Stephanie Burlingham - scholarly 14 year old bullied to death

Found another case of a kid who killed herself because of bullying just like other cases like the The Tragic Suicide of Nicola Raphael or Tempest Smith or more recently Dominic Maynard and Sam Leeson. Bullied because of her taste in music and because she worked hard in school.

Leeds teenager bullied for shunning drinking, smoking and swearing ...

April 2008

He heard that Stephanie, who had started dressing like a Goth and listening to
Goth music, had been bullied by text and on the MSN Messenger.

School in America aimed for diverse kids

This is an interesting idea

Proposed Gay High School Changed to 'Bully-Free' School
FOXNews - Nov 18, 2008

The new language echoes the mission statement of Milwaukee's Alliance School, where lead teacher Tina Owen said staff have been successful in attracting — and protecting — a wide range of students, from those who identify as "Goth" to teens with disabilities.

"They find it to be a place where they can be themselves," Owen said. "It's a safe place."

But even without a mission statement aimed directly at gay youth, about 60 percent of Alliance School's 125 students identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.

Not surprising considering students nationwide say sexual orientation and gender identity are two of the top three reasons behind bullying and harassment. Appearance is No. 1, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

A 2007 GLSEN survey of more than 6,200 middle and high school students found that 86 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered students experienced harassment in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 60 percent felt unsafe at school.

In the same survey, 33 percent reported skipping a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe, compared to 4.5 percent of a national sample of secondary school students.

"Harassment is the rule, not the exception, if you're an LGBT student," said Kevin Jennings, founder of the New York City-based GLSEN.

Attack in Poole

Poole man

Mum’s praise for Goth rescue man

10:00am Friday 7th November 2008

THE devastated mum of Sophie Lancaster, the young Goth woman murdered as she tried to protect her boyfriend from a gang attack, has praised the Poole man who broke up a similar brawl on Halloween.

Aran Pope, who witnessed a gang of eight youths surrounding three teenage Goths in Parkstone, stepped in after recalling Sophie’s fate.

Sophie’s mum, Sylvia – who has since established a foundation in her daughter’s name – said: “Mr Pope is obviously very brave and if more people stood up to bullies in the way that he did, they may think twice in the future.

“I have read the article regarding the attack on the Goth teenagers and I would like to say to Mr Pope: well done.”

Mr Pope, 35, who spotted one Goth teen being punched and kicked on the floor, told the Daily Echo: “As it was happening, the young Goth woman who was killed popped into my head. I just knew I had to do something.”

He managed to disperse the group with the help of a passing off duty policeman, and was praised by Dorset Police for his public-spiritedness. No-one was seriously injured in the incident.

Earlier this year, Sophie, 20, was kicked to death by two 16-year-olds in a Lancashire park as she tried to protect her boyfriend, attacked simply because he was a follower of the Goth subculture.

Sophie’s mum said: “Since the death of my daughter I, along with friends, have set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. We receive, on almost a daily basis, instances of violence against young people from alternative subcultures, and we as a foundation are trying to raise awareness of the intolerance they face.”

Following Friday’s Parkstone incident, four people have been arrested and released on police bail. The investigation is ongoing.

Sentence review

Cut in jail sentence for one of goth's killers

guardian.co.uk - Oct 30, 2008
Ryan Herbert, 16, of Bacup, Lancashire, was sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 16 years and three months for kicking and stamping Sophie Lancaster to ...

Goth March in Plymouth

We wear black – and we're proud
Plymouth Evening Herald - Sep 4, 2008
They were among more than 100 goths who marched through Plymouth city centre to mark the anniversary of the mob killing of Sophie Lancaster, in Manchester,

Goths step out with a message of tolerance
Plymouth Evening Herald - Sep 1, 2008

Vicious attack on Goths in Rothwell, Leeds - Paul Gibbs seriously injured

Another vicious attack and mutilation with the most serious injuries inflicted on 26 year old Paul Gibbs and two others injured as well. This sounds like another very horrifying crime:

Echoes of Reservoir Dogs as camper's severed ear found
Yorkshire Post - Aug 30, 2008

One man and two youths are still in custody being questioned in on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder in connection with the case.

The 26-year-old was one of a group of about 20 young goths who were camping on parkland close to the John O'Gaunts estate in Rothwell, east of Leeds, when they were viciously attacked. Four of the group were stabbed and two of the girls were robbed at knifepoint. Two of the four injured men suffered serious injuries.

It is believed the group had travelled up to the John O'Gaunts area at around 8pm on Wednesday and were having a barbecue, drinking and listening to music.Police said a number of attacks took place at different times and at different locations, before one of the group made a frantic call to police. The most violent of the incidents resulted in the man's ear being severed.

Leeds Goths' tribute to pal who had ear sliced off
Yorkshire Evening Post - Sep 1, 2008

Kyle Staniforth was camping with around 20 mosher or Goth friends, ... Police have not revealed the extent of his injuries, other than to his ear

Rothwell Goth attack: Three in court
Rothwell Today - Aug 28, 2008

Police probe Leeds Goth attack after man's ear chopped off ...
Police probe Leeds Goth attack after man's ear chopped off - Residents told of
their shock today over a terrifying night of knife crime

March in Sheffield successful

DEVONSHIRE Green was filled with people of all ages, shapes and sizes on - but there was only one colour to be seen.

The green was a sea of black as around a hundred 'Goths' assembled for a march around the city centre in a plea for tolerance from a society they feel gives them little respect.

Everywhere you looked there was black eyeliner, crosses and an air of melancholy.

The Sheffield Star.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/headlines/The-march-of-the-Goths.4444555.jp



Sheffield Telegraph.
http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news2/The-march-of-the-Goths.4444555.jp

Anti- Emo conspiracy?

MS13 behind Emo bullying? Interesting article.


Kids, gangs, Emos & suicide
pittsburghlive.com - Aug 24, 2008

Emo Satanic Panic in South Africa

Another moral panic this time in South Africa. For some reason the article seems to combine emo, satanism and metal together in a nonsensical combination.


Sword killing sparks fears of satanic ritual deaths
Weekend Post - Aug 23, 2008

Psychologists warn that the inability of parents and schools to recognise when teenagers are troubled or involved in potentially lethal activities could result in scenarios where they play out their fantasies among their peers – as happened at the Nic Diederichs Technical High School in Krugersdorp on Monday with tragic consequences.

Teenagers in the Eastern and Southern Cape – like their peers in other parts of the world – are also falling prey to a dark new sub-culture known as “Emo”, according to counsellors.

Emo, short for emotional, stems from the alternative US music scene and refers to teens who dress in black, wear dark make-up, show no emotion and listen to bands with lyrics about death and depression. It has already claimed at least one life – that of British 13-year-old Hannah Bond – late last year, after she hanged herself from her bunk bed.

Shop under seige

Shop owner under attack for being different

Jul 19 2008 by Andy Passant, Evening Gazette

A STOCKTON shop owner has spoken out after being terrorised by a gang of young yobs for dressing differently.

Silver Johnson, who runs the Enter the Asylum alternative clothing store, believes both her customers and herself are picked on because of how they look.

The Stockton High Street shop is a magnet for those who embrace alternative culture, often referred to as goths, emos or punks.

But in recent months they have been the targets of verbal abuse and intimidation

Last week two boys were attacked on the same evening, one outside Silver’s shop and another attending an event she had organised.

At 6.30pm on Thursday, July 10, a 13-year-old boy was attacked by one of a gang of youths entering the shop. One of the gang struck him on the head with what is believed to be a metal bar, leaving him with bruising to his head.

Then at 7.40pm the same evening, it is believed members of the same gang attacked Silver’s 15-year-old son Martyn as he attended a youth event at the Georgian Theatre.

A youth punched him in the face, leaving him with bruising and swelling.

Silver, a 39-year-old mother-of-five from Stockton, said: “It is an escalating problem.

“We run an under-18s night from the shop. I categorise it as alternative to the mainstream.

“We started off having a bit of chew, nothing major, but over the last six months it has escalated.”

She said there was a gang of 30 to 40 youths, boys and girls, some believed to be as young as 10. Silver said she had also been threatened with a broken bottle.

