Monthly Archives: May 2013
Flashmob at the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources
“We have shut down the Ministry of Human Resources because they do a shitty job. It’s no particular event that has triggered this event but the last two years of politics…We therefore decided to create our own Ministry right here.” said Karoly Fuzessi. Friday May 31 2013 20 activists had by 10.30am occupied the lobby […]
New Journal: Studies on National Movements
The NISE (National Movements & Intermediary Structures in Europe) platform for scholars and research institutes has created a new international online journal focusing on comparative historiography of national and regional movements and the theory formation of nationalism. The first volume includes articles on Upper Silesia, Flanders, Catalonia, Brittany and Lithuania, and is available for free […]
Minorities decry Indonesian president’s award
There is a growing number of incidents of alleged religious persecution usually perpetrated by militant members of Indonesia’s Sunni majority – often with the tacit and sometimes open support of the authorities. Yet on the other side of the world, amid the lustre of a $25,000-a-head reception at The Pierre hotel in New York, Indonesian […]
UK Muslims face far-right revenge attacks
British Muslims fear they could become “sitting targets” for far-right violence following a spate of attacks on mosques and a spike in other reported hate incidents in the week since the murder of a British soldier on a London street. The most serious attack occurred in the east coast town of Grimsby on Sunday night […]
The rise of the far-right in Hungary
Jobbik is one of the most politically successful far-righ parties in Europe. The Hungarian party is anti-EU, anti-semitic and anti-roma, and have thrived since the financial crisis. Channel 4’s Paraic O’Brien reports. Watch the video here (length: 10 minutes).
Limiting Myanmar’s Rohingya?
The Rohingya Muslims of Myamnar have been described as some of the world’s least wanted, and most persecuted, people. Now, a government-appointed commission has declared that their rapidly growing population represents a serious threat that makes ethnic Buddhists feel insecure. Hundreds of people have been killed, and many Muslim villages burned down, in communal violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state over the […]
Immigrants Often Better Educated than Germans
A radical change is taking place in the German job market: Today’s immigrants to Germany are better trained and have a higher level of education than native Germans, according to a study carried out by labor market researcher Herbert Brücker on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, a private think tank based in Gütersloh. Today, 43 […]
Japanese mayor says second world war ‘comfort women’ were necessary
An outspoken nationalist mayor has said the Japanese military’s “comfort women” regime of forced prostitution of Asian women before and during the second world war was necessary to maintain discipline in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle. The comments raised ire in neighbouring countries that bore the brunt […]
Why does Hungary still nurture the ancient prejudice of anti-Semitism?
The far right Jobbik party has become the third biggest party in recent year in Hungary, campaigning on a joint ticket to cut down on Roma crime and reduce the “Zionist” influence. As we reported last week, Jobbik controlled-councils have even established twinning arrangements with towns in Iran, much to the bemusement of most local […]
Occupying the Ludwig Museum in Budapest
As of Thursday May 9 2013 a group of artists and activists have been staging a sit-in protest/occupation in the hallway of Ludwig Museum, one of the most prominant cultural institutions in Budapest. The numbers of participants are varying according to the nature of events organized, ranging from a handful to 50-60 people of all […]
UK: Queen’s speech to feature new curbs on migrants from EU
David Cameron will today make his most concerted effort yet to prevent a stampede of his core vote to Ukip by unveiling measures to stem the flow of EU migrants to Britain, including imposing fines on private landlords if they do not check the immigration status of their tenants. Landlords will face fines of thousands […]
Turkish Diaspora: Erdogan’s Paternalism Proves Counter-Productive
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a self-styled patron of Turkish immigrants in Germany. But critics say that his aggressive diaspora policy is increasingly driving a wedge between immigrant families and mainstream society. The young woman from Melle, a town in the northern German state of Lower Saxony, was received like a guest of […]
Call for Papers: International Conference: The PKK, Kurdish Nationalism and the Future of Turkey
The School of Public & International Affairs, Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, the Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies Chair (Indiana University) and the Center for Turkish Studies (Portland State University) plan to organize an international conference on the PKK, Kurdish Nationalism and the Future of Turkey. This will be a one day conference with four specific […]
‘Germany Fooling Itself in Battle against Neo-Nazis’
The series of racist murders perpetrated by the neo-Nazi terror trio National Socialist Underground represents a massive failure on the part of German law enforcement officials. But as the trial starts on Monday, editorialists say that German society is also to blame. It is difficult to overstate the importance of the trial that begins on […]
Pro Independence Curacao politician Helmin Wiels shot dead
A prominent politician on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, Helmin Wiels, has been shot dead. Witnesses said he was killed on the beach by gunmen who sped off in a car. Mr Wiels, 54, led the Pueblo Soberano party, which campaigns for independence from the Netherlands. Mr Wiels’s Pueblo Soberano party gained a majority […]
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