CAMPAIGN REPORT

Act Against Intolerance! Civil Society Against Right-wing Extremism 9 November 2007 - International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism

Civil Society Against Right-wing Extremism

The 2007 International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism was very much influenced by the current tendencies of right-wing extremism and antisemitism in Europe and the particular situation in each country. The lessons that we, Europeans, should have learnt from Holocaust and all totalitarian experience seem not to be clear enough. Right-wing extremism is gaining ground all around and the alarming rise of hate crimes against vulnerable people can be taken as a new permanent pogrom.
According to the recent European Crime and Safety Survey of the Fundamental Rights Agency (2004), 9 million people have become victims of hate crimes in the European Union. All available data and analysis are estimating that the situation is getting even worse. The Movement against Racism and for the Friendship of People (MRAP) based in Paris issued a press release ‘against the unbearable apology of National Socialism on the Internet’, warning about a platform of about 3810 sites with ‘nauseating propaganda of nazism’, including ‘paramilitary racist operations’.

The Night of Broken Glass was the very beginning of our darkest hour, the first step of the maximum level of radical evil, the initial stage into the extermination of all Jewish life. Holocaust must never be forgotten.
It is a duty of the democratic European civil society to transmit generation by generation a collective memory based on the concept ‘Holocaust - Never Again’ as a way to overcome hatred, right-wing extremism and totalitarian ideology.

The 2007 International Day against Fascism and Antisemitism was unique by its variety and the creativity of many different simultaneous activities all over Europe, such as educational activities, commemoration events, concerts, demonstrations and actions of solidarity with the victims of the pogroms. For instance, the use of universal symbols such as Picasso’s Guernica picture in the activities organised by the Spanish Movement Against Intolerance combined with adequate music and words is a good example for spreading both historical knowledge and moral commitment against fascism. Especially touching was the opening of the travelling exhibition ‘Train of Remembrance’ which started in Frankfurt and will pass several cities on its way to Auschwitz where the destiny of thousands of children murdered by the nazis will be commemorated.

Europe is in a permanent building process, and its civil society is contributing with its own voice by means of cooperation, education, networking and campaigning. Acting against intolerance at a European level is the political and moral commitment that the UNITED network takes on through its members all over Europe. Such a task requires not only determination and willingness but also effectiveness.
The fight against hatred and fascist and neo-nazi discourses is an extraordinary challenge that must be based on good strategies and practices. This is one of the main goals of ‘Civil Society Against Right-wing Extremism’, a project of UNITED in the frame of the EU life-long learning program GRUNDTVIG.

Education is an excellent instrument against indifference as knowledge is an excellent counter-poison against hatred. The determination of European civil society to act against right-wing extremism requires overcoming the indifference which always has been one of the best allies of fascists.

This report is a collection of good practices that were organised all over Europe during the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism 2007. It aims to serve as inspiration and motivation for those who want to organise low or no budget activities to act against intolerance.

The Night of Broken Glass

A short history: In Germany on 9 November 1938, the Nazis started a pogrom against the Jews. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Jews were subjected to harsh laws against them - being forced to hand over their businesses to 'Aryans', only being allowed to enter in Jewish-owned shops, children only allowed to attend Jewish schools etc. This was accompanied by a wave of organised violence against Jews in the streets and elsewhere. But, until 9 November 1938, many of these attacks had the appearance of being unplanned by the leadership of the Nazi Party and the government of Germany. On November 6th, a young Jew living in Paris, Herschel Grynszpan, received a postcard from his father Zindel who had been deported, along with 18.000 other German Jews, on October 27th to the Polish frontier. The postcard described the terrible conditions that the deportees were living under. Herschel Grynszpan was so angered by what he read that he went to the German Embassy in Paris and shot the first German official he saw, Ernst vom Rath, who died of his injuries on 8 November and the news of his death reached Germany the next day. Hitler and Goebbels were at that moment attending the NSDAP celebration on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Hitler putsch on 9 November 1923. Goebbels directly took up the chance to hold a rabble-speech against Jews.
The pogrom started in Berlin on 9 November 1938, organised unofficially by Hitler's SA storm troops. In a telegram-letter to all SA and SS-groups, Reinhard Heydrich, leader of the SS, clearly ordered the violence to begin. Synagogues were set on fire. Jewish shops had their windows smashed across the country, which gave rise to the name 'Kristallnacht', which freely translated means the Night of Broken Glass. Many Jews were physically attacked too. More than 7000 Jewish businesses across the country were attacked.
Fires were lit in every Jewish area and the Nazis burned religious books. Around 200 synagogues were destroyed. The violence lasted 24 hours and 91 Jews were killed. More than 30.000 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Many of them were killed in the following two months.

The 'Kristallnacht' pogrom is usually seen as the symbolic beginning of the Holocaust. In addition to the approximately 6 million Jews who were the targets of a complete annihilation policy, were an estimated 5,5 million 'enemies of the German state', criminals and 'a-socials', people with mental disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, trade unionists, political offenders such as communists and socialists, and Roma and Sinti. Estimates of the number of so-called 'Gypsies' murdered are between 200.000 and 1.500.000. The estimated number of homosexuals killed in the camps varies from 10.000 to 15.000.

