish people for economic uncertainty; today it’s migrants (often from a Muslim background) and asylum seekers. In Britain, the English Defence League (EDL) and some members of the popular UK Independence party (Ukip) are already manipulating public insecurity and targeting the vulnerable. On the face of it, the paltry showing of far-right backers on Australian streets indicated that such views thankfully remain on the fringes of society. There’s no question that Australia has nothing like the formidable presence of a Golden Dawn or Ukip at the heart of its political system, but it's worth noting the last years have seen a steady growth in disturbing far-right activity in Melbourne, Sydney and beyond (the anti-Islamic Australian Defence League, for example, is actively seeking to expand its membership). Although it remains on the edges, the broader movement is increasingly finding resonance with people who feel left out in our globalised world. A key chronicler of these movements is Andy Fleming - he uses a pseudonym because he’s spent the last decade following extreme-right parties and groups on his blog, Slack Bastard. He describes himself as an “anarchist, blogger and writer with a particular interest in the far right.” I asked him if these groups are growing in Australia and he tells me that it remains marginal – but with a big potential for growth. He said: Both major parties have adopted exceptionally punitive measures with regards asylum seekers and refugees. These policies, and the politics which inform them, help to fuel the xenophobia which the far right feeds upon. In terms of growth, existing groups on the far right are struggling to capitalise upon this sentiment, both as a result of their own inadequacies but also because the audience they appeal to is often politically unengaged. The challenge for the far right is to develop the means to overcome this lack of political sophistication. The vast bulk of far-right activity occurs online. Golden Dawn has an office in Melbourne and an active presence there; its Facebook page explains the party’s public activities and online key supporters and fundraisers aren’t shy about their backing. Fleming argues that Golden Dawn has real potential to implant itself in the Greek Australian community, but that to do so, it will need to tone down its fascist image. Fleming explains that the rhetoric by Golden Dawn and similar groups has shifted their target away from Judaism and towards Islam in recent decades for “pragmatic reasons”. But for others, he says, "antipathy towards Muslims is driven by genuine paranoia regarding Islam. In either case, both tendencies understand that Islamophobia sells: Muslims have been portrayed by important segments of the mass media and politics as a threat to Australian values and customs.” One of the most prominent anti-Muslim organisations in the country is the Q Society. It hosted the prominent, Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders in 2013 and organised a conference this year in Melbourne with some of America’s leading Islamophobes. Its public face isn’t the crude racism so relished by other ideologically similar organisations, and yet some of its policies advocate Australia ending all Muslim immigration and removing the country from the UN Refugee Convention. Debbie Robinson, president of the Q Society, tells me that her organisation opposes any groups that “espouse a racist or anti-Semitic element”, such as Golden Dawn and the Australia First party. So far so good, but then she explains that “we consider organisations propagating totalitarian ideologies like fascism, nationalism, communism and Islam as anti-democratic and often acting in violation of basic human rights.” It would then be fair to deduce that for the Q Society, Islam is akin to fascism. Robinson says that her group’s strategy involves using citizen lobbyists to engage with politicians, schools and “other entities involved in the Islamisation process.” If the Q Society isn’t flirting with violence, other far-right groups are. ABC TV’s 7.30 recently detailed the Australian Defence League (ADL) and its attacks on the Muslim community. There is growing evidence that Australians are most likely to be prejudiced against people of Middle Eastern background. Sydney-based Muslim woman, Miran Hosny, writer and host of the weekly radio program The Y Factor, tells me that the intimidation of her community is worsening. She recalls a recent media story of a Sydney Muslim girl whose photo had been taken and posted on the ADL Facebook page without permission (Facebook eventually removed the image). “The ADL simply reacted by re-posting the photo onto Facebook along with a status asking its members to take photos of random Muslim women to humiliate them online”, shetold me. “Hearing that definitely made me anxious. My commute home that day was very uncomfortable. I kept glancing around me, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be trying to snap a photo of me due to my hijab.” Hosny argues that she’s noticed an increase in racist behaviour. “Previously, most Islamophobic encounters that my family and friends experienced took place in the CBD. But it feels like the ADL now has an increased presence in western Sydney, where many Muslims reside. Watching this right wing extremism take a grassroots grip on Sydney makes me even more frustrated about the proposed amendments to section 18C of the racial discrimination act.” Fascism comes in various modern stripes and we can never be too vigilant against its insidious agenda. LINK: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/06/australias-far-right-fringe-groups-must-not-be-allowed-to-become-mainstream

BRISBANE TIMES 2 MAY 2014: GOLDEN DAWN SUPPORTERS CLASH WITH ANTI-FASCISTS IN BRISBANE

Anti-fascist protestors outnumbered their far-right opponents at dual rallies in Brisbane's CBD on Friday. Police officers put themselves between the opposing groups as they gathered on Queen Street outside the offices of the Consul-General of Greece about midday. Members of the Australia First Party organised a protest to show solidarity with the neo-Nazi-linked Greek political party, Golden Dawn. But less than 10 Australia First Party supporters attended the rally, which began outside The Greek Club on Edmonstone Street, South Brisbane. Advertisement Their protest was overshadowed by a counter, anti-fascist rally staged by up to 200 unionists and members of the group Antifa. The two groups first confronted each other on opposite sides of Edmonstone Street, with anti-fascist protesters yelling, "Immigrants are welcome, Nazis are not!" The groups made their way over the Victoria Bridge to Queen Street where they gathered outside the offices of the Consul-General of Greece, separated by a line of police. The Golden Dawn Party, which was founded by a Holocaust denier Nikos Michaloliakos, has been linked to dozens of violent protests in Greece. Michaloliakos and several other Golden Dawn MPs were arrested and charged with forming a criminal organisation following the murder of an anti-fascist Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas in September last year. “We shall call on the Greek government to release from gaol the illegally imprisoned Golden Dawn Members of Parliament,” the Australia First Party said on its website ahead of the protest. “This action is about nationalists supporting nationalists, about patriots helping patriots.” After a brief standoff, the Australia First Party members were whisked away in a maxi-taxi to the cheers of the anti-fascist group. The Australia First Party has eight core policies, which include ending “government funded and institutionalised policy of multiculturalism”. It also champions policies that “strengthen and protect the traditional family”. Queensland Multicultural Affairs minister Glen Elmes on Thursday criticised the Australia First Party’s protest. "Racism should be rejected outright at every opportunity,” he said. "I condemn the views of the misguided Golden Dawn organisation, and call on all Queenslanders to do likewise." Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/golden-dawn-supporters-clash-with-antifascists-in-brisbane-20140502-37msg.html#ixzz334wZjMnZ

