Today - June 20th - is Summer Solstice - An Ancient Celebration of Life!

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Summer Solstice: Legends and Lore about this Magical Day

By Mackenzie Wright

Summer Solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year. It's the point at which the days have been consistently growing longer for half a year, and will now begin growing shorter again for the rest of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurs on or about June 21st; in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs in December.

Putnam at Stonehenge

There are a lot of legends and lore about this day from history that can make for fun stories if you find yourself at a Midsummer bonfire or beach party.

Midsummer Night's Dream

If you're familiar with the Shakespeare play, you know that the bard wrote about the mischievous fairies coming out to play their tricks on human beings on this night. There is a reason that Shakespeare used this date for this story. In fairy legends and folklore, this is supposed to be a night in which the 'veil' between our world and the world of fairy and nature spirits are thin.

There are a lot of legends and lore about this day from history that can make for fun stories if you find yourself at a Midsummer bonfire or beach party.

It's said that if you hope to catch a glimpse of a fairy, this is the best night. You would first have to find a fairy circle-- a circle of stones in which fairies gather. Or, you'd need to create a place that would attract fairies. Ideally, this should be a natural area of your yard.

Leaving out offerings such as shiny things to play with (crystals, glittery balls) as well as food offerings like honey, milk and fruit will also be inviting to these spirits. One thing you should know, though-- fairies are thought to be very tricky, and have even been known to kidnap humans.

Also be wary of other little people, or ‘hidden folk’ on this night; along with fairies, you might run into trolls or evil nature spirits in the midst of this night. I can’t vouch for any of this, but if you do decide to wait up for them, you’ve been warned! Stay safe!

Stonehenge

The ancient Celts were said to celebrate the solstices at the standing stones sites, like Stonehenge. Modern Druids and Celtic reconstructionists continue the tradition of holding ceremonies here to greet the rising sun over the heel stone. It's said by those who've had the opportunity to sit in the circle of stones for meditation or quiet time that energy is quite strong and spiritual experiences are very common.

Magical Herbs

The Summer Solstices has long been associated with magic. In ancient times people would harvest wild herbs, plants and flowers at sunrise. This time was seen as capturing the magic of the various plants. People collected fern seeds because they thought it made them invisible. The made wreaths and garland of herbs to hang on the home and front door in order to ward off evil. St. John’s Wort was seen as a particularly magical herb on this day; it was collected to make a cleansing and purification bath, or was dried and carried to repel evil and negativity for the rest of the year.

Even the dew was seen as magical on the Summer Solstice. It was a common practice in Northern Europe for people to collect the morning dew and wash with it in order to assure a good, healthy year for yourself.

If you really want to take advantage of that dew, you can roll around in it naked. Though it may bring you good physical health, watch out for your neighbors. If they catch you, they’ll surely question your mental health.

  

The Sun festivals of ancient Ireland are still known by their old Irish names, Imbolg, Beltine, Lughnasa and Samhain. These Sun festivals are many thousands of years old; they have survived an imperial invasion and occupation for 800 years and the attempted erasure of indigenous consciousness by the catholic church for almost 1500 years. These Sun festivals are the gateway for today's Celtic Men and Women to celebrate with the Celtic Gods – Brigid at Imbolg, Bile at Beltine, Lugh at Lughnasa and Tlachtga at Samhain.

But the advice for anyone seeking connection to the Celtic Gods is to avoid the current catholic calendar of the so-called civilised world to time your ceremony. Pagans and Druids on a Celtic Path use Natural Time as their ancestors did – this means working with the alignments of the oldest temples to the four bright stars in the belt of the Zodiac. The Solstices and Equinoxes do not line up with particular Stars, they are turning points of the day / night balance such as when the Sun’s energy enters the ancient temple at Brú na Boinne (Newgrange) energising the God Dagda after the longest night of the year. The history and correct timing methods are shared below for those who wish to walk a Celtic Path.