As well as the assault on her son Martyn, her daughter Elizabeth, 13, has also been attacked.

“She was beaten up about four weeks ago on the Riverside Road. She was beaten by a girl. She was walking away and the girl was going ‘Fight me’.

“Racial abuse is high up on everyone’s agenda but when it comes to people who dress differently nobody is bothered.

“Why should we have to change the way we dress just because some people don’t like what we are?

“At the end of the day it is only music and clothes.”

PC Debbie Morgan, Stockton’s minorities liaison officer, said: “We take all forms of hate crime extremely seriously. All incidents reported will be investigated fully. We are working closely with Silver to stop this problem re-occurring.”

You can visit the shop website in Stockton-on-Tees below.

Enter the Asylum Enter the Asylum, the online premier stockists of Gothic,Cyber, Dark Wave, Emo, Rock. Punk & Alternative Clothing & Accessories.

Emo/Goth in Russia - protests against proposed law

We covered the Russian governments plan to ban goth and emo previously. Now emos have taken to the streets in protest in Siberia.

FP – 20 July 2008:
'Siberian emo fans protest planned ban: report'


Interesting article in Moscow Times
The Moscow Times – 17 July 2008:
'Black Bangs, Piercings Raise Eyebrows in Duma'

Igor Ponkin, one of the bill's authors and a member of the Interior Ministry's public oversight council, described emo culture as a "social danger" that demands measures such as dress codes in schools, Internet regulation and state-sponsored after-school activities.

Ponkin said emo kids exchange photographs showing off their slashed wrists. "This type of behavior is a crucial part of emo ideology," he said.

"Of course there are emo teens who just listen to their music. But our actions are not directed at them but rather at those who also hurt themselves, commit suicide and promote those acts," Ponkin added.

Not all psychologists agree with Ponkin's analysis, however.

"Suicide is not a symptom of emo culture. I work with other teens too, and every group has emotionally troubled kids," said psychologist Inna Cherkova, who has worked with local teenagers, including emo kids, for 15 years.

Many subcultures can, in fact, help children mature into adults, psychologist Alyona Filippova said.

"Many kids seek those with the same perspective and problems and, through this, they can enter general society," Filippova said.

This led to a Guardian report:

The Guardian – 22 July 2008:
'Russia wages war on emo kids'

First came the Chechens, then ethnic Georgians, and then maverick journalists. But now Russia's cracking down on a different social group, a demographic they see threatening the very future of their country. These rebels have pierced lips, ridiculous haircuts and too much eyeshadow. They're barbarians in bowler hats, leather jackets and torn-up tights. Yes, emo has come to Russia – and its leaders want no part of it.

Last month the State Duma held a hearing on "Government Strategy in the Sphere of Spiritual and Ethical Education", a piece of legislation aimed at curbing "dangerous teen trends". There, without a clue in the world, social conservatives lumped "emos" together with skinheads, pushing for heavy regulation of emo websites and the banning of emo and goth fashion from schools and government buildings.

Of cours th Daily Mail would institute similar measures in the UK.

Good coverage of this at freemuse:

Government plan to ban emo and goth music
Freemuse,

March in Shefield in honour of Sophie Lancaster/ Others planned across country

Alicia Thompson the organiser posted this appeal online explaining the reasons behind the march:

Many alternative people across the globe have reported being attacked by thugs simply for the way they dress. This is more common than we all think. Adults are glassed in the streets, punched, kicked or generally have verbal abuse thrown at them when theyve done nothing to provoke it. Not just that, many young people, still in their school years are being viciously beaten by their fellow pupils for looking 'different'.

You dont have to look very far to find thousands of people who say theyve been assaulted or worse, purely for their sub-culture affiliation. Just because you like Heavy Metal music, wear a Gothic dress, have a mohawk haircut or wear colours that others would deem not 'normal,' does not mean that society can take its pathetic mentality out on you!
What happened to our dearest Sophie Lancaster, for me, is the straw that broke the camels' back. When people are dying, its time to stand up and take action!
Brian Deneke was a punk who was run down by a jock in a car, he died instantly and the jock laughed about it! Tempest Smith was a young 12 year old girl who could no longer live with the threats and abuse she suffered daily at the hands of bullies. She commited suicide and I DAMN those newspapers who say it was because the music she listened to told her to do it! Get the real story you mind numbingly pathetic journalists!
This cannot be allowed to continue and we cannot allow any more people to die because of societies moronic views of alternative people. We're the good guys for crying out loud!
We need to put an end to Alterophobia now!

With all this in mind, i've organised a march through Sheffield city Centre on 31st August 2008. We will stand side by side, in support of our fellow brethren and we will be seen AND heard as we proudly show the public who we truely are!
It's not a demonstration, nor a picket of any sort, just a march... a march to show and celebrate our diversity and colours, a march to say 'We remember those who were treated unfairly and those who suffered tragic consequences'. We remember Sophie, Brian, Tempest, Megan, Sam, Lee, Josh and many others who are no longer with us today because they chose to be shepherds and not sheep.

I NEED AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO MARCH WITH ME!!!

Dress how you feel comfortable, i ask only that you represent yourself as true as possible.

EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT ALTERNATIVE, come and support our cause and show the world that all people are unique and beautiful just the way they are!

It should prove to be an awesome experience - and i shall be filming throughout.

'SEEN AND NOT HEARD - THE PARADE OF UNITED SOULS'
MEET AT THE DEVONSHIRE GREEN AT 11.45AM. WE SET OFF WHEN THE TOWN HALL CLOCK STRIKES 12!!

DON'T WORRY if you can't make it to the Sheffield march - there are more marches being set up in other parts of the UK.

NEWCASTLE - organised by my good friend Laura Hopcroft. You can find her group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56566375460

PLYMOUTH/DEVON/CORNWALL - organised by another good friend Scott Laycock. You can find his group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56434245415

EAST ANGLIA - The Gothic Liberation Front (East Anglia Division) is setting up a march in Ipswich. You can contact them via their Myspace page here:
http://www.myspace.com/glfeastangliauk

SOUTH AFRICA - organised by good friend and talented journalist-in-the-making, Rhann. You can find his group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19746247966

CAMDEN, LONDON - Still as yet to be confirmed and organised. Will update ASAP

WE'LL NOTIFY YOU ON ANY MORE MARCHES AS SOON AS WE GET THE INFO.

Get yourselves ready to be heard!!

All support is welcome... thanks!


YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT: A_THOMPSON7@SKY.COM

This is excellent work and we can only hope others get involved.

The local paper covered it here:

Goths to march through Sheffield in bid to stop abuse
The Star, UK - 17 Jul 2008

HUNDREDS of goths are set to march through Sheffield to protest against the abuse they say they receive for dressing differently.

Clad mainly in black, with piercings and bright colours in their hair, members of the scene say they are fed up of being singled out for abuse - and claim they receive little support from the authorities.

Organiser Alicia Thompson, aged 32, of Wincobank, who likes to wear black dresses, boots and has her hair black and red, said: "We live in a world that doesn't accept this kind of difference and young people are continuously mocked, attacked and sometimes even killed for the way they look."

In April, national headlines were made when two teenagers were jailed for life for the murder of Sophie Lancaster, who suffered fatal injuries when she intervened to stop her boyfriend being beaten.

The court heard the sole motive for the attack was because Sophie and her boyfriend dressed as goths.

Lots of other events held or being planned recently.

Sophie's legacy of love Manchester Online, UK - 17 Jul 2008 A Sophie Lancaster Foundation has now been set up. It aims to raise funds and provide a forum for discussion, work with youths to raise awareness. The SOPHIE logo was designed by family friend Ben Conboy-Greenwood, 23. Hoodies, along with vest tops, bags and wristbands, are available through the MySpace page with all proceeds going to the campaign. So far £22,000 has been raised.

Tribute to Tragic Goth RedOrbit, TX - 16 Jul 2008 YOUNGSTERS in Sandwell are to stage a memorial concert to pay tribute to murdered goth girl Sophie Lancaster. The borough's young people are holding a ...

Suckers to stamp out violence The Visitor, UK - 15 Jul 2008 The charity was founded by the family and friends of Sophie Lancaster, the Goth girl from Bacup, who was senselessly murdered for being different in her ...