THE INDEPENDENT 27 MAY 2014 - EUROPEAN ELECTION RESULTS 2014: FAR-RIGHT PARTIES FLOURISH ACROSS EUROPE

Europe’s voters lurched towards the political fringes on Sunday night as early European Parliament election results showed gains for parties ranging from the populist to the neo-Nazi, with France’s Front National (FN) leading the Eurosceptic surge in a calamitous defeat for mainstream parties. Marine Le Pen’s FN topped a nationwide poll for the first time in its history, with the anti-immigrant party predicted to take 25 per cent of the vote and as many as 24 seats in the European Parliament, a dramatic gain on the three they won in 2009. Ms Le Pen said France had “shouted loud and clear” that it wanted to be run “by the French, for the French and with the French” and not by “foreign commissioners” in Brussels. The French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, said the victory was “more than a shock – it’s an earthquake”. The outcome was a stinging humiliation for President François Hollande’s Socialist Party, which looked likely to emerge with its lowest-ever score in a nationwide vote with only 14.5 per cent. Early results also suggested a backlash in many struggling eurozone nations against the austerity measures which have sent unemployment soaring and decimated social spending, with parties on the far left and right performing well. Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn will be sending MEPs to Brussels for the first time. As in France, populist parties in Britain, Austria and Germany have also benefited from concern about migration and distrust of the EU. For many people, this disillusionment meant not voting at all: turnout was estimated at 43 per cent, a tiny increase on the last European election in 2009, but a gain unlikely to convince the growing number of Eurosceptics of the democratic credentials of Brussels.Overall the European People’s Party – the alliance of centre-right parties from across the 28 EU member states – retained the most MEPs in the 751-seat assembly, with early projections giving the bloc 211 seats, compared to 193 for the Socialists and Democrats. Early projections showed that protest parties could win around 129 seats. This means pro-European parties will still dominate the Parliament, the EU’s only elected institution, which works with the European Commission and the 28 governments to debate and pass laws. But they will be battling a stronger dissenting bloc than ever before, especially if Ms Le Pen succeeds in her goal to form a new political group specifically aimed at curbing the EU’s powers. She has allied herself with a number of populist parties across the EU. Like the FN, which was in the past accused of anti-Semitism, most of them are trying to shake off the far-right tag and appeal to the more mainstream voters. But there have been slip-ups. One candidate for the far-right Austrian Freedom Party was forced to withdraw after he called the EU a “conglomerate of Negroes”. Despite this, exit polls suggested the party doubled their showing in the European Parliament, winning four seats, which will help boost Ms Le Pen’s ambitions. But her key ally – Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party – has seen his party drop two seats in the Parliament, after a xenophobic outburst in which he asked his supporters if they would like “fewer Moroccans” in The Netherlands. She is also unlikely to be able to count on support from a new German anti-euro party – the Alternative for Germany – which won six seats. Its leader, Bernd Lucke, said: “We won’t work with right-wing populists.” Some exit polls suggest the National Democratic Party, a radical far right German party with neo-Nazi traits, may also scrape the threshold to send a lawmaker to Brussels for the first time. Golden Dawn – whose supporters perform Nazi salutes and have been arrested for assaulting migrants – managed to get around 10 per cent of the vote, sending at least two MEPs to Brussels. The far left and anti-establishment parties also did well, with anti-bailout Syriza party in Greece winning the vote in a blow for Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's New Democracy party, which came second. Italy was the last country to close the ballet boxes, but the Five-Star Movement led by the comedian Beppe Grillo is also expected to gain as many as 19 seats in the parliament. Turnout has been falling every consecutive election since the first poll in 1979. In an effort to boost participation this year, all the major blocs in the European Parliament nominated a candidate to be head of the European Commission, and sent them on the campaign trail on US-style bus tours. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/european-election-results-2014-farright-parties-flourish-across-europe-in-snub-to-austerity-9434069.html

THE GUARDIAN 25 MAY 2014 - FAR-RIGHT TAKES VICTORY IN DANISH EUROPEAN ELECTIONS: 27%

Danish People's party won nearly 27% of the vote and has doubled its number of MEPs. The far-right Danish People's party (DPP) triumphed in the European elections, winning Denmark's biggest share of the vote as EU-sceptic parties from across the Nordic countries gained further ground in the European parliament. The DPP, which had campaigned to reclaim border controls and curb benefits to other EU citizens living in Denmark, won nearly 27% of the vote and doubled its number of MEPs from two to four. Denmark's centre-right opposition party Venstre, its leader dogged by an expenses scandal in recent weeks, was one of the big losers, dropping one of its seats and heading for its worst EU election result in 25 years. "I see it as a clear indication that the Danes want the EU back on track," said Morten Messerschmidt, the DPP's leading candidate. "Around Europe we are some democratic, civilised but EU critical parties – such as the Danish People's Party, such as the British Conservatives and others – who now try to steer back EU to what it is all about, to find a solution to trade, environment and energy challenges we have across borders, but not an EU that's going to interfere in everything." In Sweden, the governing Moderate party suffered a disastrous night and was overtaken by the Greens, now Sweden's second-biggest party in the European parliament. The populist far-right Sweden Democrats gained their first seat, as did the Feminist Initiative whose MEP will be the first member of the European parliament to be represented by a feminist party. "The Feminist Initiative party is a real sensation," wrote political commentator Ewa Stenberg from the the newspaper Dagens Nyheter. "The party has shot up like a rocket in public opinion since the beginning of the year. They have been carried both by a feminist wave and an anti-racist one." The leader of the Moderates, Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, said it had been hard being a governing party. "It has been an evening where the voters haven't rewarded parties which believe in European co-operation," Reinfeldt told Swedish TV. Finland's anti-immigration Finns party – previously known as the True Finns – increased its number of MEPs to two, but its share of the vote (13%) didn't match its success in the last national election when it won 19%. The prime minister's conservative National Coalition remained Finland's largest party in Europe with 22.6% and kept its three seats. LINK: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/25/danish-peoples-party-triumphant-in-european-elections

NZ HERALD 27 MAY 2014: EUROPEAN UNION SHAKEN AS FRINGE PARTIES GAIN VOTES

The principles underpinning the European Union are now an open target after parties campaigning against the euro, immigration and loss of national sovereignty scored spectacular gains in elections to the European Parliament. In a vote marked by a near-record low turnout, groups that mainstream parties once ridiculed as lunatic or a joke delivered a message of public disenchantment with the European project and a far-right jolt to politics in their own capitals. The so-called eurosceptics picked up around a sixth of the 751 seats to the Strasbourg-based assembly, according to exit polls and results issued yesterday after balloting among 380 million voters in the EU's 28 countries. The biggest shock came in France, where the National Front was estimated to have a quarter of the vote, by far its best-ever showing at national level, which would earn it a third of the country's 74 seats. The conservative UMP was credited with around a fifth of the vote, while President Francois Hollande's Socialists trailed an abysmal third, with around 14 per cent. "Our people demand only one sort of politics - the politics of the French people, for the French people and with the French people," said Marine Le Pen, daughter of the party's firebrand founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. "They have declared they no longer want to be ruled from the outside, to have to bow to laws they did not vote for, or to kowtow to [EU] commissioners who are not subject to the legitimacy of universal suffrage." In Britain, which voted on Friday, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) was ahead of the governing Conservatives and opposition Labour Party. UKIP leader Nigel Farage described the breakthrough as an "earthquake". He said: "Never before in the history of British politics has a party seen as an insurgent party ever topped the polls to a national election". In Denmark, the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party won around 23 per cent of the vote, enough to gain three of the country's 13 seats, according to pollsters. In Germany, Alternative for Germany, a small party demanding a return to the deutschmark and the end to German bailouts for debt-stricken EU countries, scored above the 5 per cent threshold needed to gain seats. But Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives were comfortable winners, and in Italy, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement did well but was outpaced by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party. The Parliament will remain in the control of the two mainstream centre-right and centre-left parties that are solidly behind European integration and have co-dominated the assembly for decades. Estimates gave the two blocs 212 and 186 seats respectively. But the hefty protest vote will be seen not only as a sign of anger towards unpopular national governments but also as hostility towards Brussels, battling a reputation for being smug, bureaucratic or dictatorial. Many countries remain in the grip of an economic slump. The EU counts 26 million unemployed, and in some regions more than one in two of the under-25 population of working age is without work. Even in Greece, which is surviving thanks to EU bailouts, the big gainers yesterday were the anti-austerity left-wing Syriza Party and the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn. READ MORE AT: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11262230

