allAfrica.com: South Africa: Angolan Refugee Killed
Nomangesi Mbiza
17 June 2009
The death of an Angolan has raised more questions about the safety of refugees at the Nyanga refugee centre.
Sebastian Santana, 29, was stabbed to death by unidentified men on Monday morning at the bridge near the centre. Angolan refugee leader Joao Nascineto told the Cape Argus last night that Santana was on his way to the centre to renew his papers when he was approached by men who told him to go back to his country.
"They then tried to rob him and when he resisted, they stabbed him three times," Nascineto said. He said refugees were concerned about xenophobic attacks in the area, and had asked that the centre be moved.
"If the location is not changed, more bodies are going to be seen there. My friend, colleague and my countryman has died, how many have to die until something is done about the centre?" Nascineto asked.
Braam Hanekom, chairperson of Passop (People against Suppression, Suffering, Oppression and Poverty), said it was not only the refugees but also the neighbouring businesses who wanted the centre moved.
Bishop Lavis police spokesperson Captain Marie Louw said police found Santana's body at about 10.20am in the field alongside Borcherd's Quarry Road.
"According the clerk at the Nyanga Home Affairs office, (Santana) had an appointment for 7am to renew his work permit," she said. Santana had apparently not been robbed, since he still had his cellphone, as well as R2 400 in his pocket.
"Police are investigating a murder case," Louw said. A Somali shopowner was shot and killed in Guguletu on Monday night.
Police spokesperson Captain Elliot Sinyangana said four men entered the shop, then pulled out guns and demanded money. The shopowner was shot in the upper body and the men escaped with cash, cigarettes and airtime.
Sinyangana said that at a meeting called by the police in the area on Tuesday, local shopowners distanced themselves from the incident, saying it was a straight criminal case.
Agresión racista en Belfast contra inmigrantes rumanos
Veinte familias de etnia gitana dejan sus casas tras ser atacados con botellas y ladrillos
WALTER OPPENHEIMER | Londres 17/06/2009
Un total de 115 ciudadanos rumanos de etnia gitana -incluido un bebé nacido hace cinco días- tuvieron que refugiarse el martes por la noche en una iglesia del sur de Belfast tras sufrir varios días de acoso racista. Irlanda del Norte ha vivido un incremento de los incidentes racistas en los últimos años, en parte por el aumento de la población inmigrante tras el fin de los disturbios entre católicos y protestantes y en parte porque algunos grupos de la población han dirigido a los extranjeros el sectarismo que antes mostraban contra sus conciudadanos del bando opuesto.
Las 20 familias afectadas por los ataques (les arrojaron botellas y ladrillos) pasaron ayer el día en un centro municipal y por la tarde fueron trasladadas a residencias ahora desocupadas en la cercana Universidad de Queens, donde estarán durante una semana. Aunque algunos de los rumanos atacados quieren volver a su país, las autoridades confían en encontrarles una residencia alternativa en Belfast para evitar que su marcha cause un mal precedente que pueda ser imitado por quienes se oponen a los inmigrantes.
Los ataques fueron condenados tanto por el primer ministro británico, Gordon Brown, como por el ministro principal adjunto de Irlanda del Norte, Martin McGuinness. La policía local, que pareció admitir que no ha actuado con la rapidez debida en este conflicto, descartó que los incidentes fueran orquestados por un grupo paramilitar lealista.
El Ulster acoge desde hace varias generaciones un nutrido grupo de inmigrantes indios, chinos y vietnamitas que en los últimos años se ha extendido a otros países. Este año ya se registraron incidentes tras un partido de clasificación para el Mundial de fútbol entre Irlanda del Norte y Polonia.
Report Links Increase in Hate Crimes to Contentious Debate Over ImmigrationBy Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
U.S. civil rights leaders said yesterday that an increase in hate crimes committed in recent years against Hispanics and people perceived to be immigrants "correlates closely" to the nation's increasingly contentious debate over immigration.
Hate crimes targeting Hispanic Americans rose 40 percent from 2003 to 2007, the most recent year for which FBI statistics are available, from 426 to 595 incidents, marking the fourth consecutive year of increases.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund issued a report that faulted anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media and mobilization of extremist groups on the Internet. The conference said that some groups advocating for tighter immigration laws have invoked "the dehumanizing, racist stereotypes and bigotry of hate groups."
"Reasonable people will disagree . . . but the tone of discourse over comprehensive immigration reform needs to be changed, needs to be civil and sane," said Michael Lieberman, Washington counsel for the Anti-Defamation League.