The expression 'Night of Broken Glass' was given to the event by the Nazis themselves, because it mocked what had happened. German anti-fascists today prefer to describe the pogrom as 'Reichs-pogromnacht', although in other countries the terms 'Night of Broken Glass' and 'Kristallnacht' are better known.

Campaigning With UNITED

We, who work at the UNITED secretariat in Amsterdam, are often asked how such a huge European-wide campaign as the 'International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism' can be coordinated by a small secretariat with only few staff members. The answer is quite simple: UNITED is not just an office, it is the European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees. Hundreds of NGOs all over Europe organise special activities, making use of the strong network structure of more than 560 organisations in 49 countries, and of course also supported by the secretariat staff.

A European-wide campaign has to be prepared very carefully - this takes time - preparations start more than 6 months in advance. One of the main principles within the UNITED network is that everyone is an expert in his or her working field and can still learn from others. Consequently at UNITED conferences all different opinions and ideas are discussed in special 'Campaign Working Groups', to find common slogans, to share experiences and to discuss ideas for common action. At the secretariat, these ideas are translated into a campaign poster with background information. As soon as the posters are printed, communication is needed: e-mails and phone-calls to hundreds of NGOs to motivate them to join the campaign. NGOs order posters - 40.000 free posters are distributed all over the continent - and share their plans for acti-vities. To give an overview on what is planned all over Europe, UNITED publishes a 'List of Activities'. This way, many NGOs get inspired and can find partners to co-operate with. Furthermore, UNITED sends a media release to all important European press agencies. By joining the campaign, even the smallest NGO can profit from being part of a European-network since the media's reactions to the press release are directed to local organisations.

On November 9, organisations all over Europe organise very diverse events, but take part in one common European campaign. After the events the UNITED secretariat collects all information on the activities from the NGOs all over Europe. A European Report is compiled and sent to thousands of organisations throughout Europe, to be used by NGOs to find new ideas, to raise funds or to do media work. That is why it is so important that those organisations, which participated in the campaign, provide UNITED with material about their activities. Not every organisation and not every country could be mentioned in this report, because we either didn't get any material or received it too late.
On behalf of the whole network, we would like to thank the participating organisations for their engagement making such a successful campaign possible. Connecting so many motivated people and organisations, the name of the network truly stands for its principle: UNITED for Intercultural Action.

GOOD PRACTICES

Living Library: Dialogue Removing Barriers

“Did you ever had a discussion with a stereotype?
Why don’t you lend one at the ‘Living Library’?!”
Just imagine, there is an asylum-seeker, a blond women, an (ex-)politician, a gay Muslim, a black Jew, an animal rights activist, an African Jew or a civil servant and you can borrow them like a book in a ordinary library, just to have a chat or a discussion...
This method of creating an open dialogue between diverse groups of people is called “Living Library”. It became one of the most successful tools in fighting stereotypes or prejudices, since it was initially developed by the Danish NGO “Stop the Violence” in the year 2000.
One of the impressive proofs that this method of non-formal education works is the project ‘Mensenbieb’ in the Netherlands. It was carried out by K!M in 2005, but still it’s continued in various forms. The feature that also contributed to the great success
of the project was the unconventional idea to set it up as a mobile library bus to approach people on festivals or public events. Personal storytelling of the human “books” gave the visitors the possibility to discover the people behind the stories and stereotypes.

Train of Remembrance

Between 1940 and 1944, the nazis deported more than 12.000 German children and adolescents and 1.5 million children from the occupied countries of Europe to concentration camps where most of them were killed. The deportations were mostly carried out with the logistic aid of the German Reichsbahn and the national railways in the occupied countries. The travelling exhibition ‘Train of Remembrance’ is dedicated to preserve the memory of the deported children.
The ‘Train of Remembrance’ started its journey on 9 November 2007 in Frankfurt and follows the former deportation route of the German state railway which went through major German cities such as Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Dresden. On its way it covers a distance of 3000 kilometres and passes the home towns of more than 12.000 children that have been deported to concentration camps. The train will be arriving in Auschwitz on 8 May 2008, the day of the liberation of the death camp.
The train consists of a steam engine and two wagons in which photos, letters and documents from the deported children are displayed.Connecting the exhibition with real biographies of the deported children, it evokes empathy with their fate and brings the history of the deportations to life: the delivery of the deportation notices, the way to the detention camps, the transport through cities and villages to the deportation trains. The exhibition also commemorates the mass deportations of children and their families in formerly occupied European countries.
The perpetrators are also portrayed in the exhibition in order to raise awareness for the fact that many people were responsible for realizing the deportations: authorities from the national Ministry of Transport, SS members, police and staff of the railway logistics who were involved in the transport of the children to the death camps.
The ‘Train of Remembrance’ is a project organised by a citizens’ initiative. After years of public struggle whether or not the exhibition should be showed at train stations it is now being realized without the support of the Deutsche Bahn AG. The citizens' initiative raised funds and rented the railroad tracks from Deutsche Bahn AG for about 3 Euros per kilometre. Nowadays, when antisemitism, xenophobia and right-wing extremism are on the rise again, all parts of the society should contribute to the remembrance of the past and the fight against intolerance. Not everybody seems to committ to this duty yet.