BIRMINGHAM NATIONALIST 26 MAY 2014: INTERVIEW WITH KYLE CHAPMAN

Kyle Chapman is a Veteran White Nationalist from New Zealand He was National Director of the NZNF in the early - Mid 2000's and has stood as candidate for Mayor in Christchurch three times Kyle formed the 'Right Wing Resistance' in 2009 and has steadily built his movement up over the last five years He annually speaks at the White Pride World Wide gathering in New Zealand LINK: http://birminghamnationalist2.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/interview-with-kyle-chapman.html

BBC NEWS - EUROSCEPTIC EARTHQUAKE ROCKS EU ELECTIONS: FRANCE NATIONAL FRONT 26%

Marine Le Pen's National Front has come first in France's elections to the European Parliament according to exit polls, in what PM Manuel Valls has declared a "political earthquake". Eurosceptic parties appeared also to have made big gains in other countries, coming first in Denmark and Greece. The centre-right EPP looked set to be the biggest bloc in parliament. Turnout in the election was 43.1%, according to provisional European Parliament figures - up on last time. That would be the first time turnout had not fallen since the previous election - but would only be an improvement of 0.1%. Highlights (based on exit polls/ provisional results) France National Front storm to victory - 26%, 25 seats; Centre-right UMP 21%; President Hollande's Socialists a poor third with 14% - lowest ever EP score Britain Eurosceptic UKIP heading for first place, with 29%. Conservatives and Labour about 23% each. Greens beating Lib Dems. Italy Centre-left PM Matteo Renzi scores strong 40%, fending off ex-comic Beppe Grillo's anti-establishment Five Star with 22%, and ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia with 16% Germany Angela Merkel wins another election - 36% for her Christian Union, 27% for the centre-left SPD. Eurosceptic AfD score strong 7%. Greece Early results show far-left Syriza on 26%, PM Antonis Samaras' New Democracy on 23%. Far-right Golden Dawn set to get three MEPs, with 9% "The people have spoken loud and clear," a triumphant Marine Le Pen told cheering supporters at National Front (FN) party headquarters in Paris. "They no longer want to be led by those outside our borders, by EU commissioners and technocrats who are unelected. They want to be protected from globalisation and take back the reins of their destiny." Provisional results suggested the FN could win 25 European Parliament seats - a stunning increase on its three in 2009. The party also issued an extraordinary statement accusing the government of vote-rigging. READ MORE AT: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27559714

AN OPINION FROM CAMERON "WHALEOIL" SLATER: INDOLENT MAORI HATING ON HARD WORKING ASIAN KIWIS

The media and opposition parties have much to answer for and now they can see the fruits of their labour in a new survey that shows the constant negative media and political attacks against Asians is driving prejudice. That prejudice is more pronounced amongst lazy maori bludgers who think the world owes them a living and sit by idly watching as hard working asian migrants snaffle up the jobs. Maori dislike Asian immigrants more than any other group of New Zealanders, a new poll shows. Asians are blamed for taking jobs from Maori, driving Maori to Australia, lacking understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and competing for cultural funding. “The diversity of New Zealand is beginning to undermine the investment we have in biculturalism. [Maori] don’t believe new migrants are sympathetic to biculturalism and the Treaty,” said Massey University pro vice-chancellor, Professor Paul Spoonley. Surveys show Maori have an increasingly negative perception of Asians. It is caused by “competition in the labour market . . . and competition for cultural resources,” Spoonley said. Maori have a unique position in New Zealand and advancing their cultural and social needs must be put ahead of the needs of immigrants, said Maori Party leader, Te Ururoa Flavell. “[Are Maori] more important than anyone else? Possibly. I think that the most important thing is that the people of the country recognise our unique part in the fabric of this nation,” said Flavell. He is concerned immigrants are taking much needed jobs from Maori, contributing to disproportionate emigration to Australia. As the indigenous people of New Zealand, the government should put the needs of Maori ahead of new migrants he said. According to an Asia NZ Foundation survey, Maori views on Asian immigration have deteriorated in the past year. While most New Zealanders increasingly saw the benefit of Asian immigrants, 44 per cent of Maori believed New Zealanders were more negative towards people from Asia compared with a year ago. That is well above the 27 per cent of all New Zealanders who are less positive towards Asians than last year. A majority of Maori also believed New Zealand was allowing too much investment from Asia. As one of my commenters observes: The problem seems to be that Maori remain firmly planted at the bottom of the heap and until Maori makes the effort to utilise all of the additional resource sent their way eg cash, social welfare, health, education to move themselves up the ladder then resentment is going to remain against any immigrant group that arrives and takes advantage of the conditions that exist in NZ to advance themselves and their families. The Asians don’t have it on their own, there is resentment against the Polynesians for their perceived success and to pakeha the deepest resentment of all. Of course this isn’t aided by tired old protestors like Ranginui Walker claiming NZ is “bi-cultural”. [T]he growing influence of new cultures in New Zealand will only be surface deep compared with the history and influence of Maori, said Maori leader, Ranginui Walker, who supports Asian immigration. Maori had to fight for many years to rescue their language and culture and now immigration is being used by those who want to undermine Maori’s presence in New Zealand. “Biculturalism is the basic dynamic of New Zealand because the tangata whenua is the base culture. Those people that oppose that ideology try to diffuse it by talking multiculturalism. Their experience of multiculturalism is ethnic food,” Walker said. How trite and arrogant of Walker. Another commenter notes: Ok seeing One News has brought up the topic of racism – specifically Asian versus Maori – let’s see. How many Maori do you see working Saturday and Sunday painting houses or building houses? How many Maori do you see driving taxis at all hours of the day and night? How many Maori do you see working in supermarkets? How many Maori do you see working in the corner Dairy? How many Maori do you see working in petrol stations? How many Maori do you see start their own business from the “sniff of an oily rag”, with no helping hand and with risk? There are other jobs that Asians do that no one else wants to do that can be added to the list. Maori can also work in these jobs if they want to. Are the worst racists in NZ actually (some) Maori headed by Winston Peters? “Maori dislike Asian immigrants more than any other group of New Zealanders, a new poll shows. Asians are blamed for taking jobs from Maori, driving Maori to Australia, lacking understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and competing for cultural funding.” The media and politicians have much to answer for in fueling this racism. But Judith Collins provides wise words to those under attack: Collins gave the opening address at the EthnicA 2014 conference in Auckland’s Mt Wellington yesterday. “Do not let others define who you are. Do it yourself,” she said. She concluded her speech with a sentiment that could have applied to her own recent struggles: “It’s election year,” she said. “All sorts of things are going to be said. Some of them are going to be really hurtful. These things will pass.” LINK: http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/05/indolent-maori-hating-hard-working-asian-kiwis/