Move to revive Bacup's carnival
Lancashire Telegraph, UK - 15 Jul 2008
Money raised by the event would be given to the families of Sophie Lancaster, who was murdered in Stubbylee Park, Matthew Entwistle, who died in a motorbike ...

British Street Gangs focused on clothing

Interesting article:

Crips and Bloods: How Britain's mobs are imitating US gangs
Times Online, UK - 10 Jul 2008
Last year Sophie Lancaster, 20, was kicked to death by youths in Bacup, Lancashire, because she was dressed as a Goth. Have we reached a point where a young

Sam Leeson - Investigation continues

Vicar blasts 'terrorist' cyberbullies who drove Emo teen to suicide
Times Online, UK - 24 Jun 2008

Canon John Evans, conducting the funeral of Sam Leeson, said online tormentors who hounded him because of his dark clothes and alternative music taste murdered him as surely "as if someone had killed him with a gun".

He called on companies operating social networking sites to take action against the "cowardly" minority of bullies "hiding in the dark", to prevent such tragedies from happening in future. Those making millions from such sites had a responsibility to tackle online abusers, who he said were "just as bad as those who throw bombs."

Sam was found hanged in his bedroom on June 5, following months of online abuse which his family only uncovered after his death. He had been taunted on his Bebo page about his devotion to the goth-influenced movement, followers of which often have long dark hair and make-up and wear black clothes.

WE CANNOT LET KILLING GO ON
Evening Post, UK

The past few weeks have not been good weeks to be parents. I met a remarkable mother a few days ago whose teenage son Sam committed suicide recently.

Still grieving, Sally Cope was brave enough to come into the TV news studio to talk about her appalling experience. She may well have found it cathartic but she wanted to warn other parents, in an attempt to save them from the pain she's going through and will continue to go through for the rest of her life. She also wanted to encourage teenagers, especially boys, to talk about their problems and not to bottle them up.

The police are scouring the hard drive on Sam's computer because they believe he could have been the latest victim of the new teenage curse of cyber bullying. Detectives think he may have attracted this sickening attention because of his love of "Emo" culture. Incredibly in a survey last week, one in six teenagers admitted to bullying online and also confessed they found it easy to do because it was anonymous.

Like any responsible parent Sally said she monitored what Sam and his younger sister were up to while in front of their laptop, but like all of us, she couldn't stand behind them permanently, watching every single move of the mouse. Sally says the first she knew of the seriousness of Sam's inner turmoil was when she found him, dead. She didn't even have a chance to talk to Sam about what was eating away at him inside. What makes her terrible experience even worse is that more faceless cowards have been altering, in a very unpleasant way, the many tributes to Sam that have been posted on message boards - it's the online equivalent to desecrating a newly dug grave.

Another attempt to define emo:

Tickle Me Emo
Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription) 13 Jul 2008

Dangers of the Myth of Emo Slf-harm

Generation ‘whine’ and other self-harm myths
On Line opinion, Australia -18 Jun 2008

Perhaps you already care about self-harm. You wrote your worries on your body one night, too empty to feel much as you sought to tell others what you couldn’t explain to yourself. You covered up more than wounds with bandages and wore winter clothing on summer days as a talisman against shame.

You tried it once because you wanted to feel alive, and when you tried to stop, your mind declared otherwise. You replaced one kind of pain with another, which felt a lot like self-help, and the logic of your universe came undone.

Or perhaps you've never cared about self-harm, maybe you just read about it, and became interested in the lore of “cutting culture” - how it is a fad promoted by the “emo” subculture, how it is all about attention-seeking, all about suicidal intent, all about manipulation, how it drove some kid in America to shoot his classmates. Perhaps you don't care about self-harm at all.

Well, now would be a good time to start.

Young people who self-harm* provoke plenty of vilification, but not enough care. Figures published recently by The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that hospitalisation for self-harm among people aged 12 to 24 has risen by 43 per cent in 10 years.

But while the jump is disturbing, so too is the hidden number of young people who self-harm but don’t seek help, silent casualties of moral panic and mental health stigma. Ignorance has allowed self-harm to become something ridiculed and taboo, something to talk about in whispers, with cynical sneers. Much is said about self-harm; very little of that is true.

So let's clear up a few misconceptions. Self-harm is not a fashion statement. It is not about exploiting the goodwill of others in order to be noticed. It does not “cause” homicidal behaviour, unless you are a darkly imaginative journalist with a penchant for attention-grabbing sensationalism. Self-harm’s tenuous link to emo (short for “emotional”) comes from the music genre’s lyrics - intimate, confessional - and though they’re certainly an acquired taste, it’s naïve to believe that counterculture is the poison in the well of mainstream society.

Rather, self-harm is a coping mechanism. It is a way of controlling, diverting or communicating overwhelming feelings. (The relationship between self-harm and suicide is complex; in most cases it is not intended to be fatal.)

Knowing what they’re up against - the stereotypes, the prejudice - you start to understand why some young people who self-harm claim “accidental injury” in hospital emergency rooms. And you start to understand why they might find false solace in the “safety” of secrecy, too.

Self-harm is not a “psychotic” act - any more than responding to stress by drowning one’s sorrows in a pot or two of beer is. But the mythology of self-harm denotes otherwise, spurred on by negative spin from a media industry indifferent to empowering young people equally. Vulnerable young people are too often demonised; those in need of help most.

Story of bullied teenager in Australia

A familar story..

Read Tori Matthews-Osman's story about bullying
Geelong Advertiser, Australia -

Another article points out music has little to do with slf harm and it is a myth:


Generation ‘whine’ and other self-harm myths
On Line opinion, Australia - 18 Jun 2008

You tried it once because you wanted to feel alive, and when you tried to stop, your mind declared otherwise. You replaced one kind of pain with another, which felt a lot like self-help, and the logic of your universe came undone.

Or perhaps you've never cared about self-harm, maybe you just read about it, and became interested in the lore of “cutting culture” - how it is a fad promoted by the “emo” subculture, how it is all about attention-seeking, all about suicidal intent, all about manipulation, how it drove some kid in America to shoot his classmates. Perhaps you don't care about self-harm at all.

Well, now would be a good time to start.

Young people who self-harm* provoke plenty of vilification, but not enough care. Figures published recently by The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that hospitalisation for self-harm among people aged 12 to 24 has risen by 43 per cent in 10 years.

But while the jump is disturbing, so too is the hidden number of young people who self-harm but don’t seek help, silent casualties of moral panic and mental health stigma. Ignorance has allowed self-harm to become something ridiculed and taboo, something to talk about in whispers, with cynical sneers. Much is said about self-harm; very little of that is true.

So let's clear up a few misconceptions. Self-harm is not a fashion statement. It is not about exploiting the goodwill of others in order to be noticed. It does not “cause” homicidal behaviour, unless you are a darkly imaginative journalist with a penchant for attention-grabbing sensationalism. Self-harm’s tenuous link to emo (short for “emotional”) comes from the music genre’s lyrics - intimate, confessional - and though they’re certainly an acquired taste, it’s naïve to believe that counterculture is the poison in the well of mainstream society.

Rather, self-harm is a coping mechanism. It is a way of controlling, diverting or communicating overwhelming feelings. (The relationship between self-harm and suicide is complex; in most cases it is not intended to be fatal.)

This interesting article reveals how prejudice against emo feeds into prompting people with mental problems into feeling even worse about themselves:

Teen faces mental health stigma
Caledon Enterprise, Canada 20 June 08

After making the long arduous climb out of depression, 16-year-old Di Sha Phillip wants to extend a hand to others trying to make the same difficult ascent.
The Brampton Centennial Secondary School student is a bright, articulate young woman determined to remove the public stigma that clings to those suffering from mental health disorders and creates a potential obstacle to recovery.
While battling depression, Phillip found stigma stained the way others saw her and even how she viewed herself. Neither perspective aided in getting help or recovering from the emotional fall that landed this teenager in a mental health unit at the local hospital.
Phillip has bravely stepped forward to put a face on mental illness and establish a grassroots organization she has dubbed Students Erasing the Stigma. Her hope is to start youth chapters within local schools to raise awareness about mental health issues and assist troubled students looking for help.
“I’m doing this because I got out of a really bad situation last year with depression and I’ve been involved in the mental health system and I realized there isn’t a lot of youth activism going on, like at a local level, to help people understand mental illness and mental disorders,” she said.
Phillip is a high academic achiever who, at a glance, might seem an unlikely candidate to experience serious mental crisis. However, experts agree mental illness has no regard for intellect, gender, age, race, ethnicity or socio-economic standing. It strikes without discrimination, can be paralyzing and sometimes be fatal.
Last year, Phillip was a Grade 10 student in Turner Fenton Secondary School’s highly regarded International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. The demanding pre-university course challenges the academic and life skills of high school students with the Peel District School Board. Program graduates can access universities all over the world.