Music Against Racism

The “NEVER AGAIN” Association promoted the anti-fascist and anti-racist message at the Music Against Racism concert in Warsaw on 9 November. The punk-folk-ska group Koniec Swiata played at the gig which gathered several hundred young people. An anti-racist info-stand with anti-fascist records and publications was active and anti-fascist leaflets were distributed to the audience.
‘Music Against Racism’ is a campaign that was started by ‘NEVER AGAIN’ in 1997, inspired by the British Rock Against Racism movement initiated by Tom Robinson in the late 1970s. As part of the Polish campaign, several compilation CDs have been released by “NEVER AGAIN” in cooperation with independent music labels, featuring well-known Polish and foreign rock bands, and Music Against Racism concerts have been organised. In addition, numerous artists have put the Music Against Racism campaign logo on the sleeves of their records. Thus, “NEVER AGAIN” succeeded in convincing many respected musicians to take a stand against racism and many young people were encouraged to reflect on the issue of racism and intolerance.

Antisemitism today – Can I be affected?

On 9 November, MTP Oradea (RO) organised an interactive awareness-raising workshop around the issues of discrimination, racism and intolerance for high-school students. The program was opened with a presentation about the 'Night of Broken Glass' and the Holocaust, which showed how easy it was for prejudices and intolerance to become the justification of crimes against humanity during the 2nd World War. The workshop continued with icebreaking games to create a safe atmosphere for a more confronting activity called 'Where do you stand?'. Making use of challenging statements such as "Would you choose to be black or homosexual?", "Do you believe Roma people are resistant to changes?", "Do you believe men are more racist than women?", participants were confronted with how their own stereotypes influence their choices and behaviour towards other people. Intolerance and prejudices need to be addressed before they are used as an argument for discrimination and racism. This workshop is a good practical example on raising the awareness about the danger of prejudices and about the negative impact of racism in our society. The activity was closed with a candlelight commemoration of Holocaust victims with the presence of local media.

Paperclip against fascism!

The Youth Human Rights Movement (YHRM) and the Youth Network against Racism and Intolerance (YNRI) organised an informational campaign titled “Young Anti-fascists”. This campaign included various internet and street actions and a contest of anti-fascist graphics. To inform about the threat of fascism and to establish international networking against fascism, activists all around Europe spread anti-fascist information material such as stickers and posters. As a symbol of anti-fascism and to recognize each other, the activists wore paper-clips on their clothes, which Norwegian resistance fighters did in 1942 to protest against the occupation and repression trough nazi-Germany during World War II.
This campaign is a good example of a very simple but effective way to protest and act against fascism, and intolerance. Paper-clips, which in this campaign transport a certain value, are not expensive and can easily be used by everybody and spread in a huge amount.

Remembrance of 'Righteous among the Nations'

In the last years, local youth groups of the Austrian Service Abroad organised street actions in Austria within a global context and carried them out as part of the UNITED 9 November Campaigns. This stands as an example of how the idea of international networking and awareness raising is successfully put into a national frame.
The Austrian Service Abroad decided to start a national campaign to inform about the 'Righteous among the Nations', after having registered a lack of knowledge about this topic in the general public. Historical locations all over Austria, such as the birth-house of Adolf Hitler in Braunau am Inn, were selected to organise several street actions all at the same time. This concept of getting a bigger publicity by coordinating several actions on the same day was possible by using the structure of the Austrian Service Abroad and its regional groups.
In order to enable a direct personal contact with the people on the streets, individual histories of 'Righteous amongst the Nations' were shown and discussed. The young activists of the Austrian Service Abroad, as well as the public, got educated in a non-formal way, once again proving that this practice does not take heavy financial recourses to set up such actions – it is all about networking and using the already exis-ting resourses in an efficient way.
The individual histories of the ‘Righteous’ were also documented on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations.

BELARUS

Let’s discuss about tolerance!
In Belarus some NGOs decided to take part in the 9 November campaign despite difficult conditions for independent activities.
From 5-11 November Volonteers Without Borders, and the Amnesty International Belarus LGBT Network, organised an information campaign in Gomel. Information materials were delivered to all schools and main media outlets in the city, campaign stickers and posters were placed all around the city.
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee organised an action in Minsk: they distributed leaflets with information about the signi-ficance of commemoration and explained the meaning of the action to the media, remarking that the number of pro-fascist organisations is not monitored officially in Belarus. They reported that the acts of vandalism on the Jewish cemeteries have become more frequent in recent times: the monument to the Holocaust victims ‘Yama’ (Pit) in Minsk was damaged last year. After which BHC held an action there – laid flowers and lightened candles.