THE DOMINION POST 25 MAY 2014: MAORI DISLIKE ASIAN IMMIGRANTS

MAORI DISLIKE ASIAN IMMIGRANTS more than any other group of New Zealanders, a new poll shows. Asians are blamed for taking jobs from Maori, driving Maori to Australia, lacking understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and competing for cultural funding. "The diversity of New Zealand is beginning to undermine the investment we have in biculturalism. [Maori] don't believe new migrants are sympathetic to biculturalism and the Treaty," said Massey University pro vice-chancellor, Professor Paul Spoonley. Surveys show Maori have an increasingly negative perception of Asians. It is caused by "competition in the labour market . . . and competition for cultural resources," Spoonley said. Maori have a unique position in New Zealand and advancing their cultural and social needs must be put ahead of the needs of immigrants, said Maori Party leader, Te Ururoa Flavell. "[Are Maori] more important than anyone else? Possibly. I think that the most important thing is that the people of the country recognise our unique part in the fabric of this nation," said Flavell. He is concerned immigrants are taking much needed jobs from Maori, contributing to disproportionate emigration to Australia. As the indigenous people of New Zealand, the government should put the needs of Maori ahead of new migrants he said. According to an Asia NZ Foundation survey, Maori views on Asian immigration have deteriorated in the past year. While most New Zealanders increasingly saw the benefit of Asian immigrants, 44 per cent of Maori believed New Zealanders were more negative towards people from Asia compared with a year ago. That is well above the 27 per cent of all New Zealanders who are less positive towards Asians than last year. A majority of Maori also believed New Zealand was allowing too much investment from Asia. While having no particular issue with Asians, Mana Party leader Hone Harawira (whose policies include restricting immigrants from buying homes and requiring them to build) said Maori are worried about the effects all immigration has on the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand. "I think Maori are specifically concerned about immigration. They don't see that the Treaty is being properly protected. If more and more people come here that don't know about it, then there is the likelihood that less people will want to care about it. But Maori people do," Harawira said. Census 2013 figures show 598,605 people of Maori ethnicity living in New Zealand, the second largest ethnic group in the country, after pakeha, with 14.9 per cent of the population. The Asian population is now New Zealand's third largest at 471,711, according to the census. It has grown from 6.6 per cent in 2001 to 11.8 per cent in 2013. Spoonley predicts that within the next two decades the Asian population will be larger than the Maori population. "The fastest growing group in New Zealand are the Asian community. Already in Auckland they almost outnumber Maori and Pasifika," he said. But the growing influence of new cultures in New Zealand will only be surface deep compared with the history and influence of Maori, said Maori leader, Ranginui Walker, who supports Asian Immigration. Maori had to fight for many years to rescue their language and culture and now immigration is being used by those who want to undermine Maori's presence in New Zealand. "Biculturalism is the basic dynamic of New Zealand because the tangata whenua is the base culture. Those people that oppose that ideology try to diffuse it by talking multiculturalism. Their experience of multiculturalism is ethnic food," Walker said. While Asian voter turnout is low, especially in the first generation, Spoonley says there could be a tipping point in demographics, where Asians will seek specific political representation in parliament. He said this could lead to a very different power dynamic 50 years from now, when the ethnic groups outnumber pakeha. MINORITIES NEED TO HARDEN UP SAYS COLLINS Ethnic minorities always cop it in election year but they need to soldier on, Ethnic Affairs Minister Judith Collins has told a conference. In one of her first public outings since her well-publicised "break" following the Oravida controversy, Collins gave the opening address at the EthnicA 2014 conference in Auckland's Mt Wellington yesterday. "Do not let others define who you are. Do it yourself," she said. She concluded her speech with a sentiment that could have applied to her own recent struggles: "It's election year," she said. "All sorts of things are going to be said. Some of them are going to be really hurtful. These things will pass." Hong Kong-born Aucklander Bevan Chuang, pictured, who gained fame after admitting to a two-year affair with Auckland mayor Len Brown, agreed that criticism of migrants rose in election years. Chuang said in good economic times Asians were blamed for buying all the houses, in bad economic times they were blamed for taking jobs. LINK: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/editors-picks/10081307/Maori-dislike-of-Asian-immigration-deepens

WEEKEND HERALD 24 MAY 2014: AKL IMAM KEPT UNDER POLICE SURVEILLANCE

Abu Abdulla is banned from four mosques. He is a former plastic surgeon. The man at the centre of a mosque battle in Auckland has allegedly been monitored by police for potential terrorist allegiances. The Weekend Herald can reveal that Abu Abdulla, an imam who has been banned from the Avondale Islamic Centre, is Mohamed Abu Hamam. Mr Abdulla confirmed he also goes by the name of Hamam, but did not know if he was the person named in a United States Embassy warning in 2005. The Federation of Islamic Associations in New Zealand said it was made aware in 2011 of Mr Abdulla's other identity and extremist preaching. Reports on potential terrorist activity here, including warnings from police to US officials in a cable released by WikiLeaks in 2010, named "Hamam" as a person monitored by the police. "The New Zealand Police recently provided information indicating some New Zealand Muslims have fought in Afghanistan, Bosnia and possibly Chechnya," the cable said. Mr Abdulla, 50, said he was a plastic surgeon in Egypt before he moved here in 1998 after one of his family members was targeted and killed by the Egyptian police. He denied his family had any links with terrorist organisations, but admitted to having worked in Pakistan and several countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, which he visited last year. The father of seven is embroiled in a fight with the New Zealand Muslim Association, which has banned him, his sons and some of his supporters from its mosques in Avondale, Ponsonby, Ranui and Birkenhead. He was issued a trespass notice first in 2012, and again this month. The situation has escalated. Earlier this month, a senior member of the association, Haider Lone, was severely beaten at the Avondale mosque. Mr Lone was in hospital for 10 days, and is now in hiding. Two men, whose passports were cancelled before they could board a plane to join the Syrian war, attended classes conducted by Mr Abdulla, but he denied asking them to join the conflict. Abu Abdulla says Muslims are forbidden to be associated with the New Zealand flag because it has the St George Cross on it. A senior member of the association, who requested anonymity, said Mr Abdulla followed Wahhabism, a strand of Islam which Osama bin Laden adhered to, that "promoted extremism, radical and anti-Western" ideas. He described Mr Abdulla as a "destructive force" and someone local Muslim leaders were "trying to remove" from the community. He said Mr Abdulla preached that those who did not follow Wahhabism, which he believed to be the only path of true Islam, were "infidels". Mr Abdulla also preached it was "haram" - forbidden - for Muslims to carry, fly or drape themselves in the New Zealand flag. Mr Abdulla told the Weekend Herald it was forbidden for Muslims to be associated with the NZ flag because the St George Cross was on it. For the same reason, they were also forbidden to have face paintings or temporary tattoos with the flag. "From Islam, you cannot raise another flag that represents another religion. You cannot raise the flag of Jews, Christians or the cross, because we're Muslim," he said. During a Friday khutbah, or public preaching, on the weekend the Rugby World Cup kicked off in 2011, three of those present said Mr Abdulla told the congregation: "Do not be infidels by carrying or waving New Zealand flags to support the All Blacks." The Blockhouse Bay Rd mosque, where Mr Abdulla has been preaching for the past four years, was closed indefinitely by the association on Monday due to safety concerns. Acting president Mohammed Faiaz said members had been assaulted and their cars damaged, and mobs had turned up at homes to threaten them and their families. Mr Faiaz said he received further threats after he was named in a Weekend Herald report last Saturday. On Sunday, a security man hired to guard the mosque, Bill Frost, was assaulted twice and threatened with jihad, or holy war. He said he understood jihad to be a "religious assassination notice" and fears for his safety and the safety of the seven children who live in his family home. A Weekend Herald reporter was also threatened and was warned by a worshipper he and the paper would be harmed if further articles on Mr Abdulla or the mosque appeared. Photos of the reporter, his car and the paper's photographer were uploaded to a Facebook page of one of the mosque members. Islamic federation president Anwar Ghani said the violence and threats were "highly regrettable" and "totally unacceptable". "I am disappointed that an arrest hasn't been made," Dr Ghani said. Dr Ghani said the federation did not support Mr Abdulla's religious views or teaching. "If this is the kind of feeling he has and these are his views, then I don't think we want that type of person to be involved." LINK: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11260760

