antifa notes (february 22, 2011)

Jock Palfreeman

As expected, Jock Palfreeman’s appeal against a 20-year prison sentence has been dismissed by the Sofia Court of Appeals. After a further appeal to a higher court has been held, Jock’s case will likely be taken to the European courts: a forum in which there remains some possibility he will obtain a just outcome.

Russia

The trial of two neo-Nazis accused of shooting to death in January 2009 human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and investigative journalist Anastasia Baburova began this week. Michael Schwirtz (Russian Trial to Bare a Face of Nationalism, The New York Times, February 19, 2011) adds that ultra right-wing nationalists “have also singled out those considered sympathetic to ethnic minorities or opposed to right-wing ideas and deeds. They have killed several members of an anti-fascist group called Anti-Fa, which arose in response to growing xenophobic violence”, thus seemingly mistaking a general tendency for an organisation.

Dresden

German police have reacted angrily to the successful disruption of neo-Nazi gatherings in Dresden on the weekend, raiding offices belonging to Nazifrei Dresden! and (temporarily) closing its website. Somewhere between 15–20,000 people protested/blockaded the neo-Nazi rally/march on February 19, which attracted less than 1,000. (Speaking of Germany, The Blog Formerly Known as Anti-German Translation has loads of links of interest to anti-fascists… just sayin’.)

By The Time I Get To Spokane…

…the media has lost interest. Justin Elliot asks ‘Why did a lethal bomb placed on the route of a Spokane MLK Day parade draw so little sustained attention?’ (Salon.com, February 19, 2011).

BANANAs

Finally, on a slightly less serious note, National Anarchist! blog has a series of photos of some BANANAs belonging to the San Franciscan-based White supremacist group. A recent post on the Southside Chicago ARA blog reports that a BANANA-inspired blogger may be waving a gnat flag in Indiana (adding that “If they do show up, they’ll be treated the same as BANANA was on May Day last year”).