BELGIUM

Commemoration of Holocaust victims
The political discussion about a division of Belgium versus its unity has as consequence growth of nationalism and support of far-right parties by the population of Belgium.
In Belgium, lots of neonazi groups that are forbidden in its neighbour countries, unhinderedly propagate racial hatred and hold events such as concerts with fascist hate rock bands and neonazi rallies. Left-wing politicians and anti-fascist organisations demand a stronger poise by the state towards right-wing movements.

In September, due to the anniversary of the first raids against Jews in Belgium in 1942, Jewish communities and different organisations commemorated the victims of the Holocaust. They hold a pilgrimage to former barracks, organised two manifestations and a commemoration ceremony in front of a monument for the victims of the raids in Antwerpen. They also installed a tag giving information about the occurrences in 1942. By collaborating strongly with the Germans, the Belgian authorities and also civi-lians made themselves to accomplices of the nazis and contributed to the death of thousands of Jews.

Furthermore, the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations held a conference in in Brussels titled ‘Express your Creativity’ concerning interculturalism, European identity and the expression of faith through art.
In Gent, the Jewish community together with the mayor and inhabitants of Gent organised a commemoration ceremony at a monument for the Jewish inhabitants of Gent who were murdered by the nazis.
MRAX (Movement Against Racism, Antisemitism and Xenophobia) held a conference in Brussels about the Belgian collaboration with the nazis.

CROATIA

Cross border cooperation!
The NGO ‘HOMO’ from Pula, member of the Coalition for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Croatia, orga-nised a program named ‘Promotion of European Value’ dedicated to the International Day against Fascism and Antisemitism.
From 9 to 11 November 2007, ‘HOMO’ organised several events: a book presentation, public meetings and discussions in different locations around the county of Istria. The program was generously supported by the local Government of the city of Pula and Istrian county. On the first day of the manifestation, representatives of the League of Anti-fascist Fighters, city and county government and the NGO sector laid flowers on a monument serving the honour of anti-fascism fighters.
This was followed by a public discussion on relations in the triangle ‘Policy-Church-State’ and an exhibition of press clippings. In order to emphasize the necessity of cross-border cooperation between Slovenia and Croatia, a discussion was organised in the city palace of Umag, titled ‘Woman in politics - Peace in the world’, which gathered female politicians and intellectuals from Croatia and from the Slovenian and the Italian part of Istrian peninsula.
On the final day, ‘HOMO’ promoted the book ‘Other roads: women, wars, nationalism’, by Floriana Lipparini from Milan, Italy. She was witness of the tragic war in Bosnia and Croatia and wrote the book about women in the war.

CYPRUS

A rainbow for tolerance
In Cyprus, the conflict between North and South often motivates nationalist attacks, threatens freedom of speech and exposes journalists as victims of violent attacks.

On 28 October 2007, Greek Cypriots organised demonstrations to commemorate and celebrate the anniversary of the Greek resistance to fascism in World War II.
The same day, organisations in Northern Cyprus promoted an event in order to protest against increasing chauvinism, nationa-lism and fascism in Cyprus and its neighbouring countries. Youngsters discussed about common strategies to combat these issues and the writer Nese Yasin contributed with her works and her experiences. The event ended with a music gig.
Around 9 November, KISA - Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism in cooperation with organisations of the migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities, other local NGOs and foreign students in Cyprus organised the popular ‘Rainbow Festival’, which is the largest and longest-standing anti-racist and multicultural event in Cyprus including music, dance, exhibitions, films/documentaries, discussions, children's corner, food and much more.

CZECHIA

Civil society marching against right-wing extremists!
The museum of Romani Culture, a specialized NGO seated in Brno, prepared an interactive programme for students of grammar schools/junior colleges on the 8 and 9 of November. The programme consisted of an explanation about fascism and Holocaust (especially with the latter targeted at Romani people), a short video and some kinds of active involvement (singing a song about the Holocaust, a little painting workshop, etc.).
Youth and Environment Europe, an international youth organisation seated in Prague, held its Day against Racism in a form of a multicultural party stressing also the rights of refugees.

However, the right-wing extremists (nationalists and neonazis) wanted to misuse the date: they announced a march ‘against the war in Iraq’ through the old Jewish quarter in Prague, apparently wanting to blame Jews for that war.
While the authorities failed to ban it (they tried to but in a wrong way so the court thwarted the ban) a wave of civil resistance rose up, stirred up by media. Many NGOs and movements issued protest declarations, dozens of them, including Romani NGOs or Duha, another youth organisation, made appeals to their members and the public to come to the Jewish Quarter to block the antisemitic march.
Over 3.000 people came and took part in four big events: the Jewish Community Prague organised a religious commemoration of the Night of Broken Glass and of the victims of the Holocaust, in front of the Old-New Synagogue (the oldest still functioning one in Europe, built 1270); the Jewish Liberal Union summoned a public meeting at the Old Town Square. Unfortunately it was misused and spoiled by some right-wing politicians who incited hatred against ‘communists and Muslim terrorists’ (despite of the fact that at least a quarter of the participants on the square were anti-fascists and communists). The NGO ‘Tolerance and Civil Society’ organised an educational street party in front of the Old Jewish Town Hall; the anarchist initiatives organised a counter-march dispersing those neonazis who came there through the blockade of the police.
Unfortunately the media, including the public TV, did not report on ideas and backgrounds of the actions. They described just some clashes between the sympathisers of the nazis, the Police and the ‘anarchists’: on these reports the anti-fascist were presented as merely similar ‘extremists’ as the neonazis.