As depression began to take a firm grasp, other students in the highly competitive IB program started to see her as emotionally weak. She found herself shunned by peers, bullied and the topic of gossip. She has since transferred out of the IB program to Brampton Centennial.
Some schoolmates last year referred to her as an “emo— a popular culture term and stereotype used to sometimes describe someone who can be emotional, introverted, depressed, prone to self-injury and suicidal.
“I didn’t necessarily fit that kind of image, but I was very unhappy,” she admitted. “I did say a lot of negative things about my life, how I didn’t like myself and I didn’t like the way I was and the person I’d become and I guess they kind of didn’t really understand what was going on with me and they kind of started to ostracize me in that way.”
High expectations, academic demands, stress and competition in the program, coupled with her poor self-perception, grandmother’s death and depression eventually led to a nervous breakdown.
“I understood my feelings, but it took me a while to realize what I was feeling was depression and it was a serious mental illness.”

Another Emo suicide

Another troubled teen this time in Hull in an inquest on a suicide in January. The coverage reveals that Evanescence and Slipknot are now emo apparently...

A girl aged 12 who was found hanged in her bedroom had become obsessed with a teenage sub-culture known as “emo”, an inquest was told yesterday.

Rachel Jarvis, a fan of the band My Chemical Romance, died in January, a few days after making a new year’s resolution not to kill herself. She joins a growing list of children whose death has been linked to their involvement with the music and fashion of the angst-ridden cult, whose followers regularly talk of self-harming and suicide.

Girl found hanged in bedroom had become obsessed with ‘emo’ culture
Times Online, UK -18 Jun 2008

'Emo' fan 'hanged herself after talking of suicide'
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - does 18 Jun 2008

Breaking news: Inquest into death of girl, 12
Hull Daily Mail, UK - 18 Jun 2008

Sophie Lancaster - Campaign approachs £20,000 mark plus Scottish legislation coming?

Good news regarding the Sophie Campaign sounds like it has a lot of plans:

Sophie Foundation raises £20000 in under a year
Lancashire Telegraph, UK -16 Jun 2008

AN appeal launched in the wake of the murder of Sophie Lancaster has collected nearly £20,000 in under a year.

Supporters of the charitable foundation, which is being established in the gap-year student's name, including her mother Sylvia, have now formulated plans for how that money will be spent.

Talks have been held with Hope Hospital, where Sophie was treated after being attacked by a five-strong gang in Stubbylee Park, Bacup, about a suitable donation to benefit future patients.

Sophie, 20, was killed last August after trying to defend her boyfriend Robert Maltby from a gang attack. Five teens, who targeted the ex-Haslingden High pair because they were dressed as Goths, are now serving substantial prison terms.

Hundreds of black wristbands have been sold across Rossendale and beyond and tribute concerts have been staged nationwide by supporters of the alternative music scene, touched by her plight.

The funding generated should also pay for workshops to be staged in schools, colleges and youth clubs to tackle the issues of intolerance and prejudice.

advertisement

An advice and information service, to help young people and professionals who deal with them, will also be established.

Part of the ongoing fundraising efforts will also see a new clothing range promoted, endorsed by the foundation.

Kate Conboy-Greenwood, a close friend of Sylvia, said: "The campaign is going from strength to strength - there was no way that Sophie was going to be forgotten but we even have been surprised at the amount of things that have been happening.

"Tragedies keep on happening and we are always being asked for advice and help from different people."

Sylvia meanwhile has recently met with Scottish government ministers, over the drafting of legislation designed to deter attacks on marginalised groups.

She is also set to feature in a forthcoming episode of Tonight with Trevor McDonald on ITV, to discuss similar matters.

A bench could be placed outside Haslingden Library, one of Sophie's favourite spots, in her memory.

Sounds like Scots emos and goths may soon be protected!

You can now buy Sophie Tshirts and other stuff online directly at this website:

http://www.backstreet-merch.com/stores/sophielancaster/

Sophie Lancaster - Murderers launch appeal

Appeal over Goth murder sentenceBBC News,

Appeal bid launched by Sophie Lancaster's murderers

Dublin - Another pro Emo March

Congratulations are due to the organizers of another march this time in Ireland:


Teenage fans march to defend US band

Thursday, 12 June 2008
A GROUP of Northside teenagers are organising a
protest march to rebel against media coverage of their favourite band.The
Hartstown teens are staunchly defending My Chemical Romance (MCR), who were was
recently dubbed a ‘suicide cult’ by an English tabloid newspaper.The young
teenagers are furious over media coverage of the suicide of an English
13-year-old MCR fan.But according to Eiblin Malone, the media’s association
between MCR and suicide are “ridiculous”.“Something of the magnitude of suicide
cannot simply be triggered by music,” she told Northside People.“There has to be
other pretty significant reasons and factors which would cause someone to feel
so isolated.”She added: “I find the band and their songs really uplifting. MCR
have some very positive messages for their fans about life and how to get
through the hard times.” The bubbly 17-year-old called on the public to think
“outside the box”.“A lot of people tend to put kids and the types of music they
listen to into certain categories,” the fifth year student explained.“Teenagers
are branded because of the way they dress and act when really people are far
more complex than that.“I wear black but that doesn’t mean I’m depressed. In
fact, I’m often told that I’m a really happy, chirpy person to be around.”...

The Hartstown local added: “They are the perfect role models if anything. And they shouldn’t be associated with just teenagers as their fan base varies in age from 10 to 30-year-olds.”The march will kick off from St Stephen’s Green at 1pm on Saturday, June 14.“This march, which another friend Sarah Devine helped to organise, is about much more than MCR,” Jessica said.“It’s about suicide awareness and highlighting the unfair labels attached to teenagers.“We have even invited the Samaritans who we hope will be there on the day collecting money for their charity.”

Teenage fans march to defend US band Dublin Northside People, Ireland

Meanwhile another musician attacked the idea that music causes suicideL

Buzznet caught up with Angels & Airwaves front man and former Blink182 frontman Tom DeLonge today who spoke candidly to the recent MCR controversy (they are being blamed for influencing a teen to commit suicide) that made headlines and whether he believe in the whole "music saves lives" idea and if there's too much responsibility on the musician?

DeLonge: "The same sort of thing happened to me with Blink, so I can understand what it's like to be a part of something like that. We had a victim of the Columbine shootings take his life with our song on repeat. You kinda go through these situations where you blame yourself —but you can't. You have no idea who these people are.
"And My Chemical Romance, they spend a lot of time singing about coming together and there's ingredients of rebellion and angst, but what band doesn't have that when you're young?" - Full interview

Sam Leeson - Evidence gathering of culture of bullying at school

Look at these comments on the bullying going on at Sam's school. :

I have a daughter at Severnvale who was in the same year as Sam, also my
eldest use to go there and they've both said that bullying is definitely going
on more than the school have acknowledged. When it's time for my youngest
daughter to go to secondary school i will certainly not be sending her to
Severnvale. A.Watkins, Whitminster commented on 13-Jun-2008 13:13 Mr Rowland
clearly does not know a thing about what is happening in his own school. My
sister was also bullied for not only liking a different type of music than the
Chavs who rule the school but for also being clever & enjoying school. On a
number of occasions we spoke to different teachers about this and nothing was
done about it. It ended with her own inner strength and standing up for herself
with the help of understanding friends - nothing to do with teachers. Come on Mr
Rowland stand up to the bullies for people who cannot... S. Nicholls, Gloucester
commented on 13-Jun-2008 13:02

My last comment went off screen. My daughter is
also into emo culture and goes to Severn Vale School. She is constantly bullied
there and always has been. She said it never gets sorted, if you tell a teacher
the bully may get a one hour detention after school and then they are off again.
She knew Sam and said he had been bullied by Severn Vale pupils particularly on
the bus. Our sincere sympathy to all Sam's family and friends it is a
heartbreaking tragedy.

