Three editors of the neo-Nazi Redwatch web site in Poland have been accused of propagating racism.
Mariusz T. from the southern city of Bielasko-Biala, Andrzej P. from the coastal city of Swinoujscie and Bartosz B. from the northern town of Slupsk have been charged with propagating a totalitarian regime and exhorting hatred towards people of different ethnic origin, nationality, race and religion.
“Bartosz B. partly admitted the allegations, while the other two men denied them. All three defendants are being monitored by police and are not allowed to leave Poland,” said Mateusz Martyniuk from the Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw.
The Redwatch web site belongs to the British fascist organization “Blood and Honour”, which has branches in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. It publishes photographs and personal information of alleged left-wing, anarchist, anti-fascist, gay and feminist activists. It also popularizes racial hatred and incites violence against people which it calls “enemies of the race”.
The Polish Redwatch site has been active for three years. In July 2006, police shut down the website after the stabbing of a political activist, whose name was listed on the site. A man later received ten years imprisonment for the attack.
In September 2009, the Prosecutor’s Office had to discontinue a trial against Redwatch because the web site was based on a US server and the Americans refused to help, explaining that it would violate freedom of speech laws. (mg/pg)