GEORGIA

Activity cancelled due to political situation
Georgian human rights organisations are very concerned about the political situation in their country. In November 2007, wide demonstrations against the government, started in the centre of Tbilisi, accusing president Saakashvili of authoritarianism and calling for his resignation. After five days of protest the government decided to use violence to break it up. With tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, the police dispersed the gatherings. For the International Day against Fascism and Antisemitism, the Human Rights Centre had planned a roundtable with members from different political organisations in Tbilisi, but due to the above-mentioned restrictions they had to cancel it.
In Ozurgeti, the Student-Youth Council organised an activity titled ‘We remember you’. The activists hung up campaign material in the five schools of the town and invited veterans from World War II to talk to the children about their experiences during the war and the fight against fascism and other issues related to fascism.

GERMANY

Saxony democracy award
For many years, neonazi organisations have been trying to join forces and creating an increasing anti-democratic climate in Saxony, one of the former GDR-federal states in Eastern Germany. In some regions, right-wing extremist structures dominate the every day life and make it difficult to promote the values of democracy, tolerance and human rights. Nevertheless, a lot of organisations and initiatives have developed strategies and concrete activities against the extreme right.
In order to honour examples of good practice and innovative approaches against right-wing extremism, several foundations - including Deutsche Bank Foundation, Frauenkirche Foundation Dresden, Freudenberg Foundation and Amadeu Antonio Foundation - granted the Saxony Democracy Award for the first time in 2007. On 9 November 2007, a jury of prominent representatives of politics, culture, science and media selected 3 initiatives and assigned the Awards worth 10.000 € each in Dresden.
The recipients are the ‘Alliance for Human Dignity - against right-wing extremism in the region of Mittweida’, the ‘Network for a Democratic Culture’ in Wurzen, and the ‘School Museum’ for school history in Leipzig. The ‘Alliance for Human Dignity’ was established as a response to the increasing right-wing extremist activities, racist attacks and intolerant attitudes of the mainstream population in Mittweida. The Alliance rests upon a wide base of society to ensure most effective support of campaigns and democratic activities and to break down the dominance of right-wing extremist groups. With its broad variety of cultural, historical and political projects, the ‘Network for a Democratic Culture’ offers a practical infrastructure for people who want to become active against right-wing extremism in their region and beyond. The projects realized by the School Museum Leipzig investigate how teachers and students fought against National Socialism. Thus, it aims at sensitizing for all forms of oppression of democratic participation and decision-making.
The date of the award ceremony was not chosen by chance. The historical events of 9 November reveal the obligation of the defence of democracy and the strengthening of citizens’ courage as a task concerning the whole of society.

Stolpersteine (Stumbling blocks)
One of the most artistic projects of remembering the Holocaust is the work of Gunter Demnig from Köln, Germany. The artist has installed more than 12.500 ‘Stolpersteine’ in 280 cities all over Europe - ‘stumbling blocks’ to remember the individual names and biographies of people who were deported and killed by the nazis. Literally, the German word ‘Stolperstein’ means an obstacle preventing the reaching of a desired goal. Figuratively, pedestrians stumble across the stones and thus develop historical understanding.
The ten times ten centimetres big stones made from brass are integrated in the pavement in front of the last domicile of the victim’s own choice and carry the inscription of his or her name, date of birth and date of deportation and death.
The ‘Stolpersteine’ keep alive the memory of the people who once lived there and were prosecuted and killed in nazi Germany - Jews, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, disabled people, members of the resistance during World War II and many more. The project is born by civil society: students, private persons, organisations, initiatives and also relatives of the victims investigate biographical details, sponsors donate the stones. ‘Stolpersteine’ were installed in many German cities as well as in Austria, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands. On 9 November 2007, several stumbling stones were installed in the city of Heiligenstadt, as a sign against any form of right-wing extremist violence.

GREAT BRITAIN

Freedom of speech?
In November 2007, the Oxford Union Debating Club invited the leader of the British National Party (BNP) Nick Griffin and the convicted Holocaust denier David Irving to give a speech on the occasion of an event concerning freedom of speech. The decision of the famous debating club caused wide protest among the British society. Politicians, trade unions, antifascist and antiracist NGOs, students, Muslim and Jewish communities stressed that there must not be given a platform to racists. Students considered the event as misuse of their university and pointed out that especially they should not be used as forum for far-right politicians to spread their ideas. Some of them stated to be threatened by right-wing extremists who attended the event in support of Griffin and Irving.