Jane, gloucester commented on 13-Jun-2008 12:03

Quedgeley school plans tribute for tragic Sam.
From the local newspaper.

Other comments:

R.I.P SamAlthough i did not know you, i saw you around school and you
always seemed happy. I throughout a couple of years at Severn Vale was bullied.
I was in that state of mind Sam was, but got through it with friends help. The
problem apparently was not at school but with lads from a different school,
CryptThey apparently threatened him to kill himself, or they would kill him. I
Hope this is investigated down to the full, and mates of sams who know anything
about this please help us.D, Quedgeley Annonymous, Quedgeley, Gloucester
commented on 11-Jun-2008 22:35

My heartfelt sympathies go out to sam's family and friends at this
terrible time.The school really does need to be investigated though as bullying
is commonplace at this school and it is ignored, no matter what some people
might say. My children were both bullied at this school and Mr Rowland turned a
blind eye every time I tried to talk to him about it, he wasnt interested in
anything that would make his school look bad. I eventually removed my children
and placed them elsewhere, my daughter still suffers now from the abuse she
received and is still undergoing counselling to get over it. Gill, Gloucester
commented on 11-Jun-2008 22

I have had 4 children go through their education at Severn Vale with the 2
youngest still at the school and my son was friends with Sam. I would just like
to point out to those of you who are quick to blame the school that the bullying
was NOT taking place on school site, but via the internet and by students from
another local school according to my son and Sam's peers. Students at Severn
Vale (and many of them have commented on here) are extremely happy at Severn
Vale and enjoy fabulous relationships with staff and students alike. It is
totally incorrect to say the school does nothing about bullying. My daughter was
bullied and it was dealt with amazingly well by all the staff particularly Mr
Hunte, Mrs Prescott and Mr Rowland. Their policy is watertight. People really do
need to get their facts straight before being so quick to criticise. Severn Vale
Parent, Gloucester commented on 11-Jun-2008 17:43

I go to Severn Vale school, and to be honest it has shocked me by what they
have said about this. I read a letter today that Sam wasn't a victim of
bullying, and the first thing I thought to myself is "Are you blind?!". Almost
everyone in this school knows he was, they're just trying to protect there
reputation, the whole time I was there thye talked about the high standard they
had, and ofcourse how they promote that they deal with bullys. You don't! You do
flip all to be honest! Sam was a victim of bullying because he dressed
differently, and you failed to see that. Some of The students at your school
have no respect, I know, I see them every day. I hope this has made you think
about how you treat bullying claims from now on. Secondly the Citizen isn't much
better! Your trying to turn the blame onto Emo music, there is nothing wrong
with it, some people just find it easier to releate to. And the quote used by
Mr. Rowland? Stolen from a letter sent out! Rip sam, your in a better place
Jessica, Hardwicke

Did Sam take own life over name calling?

Sam Lesson - Another Victim of Hate

News reports today and yesterday confirmed another case of bullicide just like the The Tragic Suicide of Nicola Raphael or Tempest Smith or more recently Dominic Maynard.

Bullied to death for being Emo music fan
By Geoffrey Lakeman Mirror
12/06/2008

A gifted teenager may have killed himself after being bullied over his
love of Emo culture, his family said yesterday.
Sam Leeson, a devotee of the
goth-influenced movement, had designed his own web page on Bebo adorned with
pictures and lyrics of favourite acts such as My Chemical Romance.
The 13-year-old was found hanged in his room a week ago after comments mocking his appearance and taste in music were left on the social networking site. Parents
Sally Cope and Christopher Leeson yesterday spoke of their grief as they called
for tighter regulation of such sites
Sally, 45, said: "He was an alternative dresser and I think other teens did make comments. He was quiet and very thoughtful but had a lot of friends. He was such a loving boy. We just can't believe what has happened."

Once again another alternative teen has been hounded to death. Here are other links to the story:

Investigation into Sam's death begins.Gloucester Citizen,

Bullies blamed after suicide of 'Emo' music fanIndependent, UK

Teenager found hanged was abused on website, say family guardian.co.uk, UK

13-year-old suicide over 'emo' cult bullyingTelegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 11 Jun 2008

The Guardian and The Sun seems to be the only ones to link this with Hannah Bond but none
of them link it to the wave of anti emo hate on the Internet the media's coverage
prompted. Alterophobia thinks it is no coincidence... see J' accuse - How the media lies contributed to a suicide...

Some have criticised emo culture for promoting a morbid outlook on life. Last
September Hannah Bond, a 13-year-old from Peckham, south-east London, took
her life. In May more than 100 young emo fans demonstrated in London against
an accusation by the Daily Mail that the culture was "characterised by
depression, self-injury and suicide".

Emo Sam web bully fearsThe Sun, UK - 11 Jun 2008


Nothing matches though the breathtaking hypocricy of the DAILY MAIL a good report but no mention of how their lies may have led to a child's death.:

Boy, 13, 'hanged himself after he was bullied on BeboMail , UK - 11 Jun 2008

Sam Leeson's family say the 13-year-old was picked on by other users of the
site because of his 'alternative appearance' and his taste in music.
Blaming
Bebo for his 'utterly pointless death', Sam's mother said the family discovered
the extent of the bullying only when they checked his Web page after his death.
'I'm not sure what influence these sites have - but if they are a method of expressing things, maybe they should be checked more,' said 45-year-old Sally Cope.
'He was into his appearance and often wore his black skinny jeans. He was an alternative dresser and I think other teenagers did used to make comments about that.'
Bebo users who taunted Sam on the site have since left messages apologising for their conduct.

Sam was a fan of alternative rock bands such as the Foo Fighters and Slipknot, as well as so-called Emo music, championed by bands such as blink-182 and Good Charlotte.
The movement takes its name from the word emotional - a reference to its angst-ridden lyrics and melancholy themes.
It has become increasingly popular with British teenagers since its inception in the U.S. two decades ago.
Followers see the genre as much as a fashion as a style of music. Many dye their hair black and wear dark clothing.
Sam's sister, Emma, 22, said he had also been bullied at school over his interest in the music.
'He used to laugh about it when people mocked him over his dress sense and
music taste, so we didn't realise it was anything serious.
'We saw him as always happy and smiling, but we now think there has been some name-calling about the whole Emo thing. 'We know some bullying has been going on. We do not want to attack the school, as they have been very good, but we are very
upset it has come to this.'
Sam, of Tredworth, Gloucestershire, was found on Thursday by his mother, Sally Cope, and another sister, Katie, 12, when they returned from a short shopping trip.

Tribute videos here



Rest in peace Sam I only hope you are the last.

J' accuse - How the media and the Daily Mail's lies are connected to the death of Sam Leeson

Sam Leeson is dead. The 13 year old boy killed himself on Thursday June 5th after a campaign of online and real life harassment just because he liked emo and Heavy Metal. Another case of bullicide just like others we have covered.

This was a tragedy. Obviously those who immediately to blame are those bullies who victimised an innocent directly just because he liked a certain type of music and dressed in a certain way.

Behind them however a heavy weight of responsibility rests on the Daily Mail and other media sources who repeated and in some cases sensationalized the reports of Hannah Bond's death and others. Let us examine the time line of events to see what happened:


16 Aug 2006
“ EMO cult warning for parents” The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail publishes a spectacularly inaccurate article. No research evidence is used to back up its conclusions. The article is frequently quoted on anti Emo websites in the next few years. It sparks a wave of criticism from MCR and their fans.