The FBI reported in October that the number of hate crimes dropped in 2007 by about 1 percent, to 7,624. But violence against Latinos and gay people bucked the trend. The number of hate crimes directed at gay men and lesbians increased about 6 percent, the FBI reported.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which was criticized in the LCCREF report, said it was "another salvo against free speech by the pro-amnesty coalition . . . to delegitimize any critic of mass immigration."
allAfrica.com: South Africa: Country Urged to Show Refugees More Tolerance
Francis Hweshe
15 June 2009
Cape Town — CONSTANT public education campaigns are critical if South Africa is to avoid a repeat of last year's xenophobic attacks, warns the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' representative in the Western Cape.
Ignorance about refugees and asylum-seekers, said Dr Lawrence Mgbangson, was one of the main causes of xenophobic violence.
Refugee awareness programmes on television and community radios were crucial to combating xenophobia, and fostering tolerance.
In commemoration of World Refugee Month this month, his organisation, together with public groups, had drawn up a programme of activities to be staged across the province, said Mgbangson.
He urged South Africans and the government to work together to "create an atmosphere of tolerance, mutual respect and human rights".
More than 400 refugees in the Western Cape remain in places of safety, following the xenophobic attacks that displaced 20 000 in the province last year.
The refugees have been housed at the Blue Waters and Youngsfield camps.
The City of Cape Town has approached the Cape High Court to evict those living at Blue Waters. The Legal Resource Centre has stepped in to defend some of the refugees. The matter is pending.
Questioned about the progress being made by the UNHCR on relocating the refugees, Mgbangson said they were "moving forward - it's slow but steady".
Negotiations with the Department of Home Affairs, Mgbangson revealed, had led to 200 camp refugees starting the process of obtaining their documents.
Asked about the legal tussle, he said: "We are not against the law. The court will decide."
Mgbangson said conditions at the camp were unsuitable for human habitation.
About 450 blankets had been provided for the refugees to help cushion them from the winter weather.
Regarding any potential recurrence of the xenophobic violence, Mgbangson said he was "optimistic" that it would not happen again, but "conscious that it could happen again".
He said there were more than 11 million displaced people across Africa.
Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan were the major refugee-producing countries.
Wars, political and religious persecutions, famine and droughts were among the contributing factors.
allAfrica.com: South Africa: Market Forces Part of Xenophobic Violence
15 June 2009
Johannesburg — The business acumen of foreign nationals, rather than xenophobia, is being named as the trigger that led to attacks against Somalis and other migrants in the South African port city of Cape Town.
In the aftermath of the violence that swept across the country in May 2008, killing more than 60 people and displacing tens of thousands of others, the City of Cape Town commissioned a report, An Audit of Spaza Shops in Khayelitsha, a township on the outskirts of town.
In an eerie reprise of those events, on 13 June 2009 Somali businessmen in Gugulethu township, in Cape Town, received letters telling them to leave the township within seven days, a day after the report was released.
On 15 June, Cape Town police called a meeting between Somali shopkeepers and their local counterparts to diffuse tension and thwart any repeat of the violence.
The report surveyed 214 locally owned and 138 foreign-owned spaza shops in Khayelitsha, a sprawling township established in 1983 by the apartheid government in an attempt to manage the migration of black people from rural areas to the city.
Khayelitsha was initially envisaged to accommodate 220,000 people, but the number has ballooned to nearly 10 times that, and has an unemployment rate of about 50 percent.
Apartheid planners ensured that Khayelitsha, like other townships, was divorced from South Africa's commercial mainstream by distance and poor transport systems, so spazas (informal shops) filled the vacuum, providing residents with basic goods from maize-meal to cigarettes, but often at higher prices.
The demise of apartheid has not altered the commercial dynamic of the township, but has seen a shift in demographics as African immigrants are drawn to there both by their socio-economic plight and the business opportunities that townships present.
In 2006, it was estimated that the spaza industry was responsible for about 4.7 percent of retail trade, or more than R9 billion (US$1.1 billion).
Township supermarkets
The report speculated that attacks on Somali-owned businesses were "ethnically motivated"; but "there are issues of pricing, consumer choice and the growth of supermarket-like spaza shops that has an impact on retail business in the area," it noted.
"Many spaza shops owned by Somali immigrants have evolved into mini-superettes [convenience stores], which tend to be preferred choice of consumers as they offer a wider range of products compared to an over-the-counter or through-the-window spaza shop."
