A/70/321
groups had led to a rise in incidents of verbal abuse and violence directed at people
of colour, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and
other groups. Such college organizations included Youth for Western Civilization,
the Traditionalist Youth Network and the National Youth Front.
59. The organization also raised the issue of neo-Nazism protected by the State.
According to the organization, in Toledo, Ohio, neo -Nazis had successfully utilized
the State security apparatus to protect and shield themselves from mass popular
resentment. One of the tactics neo-Nazis employed was to invoke their right under
the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guaranteed the rights
to religion, expression and assembly, to acquire police protection. In 2005, riot
police clashed with local residents angered by a neo -Nazi demonstration in Toledo
and the police protection provided to the group by the city. The city spent $100,000
to protect the neo-Nazis. In 2015, there was a similar demonstration and, although
there were no clashes, the city spent over $76,000 on overtime pay to protect the
neo-Nazis.
60. The organization also provided information on the Tea Party, a political
movement in the United States that began during the 2008 presidential election,
which it characterized as a proto-fascist political movement. According to the
organization, the Tea Party had attempted to capitalize on elements of neo -Nazism
and white supremacy. Many white nationalists viewed the Tea Party as an inroad to
mainstream politics, a strategy that was debated on major white nationalist websites.
61. The organization also reported that the State of California had the highest
number of neo-Nazi organizations and activities in the United States. According to
the organization, the state had 68 active hate groups, many of them in southern
California. Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups flourished in particular in high
desert areas and inland valleys. In addition, as Hispanic people moved into
predominantly African-American neighbourhoods and African-Americans migrated
to Nevada, Arizona and other states, there had been an increase in hate crimes
against African-Americans. In 2013, the Los Angeles County Commission on
Human Relations found that, on average, more than one hate crime took place each
day in the county.
62. Finally, the organization presented for comparative purposes a study
undertaken in Australia showing that neo-Nazi groups there were growing at an
alarming rate and were getting harder to police because of social media. The two
principal neo-Nazi organizations in Australia were Blood and Honour and the
Southern Cross Hammerskins; many other smaller groups existed as well. Apart
from distributing neo-Nazi propaganda, their main, semi-public activity was to
organize a gathering in Melbourne each year to commemorate the death of the
Blood and Honour founder, Ian Stuart Donaldson. Recently, Islamophobia had
attracted many new supporters to these organizations.
D.
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
63. The International Association of Democratic Lawyers drew attention to the
human rights violations in Ukraine resulting from racism, discrimination,
xenophobia and other forms of intolerance as well as government alliances with
leaders of far-right nationalist groups. According to the organization, there had been
14/21
15-13793