March 25, 2007

"Who said Romance was dead?" TIM DE LISLE
Mail on Sunday, March 25, 2007 Sunday SECTION: FB 04; Pg. 72

In a review of a My Chmical Romance gig a Mail reporter states:

"

My Chemical Romance are loud, dark, heavily made-up and suddenly
popular.
They have even been accused of leading a cult of self-harm, although the
evidence is slight. The subject of self-harm does crop up in chatrooms populated
by the band's fans but they can hardly be blamed for that and their response has
been clear enough: 'We do not encourage self-harm.' They frighten some parents,
but others are here with their children, and some older people are even here of
their own accord. Behind me, two men are reminiscing about a gig by The Damned
in 1976.

My Chemical Romance are not so much objectionable as
puzzlingly hard to place not quite punk, not quite emo, not quite metal. At last
summer's Reading Festival they were pelted with bottles by fans of the veteran
death-metal band Slayer."

It is significant that this report completely contradicts what the Mail claimed about MCR in 2006 and in 2008. Which is correct?




September 22 2007

Hannah Bond commits suicide in East Peckham

January 23rd 2008
Beginning of wave of irresponsible coverage of Bridgend suicides by national media including the Mail which is later criticised as irresponsible by the police and The Samaritans. It is interesting to note that of the 20 young people who have died in Bridgend only one of them seems to be a fan of alternative music. Statistically given the chart success of Emo and metal bands this is well below average. None of the coroner reports has highlighted musical choice as a factor in the Bridgend deaths.

May 8th 2008

Following the verdict of the coroner’s court this local Newspaper article this forms the basis for coverage by national media.
Teenage girl's music obsession suicide link

http://www.yourmedway.co.uk/kent-news/Teenage-girl_s-music-obsession-suicide-link-newsinkent12700.aspx?news=local


May 8th 2008

Link to Hannah's bebo tribute page posted online on 4 chan. Immediately it is spammed massively with anti-emo insults .


May 9th 2008 - Telegraph, Mail and Sun
The press sieze on the coroner and local press report. This coverage triggers a further mass wave of anti emo propaganda on the internet. Some of this is the work of elements in association with the Internet group Anonymous. The rest comes from the ongoing sites which ferment anti-emo prejudice. Many of these are frequented by listeners of other alternative music especially metal.


May 14, 2008 Wednesday

Mail publishes a good letter criticising its coverage. Unfortunately it ignores everything it says in an article a few days later:

I'M A 14-YEAR-OLD who loves emo music, but I cannot associate it with the
unfortunate suicide of a 13-year-old girl (Mail). Emo is a music genre, not a
fashion. It doesn't glamorise death it makes people fear it
less.

There's too much labelling and stereotyping these days. Many
people who have read about the new emo 'trend' have bullied me more than before,
because I fitted into the 'emo' description by liking rock music and dying my
hair black. This made my school life utter chaos and it has only recently
started to improve. Why do the newspapers never pick on any other genre or
scene? It's always emo that is under attack and normally without explaining the
difference between emo and goth. There's no way in which you can blame My
Chemical Romance for the suicide of teenagers. The lead singer, Gerard Way, is
one of my few idols.

He's always telling people 'not to kill
themselves because it's not worth it' and that 'you shouldn't let people get you
down'. The group has never promoted suicide. Gerard tells all girls to respect
themselves and not to do as men tell them. He gave me confidence hope,
even.

The main character in the song The Black Parade was a cancer
victim, not a suicide victim. The lyrics mean that despite the fact that you're
dead, we still love you and cherish the memories. They do not mean 'die now and
we'll all remember and glorify you'.

You can't blame music for the
loss of children's lives there are such things as bullying and
self-hate…
SOPHIE BROWN (14), Llandybie, Carms..

16 May 2008
"Why no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo"
By TOM RAWSTORNE Daily Mail 16 May 2008

The Mail continues to distort the truth. This contains a number of inaccurate and misleading statements including the following:

1 - MCR is defiantly an Emo band. – As the Mail reported in 2007 MCR’s association with Emo is questionable.
2 - ) “the 'black parade' is a place where all emos believe they will go when they die” - This is blatantanly untrue. All emos don't belive anything of the kind.
3 - The rate of self harm has indeed risen from as the article states "New figures show that the number of children admitted to hospital due to injuries inflicted on themselves has risen by a third in five years.In 2002/03 there were 11,891 such admissions; in 2006/07 this had risen to 15,955". - However what the Mail does not mention is that the rate of suicide has dropped in that same time period. If Emo/MCR causes suicide it should have peaked in 2006 with MCR reaching no 1. In fact the peak was 1998 long before MCR was formed or emo was popular in the UK.
4 – The article does not mention that MCR has consistently campaigned against Youth suicide and self-harm despite the Mail on Sunday mentioning it in print in 2007.



Like earlier articles this generates a wave of internet controversy.

May 20th
Mail publishes another letter criticising its coverage:

" I FOUND it very difficult to read Tom Rawstorne s article on Hannah Bond s
suicide because I m a 15-year-old girl who is stereotyped by my peers as emo .
This is because I listen to bands such as My Chemical Romance and wear clothes
that are apparently emo (skinny jeans, studded belts, band tees, hoodies). I
wouldn t mind being stereotyped so much most teenagers are put into some
stereotype. What I mind is going into school every day and having to put up with
people shouting such horrific things as Why aren t you dead, emo? and Emo, go
slit your wrists and die . All this because of how I dress and the bad press my
favourite band gets? Rather unfair, I think....
AOIFE MULLEN, Drogheda, Co
Louth."

Sat May 31st - MCR/Emo March against Daily Mail's biased reporting.

The Mail claims its reporting is fair and balanced.


Thurs June 5th - Sam Leeson kills himself


Online bullying of Emos certainly has peaked in the last month. There are a number of reports I am gathering that this carried over into real life with an increase in bullying of emos in school and elsewhere.

If I was working for the Daily Mail I would hang my head in shame. The Daily Mail claimed its reports were balanced they were not an example of balanced reporting can be seen in the Times or BBC's reports on the same issue. They created an atmosphere which supported and justified and irrational prejudice. Just like in the 1930s when the Mail headline read "Hurrah for the Black Shirts" their biased reporting has now come back to haunt them.

Alterophobia is in position of interesting new evidence which further highlights the media's irresponsibility in this matter.

Sophie Lancaster - Wristbands on Sale online here

You can now buy these online directly at this website http://www.backstreet-merch.com/stores/sophielancaster/


You can even get them in batches of 5. There are also links from the Sophie main website.

Russian Duma vows to stamp out evils of Goth and Emo

Alternative people in the supposedly free west have to put up with a lot of rubbish but nothing to compare with this:

Educational Policy Turns Protective
Kommersant, Russia - 2 Jun 2008

For example, the draft law “On Moral and Patriotic Education and Guarantees of the Rights of Children in the Informational Sphere” envisages that all informational products, from books and films to websites and computer games will be divided into groups by audience age as “6 and older,” “12 and older,” “16 and older” and “18 and older.”

Specifically, children under 6 will be allowed to read books and watch cartoons where there is “non-naturalistic description of violence justified by the genre and topic under the condition of sympathy with the victim and a condemnatory attitude toward violence.” After 16, it will be possible to hear “expletives justified by the genre” and watch “depictions of sexual acts between men and women that do not have a pornographic nature.” The draft law “On Children’s Toys” would ban the production and importation of toys that “provoke aggression,” “model actions of a sexual nature,” “justify extremism and a criminal lifestyle,” “depict horror or unbearable pain” or that are created “on the basis of the psychologically incongruous.” That might be, for example, candy in the shape of skeletons or stuffed toys in the shape of bacteria or viruses.

Other legislative initiatives propose imposing a curfew for schoolchildren from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. During those hours, children would be unable to be present in public places under threat of punishment to their parents. Attempts by schoolchildren to send SMS messages with obscene words (including those in Latin transcription) would be blocked by the cellular operator. Schools would be forbidden to observe “artificially borrowed holidays not appropriate to Russian cultural values,” such as Halloween and St. Valentine’s Day.

