by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LONDON, England – Over 160 protestors were arrested in East London on Saturday after police officers sought to prevent clashes between hundreds of anti-Islamist activists and thousands of counter-demonstrators near a large Muslim community.

Roughly 3,000 police officers were deployed to segregate the two groups in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. The police formed barriers across the streets to keep the anti-racist counter-demonstrators in assigned areas while attempting to enforce restrictions on the anti-Islamist activists.

The English Defence League (EDL), which focuses on the perceived threat of radical Islam to traditional British values, had been denied permission to march through the neighborhood, as many feared a threat to public order in the Muslim-heavy community.

The police attempted to implement geographic and time restrictions on the EDL, after the group lost a court battle to overturn the restrictions on Friday.

Around 150 counter-protesters were arrested when a group broke away and headed toward the Tower Bridge, where the march was supposed to end, according to a police spokesman.

Another 14 protestors, mostly from the EDL, were arrested for violent disorder and possession of knives and fireworks. The EDL’s leader, Tommy Robinson, has been arrested for incitement, according to the group’s Twitter page.

Despite the number of arrests, the police spokesman said there were no serious clashes. “The police presence did manage to keep the two groups apart,” the police spokesman stated.

Local members of Parliament had written to the police department, requesting a ban on the march, as many feared a repeat of violent clashes in 2011 between the EDL, the police and anti-fascist groups in Tower Hamlets.

The counter-demonstration was organized by Weyman Bennett, joint national secretary of Unite Against Facism. Bennett was pleased with the turnout, and ultimate results of the counterdemonstration. “They [EDL] didn’t come up with enough numbers and they really depended on the police to be able to escort them in an area where they were not really wanted. It really was like outsiders trying to cause trouble,” Bennett said.

Chief Superintendent Jim Read, a senior officer involved in the policing effort, said there were minor clashes during the day, but only 5 people injured.

“Our intention was to prevent violence and show support to the local communities and we believe we achieved this today. We want to thank the local communities for working so well with us on what has been a difficult day. The key point is the two groups did not meet.” Chief Supt Read said.

For more information, please see:

The Independent – More Than 160 Arrested at EDL Tower Hamlets March – 8 September 2013

Reuters UK – More Than 160 Anti-Islamist and Rival Protesters Arrested in London – 8 September 2013

The Times of India – UK’s Far-Right Leader Tommy Robinson Charged Over London Protest – 8 September 2013

NY Times – Rival Protests in London Over Islamists – 7 September 2013

 

 

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The highest Dutch court has declared that the Netherlands must pay compensation to the family of three Muslim men who were executed during the Srebrenica massacre.

 

On 11 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces overran an area near a United Nations compound, which a Dutch battalion of U.N. peacekeepers (“Dutchbat”) controlled. Among the thousands who sought shelter at the compound, Dutchbat turned away three Muslim men after Bosnian Serb forces had been witnessed abusing and killing several Muslims outside the safe area of the compound.

In all, 8000 men and boys were killed and buried in mass graves. The atrocity has been called “the worst massacre on European soil since the Second World War.”

Hasan Nuhanovic and Rizo Mustafic, relatives of the three men, filed suit against the Dutch state, which accepts “political responsibility” for the mission’s failure and claims that responsibility for the massacre lays with the Bosnian Serbs. Pending appeal to Holland’s Supreme Court, the Hague appeals court ordered the Dutch to compensate the men’s relatives.

On 6 September 2013, the Dutch Supreme Court issued a final decision that ordered the Netherlands to compensate relatives of those men. In so doing, the decision confirms precedent stating that “countries providing troops to U.N. missions can be held responsible” for the troops’ conduct. Additionally, the decision enables other victims’ families to seek compensation from the Dutch.

The ruling stated that “Dutchbat decided not to evacuate them along with the battalion and instead sent them away from the compound. Outside the compound, they were murdered by the Bosnian-Serb army or related paramilitary groups.”

“People participating in U.N. missions are not always covered by the UN flag,” said Liesbeth Zegveld, the human rights lawyer who represented the Bosnian families. She added that the case is historic because countries can now be held criminally liable for their actions in U.N. missions, despite the U.N.’s immunity from prosecution.

“I was thinking about my family, they are dead for 18 years,” Nuhanovic said. “It does not change that, but maybe there is some justice. It should have happened years ago. In the future countries might act differently in peacekeeping missions and I hope the lives of other people in the future will be saved because this mistake was admitted.”

To preserve justice and human rights around the world, compensation policies should promote and encourage safeguards to protect innocent people who might otherwise be abused or even murdered. Absent the security of such fundamental safety, we will have fought for nothing.

For further information, please see:

Amnesty International – Netherlands Supreme Court Hands Down Historic Judgment over Srebrenica Genocide – September 6, 2013

BBC –Dutch State Liable for Three Srebrenica Deaths – September 6, 2013

CNN International – Netherlands Liable for Deaths of 3 Muslim Men in Bosnia, Court Says – September 6, 2013

Dutch News – Supreme Court Says NL is Responsible for 3 Srebrenica Deaths – September 6, 2013

The Guardian – Netherlands to Pay Compensation over Srebrenica Massacre – September 6, 2013

Reuters – Dutch State Blamed in Three Srebrenica Deaths: Supreme Court – September 6, 2013