NEW ZEALAND: A NEW BLOG MONITORING POVERTY OF NZERS

IT'S CALLED "POVERTY WATCH" and its main purpose is to challenge the political system on issues regarding the poverty in our country such as Housing and raising prices. You can find more information at: http://povertywatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/ and on FACEBOOK at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poverty-Watch-NZ/505996066189414 You are very welcome as well to join the Team keen to help Kiwis living in poverty.

NZ HERALD 21 MAY 2014: ASIAN DEMAND IN CHINA AND THAILAND PUSHING UP GLOBAL METH INPUT

STRONG AND GROWING DEMAND FOR DRUGS IN ASIA is driving up global production of methamphetamine, with seizures in the region tripling in five years to record levels. Both the use and the production of the drug is growing in the region, in concert with the expanding economy of the world's most populous continent, leading to growing social problems and higher health-care bills. Methamphetamine, also called "meth" and "ice", is an extremely addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Chronic use can lead to mood disturbances, violent behaviour, as well as symptoms of psychosis, such as paranoia and hallucinations. Asia has long served the world's largest market for amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), the UN body says. Seizures of ATS-related drugs tripled to at least 36 tonnes a year in the five years to 2012. In 2008, Chinese authorities seized six tonnes of methamphetamine. That figure soared to more than 16 tonnes in 2012, accounting for about 45 per cent of total methamphetamine seizures for Asia that year, the UNODC said. Thailand has also seen its highest levels of seizures of methamphetamine pills and the drug in its crystalline state in the past five years, said the report, entitled Global Synthetic Drugs Assessment: amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances. The report said the drug is often trafficked long distances. NEW ZEALAND HERALD 21 MAY 2014, PAGE A 23. READ AT: http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx

NZ HERALD 18 MAY 2014: THE REAL COST OF CUT-PRICE JUSTICE

Special investigation: Crown prosecutors are cutting costs by adopting American-style plea bargains, allowing criminals to plead guilty to less serious charges. It saves the taxpayer the cost of length trials and jail sentences — but, asks Amy Maas, at what risk to the public? Standing in the dock this week, Matthew Tia looked solemn. "I knew I was skating on thin ice," he says. He didn't know what his sentence would be — but he did know he was going to get off more lightly than the seven years in prison he initially faced. Six months earlier on November 19, a man had nicked Tia's girlfriend's wallet. Tia retaliated by beating the man so severely in an Auckland takeaway shop that he left his victim lying unconscious in his own blood. Tia fled. When he turned himself in to police he was charged with wounding with intent to injure. If he had been found guilty he could have spent up to seven years in prison. Tia has form: as a young member of the local Crips gang in 2007, he had been convicted of aggravated robbery and grievous bodily harm. "The police got [the victim's] story before mine and what they found on the system about me gave them this perception of me as a monster in the community," Tia complains. He tells the Herald on Sunday that he was prepared to defend himself. But just six days after the attack, a Crown prosecutor from Auckland law firm Meredith Connell offered to downgrade his charge to avoid a trial. Tia took the easy way out and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge. The new charge was amended to injuring with intent, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail. In Auckland District Court on Wednesday, Tia was sentenced to 10 months' home detention. "I wouldn't have been surprised if I did [go to jail] considering my history. I was skating on thin ice; however, the judge saw my genuine effort to change," he says. "It is still an everyday battle, but I guess I'm still tipping the balance in my favour." The scales of justice will continue to tip in the favour of criminals with budget cuts and changes to the Criminal Procedure Act allowing profit-driven law firms like Meredith Connell to bypass the courts and negotiate quick and easy American-style plea bargains. This can give criminals the option of pleading guilty to less serious charges so the Crown can avoid the cost of going to trial. The change saves taxpayers court costs, and can save criminals like Tia jail time. That suits Tia, who sees himself as an aggrieved party trying to put his violent past behind him — but victims of crime and the wider public may be less sympathetic. Labour justice spokesman Andrew Little calls it cut-price justice. "The reality of justice is that it does cost, that's the cost of law and order in society. We have rules, we have laws, they have to be enforced and they have a cost to that." "I don't think it's good for offenders who have to face up to the reality of their offending or for society who want to know people who commit offences are being properly held to account." READ MORE AT: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11256874

NZ HERALD 19 MAY 2014: AUCKLAND'S CCTV PLAN TO KEEP EYES ON YOU

A city-wide surveillance network of CCTV cameras is being stitched together in Auckland as the forerunner of a national system which could include facial recognition technology. The network will include thousands of cameras which will be available for police to use under a formal agreement with the council. The agreement says the system would need to be reviewed to take into account rapidly evolving technology "including face recognition and licence plate recognition", adding that the council "itself might also look at enhanced technologies". Civil liberties advocates have expressed concern over the project, suggesting it means everyone is a suspect while advocates for the system say it will help make the city safer. Documents through the Official Information Act set out rules through which police would be allowed to access live feeds from the cameras, including "specific crime and safety hot-spots", traffic management and "real-time matters being investigated or responded by police". Police would also be able to take direct control of the cameras for emergencies, "public safety issues", "real-time crime prevention investigations or activities" and traffic accident prevention. The guidelines also allow for surveillance or monitoring of "specific individuals for specific criminal acts, organised crime or other reasonably suspected criminal behaviour" including terrorism. Access is granted for those purposes "on the basis of such evidence or reasonable suspicion of criminal offending." Police can currently request footage from council but have no formal arrangement. They have not been able to access live feeds or take direct control of the cameras. The project is being overseen by the Crime Prevention Partnership Forum which is made up of the security industry group, police, Auckland Council and retail industry representatives. Minutes from its only meeting quote police headquarters Inspector Rob Duindam stating the Auckland project "would have a wider application." "We are now looking at trying to get some shape around it on a national basis which ... is both doable and in fact is desirable." The project builds on work in Auckland Council to bring its CCTV network together. Auckland Transport's network alone includes 2500 cameras on bus, ferry, rail and road networks. There are hundreds of others dotted through retail and recreation centres across the city. A spokesman for police headquarters said CCTV had benefits for crime prevention, community safety and emergency management. "Once finalised they could form the basis of similar arrangements elsewhere in NZ for police access to public facing CCTV owned by local authorities and associated bodies." He said discussions acknowledged the "capabilities" of new technologies in networked CCTV, including facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition. But he said "there are no plans at this time for the use of these technologies by police in any national networked CCTV system". Auckland Council community policy manager Manoj Ragupathy said a stocktake of cameras was under way. NZ Council for Civil Liberties spokesman Batch Hales said those introducing such a system needed to explain why it was needed. "The other issue is the philosophy behind it - that everyone is effectively a suspect so we need to check on everyone to make sure they are not." A 2012 survey found 93 per cent of Kiwis believed it was acceptable for police to use facial recognition technology to help identify people from security camera footage. Caught on camera • Auckland Council, police, retailers' groups and the security association are working to build a network of CCTV cameras. • The council doesn't know how many cameras exist and is carrying out a stocktake. • Auckland Transport has about 2500 cameras on its bus, ferry, rail and road network. • Police will be allowed access under a set of conditions and will be able to carry out surveillance of specific individuals under some circumstances. • All parties to the project cite privacy as an important principle to be recognised. LINK: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11257325

