I recently warned people about a visitation from right wing, anti-gay, anti-Jewish, anti-Catholic fanatics from Kansas (that I dubbed the Kansan Dickheads) threatening to sweep through NYC on a three day protest tour targeting schools, synagogues and St. Patrick's Cathedral. The scope of the protests was impressive, targeting multiple places per day. The nastiness of their rhetoric was also impressive, basically calling for the rape and destruction of Israel, the destruction of Jews, and the destruction of gays.

These folks arrived today and their first day of protests was, to put it mildly, unimpressive. They seem to be rather impotent when it comes to being Dickheads. Here is the description from the Brooklyn Paper (itself owned by right wing fanatic and hatemonger Rupert Murdoch who inspires people like the Kansan Limp Dickheads) of the first day of Dickhead protests:  read more »

I have argued for some time that the right wing use of hate speech to stir up its base into a frothy tizzy has led to an increase in intolerance and hate crimes in America. Almost the entire Bush Administration saw a constant rise in hate crimes, most particularly anti-Semitic, homophobic and anti-immigrant hate crimes. There have been attacks at a Holocaust museum and at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. In Indiana, a prominent Republican told a group of Jews that their opinion on the recitation of Christian prayers at legislative sessions didn't matter because they only made up 2% of the population. There have even occastionally been what can only be described as pogroms here and there. There have even been hate crimes right in our subways, even as violent crime has overall been declining in NYC. I believe the blame for this increase in hate crimes is not just the continuing effects of Bush's Republican economic collapse. It is also thanks to the violent, intolerant rhetoric of people like Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. [UPDATED AT BOTTOM]

This week we have two examples of American right wing intolerance coming to Brooklyn. One has already happened and one is scheduled for this weekend.  read more »

I recently covered the attack on Leo Igwe, the Culture Kitchen blogger who was attacked by a mob of religious fanatics in Nigeria. Leo is still carrying on the fight on behalf of abused children in Nigeria, despite the attacks. He has sent me his most recent post:

The attack in Calabar and the threat of religious extremism in Nigeria

By Leo Igwe

Around 11.30 am on Wednesday July 29 2009, a mob of about 200 persons from the Liberty Gospel Church invaded the Cultural Center in Calabar Cross River State The Cultural Center was the venue of a public symposium on witchcraft and child rights organised by the Nigerian Humanist Movement and Stepping Stones Nigeria.

Most of them arrived the venue in buses wearing orange Tshirt while others donned plain clothes to hide their identity. As we were about to start, some of them stormed the conference hall stamping their feet on the ground and chanting slogans critical of the event and the organisers.  read more »

I only noticed this through an indirect route. His name came up in a discussion on Kiva I came across for other reasons. But it seems on July 30th, Leo Igwe, who sometimes writes articles for Culture Kitchen, was attacked by a mob in Nigeria. This is from a letter written by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (which Leo works for) the Nigerian High Commission in the UK:

According to an eye-witness account, about two hundred members of Liberty Gospel Church stormed the venue of the symposium on Thursday, 30 July. They attacked Mr Igwe, took his bag, his camera and his mobile phone as well as destroying his spectacles. Liberty Gospel Church, led by Helen Akpabio, has been alleged to have held ‘trials’ of children suspected of being witches and many of these children have been killed after having been found guilty by such ‘trials’.

And from an article on AllAfrica.com:  read more »

Earlier this week I wrote about Assemblyman Dov Hikind's ignorance regarding the Holocaust. Dov Hikind opposes adding five stone markers honoring the 5 million non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust to the 234 markers honoring the 6 million Jewish victims at Brooklyn's Holocaust Memorial Park. The excuse for opposing honoring the 5 million non-Jews who died at the hands of Nazi brutality is: (from the DAILY NEWS Sunday, June 7th 2009)

"The Holocaust is a uniquely Jewish event," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn)...

As I discussed in my last article on the subject (where I also quote the Daily News more extensively), Dov Hikind is rewriting history here, writing out 5 million victims of the Holocaust and joins hands with the Iranians in being a Holocaust denier. I should add that Dov Hikind has previously openly supported racial profiling of Muslim Americans and keeping blacks out of "good neighborhoods," so he is known for his intolerance.  read more »