The drafters of the concept took a particular negative stance in regard to the Goth and emo youth subcultures, which are characterized by black clothing, piercings and a depressed outlook on reality. They authors compared the danger those subcultures hold for society to the dangers of skinheads, soccer hooligans, National Bolsheviks and even anti-fascists. Emo youths, according to the concept, “are subject to suicidal tendencies” and Goth children cultivate bisexuality. “The cost of the sexual services of an underage boy prostitute with Goth attributes is lower than for students in military schools but higher than for usual gay prostitutes,” the authors say, demonstrating their knowledge of life. The government would use informational campaigns for healthy lifestyles to fight the nonconformists, as well as the introduction of “Basics of Orthodox Christian Culture” in the schools and a legislative ban on tattoos and piercings for minors (“with the exception of women’s earrings”).... “The proposed measures are like an imitation of busyness,” commented Galina Kozhevnikova, deputy director of the SOVA anti-extremist center. “Skinheads and Goths cannot be fought with the same methods. The result of the fight will be the same – youth protest will grow even more, and youth will be attracted to everything forbidden, making it even more popular. Our state fought hippies, rockers, metal fans, and lost every time, because there will always be a youth subculture.”

Russia to ban Valentine's Day to 'save' youth
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom Jun 3, 2008

Teenagers who model themselves on Western youth subcultures like Goths — who are accused of “cultivating bisexuality” — are to be regarded by the authorities as social nuisances in the same league as skinheads, football hooligans and anti-fascists.

The authors of the legislation, which mirrors other government measures to promote Russian nationalism, say urgent action is required to end a moral crisis inspired by the West that has seen a dramatic rise in alcoholism and addiction among teenagers.

“Today we have a lost generation of wandering morons whose parents’ moral vision was robbed by perestroika,” said Stanislav Govorukhin, a Duma deputy.

“We have taken the worst from the West because we failed to resist the encroachment of Western values.” He denied accusations by liberal activists that the new laws represented an attack on freedom of expression.

“The essence of freedom is that there should be moral restrictions — that is what freedom is,” he said.

Round of media on the anti Mail march

Emo is no suicide cult
New Statesman, UK - 3 Jun 2008
“The Daily Mail has written a few articles attacking My Chemical Romance, and calling them an emo suicide cult. Recently they blamed the band for the

Good article at the Guardian:

Fear of a black planet
guardian.co.uk

The Mail's 'war on emo' is pure bigotry: once again, teenagers are being castigated simply for expressing their individuality.


Emo runs high as fans defend band against Daily Mail
The Observer Blog, UK - 31 May 2008

Daily Mail - Legacy of Distortion Part II - Luke Mitchell and the Murder of Jodi Jones

The sensationalised reporting surrounding the case of Luke Mitchell and he murder of Jodi Jones is also interesting. This was a terrible case but the focus on goth found generally in the media was simply media sensationalism full of distortion interconnecting the murder with goth, Heavy metal, occult and Satanism. The Police in the case did not help with their focus. Luke Mitchell was a sick killer but the reporting linked innocent fans of bands and certain music to murder in an unjustified way. As always Columbine goth myth is mentioned in fact neither of the murders there really liked Marilyn Manson or goth and nor did they wear trenchcoats generally (see Columbine - The Legacy of Hatred).


Read some of the earliest reports:

Was 'Goth' Jodi the victim of a ritual black magic murder?

BYLINE: TAMZIN LEWIS

Mail on Sunday July 6, 2003

SECTION: STH1; Pg. 13

THE brutal murder of schoolgirl Jodi Jones may be linked to satanism and black magic, detectives revealed last night.

Senior officers confirmed that the 14-year-old girl's association with Goth culture is a major part of their investigation into her killing.

Jodi and her boyfriend Luke Mitchell, also 14, were followers of the morbid subculture which celebrates death, depression, anger and hatred. Extreme elements of the Goth world have been known to dabble in satanism and black magic.

Jodi's mutilated body was found dumped by a country path near her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, on Monday.

The officer leading the hunt for the killer, Detective Superintendent Craig Dobbie, described the attack as 'the most violent death I've experienced in 28 years in the police'.

Jodi's throat had been slashed and she had multiple stab wounds including a large injury to her stomach. The Mail on Sunday has knowledge of other aspects of the way her body was mutilated but cannot reveal them for police operational reasons.

However, the 'sinister' nature of her injuries has led detectives to investigate her association with the movement.

Last night a senior police source revealed: 'We will be looking at what Jodi and her social circle were interested in and an obvious area will be their ties to the Goth movement.

'We will be examining if the manner in which she was killed has any links to the violent world that many Goths find fascinating and will be speaking to all her friends who had similar interests.' Jodi was killed after failing to keep an appointment to meet Luke. The alarm was raised after her mother Judith sent a text message to Luke's mobile phone saying her daughter was late returning home.

As Jodi's grandmother and sister began searching a wooded area used by locals as a shortcut, Luke stumbled upon her body lying behind a wall.

On Friday police questioned the boy for several hours and a team of forensic officers removed more than 20 large brown paper bags and yellow sacks from his family's home in Dalkeith as they combed the detached house, garage, garden and cars for items.

The couple were part of a small band of friends who enjoyed grunge and Goth music, dressed in dark clothing and dyed their hair. Jodi was a fan of bands such as Nirvana, Korn and Queens Of The Stone Age and loved dressing in Goth-style clothing.

Teenagers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, who killed 12 fellow students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado and then committed suicide, were labelled Goths because they wore black trench coats and listened to Marilyn Manson.

After the 1999 shootings, critics of Marilyn Manson claimed that the singer's dark lyrics may have inspired the killers.

Three days after Jodi's death, Luke placed a floral tribute near to where she died with a card which quoted Nirvana star Kurt Cobain who committed suicide nine years ago.

The card said: 'The finest day I ever had, was when tomorrow never came.'

And again in this article:

'Satanism' link to the brutal murder of schoolgirl Jodi
DAILY MAIL July 7, 2003 BYLINE: GAVIN MADELEY

SECTION: ED_SC1; Pg. 6

THE maniac who murdered schoolgirl Jodi Jones may have been obsessed with Satanism and the occult, detectives said yesterday.

The nature of 14-year-old Jodi's injuries - precise details of which are being kept secret by police - hint at a 'ritualistic' aspect to her death.

Murder squad officers are looking closely at the teenager's Goth lifestyle and musical tastes for clues. As prayers were said for Jodi and her family in local churches yesterday, officers were focusing a 'major' part of their inquiry on the macabre song lyrics of many of her favourite bands and on the morbid literature she read.


Both she and her boyfriend, 14- year- old Luke Mitchell, were followers of the Goth movement. Fans favour dark clothing, heavy make- up, tattoos and body piercings.
Some, at the extremes of the Goth scene, profess to 'dabble' in witchcraft. Occult imagery is a major part of the look and lyrics of Goth bands.

The possible link to Satanism comes as detectives await the outcome this week of crucial DNA tests on Jodi's body and clothing.

Detectives hope scientists will find a clue to the killer's identity from the body - one of his hairs; a flake of skin; saliva. Even fibres from his clothing could help track him down.

Jodi's body was found by her boyfriend near a secluded path close to her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, a week ago.

Her throat had been slashed and she had suffered multiple stab wounds, including a large gash injury to her stomach...

A senior police source said last night: 'We will be looking carefully at what Jodi and her social circle were interested in. An obvious area will be their ties to the Goth movement.

'We will examine if the manner in which she was killed has any links to the violent world many Goths find fascinating.' Jodi, a fourth-year pupil at St David's RC High School, and her small circle of friends listened to bands such as Korn and Nirvana, dyed their hair and dressed in dark clothing.

Her favourite film was Queen of the Damned. It became a cult classic, in part because its star - pop singer Aaliyah - died in a plane crash before filming was complete.
Jodi also read the works of poet Sylvia Plath, who wrote about death before she committed suicide in 1963.

Jodi was killed on her way to meet Luke, using the popular Roman Dyke shortcut. She left her home at around 5pm last Monday after the pair had exchanged text messages. Within an hour, she had been brutally murdered

When the trial ended the connections continued:

Obsessed with drugs and death, a descent into evil BYLINE: GRACE MCLEAN

DAILY MAIL January 22, 2005

His parents Philip and Corinne split up in 1999, and by the time he was 14, Mitchell was claiming to smoke hundreds of cannabis joints a week, was obsessed with knives, and immersed himself in a Goth subculture which celebrated Satanism.