THE MOSCOW TIMES 12 MAY 2014: DONETSK SEPARATISTS CLAIM 90% SUPPORT INDEPENDENCE IN REFERENDUM

Pro-Moscow rebels have declared a resounding victory in a referendum on self-rule for eastern Ukraine, with some saying that means independence and others saying it means an eventual union with Russia. Organizers in the main region holding the makeshift vote on Sunday said nearly 90 percent had voted in favor of self rule. Well before polls closed, one separatist leader said the region would form its own state bodies and military after the referendum, formalizing a split that began with the armed takeover of state buildings in a dozen eastern towns last month. Another said the vote simply showed that the East wanted to decide its own fate, whether in Ukraine, on its own, or as part of Russia. "Eighty-nine percent, that's it," the head of the separatist electoral commission in Donetsk, Roman Lyagin, said by telephone when asked for the result of a vote that the pro-Western Ukrainian government in Kiev has condemned as illegal. Sunday's vote went ahead despite a call by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to postpone it — a move that briefly raised hopes for an easing of tension. Western leaders have accused Putin of destabilizing Ukraine, a charge Moscow denies. The European Union declared the referendum illegal and prepared to increase pressure on Russia on Monday by taking a first step towards extending sanctions to companies, as well as people, linked to Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. A festive atmosphere at makeshift polling stations in some areas belied the potentially grave implications of the event. On the edge of Slovyansk, fighting broke out around a television tower, and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said one serviceman was wounded. A man was later reported killed in a clash in the eastern town of Krasnoarmeisk, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported, adding to a toll so far in the dozens but creeping higher by the day. Ukraine's Interior Ministry called the eastern referendum a criminal farce, its ballot papers "soaked in blood". One official said two-thirds of the territory had not participated. Ballot papers in the referendum in the regions of Donetsk, which has declared itself a "People's Republic," and the much smaller Luhansk, were printed without security provision, voter registration was patchy and there was confusion over what the vote was for. Separatists in Luhansk said only 5 percent had voted against. One leading separatist said Ukrainian troops would be declared illegal occupiers once results of Sunday's referendum were announced. "It is necessary to form state bodies and military authorities as soon as possible," Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-styled Donetsk republic said, according to Interfax news agency. Lyagin, head of the rebel central electoral commission in Donetsk, also took a strong position on the results. "That can be considered the final and official result," he said, reporting exact figures of 89.07 percent for and 10.19 percent against. "We demand the right to self-determination, and we will get it." He said the result meant Ukraine's May 25 presidential election would not take place in the Donetsk region. LINK: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/donetsk-separatists-claim-90-support-independence-in-referendum/499919.html

THE INDEPENDENT 7 APRIL 2014: HUNGARY ELECTION - FAR-RIGHT JOBBIK PARTY WINS 20% OF VOTE

Sweeping gains by Hungary’s neo-Nazi Jobbik party provoked concern across Europe after the anti-Semitic organisation won one in five votes in a general election which returned the maverick right-wing Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, to power. Results showed that far-right Jobbik, which wants detention camps for Roma “deviants” and has argued that Jews are a “national security risk”, had upped its share of support by five per cent and had secured 20.86 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s election. The party’s leader, Gabor Vona, said the result allowed Jobbik to claim the title of “strongest national radical party” in the EU, and Hungary’s second largest political party. “Jobbik continuously increases it popularity and ahead of the European parliament elections it is important to make this clear,” he said. However, its success at the polls caused alarm in much of Europe. Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, described Jobbik as an “unashamedly neo-Nazi party” and said its electoral success should serve as a “wake up call”. “This is a party that feeds on hate,” he said. Despite Jobbik’s gains, Mr Vona said he and his supporters were disillusioned with the result. “We outperformed pollsters’ expectations, but we were not able to achieve the goal we set for ourselves of winning the elections,” he added. Gordon Bajnai, one of the leaders of Hungary’s opposition socialist-liberal Five Party Alliance, described the result as a “crushing defeat” and as a “great disappointment” for those Hungarians who had wanted change. The election handed a clear victory to Viktor Orban, Hungary’s controversial right-wing, neo-liberal Fidesz Party leader, who celebrated the result in the capital Budapest with thousands of jubilant supporters on Sunday evening, claiming that the country was now on the threshold of a “new and wonderful epoch”. READ MORE AT: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/concerns-as-neonazi-jobbik-party-wins-20-of-hungary-vote-9244541.html YOU CAN FIND JOBBIK PARTY ONLINE AT: http://www.jobbik.com/