A huge variety of organisations and individuals gathered in front of the debating club to express their protest and succeeded to delay the beginning of the event for several hours.
In protest of the club’s decision, several prominent British politicians and lawyers cancelled future speaking engagements at its events or resigned their membership.

GREECE

Media against antisemitism
Human Rights watchers notice constant intolerance and hatred towards migrants, Jews and Roma in Greece. Unfortunately, this attitude is widely accepted by the society and political and juridical authorities, who under the name of freedom of speech mostly ne-glect to prosecute cases of literature proclaiming racial hatred, holocaust denial and hate speech in daily newspapers and television.
In December 2007, for the first time the Greek judiciary made use of the anti-racism law from 1979 by convicting the Holocaust denier Kostas Plevris blaming him of calling for racial hatred and persecution in his antisemite book ‘The truth about the Jews’. On 12 November, the Greek Helsinki Monitor took position against this publication by publishing a press release: ‘In Greece […] there is no anti-racist education and no systematic, official condemnation of antisemitic and other racist acts, which would make the general population realize that these acts and rhetoric are extreme, racist and condemnable. On the contrary, in Greece, there is widespread perception that antisemitic and other racist hate speech should be protected in the name of freedom of speech. On the other hand, in the rest of Europe, and most importantly in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, it is held that freedom of speech does not protect hate speech.’

HUNGARY

Mobile Holocaust exhibition
In August 2007, the swearing-in of the ‘Hungarian Guards’, a paramilitary organisation belonging to the extreme right party ‘Jobbik’, caused wide insurrection and protest on the part of Hungarian and international Jewish communities, politicians and NGOs.
The ‘Hungarian Guards’ wear a black uniform bearing symbols used by the fascist Arrow Cross regime which during World War II collaborated with the German nazis and contributed to the murder and deportation of more than 400,000 Hungarian Jews.
Its opponents fear a resurrection of fascism and antisemitism in Hungary and stress the need to make a strong stand against it and all kinds of belittlement of the cruelties done in the past to make sure that the Holocaust does not slowly sink into oblivion within the (Hungarian) society and that history never repeats itself.
The far-right party ‘Jobbik’ with its anti-Roma and homophobe program constantly spreads racial hatred and prejudices against ethnic, religious, sexual and other minorities.

Around 9 November, the Foundation of Subjective Values held trainings on Jewish culture and nation in Budapest and talked about the Night of Broken Glass and Holocaust. Members of the Jewish community and the Elet Menete foundation organised the ‘Mobile Holocaust Exhibition’, an exhibition about Holocaust as well as Jewish life and culture in Hungary before World War II, arranged in a train which went through several Hungarian cities.
Many people and school classes visited the train and held workshops, commemoration ceremonies and political discussions there. Antisemitism is rising in Hungary, also experienced du-ring the exhibition: some of the posters were daubed with swastikas.

ITALY

No discrimination against Roma!
In recent years the anti-Gypsyism is growing all over Europe. The Italian government, after the murder of an Italian woman by a Roma of Romanian origin, emitted a decree that allows the deportation of migrants from other EU countries if they are considered a threat to public safety. On November 3, Mr Frattini, Italian Commissioner for Justice and Civil Liberties declared: ‘What has to be done is simple. Go into a nomad camp in Rome for example, and ask them: ‘Can you tell me where you live?’ If they say they do not know, take them and send them home to Romania. That is how the European directive works. It is simple and safe. Romania cannot say they will not take them back, because it is an obligation that is part of being a member state of the EU.’
Against this rise of intolerance organisations all over Italy got active during the International Day against Fascism and Antisemitism to demonstrate solidarity with the Roma population.
APS/YARD organised a public meeting in the frame of the project ‘The ghosts become people’. This meeting was a moment of discussion about isolation and criminalisation of Roma communities in the Italian territory.

Activists and refugees from the Association Rieti Immigrans published a short press release in a local news paper and went into the most crowded and important places of the town inviting people and youngsters to visit their office. Here they explained about Holocaust, the Night of Broken Glass and how to raise awareness on antisemitism and tolerance.

LATVIA

Overcoming nationalism through art
On 28 October, the Jewish Community Centre of Riga informed about Jewish culture by telling stories about Diaspora and orga-nised a concert of friendship. Different national art groups and other national minorities' dancers took part in the concert. Latvia is a very multicultural country: by enjoying art and dance, people step over cultural differences. The Jewish Community Centre succeded to raise a positive mood among the participants. This event showed the beauty of nationalities coexisting and that mo-dern youth is ready to communicate, ready to learn history and culture of minorities.

MALTA

Broadcasting tolerance
In Malta, intolerance seems to take root in the society and the number of racially motivated attacks and cases of hate speech in newspapers and in the Internet is constantly growing. Anti-racist organisations and individuals are threatened and intimidated by a spate of fire attacks on journalists, writers, NGOs, politicians and churches.

Around 9 November, members of the Euro-Med Movement in La Valletta took part in a telecast concerning racism, antisemitism and xenophobia discussing and informing the audience about these issues.