A fan of Marilyn Manson whose songs are said to have inspired murders all over the U.S. and Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain who committed suicide in 1994 Mitchell's burgeoning sexuality drove him to pursue schoolgirls with a predatory appetite.

"MARILYN Manson is perhaps the most notorious figure in the Goth rock music scene.

A media manipulator and self-styled 'Antichrist superstar' he has taken the first name of Marilyn Monroe, and the surname of a serial killer, Charles Manson, to create a disturbing public persona.

His Satanic lyrics and grotesque videos were blamed for the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado when two neo-Nazi teenagers killed 25 of their classmates.

Goths have a huge following among British teenagers who dress in black and revel in looking pale and gaunt."

But this long article furthers the accusation between Manson and murder. As discussed earlier the columbine murderers were neither goths nor were they Manson fans really.

SHOCK ROCK

BYLINE: GRACE MCLEAN; JONATHAN BROCKLEBANK

DAILY MAIL January 22, 2005 SECTION: ED_SC1; Pg. 15

ROCK star Marilyn Manson's influence on teenagers has already been blamed for several murders across the world. Now Jodi Jones's name may be added to that list.

While the question of any link between Jodi's death and Manson's fascination with the notorious Black Dahlia Murder remained the subject of intense debate in court, it is clear the two crimes bore chilling similarities.

As they came to interview Luke Mitchell, detectives made the connection almost at once. They believe he became fascinated with the 1947 Los Angeles murder after Manson painted a series of gruesome watercolour paintings of actress Elizabeth Short's dismembered body.


Jodi's face was slit from just below her mouth, across the cheek almost to her ear. Similar injuries were found on both sides of Miss Short's face.

Jodi also suffered a terrible knife injury to one breast. In Miss Short's case, part of her breast was removed and, police believe, kept as a souvenir by her killer.

Miss Short's killer cut her in two across the middle. Jodi also suffered terrible wounds to her abdomen probably inflicted after death although there was no apparent attempt to dismember her.

Post-mortem pictures of Miss Short were depicted in a catalogue of paintmannequinings by Marilyn Manson. The possible link with Jodi's death was established when detectives raided Mitchell's home and found that he was a fan of the star.

Manson's name was scrawled across Mitchell's school jotters, and two days after Jodi's death he bought a DVD and CD package containing a short film made by Manson called Doppelherz. It featured images of a young girl lying naked on open ground and of two girls in corsets bound together in the woods with bags over their heads.

A police source said: 'We very quickly made the connection between Mitchell's obsession with Manson and the murder of Elizabeth Short. Jodi's injuries were so similar it was frightening.

' Mitchell was absolutely obsessed by Manson and the violence surrounding his work.' Born in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Short had came to Hollywood in August 1946 to try her luck in the film business.

It was two months earlier, while living in Southern California, that the nickname the Black Dahlia was born at a corner drugstore she used to frequent. It was a play on the recently released film noir The Blue Dahlia, starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.

ON January 15, 1947, Betty Bersinger caught a glimpse of something in a vacant lot which looked like a broken mannequin. As she grew closer, she realised the body was human and called police.

It was the most sickening thing the officers had ever seen. The dead woman seemed posed, lying on her back with her arms raised over her shoulders. She had been cut in half at the waist.

Her face and body had been slashed viciously, with cuts running from both edges of her mouth to the ears. Rope marks were also found on her neck.

The 22-year-old was identified from her fingerprints as details of the case spread across America, gripping much of the country with morbid fascination.

At least three men made false confessions.

In a book written by a childhood friend of the victim, filmmaker Orson Welles was even suggested as a suspect because an unused set from his 1948 movie The Lady from Shanghai was decorated with female body parts, including a face mutilated like Miss Short's and a body cut in half.

Meanwhile, police believed the real killer was taunting them. They received items belonging to the victim in the post and, later, notes which said: 'Catch me if you can.' Some detectives came to believe it was the perfect murder because of the lack of hard evidence.

Police officers in the Jodi Jones case think Mitchell, too, believed he had committed the perfect murder. One detective said: 'He thought he had got clean away with it that the case was too circumstantial for him to go down.' Today interest in the Black Dahlia murder is as keen as ever and it is in no small measure due to death metal stars such as Marilyn Manson peddling the horrors of the case almost as if they were something to be celebrated.

Commenting on the infamous murder, Manson once said: 'The crime was never solved and I've been obsessed with it since I was very young. The first picture, A Smile I, is how she came to Hollywood with hopes of becoming famous.

'The second, A Smile II, is how she was left, in a sad way, very famous. I think this is one of my best pieces. So I hope no one buys it, cos I really don't want to lose it.' Filming of a new movie about the Black Dahlia murder, starring Josh Hartnett, Mark Wahlberg and Scarlett Johansson, is due to start in March and there is even a U.S heavy metal band which calls itself The Black Dahlia Murder.

In 2002 they devoted a whole album to Miss Short's murder. It contains lyrics which would appal most yet their audiences are largely impressionable, often confused teenagers.

One song has the lines: 'And in my dreams I cut your mouth from ear to ear/Dissecting your angelic body in the quiet of your room/ 'How splendidly I carve into your tender heart/I'm shuddering between the sheets.' The same song has the lyrics: 'As I caress your perfection/My angel, I'll tear your insides out.' AS for Manson whose name is a combination of Marilyn Monroe and killer Charles Manson his Satanic lyrics and disturbing videos were once blamed for the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, when two teenagers went on the rampage, killing 25 classmates.

Manson argues his name was wrongly linked with the crime on the basis of erroneous early news reports on the massacre which said the killers were wearing Marilyn Manson T-shirts.

Five years ago, his lyrics are also said to have inspired three teenage girls identified only as 16-year-old Milena, Ambra, 17, and Veronica, 17, to stab the 61- year- old Mother Superior who had taught them at their school in Italy.

Police found the girls were obsessive fans of the singer, their school diaries were scrawled with Manson's lyrics and they had made a pact to worship the Devil.

Responding to criticism over the murder, Manson said: 'You can find inspiration for man's behaviour wherever you look. I think people have to take responsibility for their own actions. I don't think I have ever tried to create things to encourage people to hurt others, or themselves.' He claimed his stage show helps teenagers release their pent-up aggression, rather than encouraging violence in their everyday lives.

' These kids are getting out everything that they can't get out the rest of the week the rest of the year. That's a catharsis for them, that's what rock'n'roll's supposed to be.' With his name now inextricably linked with the Jodi Jones murder trial, parents may well wonder i f Manson's peddling of the grotesque to teenagers really is a welcome catharsis or a potential trigger for slaughter

This article by MELANIE PHILLIPS is shockingly blatant in its attempt to link drug use to goth culture. Drug use is rife right across British youth of all types not just goths, plu I seriously doubt that there statistically any more goths from broken homes than any other group:

Cannabis caused a 14-year-old to kill. Yet still they say it's harmless

BYLINE: MELANIE PHILLIPS

DAILY MAIL February 14, 2005

With websites now dedicated to Mitchell, too, there are fears that a disturbed young person might try yet another copycat murder. Such fears are hardly groundless.

In 1999, the killings in America at Columbine High School in Denver were committed by two young Manson fans.

What we are facing now among a section of our young people is a terrifying breakdown of the bonds not just of socialisation but of civilisation itself.

This is the result of a number of ruinous changes in our society - in which the growing acceptability of drugs is a significant part.

For these young people, the moral obligation to accept the difference between right and wrong has disintegrated. From all sides, they are bombarded by the message that the only thing that matters is their own pleasure and gratification.

Duty, responsibility, shame and stigma have all but evaporated. Difficulty, pain or failure are viewed as assaults on their right to be happy. What trumps everything else is the need to protect their feelings. Instead of providing boundaries to give young people the security that is vital for emotional health, the adult world has simply abandoned them.

Family disintegration shatters their sense of themselves, schools leave them floundering in their own ignorance and immaturity, and the commercial world exploits and encourages their premature sexualisation.

It is among these rising numbers of confused, unhappy or disturbed children that the 'Goth rock' cult of satanism, self-harm and nihilism principally has its lethal appeal.