Hammerskins arrested for racial discrimination

Alert DateApril 18, 2007 Country: Portugal Address: Lisbon General Type: Racist discourse Racism and discrimination phenomena: Extremism - organised Racist Violence, Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Anti-semitism, Nationalism
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants, Ethnic minorities, Religious minorities Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Political discourse -parties - orgs, Daily life Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Internet, Public Discourse
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Victims Gender N/A
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin Portuguese
Perpetrator Gender N/A
Perpetrator Age N/A
Perpetrators Number 36
Extremist/Organised Group Violence Yes

On the 18th of April 2007 thirty six elements of the Portuguese branch of the right wing movement Hammerskin Nation suspect of racial discrimination and other related felonies were detained in Lisboa, Porto and Braga and some cities in the vicinity of Lisbon. The police investigation focused on this organization’s means of communication of racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic messages in the public space, such as concerts and demonstrations but also through the Internet. Furthermore, the investigation linked the racist propaganda with the possession of illegal weapons and with threats of physical violence. The sentence was read on the 3rd of October 2008, with six condemned to effective prison sentences, 18 condemned to prison sentences whose enforcement was suspended, four condemned to pay fines, one condemned to perform community work and seven were acquitted. The alleged leader of the extreme right-wing organization National Front and of the Portuguese Hammerskins, Mário Machado, was condemned to four years and 10 months of prison. This was the first time in Portugal that someone was sentenced to prison on grounds of racial discrimination.

Source:

Radio TSF (2007.04.18) http://www.tsf.pt/paginainicial/interior.aspx?content_id=774624&page=-1 (acessed 2011-10-28)

Jornal de Notícias; Soares,A. & Varela, C. (2007.04.19) http://www.jn.pt/paginainicial/interior.aspx?content_id=667636 (acessed 2011-10-28)

Jornal Público; Amaro, JB (2008.10.03) http://www.publico.pt/Sociedade/extremadireita-mario-machado-condenado-a-quatro-anos-e-dez-meses-de-prisao-efectiva-1344829 (acessed 2011-10-28)