MOLDOVA

Freedom and human rights
Activities around 9 November were organised in the city of Komrat by Regional Informative Investigative Study Centre ‘Adept’ which works closely, among others, with Helsinki Citizens Assembly of Moldova. Komrat is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Gagauzia, one of the most multicultural regions in Europe. Activities against natio-nalism and discrimination have a special dimension there, because it was the site of a violent ethnic conflict which was successfully resolved through the peace process in the recent years.
The week began with the presentation of activist NGOs in a live broadcast of Radio Gagauzia. There was also a youth discussion on the topic of ‘Migration – freedom of the movement’ in which 20 people took part. A conference ‘Youth and NGOs in protecting human rights’ was organised by ‘Adept’ in cooperation with Komrat State University. One of the participants says: ‘I realized that we should be more tolerant to those people who come to us from other countries.
We shouldn’t judge people by actions of one person. Deeds of one don’t mean that the whole nation is bad. That is our mistake - we judge them and we don’t understand them.’

NETHERLANDS

Rise of antisemitism and islamophobia
The Netherlands are expecting with eagerness the new film of Geert Wilders, which is announced as very critical towards Islam. Wilders has been severely criticised for his insults of Muslims and Islam. After the murder of Islam critic Theo Van Gogh in 2005, the Netherlands fear a new rise of violence as reaction on the film. Different organisations call upon the Dutch society to protest and act against Wilders’ political program of intolerance.
The Netherlands are struggeling with a rise of Islamism for seve-ral years already, also causing growing antisemitism in the Dutch society. In 2006, the Netherlands was the country with the highest rate of antisemite attacks in Western Europe.

On 9 November, the Memorial centre ‘Kamp Westerbork’ orga-nised a commemoration activity including a speech of a Holocaust survivor talking about her memories of the Night of Broken Glass in Germany and her escape to the Netherlands. Pupils from Lingen in Germany reported about Jewish inhabitants of Lingen who were deported to Kamp Westerbork. A torchlight procession took the 250 participants along the path the pri-soners had to follow in 1942. The commemoration included the victims of civil war in Darfur. Jan Pronk, former UN representative, held a speech about the situation in the region.
The ‘Verzetsmuseum Zuid Holland’ organised a lecture to commemorate the Night of Broken Glass. Ten different people from the Dutch public life, among them minister of finance Wouter Bos, as well as students read small parts of Anne Frank’s Diary ‘Het Achterhuis’.
In Leiden, ‘Werkgroep Anti-Fascisme’ and ‘Fabel van de Illegaal’ organised an activity to inform about antisemitism: on the hand of antisemit cartoons they presented antisemitism during the centuries and especially during the Holocaust. The presentation was followed by a discussion and a performance of Klezmer music.

POLAND

Anti-discrimination film festival
The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association became patron of the Film Festival ‘Prism’. During the festival over seventy movies from all over the world were shown. The main goal of the ‘Prism’ Festival was to promote humanistic values and anti-discrimination. The festival was held in the prestigious Luna Cinema in Warsaw on 9-11 November, and visited by several thousand people who enthusiastically supported the anti-discriminatory message promoted at the event.


ROMANIA

No rehabilitation of fascists!
In Romania, discrimination and intolerance towards ethnic minorities is rampant and often accepted. Especially members of the Roma community are very often discriminated against in parts of ordinary life, such as labour market, education sector and housing situation, and become victims of violent attacks by right-wing extremists and police officers.
Also politicians openly spread prejudices and racial hatred against Roma without being accused or even convicted, since they benefit from political immunity, and even president Basescu made headlines with xenophobe and discriminating statements against Roma and other minorities, such as Albanians.

In October 2007, he officially conceded an active involvement of the Romanian authorities in the deportation of Jews and Roma during World War II and asked the Roma people for forgiveness.
However, in February 2007, the Bucharest Court of Appeal decided to exonerate Marshal Ion Antonescu, who ruled Romania during World War II and was convicted for war crimes and condemned to death in 1946. Antonescu collaborated with nazi-Germany and was responsible for the murder and deportation of more than 400,000 Romanian Jews and Roma and more than 500,000 Romanian soldiers.
Politicians, Jewish communities and NGOs from Romania as well as from other countries expressed their disapproval towards the court’s decision and blamed it for revising history and legitimizing the cruelties done by Antonescu’s regime. They called upon the High Court of Justice to show a strong and clear attitude against fascism and antisemitism in Romania by repealing the exoneration.

