Blind Justice?

Yesterday, speculation and misinformation concerning the disappearance of Vanguard News Network and the VNN Forums were running rampant across the internet. Bill White claimed, erroneously once more, that the site had been taken down because of complaints made by NSM members Eric Adams and his wife to Alex Linder's internet service provider.

Today it was learned that the shutdown had nothing to do with the NSM and everything to do with Alex Linder and friends issuing a call to arms against a Canadian Judge Konrad Finckenstein and attorney Richard Warman over the incarceration of fellow white supremacist Thomaz Winnicki.

Understanding that Canadian law is much more restrictive when it comes to hate speech than American law, the question still remains - how is it that Hal Turner does more - much more of the same kind of thing along with those who frequent his website and yet receives nothing in the way of punishment or investigation? One can only assume that Turner is more useful to the powers that be on the outside rather than where he needs to be.

TO THE ORIGINAL STORY
Death threats raise alarm

A U.S. white supremacy leader issues a call to arms against a Canadian judge and others.
By RANDY RICHMOND, FREE PRESS REPORTER


The Canadian Human Rights Commission has stepped up security for staff working on hate crimes in the wake of death threats from an American white supremacy leader.

The same threats, written over the jailing of Londoner Tomasz Winnicki, prompted an American communications company to shut down one of the largest U.S. white supremacy websites yesterday.

Vanguard News Network is described by U.S. anti-racism advocates as one of the most active and popular white supremacy websites.

But yesterday afternoon it was taken offline because of concerns raised in Canada over threats posted by its leader, Alex Linder.

Linder issued a call to arms on his website against Federal Court of Canada Justice Konrad W. von Finckenstein, members of the human rights commission and Ottawa lawyer Richard Warman.

"Killing Warman, 'judge' von Finckenstein, or any of the jews who make up the dictatorial 'human rights' council . . . would be a genuine act of patriotism," Linder declared.

"That . . . is VNN's view . . ."

The threat was posted last week.

"We are reviewing it. We are taking it seriously," said Andrew Baumberg, spokesperson for the federal court.

The human rights commission has taken several steps, spokesperson Kathrin Stokes-Bonhomme said yesterday.

"Decisions have been made to add security for staff working on hate crimes," she said.

She refused to elaborate.

The commission and Warman both drafted letters to U.S. police and the Internet service provider for Vanguard News Network after Linder's call to arms.

"This is a direct incitation to murder," said Warman, a human rights advocate who targets Internet hate sites.

Vanguard News Network also posted death threats from its members, including one saying outlaw bikers had been offered money to kill Warman and his family.

"Money CAN buy justice . . . (Warman) is going down," the message stated.

Many Internet service providers have policies prohibiting the posting of threatening information.

"The site has been taken down," confirmed a spokesperson for the Internet service provider yesterday afternoon.

Linder could not be reached for comment by phone and did not answer e-mail inquiries.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre, an anti-racism group in the U.S., describes Linder as a rising white supremacy star and "the operator of a gutturally racist website that is close to breaking into the big time by becoming one of the 10,000 most-visited pages on the Net."

Vanguard News Network is the same website that hosted Londoner Winnicki's long-running tirade against non-whites and non-Christians.

In 2003, Warman filed a complaint with the human rights commission that Winnicki was breaching the Canadian Human Rights Act by likely exposing certain groups to hatred and/or contempt.

Winnicki was called before a human rights tribunal last summer.

He was also ordered by a federal court to stop posting hate messages until the tribunal reached a decision.

Winnicki refused and two weeks ago was found in contempt of court and jailed for nine months.

Meanwhile, in April, the tribunal ruled he had indeed broken the act. He was ordered to pay $11,500 in fines and compensation.