Local spaza shop owners "were motivated by survival and would rather work for a company, should the option become available. Foreign spaza shop owners, on the other hand, were more innovative and envisaged growth in their businesses," the report commented.
The stark differences were seen in the start-up capital: locally-owned spaza shops averaged about R500 ($62.50) while non-nationals invested more than R3,000 ($375.00) and "remarkably, the majority of foreign spaza shop owners have started their businesses as a result of identifying an opportunity in the market."
The report said the approach by foreign-owned spaza shops to retail was illustrated in the lay-out of their shops, which were more reminiscent of the "7-11" approach, with a greater diversity of commodities on offer and cheaper prices.
"Foreign spaza shop owners had a wider range of products and services at lower prices. Foreign spaza shop owners conducted bulk buying through social networking and also accessed finance through these networks. This resulted in foreign spaza shop owners obtaining substantial discounts. As a result of this, local spaza shop owners were struggling to compete."
Cultural differences
The report said there were "cultural differences" that made foreign spaza owners more "collectivistic in nature", as opposed to the "individualistic" approach of locally owned shops.
The distinct differences between the two groups of business owners have resulted in different buying methods, where foreign spaza shop owners do collective buying and thereby qualify for bulk discounts, which impacts directly on pricing strategies
"The distinct differences between the two groups of business owners have resulted in different buying methods, where foreign spaza shop owners do collective buying and thereby qualify for bulk discounts, which impacts directly on pricing strategies."
The report highlighted local spaza shop owners' absence of book-keeping - as practiced by foreigners - which, apart from detailing the financial health of the business, was crucial to accessing finance.
Interviews with the Khayelitsha police at the time of the May 2008 "xenophobic violence" blamed criminal elements for the attacks on foreign traders.
However, the police also acknowledged that "tensions that exist between foreign and local spaza shop owners are ... [because] the spaza shop market is becoming increasingly competitive ... [so] local spaza shop owners ... [do not] compete effectively with foreign spaza shop owners in terms of price and changing customer preferences."
The report said there was a lack of information on government business programmes, but the City of Cape Town, in partnership with the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business, was providing business support programmes, such as entrepreneurial skills development, to Khayelitsha's small business owners.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]
In Europa crescono destra e xenofobia Ungheria e Finlandia contro gli immigrati - Il Messaggero
Ungheria e Finlandia contro gli immigrati
ROMA (7 giugno) - Avanzata dei partiti di estrema destra anche in Ungheria e Finlandia dopo la vittoria in Olanda del movimento di Wilders (Partito per la libertà al 17%, 4 seggi nel Parlamento europeo).
Ungheria: l'estrema destra terza forza del Paese. Il partito conservatore di opposizione Fidesz ha vinto le elezioni europee in Ungheria, conquistando 56,37% dei voti (14 deputati su 22), ma la grande sorpresa è il risultato dell'estrema destra: Jobbik al 14,77% e 3 eurodeputati su 22 con un programma nazionalista, antieuropeo, antiglobalizzazione. Il leader è Gabor Vona ha fondato due anni fa la Guardia Ungherese, organizzazione paramilitare con uniformi simili a quelle dei Crocefrecciati (i nazisti ungheresi del 1944), e ha dichiarato guerra alla «criminalità tzigana» con marce intimidatorie nei comuni rom. La mano della Guardia è sospettata dietro a una serie di attentati contro rom con un bilancio di sette morti e molte case incendiate. Questi i punti essenziali del programma di Jobbik: fare ordine ristabilendo la gendarmeria (corpo armato esistente prima della seconda guerra) per combattere la criminalità; mandare in galera Ferenc Gyurcsany, l'ex premier socialista e i suoi ministri; far pagare le tasse a multinazionali e banche; cacciare dal Paese il capitale straniero; vietare l'acquisto di terreni agli stranieri (consentito dall'Ue).
Gli altri partiti. Il centro moderato (Foro democratico, Mdf) al 5,3%, 1 deputato. Non hanno ottenuto seggi i liberali (Szdsz). I socialisti al governo sono stati sconfitti in conseguenza della grave crisi economica e finanziaria del Paese, mentre la vittoria della Fidesz di Viktor Orban era prevedibile.