THE TELEGRAPH 13 MAY 2013 - EU Elections 2014: THE RISE OF THE NEW EUROPEAN FAR-RIGHT, 44 MPs TO INSTALL

As the 2014 European elections draw near, far-Right parties such as France's Front National are planning a new political bloc that could have a lasting impact on the continent. Some parties, like Golden Dawn, are too extreme to join. Others, like Ukip, are reluctant to be associated with the radical right. As the European elections draw near, polls show that radical Right parties from 12 out of the 28 European Union countries are expected to win representation. Such an outcome has the potential to install 44 far-Right MEPs – an increase of almost 20 per cent since the last elections in 2009 – in the European Parliament. Golden Dawn – the Greek grassroots party that refers to Hitler as “a great personality” – is expected to win two seats; Jobbik, the notorious Hungarian ultranationalist party, is likely to win four. But the real threat comes from a subtler force: a burgeoning European phenomenon known as the “new far Right”, of which the Sweden Democrats is a part. These parties, the most prominent of which is the Front National of Marine le Pen, have gone to great pains to sanitise both their message and the manner in which it is delivered. The jackboots, skinheads and slogans have been consigned to the past. Instead, in their sharp suits and ties, their politicians look almost respectable. This is the far-Right 2.0, and it is poised to have a deep effect on Europe. After the 22 May elections, it will almost certainly change the political landscape of the EU. The French Front National, which is expected to win a massive 18 seats – a sixfold increase on its last European performance – is planning to form an axis with Geert Wilders’ Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) and create a new far-Right, Eurosceptic political bloc. This would receive more than £2 million a year in public funding, be allocated speaking time in the European Parliament, and be allowed to play a more significant role in influencing legislation. Geert Wilders has said that Ukip will be tempted to join, forming a grand alliance of Eurosceptics in the European Parliament (which has long been Mr Wilders' dream). But given Nigel Farage’s insistence that the Front National has “anti-Semitism and general prejudice in its DNA”, and his promise never to join forces, this seems highly unlikely. Currently there are seven parliamentary blocs in the European Parliament, spanning the political spectrum; Ukip are part of Europe of Freedom and Democracy, a right-wing Eurosceptic group that is further to the Right than the Tories' group (the European Conservatives and Reformists) but would not be classed as far-Right. The advent of an eighth on the far-Right is likely to shake up the existing status quo. In order to achieve this goal, Ms le Pen and Mr Wilders would need to muster at least 25 MEPs from seven different countries. The first criterion is not a problem; the Front National and the PVV along are expected to achieve 23. But in order to satisfy the second criterion, they need to persuade at least five other parties to rally under their banner. The Austrian Freedom Party, Belgium’s Vlaams Beland, Italy’s Lega Nord and the Slovak National Party have all been mooted as possible members. There have also been talks between the Front National and the Sweden Democrats. Mr Åkesson has played down the significance of these discussions, as the Front National is deeply unpopular in Sweden. But come 22 May, he may yet decide to play kingmaker. For now, he is keeping his powder dry. “We are looking into what’s going on in Europe right now,” he says. “We haven’t decided who we will join yet. We are friends with the Front National, but we also feel a very close connection with the (anti-immigration) Danish People’s Party, which is not close to the Front National. It is quite complex.” READ MORE AT: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/10828567/EU-Elections-2014-the-rise-of-the-new-European-Right.html#source=refresh

NZ HERALD 16 MAY 2014: POLICE CITE ROAD DEATHS TO OPPOSE CANNABIS LAW REFORM

Police say they do not support the decriminalisation of natural cannabis despite calls by Auckland's Deputy Mayor that it's safer than banned synthetic versions. Penny Hulse said it was time New Zealanders discussed the decriminalisation of cannabis, much as they had had discussions on prostitution and same-sex marriage. But a police national headquarters spokesman said there was no political will for decriminalisation and their stance on the issue was clear. "Police do not support the decriminalisation of cannabis." Last week Prime Minister John Key told the Herald he did not support the decriminalisation or legalisation of drugs. On Wednesday Ms Hulse told an Auckland Council committee drawing up a policy on legal highs that it made no sense to regulate synthetic cannabis without considering safer alternatives. READ MORE AT: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11255679

NZ HERALD 13 MAY 2014: INEQUALITY IN NZ UNDER SPOTLIGHT

TWO BRITISH HEALTH RESEARCHERS ARE GEARING UP TO CHALLENGE New Zealanders' unusually high tolerance of what many countries consider a social evil - inequality. Professors Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, whose book The Spirit Level was subtitled "Why more equal societies almost always do better", will present this year's Sir Douglas Robb Lectures at the University of Auckland from May 19-23. Economist Tim Hazledine says the book "has made a huge impact on just about every field of social science and policy analysis" since it appeared in 2009. The European Union and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission are both proposing to make companies disclose the ratios between their chief executives' packages and their median pay rates. OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria said last week: "Inequality undermines societies and damages economies. It is not enough to put in place policies that harness growth, we must also ensure that the benefits of growth are shared by everyone." But in New Zealand, the Labour Party is struggling to get inequality off the ground as an election issue. Professor Hazledine points to a 2006 survey of 32 countries which found New Zealanders were less supportive of redistributing income from the rich to the poor than people in any other nation. Asked, "Do you think it should or should not be the government's responsibility to reduce income differences between the rich and the poor?" only the barest majority of Kiwis, 50.1 per cent, said yes - behind even Americans (52.2 per cent), and little more than half of the 90 per cent-plus support for redistribution in Portugal, Chile or Slovenia. "We have to understand why we don't have blood flowing in the streets," Dr Hazledine says. READ MORE AT: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11253734

BBC NEWS 12 MAY 2014 - GREEK FAR RIGHT GOLDEN DAWN APPROVED FOR EU ELECTIONS MAY 22/25

THE GREEK SUPREME COURT has given the go-ahead for the ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn party to run in elections to the European Parliament this month. Golden Dawn is currently under criminal investigation. Six of its MPs, including its leader, are in prison awaiting trial on charges involving murder, arson and extortion. The party entered parliament for the first time in 2012, amid public alarm over immigration and the jobs crisis. Many describe the party as "neo-Nazi". Golden Dawn has an emblem resembling the Nazi swastika and members have been seen giving Nazi-style salutes. The party insists that it does not embrace Nazi ideology. The Greek government has resisted calls to ban Golden Dawn, arguing the case for democracy in a country previously plagued by authoritarian rulers, including a seven-year military dictatorship. Opinion polls currently put Golden Dawn below the ruling conservative New Democracy and the left-wing Syriza alliance, which appear to be neck-and-neck ahead of the 25 May election. Golden Dawn leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos is one of six party MPs in jail pending trial. Their arrests followed the killing of an anti-fascist musician. And two men suspected of links with Golden Dawn have been jailed for life in Greece over the fatal stabbing of a Pakistani immigrant last year. None of the party's 18 MPs is on the election list. Its candidates include two retired senior army officers, AFP news agency reports. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27371457

SMH.TV - WATCH VANGUARD ONLINE

VANGUARD IS A NO-LIMITS DOCUMENTARY SERIES whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show’s correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world’s most important stories. Vanguard has received some of the media industry’s highest honours for journalism, including the 69th Annual Peabody Award, given for excellence in electronic media, and the 2010 Television Academy Honour, which recognizes achievements in programming that present issues of concern to our society in a compelling, emotional and insightful way. Vanguard has also been awarded the 2009 Alfred I duPont-Columbia Award and the 2009 Livingston Award and was nominated four times for a news and documentary Emmy and for a sports Emmy. WATCH AT: http://www.smh.com.au/tv/current-affairs/show/vanguard-4201550.html VERY POPULAR EPISODE: RUSSIAN NEO-NAZIS at: http://www.smh.com.au/tv/Current-Affairs/show/Vanguard/Russian-Neo-Nazis-4202502.html About this episode: Political and economic upheaval is changing the demographic mix of Russia and one side-effect is a growing neo-Nazi movement. Frustrated by their country's ongoing turmoil and an influx of immigrants, mobs of skinheads are turning on migrant workers and posting videos of their violent beatings online. Vanguard correspondent Christof Putzel travels to Russia to investigate... Warning: Contains violent scenes.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: STUDENTS START WHITE PRIDE UNION IN ATLANTA