Celtic Druid’s Summer Sun Standing
Solstice is from the Latin and is made up from two words given roughly as: sol = sun and stice = stopped. Celtic Druí do not believe that the Sun stops so we use the old Irish word “Tairisem” which means standing still. In summer this Sun Standing happens in the month of June around the 20th, 21st or 22nd when we honour Éatain Eachraidhe, the White Mare Goddess. This is the highest point of the solar year when the Sun reaches it maximum height in the Sky. The Sun is at its highest at noon and shadows are at their shortest. There are almost 20 hours of daylight and only four hours of darkness if you are in Ireland at this time.

This is not a specifically Gaelic holiday and many Pagan cultures celebrate this time with many festivals known by a range of names - Denmark, Sankt Hans Aften. Wiccan sabbat Litha. Slavonia, St. John's Night. Alban Heruin. Gaul (old France), Feast of Epona, (white mare goddess). Roman Empire, Vestalia. Catholic countries: feast of St. John the Baptist – this was an attempt to shift the natives away for the true date by setting the 24th of June as bone fire night. Hopi Indians and Native Americans celebrate the summer solstice but I don’t know their names for this day. 

Putnam at Hopi Prophecy Stone

Etain, White Mare Celtic Goddess, Crom agus Corra
In Ireland, many people of all ages and religions do some sort of celebration for this day. The resurgence of the old Pagan ways and the need to believe in something truly spiritual for this day has many people visit the ancient sacred sites. We at Ireland’s Druidschool often hold a presence on Tara and we have multiple ceremonies. Our sunrise ceremony is very simple - we just stand or sit in silence facing the horizon where the sun will actually rise. We watch the clouds, the colours and the rising of the false sun and then the actual sun, and then the actual sun merge into the false sun. Magically - this is spirit rising within.

This longest day is sacred to the White Mare Goddess, who was known in Wales as Rhiannon, in France as Epona and here in Ireland She is called Éatain Eachraidhe (sometimes also spelt Edaín). In the recent destruction of the sacred valley in the Royal City of Tara the remains of a high status female (with horse and giant dog found nearby) was kept totally under media wraps. The high status female is wrapped in black plastic and stored in a warehouse in Drogheda. But Her spirit has returned to native consciousness and once again Éatain, the White Mare Goddess, is honoured with ceremony on Tara on the longest day of the year. 

We also watch the Sun rise from Tallaght Hill as the sun aligns with Lambay Volcano, the Pond called Linn Oir and then to the Cairn on the Hill of the Fair Gods. Much is written about this alignment in this website - words cannot describe the thrill of being at a complex of sacred sites that were laid out to work with the energies on this specific day.

We also hold Pilgrimage to Croagh Crom, Ireland's Holy Mountain (aka the Reek). Just south of the holy mountain is a triangular lake called Loughnacorra – this should read – Lough na Corra which translates as the Lake of the Crane Birds. At midday the Sun is reflected from the surface of Lough na Corra onto Croagh Crom and a powerful connection is made. This is the harmony of balance between God and Goddess expressed in the landscape.

Litha Legends and Lore

Myths and Mysteries of the Midsummer Solstice

Litha, or Midsummer, is a celebration that has been observed for centuries, in one form or another. It is no surprise, then, that there are plenty of myths and legends associated with this time of year!

In England, rural villagers built a big bonfire on Midsummer's Eve. This was called "setting the watch," and it was known that the fire would keep evil spirits out of the town. Some farmers would light a fire on their land, and people would wander about, holding torches and lanterns, from one bonfire to another. If you jumped over a bonfire -- presumably without lighting your pants on fire -- you were guaranteed to have good luck for the coming year.

After your Litha fire has burned out and the ashes gone cold, use them to make a protective amulet. You can do this by carrying them in a small pouch, or kneading them into some soft clay and forming a talisman. In some traditions of Wicca, it is believed that the Midsummer ashes will protect you from misfortune. You can also sow the ashes from your bonfire into your garden, and your crops will be bountiful for the rest of the summer growing season.