Finlandia, sfondano gli euroscettici. Il partito nazionalista ed euroscettico dei Veri Finlandesi (conteggio dell'80% dei suffragi), partito anti-immigrati e anti-europeo ottiene il 10% dei voti (rispetto allo 0,5% delle precedenti elezioni europee del 2004), il che gli permette di fare il suo ingresso nel Parlamento europeo con uno dei 13 seggi attribuiti alla Finlandia. Il capo del partito, Timo Soini, avrebbe conseguito 120 mila voti, più di ogni altro candidato. Al partito di Centro del capo di governo 3 seggi, con il 21% dei voti (nel 2004 arrivò al 23,4%), così come il suo alleato, il partito conservatore della Coalizione nazionale 21,9% (23,7% nel 2004). Due seggi dovrebbero andare ai socialdemocratici, altri due ai verdi. L'affluenza è stata del 40,3%, rispetto al 41,4% del 2004.
Olanda. I risultati elettorali definitivi danno il Partito per la Libertà (Pvv) del discusso politico xenofobo, anti-islamico ed euroscettico Geert Wildersal 17% dei voti, quasi il triplo di quanti ne aveva raccolti alle politiche del 2006. La formazione diventa il secondo partito del Paese e si assicura 4 seggi a Strasburgo. Le vere vincitrici delle elezioni europee, nelle quali ha votato il 36,5% degli elettori, in calo rispetto al 39,3% a quelle del 2004, sono le posizioni più estreme: la destra islamofoba e nazionalista da un lato, e i partiti dichiaratamente a favore dell'Ue dall'altro. I grandi sconfitti invece sono stati i due principali partiti al governo, i Cristiano democratici (Cda) del premier, Jan peter Balkenende, e i laburisti (PvdA), che hanno pagato a caro prezzo la loro indecisione e le continue tensioni.
Desarticulan grupo neonazi que promovía violencia contra los inmigrantes | ELESPECTADOR.COMEl Mundo |1 Jun 2009 - 8:39 am
Por: Agencia EFE
Los cinco arrestados son españoles y tienen entre 19 y 26 años.
La Guardia Civil española desarticuló en Madrid un grupo neonazi cuyos cinco miembros fueron detenidos por amenazas, coacciones, daños y un delito contra los derechos fundamentales.
Su página web, en la que supuestamente promovían la violencia contra los inmigrantes, fue clausurada, informó hoy la Comandancia de la Guardia Civil.
Los cinco arrestados son españoles y tienen entre 19 y 26 años.
La investigación comenzó ante la sospecha de la existencia de un grupo de ideología neonazi en la zona noroeste de la Comunidad de Madrid.
Los agentes comprobaron que en una página web un grupo denominado "Comando Navajero" exaltaba esta ideología y promovía la amenaza y la violencia contra los inmigrantes.
La Guardia Civil constató también un incremento en el número de incidentes en la zona de influencia de este grupo, principalmente daños en el mobiliario urbano, pintadas de tipo xenófobo, amenazas, lesiones y coacciones.
Sveriges Radio International - English -- Engelska
Elena Yurkovskaya, SD:s EU-kandidat. Foto: Fredrik Persson/Scanpix.
One of the xenophobic Sweden Democrat party's candidates to the European Parliament has called immigrants to Sweden "primitive individuals" and claims that many have over 2000 parasites in their bodies. Elena Yurkovskaya also says that many of them are only qualified to pick up chewing gum from the pavements. She made the comments on a party trip earlier this year, and they were caught on a hidden microphone.
Speaking to Swedish Radio's Kaliber programme, Yurkovskaya still claims today that her comments can't be construed as offensive.
"No, it isn't offensive. I can take all kinds of criticism myself, if it's constructive and if something can be done about it. After all, people can be dewormed and sent to school. It's not hopeless".
Yurkovskaja is number 17 on the Sweden Democrat ballot to next week's European election, the party does not currently have a single MEP and is currently hovering below the 4% threshhold to get a seat in the new parliament.
allAfrica.com: South Africa: Community Links Murder to Xenophobia
Natasha Joseph
26 May 2009
Two Somali men who ran a spaza shop in the Boland town of Darling have been killed in what community members describe as a xenophobic attack.
The men, Omar Josef and Hazim Amad, died in their shop in the early hours of Sunday when it caught fire - or when, the Somali community believes, a group of locals set it alight.
Police spokesperson November Filander said yesterday the cause of Sunday's fire was still unknown and the men's deaths will be investigated.
Hussein Omar, the Western Cape chairperson of the Somali Association of South Africa (Sasa), said the organisation had heard the news and had assigned someone to go to Darling and find out more about what had happened.
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