UKIP Councillor Who Said 'Islam Is a Cancer Which Needs to be Cured with Radiation' on Racist Facebook Page 'to Step Down' After Just 12 Days
MAIL ONLINE: Worcestershire councillor Eric Kitson, 59, has admitted [he] will have to quit / He shared series of controversial anti-Muslim and anti-Semetic messages / Mr Kitson admits he has been 'stupid' but maintains he's not a racist / 'I thought I could handle politics, but I can't - I don't see how I can carry on'

A UKIP councillor has announced he will probably have to step down after less than two weeks because he posted a series of offensive messages about Jews and Muslims online.

Eric Kitson, 59, has admitted 'I don't see how I can possibly carry on' after sharing racist cartoons and messages on Facebook.

One included a picture of a nuclear weapon exploding emblazoned with the message: 'Some cancers need to be treated with radiation, Islam is one of them'.

He also shared an image of a Muslim being roasted over a pile of burning Korans, as well as several anti-Semitic outbursts linking the Rothschild banking dynasty to Adolf Hitler.

In one comment he said in reference to Muslim women: 'Hang um all first then ask questions later.'

The councillor from Stourport, Worcestershire, has apologised to residents and party colleagues for his 'stupid' actions. » | Martin Robinson | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Boston Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev Buried in Undisclosed Location
THE GUARDIAN: Police: 'courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide assistance to properly bury the deceased'

The Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in an undisclosed location outside the city of Worcester, police said on Thursday, after a week-long search for a community willing to take the body. Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurst said the body was no longer in Worcester, east of Boston, and was now entombed. Police did not specify where the body was taken.

"As a result of our public appeal for help, a courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide the assistance needed to properly bury the deceased," Worcester police said in a statement.

Tsarnaev's body had been at the Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors. Its director, Peter Stefan, had said that he could not find a community willing to take the body, including Cambridge, where the family had lived for a decade. Tsarnaev's uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, had custody of the body.

Katherine Russell, Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife, had wanted his body turned over to his side of the family, which claimed it. Nineteen days after his death, cemeteries were still refusing to take his remains and government officials deflected questions about where he could be buried. On Wednesday, police in Worcester pleaded for a resolution, saying they were spending tens of thousands of dollars to protect the funeral home where the body was being kept, amid protests.

An expert in US burial law said the resistance to Tsarnaev's burial was unprecedented in a country that has always found a way to put to rest its notorious killers, from Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated president John F Kennedy in 1963, to Adam Lanza, who shot dead 20 children and six adults at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school last year. In Russia, officials would not comment after Tsarnaev's mother said authorities would not allow her son's body into the country, so she could bury him in her native Dagestan. » | Associated Press in Boston | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Catholic Event Cancels Talk By Islam Critic

THE BOSTON GLOBE: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester rescinded an invitation Wednesday to Robert Spencer, a Catholic whose work depicts Islam as an inherently violent religion, to speak at its annual Catholic Men’s Conference in March.

The invitation was withdrawn after Muslims in Massachusetts expressed concerns to the diocese about the appearance of Spencer, scheduled to be a featured speaker at the DCU Center on March 16.

Spencer is director of the blog Jihad Watch and a leader of the American Freedom Defense Initiative and Stop Islamization of America, both of which are seen as anti-Muslim groups by some organizations that monitor extremism.

His books include “Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs,” “The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion,” and “Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics.” On his blog, he has argued that jihad is a central tenet of the faith.

After the Globe sought comment on his scheduled appearance from the diocese and from Muslim organizations Wednesday, the Islamic Council of New England sent an e-mail urging Catholic leaders to cancel Spencer’s appearance. The diocese agreed to do so shortly after receiving the e-mail. » | Lisa Wangsness | Blobe Staff | Thursday, January 31, 2013