Analysis - Jamie Bartlett and Hedda Bjorge Soremshaugen for ENARgy: Blogging for freedom: the radical blogosphere post Breivik. ‘The online world and social media have become a focus for the proliferation of hateful material. This essay examines the way counter-jihad Scandinavian bloggers responded to the Breivik attacks. The authors’ contention is that, after an initial dip in rhetoric in the immediate aftermath, this movement is as angry and polemic as ever – and turning on new targets, in particular the mainstream media and political establishment.’
France
AsiaOne: France targets foreign-trained extremists with new law. ‘France on Wednesday presented plans for a new anti-terrorism law that will allow authorities to prosecute citizens who attend militant Islamist training camps abroad. The move comes six months after Mohamed Merah, a French citizen who claimed to have attended Al-Qaeda-style training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan, killed seven people in a wave of shootings in and around Toulouse.’
JTA: Jean-Marie Le Pen: B’nai B’rith brokered ‘pact’ to isolate my party. ‘The French far-right honorary president Jean-Marie Le Pen said that B’nai B’rith had signed a “pact” with other politicians to keep him out of the government. B’nai B’rith is an international organization focused on promoting Jewish unity and countering anti-Semitism, according to its website. The president of B’nai B’rith France denied the existence of any pact involving B’nai B’rith and Front National.’
Germany
The Times Colonist: A killer twist in staged reading. ‘A Turkish-German actress will read out Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik’s bizarre courtroom speech in German theatres next month in an effort to highlight the widespread prevalence of far-right ideology in Europe. Swiss director Milo Rau adapted the script of Breivik’s Explanation for the German stage from an audio recording of the hour-long speech the far-right nationalist gave in April before being sentenced by an Oslo court to 21 years in prison for killing 77 people last year.’
The Local: Army officer ‘found to be a neo-Nazi’. ‘An officer in the German army on duty in Afghanistan has been found to be an alleged far-right extremist, it was revealed on Wednesday. He apparently attended neo-Nazi meetings whenever he was in Germany. The man, identified only as Michael L. from the central state of Hesse, currently represents Germany in the international forces stationed in Afghanistan. Germans wishing to become soldiers must be in agreement with the country’s basic constitution – something that does not align with radical far-right beliefs. The country’s Military Counter-Intelligence Service (MAD) is responsible for monitoring army member’s beliefs.’
Netherlands
The Australian: Premiers won’t be laying out welcome mat for Dutch MP. ‘West Australian Premier Colin Barnett believes far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders could stir community tension and cause a repeat of the recent Sydney violence against an anti-Islam film, and has declared him unwelcome in his state.’
