Fascist Symbols
Some people my wonder why it's important to challenge the behaviour of people who seem to be reasonably normal, paid-up members of the human race - like the football player Nicolas Anelka - just because they act like fools from time-to-time.
Well the answer lies in this incredible report from Italy (by the BBC) which tells the story of an Italian politician, a black woman named Cecile Kyenge, who has faced an ugly campaign of racial abuse from people whom I would describe as potential fascists in the making.
Cecile Kyenge would not face this level of abuse in the UK or in just about any other European country, that I can think of at any rate.
But there is a particular problem in Italy where the use of fascist symbols at football matches has not been taken seriously, or seriously enough at least, as a sign of worse to come if the people responsible are not confronted and challenged about their behaviour.
Cecile Kyenge has faced a torrent of abuse since her appointment in April
Italy's only black cabinet minister has called for more support as she endures relentless non-violent racist attacks.
Cecile Kyenge is in charge of efforts to integrate immigrant communities into wider Italian society and is frequently targeted by right-wing opponents.
Ms Kyenge said Italy's institutions and political establishment must do more.
"Politics must stand up as one and condemn racism lest it become a dangerous weapon that can kill democracy," the Congolese-born MP said.
Ms Kyenge has faced a torrent of abuse since her appointment in April from the right-wing Northern League party and its supporters.
The League's newspaper, La Padania, has just begun publishing her daily itinerary - presumably so that the hecklers will always know where to find the minister, says the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome.
Italy's only black cabinet minister has called for more support as she endures relentless non-violent racist attacks.
Cecile Kyenge is in charge of efforts to integrate immigrant communities into wider Italian society and is frequently targeted by right-wing opponents.
Ms Kyenge said Italy's institutions and political establishment must do more.
"Politics must stand up as one and condemn racism lest it become a dangerous weapon that can kill democracy," the Congolese-born MP said.
Ms Kyenge has faced a torrent of abuse since her appointment in April from the right-wing Northern League party and its supporters.
The League's newspaper, La Padania, has just begun publishing her daily itinerary - presumably so that the hecklers will always know where to find the minister, says the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome.
Last year, one of its most senior figures likened her to an orangutan. Another accused Ms Kyenge of wanting to impose "tribal traditions" on Italy.
One of the League's councillors even called for the minister to be raped.
Ms Kyenge has been heckled, and had bananas thrown at her during political rallies.
'Better than this'
Ms Kyenge has now called for action.
"Our constitution is a strong tool to fight racism, but it's never used.
"The country must react in response to these acts, which must be recognised for what they are, that is, acts of racism and discrimination," Ansa news agency quoted Ms Kyenge as saying.
In a newspaper interview, Ms Kyenge said that, as a black woman, who had studied and become a minister, she had challenged the prejudices of the most intolerant people.
But she made clear that she would continue to do her job. If she backed down she would hand victory to her opponents.
Members of Ms Kyenge's Democratic Party and other centre-left politicians have called for the League's newspaper feature "Here's Cecile Kyenge" to be pulled, describing it as "tantamount to intimidation".
La Padania's editor said the information was in the public domain anyway.
In a separate development, police confirmed that a suspicious powder mailed to Ms Kyenge on Wednesday was baking soda.
The package was intercepted at a mail-processing centre.
One of the League's councillors even called for the minister to be raped.
Ms Kyenge has been heckled, and had bananas thrown at her during political rallies.
'Better than this'
Ms Kyenge has now called for action.
"Our constitution is a strong tool to fight racism, but it's never used.
"The country must react in response to these acts, which must be recognised for what they are, that is, acts of racism and discrimination," Ansa news agency quoted Ms Kyenge as saying.
In a newspaper interview, Ms Kyenge said that, as a black woman, who had studied and become a minister, she had challenged the prejudices of the most intolerant people.
But she made clear that she would continue to do her job. If she backed down she would hand victory to her opponents.
Members of Ms Kyenge's Democratic Party and other centre-left politicians have called for the League's newspaper feature "Here's Cecile Kyenge" to be pulled, describing it as "tantamount to intimidation".
La Padania's editor said the information was in the public domain anyway.
In a separate development, police confirmed that a suspicious powder mailed to Ms Kyenge on Wednesday was baking soda.
The package was intercepted at a mail-processing centre.
Evil Intent (12 January 2014)
The row over the French comedian, Dieudonne, continues to gather pace as French authorities ban the controversial performer from making public appearances and cashing in on his new found notoriety.
Some people, including French footballer Nicolas Anelka, seem to swallow the nonsense that the 'quenelle' is not an offensive, anti-Semitic gesture - in which case why are the vile assholes pictured above going out of their way to mimic Dieudonne outside of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial?
Now even a dumb ass like Dieudonne can't laugh or joke his way out of this one - he is clearly pandering to racist, anti-Jewish sentiments and he should not be allowed to get away with pretending otherwise.
So, I take my hat off to the French authorities for taking the issue so seriously - and refusing to accepts this idiot's pathetic excuses for his behaviour.
Symbols of Hate (31 December 2013
Nicolas Anelka is a well travelled, highly paid, professional footballer and a recent convert to Islam apparently, so he has no excuses for making offensive anti-Semitic gestures.
Yet in a televised football match the other day Anelka celebrated his team (West Brom) scoring a goal by making a salute known in France as a 'quenelle' - its inventor being a controversial French comedian called Dieudonne who has been fined six times for insulting behaviour towards Jews.
Despite the fact that more than 70,000 French Jews died during the Second World War and many more in the Nazi death camps, Dieudonne seems to think it's funny to describe the remembrance of Holocaust victims as 'memorial pornography' - an act of hateful stupidity for which he was fined 6,000 Euros in 2008.
Maybe the French authorities should threaten to lock him up and take away his liberty for a while if he continues to behave in this way and while Dieudonne claims that his gesture is anti-establishment not anti-Semitic - it's hard to see how this less well known Nazi salute can be interpreted any other way.
Presumably the French authorities agree otherwise he would not have been fined on so many occasions, but in any event Nicolas Anelka was dumb enough to follow Dieudonne's example - influenced by the fact that he calls the comedian a friend.
West Bromwich Albion's striker Nicolas Anelka - photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images
Anelka's club, West Brom, failed to condemn their player's behaviour but the French minister for sport, Valerie Fourneyron, wasted no time in putting the boot in describing Anelka's behavious as "disgusting" and tweeting the following comment on Twitter:
"Anelka's gesture is a shocking provocation, disgusting. There's no place for antisemitism and incitement to hatred on the football field."
Dieudonne making his 'quenelle' salute.
Unsurprisingly, Jewish groups have made their views known as well with Dr Moshe Kantor of the European Jewish Congress saying that it was "sickening that such a well-known footballer would make such an abusive and hateful gesture in front of tens of thousands of spectators".
"This salute is merely a lesser-known Nazi salute and we expect the same kind of punishment to be handed down by the authorities as if Anelka had made the infamous outstretched arm salute.This salute was created by a well-known extreme antisemite who has displayed his hatred of Jews, mocked the Holocaust and Jewish suffering."
Now I am not a religious person, but presumably Nicolas Anelka is - if the footballer's recent conversion to Islam is anything to go by and perhaps his chum Dieudonne as well.
Yet I can imagine the violent reaction that would take place in parts of the the Muslim world - if a similar, calculated insult had been directed towards Islam.