ATLANTA: The next semester will not start for several weeks, but Georgia State University has already received complaints about a new student club - the White Student Union. Freshman Patrick Sharp said he started the club to serve as a place where students of European and Euro-American descent could celebrate their shared history and culture and discuss issues that affect white people, such as immigration and affirmative action. The club is not an official group recognised by the university. Mr Sharp said any student could join and that he would work with other clubs, such as the Black Student Alliance, on common issues. Georgia State is highly diverse, with whites comprising 38 per cent of students, followed by black people at 35 per cent, Asians at 12 per cent and Latinos at 7 per cent. ''If we are already minorities on campus and are soon to be minorities in this country, why wouldn't we have the right to advocate for ourselves and have a club just like every other minority?'' said Mr Sharp, 18, from Birmingham, Alabama. ''Why is it when a white person says he is proud to be white, he's shunned as a racist?'' Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/students-start-white-pride-union-20130801-2r21h.html

THE WASHINGTON POST 8 MAY 2014: RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS USE COMMON CORE ATTACKS TO UNDERMINE PUBLIC EDUCATION

"A year ago I wrote about how extreme right-wing rhetoric against the Common Core State Standards was clouding a substantive debate about the Common Core State Standards initiative. Now a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center details how right-wing extremists are using Core opposition, conspiracy theories and misinformation to undermine the very notion of public education. The report, called “Public Schools in the Crosshairs: Far-Right Propaganda and the Common Core State Standards,” distinguishes between legitimate criticism of the standards — which comes from various points on the political spectrum — and the right-wing campaign to cast the initiative as a “nefarious plot” by liberals “to turn public schools into anti-American, anti-God indoctrination camps that churn out submissive automatons who will unquestionably serve the interests of the government and big business.” MY OPINION: Criticism or right-wing propaganda? Read the Opinion by Valerie Strauss and get your own one. READ MORE AT: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer sheet/wp/2014/05/08/report-right-wing-extremists-use-common-core-attacks-to-undermine-public-education/

SUNDAY STAR TIMES 4 MAY 2014: WEALTHY CHINESE TURNING TO NZ NOW CANADA HAS SHUT ITS DOORS

Rich Chinese migrants are turning to New Zealand now Canada has shut its doors on a scheme allowing them to buy their way in there, say immigration advisers. In February, Canada cancelled a policy that allowed residency for migrants who loaned the government C$800,000 (NZ$841,000) for three years. Former immigration minister turned adviser Tuariki Delamere said the Canadians had "finally woken up to the fact their scheme was nonsense . . . certainly a lot of people who were lined up for Canada are looking to come here". Wealthy Chinese who wanted to emigrate because of concerns over pollution and a crackdown on corruption who had previously considered Canada were now interested in New Zealand and Australia. READ MORE AT: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10007139/Wealthy-Chinese-knock-on-NZs-door

NEW ZEALAND HERALD 5 MAY 2014: NATIONAL PARTY GONE MULTICULTURAL

MR JOHN KEY PM tells delegates friendly immigration policy a point of difference between National and other parties. Prime Minister John Key laid out the welcome mat for foreigners yesterday and said it was a point of contrast between National and other parties. "We don't put up the fear factor you see from other political parties about the multicultural society that is emerging in New Zealand," he told more than 300 delegates to National's northern conference at Waipuna Hotel yesterday. "We welcome tourists that come from overseas; we welcome people that are going to come and study at our schools and universities; we welcome people who want to invest in New Zealand and we welcome people who want to make their home in New Zealand," he said. "And yes, we welcome people who want to buy a home here and raise a family. That's what a multicultural, confident society is about." New Zealand's future lay in selling things to the rest of the world and the future of the world was about being more connected, he said. "Do any of us think we are really going to get rich selling things to four and a half million New Zealanders?" Mr Key said.There was a larger than usual representation of Pacific Island delegates from South Auckland seats and Mr Key made special mention of it. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/immigration/news/article.cfm?c_id=231&objectid=11249452&ref=rss

HERALD ON SUNDAY 4 MAY 2014: AUCKLAND COUNCIL SURVEY ON ATTITUDES TO ASIANS

AUCKLANDERS shocked by questionnaire on attitudes to Asians: A "racist" Auckland Council survey that asked residents to rate their feelings towards Asians has been scrapped after widespread condemnation. The survey was this week sent to 20,000 residents in two of Auckland's most ethnically diverse suburbs, Balmoral and Northcote, and claimed to be intended to improve shopping precincts in those areas. Locals were asked how they felt — from "very cold" to "very warm" — towards ethnic groups including Pakeha, Chinese, Indian, Korean, and "other Asian" people. The survey also asked people to say if their interactions with the ethnic groups were favourable or unfavourable; whether immigrants contributed to the economy; and if it was a good idea to have Asian businesses grouped together. The ethics-approved survey has been slammed as racist — and the council has apologised and pulled the survey. Ratepayers will foot the $18,000 bill for the botch-up. READ MORE AT: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11249115

USA: ARIZONA STATE MILITIA "PRAETORIAN GUARD" is ON FACEBOOK

The Arizona State Militia (ASM) operates throughout AZ with key units in most counties. http://arizonastatemilitia.com/ to support us or become a member. It's on FACEBOOK at: https://www.facebook.com/arizonastatemilitia

AUSTRALIAN FIRST is ON FACEBOOK

AUSTRALIAN FIRST party is on FACEBOOK since April 2014 at: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianFirst1

WEEKEND HERALD 3 MAY 2014 - 2013 CENSUS: 65.1 PER CENT OF NZ's TOTAL ASIAN POPULATION LIVES IN AUCKLAND

BRIAN GAYNOR is a Weekend Herald columnist. Today is commenting the 2013 NZ Census results as "Challenge and reward in growing ethnic mix". About AUCKLAND: "The latest Census figures show that Auckland continues to be the fastest-growing area and now represents 33.4 per cent of the country's population, compared with 31 per cent in 2001. Auckland also continues to attract a particularly high proportion of the new migrants with 517,182, or 51.6 per cent, of the overseas-born individuals now living in the Auckland region. This compares with 50.7 per cent in the 2001 Census. Overseas-born individuals as a percentage of total population in the regions are as follows: Auckland 36.5 per cent, Waikato 16.8 per cent, Bay of Plenty 16 per cent, Hawkes Bay 13.7 per cent, Taranaki 12.1 per cent, Wellington 24 per cent, Canterbury 18.6 per cent, Otago 17.2 per cent and Southland just 9.7 per cent. Auckland represents 33.4 per cent of the country's total population yet 65.9 per cent of the country's Pacific peoples live in this area, as does 65.1 per cent of country's total Asian population, 26.6 per cent of the country's total European population and 23.9 per cent of Maori. The 2013 Census contains a huge amount of fascinating information that highlights the difficulties facing businesses, particularly in the Auckland area. How does an Auckland retailer satisfy a mix of potential customers which includes European New Zealanders, Asians, Pacific peoples, Maori and foreign tourists? The businesses that can meet the demands of these diverse groups will be the successful companies of the future." READ MORE at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11248572

29 APRIL 2014 - UKRAINE CRISIS: MASKED FAR-RIGHT ACTIVISTS CARRYING FLAMING TORCHES FIGHT IN KIEV

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES 29 APRIL 2014 - GALLERY at: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ukraine-crisis-masked-far-right-activists-carrying-flaming-torches-fight-kiev-1446701

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