RUSSIA

How to protect myself from discrimination?
Racist and fascist motivated violence is constantly rising in Russia: In 2007, the number of nationalist attacks has more than doubled. Anti-fascists and members of national, ethnic, religious and sexual minorities are being systematically attacked and even murdered by nazi gangs patrolling most of the Russian cities. It is estimated that there are more than 70.000 skinheads in Russia today, but their danger is often minimized or ignored by Russian government.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has promised to stamp out right-wing extremism, but by banning non-governmental orga-nisations, harassing opposition political parties and prohibiting anti-fascist street protests, he on the other hand hinders the fight against fascism. Around 9 November, many fascist marches took place in several Russian cities. In St Petersburg a march ended in riots and attacks on anti-fascists and a Chinese restaurant and an Arab café. Several neonazis have been arrested by the police. More than 3000 anti-fascists rallied in St. Petersburg to commemorate Professor Nikolai Girenko, one of the most highprofile antifascist specialists, who was murdered by nazis in 2004. The International Youth Network against Racism and Intolerance (YNRI), the international Youth Human Rights Movement (YHRM) and the movement ‘Young Europe’ organised ‘The Crystal Night – Never Again!’ from 9 to 16 November. During this week, activities took place in several Russian cities. The activists distributed anti-fascist material, held roundtables and lectures, engaged the public in discussions, showed movies concerning fascism, removed swastikas from the walls and pu-blished newspaper. In Moscow, they organised a big film festival with the title ‘Go and Watch - Cinema against Hate’.
The Association Russian Lawyers for Human Rights carried out a seminar with the title ‘How to protect myself from discrimination’ and offered free legal help in cases of discrimination.
In Voronezh, activists gained a lot of attention by hanging up in the streets portraits of people who have been victims of fascism and engaged the public in discussions about the meaning of 9 November.


SERBIA

I will pull your ear if you become fascist!
Serbia experiences an alarming increase in fascist tendencies based on a strong persistence of national and religious affiliation. During the last year, many cases of discrimination and violent attacks were recorded against people from ethnic, religious or other minorities, such as Roma, homosexuals and anti-fascists. Unfortunately, these worrying occurrences are belittled or even ignored by a large part of the Serbian political authorities and civil society. Many people in Serbia are convinced that they left fascism behind with the end of the 90s wars.
QUEERIA - Center for Promoting Nonviolence & Equality and Youth Initiative for Human Rights commemorated the Night of Broken Glass and organised street actions in several cities in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro by distri-buting a lot of anti-fascist material and engaging the public in discussions about the need to fight fascist tendencies. With the slogan ‘I will pull your ear if you become fascist’, they stressed that fascism is not something to be discussed and called upon state and civil society to refuse fascism as a political opinion and to act against it.


SLOVAKIA

In memory of Daniel
On 4 November 2005, Neonazis killed Daniel Tupy, a 21 year old student from Bratislava. This brutal murder raised an emotional wave against right-wing extremism in the society. The anti-fascist NGO, People Against Racism (PAR), decided to express its disapproval by organising a march in memory of Daniel. The march took part on 9 November 2005 and was connected with the Night of Broken Glass commemoration. It was supported by 5000 people, among them politicians and famous people of public life. From that time on, the Slovak antifascist community connects the memory of 9 November with the memorial of the murder of Daniel. In 2007, PAR in cooperation of the veteran group Antifascist Fighter Association remembered 9 November by lighting up candles in the shape of a crossed swastika. The action continued with a peaceful march that headed to the Memorial dedicated to all victims of racism and neonazism, which was built in the spot where Daniel was murdered.

On 8 November, a group of young people and volunteers from PAR, organised an info stand in a traditional market in Puchov. They spread information about the UNITED International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism, stickers, leaflets and posters among children and adults who went to the market.

SPAIN

Guernica as a symbol against intolerance
Although Spain has no tradition on Holocaust commemoration, several NGOs and members of the Jewish community answered to the UNITED call to Act against Intolerance.
The association Movement Against Intolerance organised for students from Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Zaragoza, Valencia and Valladolid activities related with Holocaust such as documentaries, debates and symbolic events. They organised an activity in high-schools in Malaga and Seville focusing on the Picasso’s painting Guernica, a symbol of pain and horror of the Spanish Civil War that is used today as a symbol against intolerance. The painting became a universal metaphor of crimes against Humanity because the city of Guernica was bombed by the nazi in 1937.
Students painted parts of the picture, which were later put together on a big wall, followed by a discussion about the symbolism of the picture connected with Holocaust and the Night of Broken Glass.

The association Columbares, organised presentations in schools for 32 pupils. Several topics and definitions were explained inclu-ding antisemitism, fascism, into-lerance, stereotypes, prejudices, discrimination, human rights as well as the Night of Broken Glass. Through dynamic methods pupils could identify stereotypes or situations of discrimination, they shared experiences about racism and intolerance and reflected on the meaning of tolerance and sharing, two important values nowadays.

SWEDEN

Rap-singer and Auschwitz survivor
On 9 November, The Arbetarnas Bildingsforbund Malmö orga-nised a torch-lit procession to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and a demonstration against racism. They had invited four speakers, among them Helena Svantesson, who is a survivor of Auschwitz, and Behrang Miri, a popular rap-singer from Malmö as moderator. Because of the very special connection to the topic of the speakers the event received a good visibility, and the popularity of the moderator helped to attract a larger audience.

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UNITED for Intercultural Action
European network against nationalism, racism, fascism
and in support of migrants and refugees
Postbus 413, NL-1000 AK Amsterdam, Netherlands
phone +31-20-6834778, fax +31-20-6834582
info@unitedagainstracism.org, www.unitedagainstracism.org