It is believed in parts of England that if you stay up all night on Midsummer's Eve, sitting in the middle of a stone circle, you will see the Fae. But be careful - carry a bit of rue in your pocket to keep them from harassing you, or turn your jacket inside out to confuse them. If you have to escape the Fae, follow a ley line, and it will lead you to safety.

Residents of some areas of Ireland say that if you have something you wish to happen, you "give it to the pebble." Carry a stone in your hand as you circle the Litha bonfire, and whisper your request to the stone -- "heal my mother" or "help me be more courageous", for example. After your third turn around the fire, toss the stone into the flames.

Astrologically, the sun is entering Cancer, which is a water sign. Midsummer is not only a time of fire magic, but of water as well. Now is a good time to work magic involving sacred streams and holy wells. If you visit one, be sure to go just before sunrise on Litha, and approach the water from the east, with the rising sun. Circle the well or spring three times, walking deosil, and then make an offering of silver coins or pins.

Sunwheels were used to celebrate Midsummer in some early Pagan cultures. A wheel -- or sometimes a really big ball of straw -- was lit on fire and rolled down a hill into a river. The burned remnants were taken to the local temple and put on display. In Wales, it was believed that if the fire went out before the wheel hit the water, a good crop was guaranteed for the season.

In Egypt, the Midsummer season was associated with the flooding of the Nile River delta. In South America, paper boats are filled with flowers, and then set on fire. They are then sailed down the river, carrying prayers to the gods. In some traditions of modern Paganism, you can get rid of problems by writing them on a piece of paper and dropping them into a moving body of water on Litha.

William Shakespeare associated Midsummer with witchcraft in at least three of his plays. A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, and The Tempest all contain references to magic on the night of the summer solstice.

SCOTTISH CUSTOMS AND HOLIDAYS

A Midsummer Celebration

Summer Solstice - Litha

"The young maid stole through the cottage door,
And blushed as she sought the Plant of pow'r;--
Thou silver glow-worm, O lend me thy light,
I must gather the mystic St. John's wort tonight,
The wonderful herb, whose leaf will decide
If the coming year shall make me a bride."

In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four 'quarter-days' of the year, and modern Witches call them the four 'Lesser Sabbats', or the four 'Low Holidays'. The Summer Solstice is one of them.

Technically, a solstice is an astronomical point and, due to the procession to the equinox, the date may vary by a few days depending on the year. The summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer, and we experience the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Astrologers know this as the date on which the sun enters the sign of Cancer.

However, since most European peasants were not accomplished at reading an ephemeris or did not live close enough to Salisbury Plain to trot over to Stonehenge and sight down its main avenue, they celebrated the event on a fixed calendar date, June 24th. The slight forward displacement of the traditional date is the result of multitudinous calendrical changes down through the ages. It is analogous to the winter solstice celebration, which is astronomically on or about December 21st, but is celebrated on the traditional date of December 25th, Yule, later adopted by the Christians.

Again, it must be remembered that the Celts reckoned their days from sundown to sundown, so the June 24th festivities actually begin on the previous sundown (our June 23rd). This was Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Eve. Which brings up another point: our modern calendars are quite misguided in suggesting that 'summer begins' on the solstice. According to the old folk calendar, summer BEGINS on May Day and ends on Lammas (August 1st), with the summer solstice, midway between the two, marking MID-summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that summer begins on the day when the sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter.

Although our Pagan ancestors probably preferred June 24th (and indeed most European folk festivals today use this date), the sensibility of modern Witches seems to prefer the actual solstice point, beginning the celebration on its eve, or the sunset immediately preceding the solstice point. Again, it gives modern Pagans a range of dates to choose from with, hopefully, a weekend embedded in it.

Just as the Pagan mid-winter celebration of Yule was adopted by Christians as Christmas (December 25th), so too the Pagan mid-summer celebration was adopted by them as the feast of John the Baptist (June 24th). Occurring 180 degrees apart on the wheel of the year, the mid-winter celebration commemorates the birth of Jesus, while the mid-summer celebration commemorates the birth of John, the prophet who was born six months before Jesus in order to announce his arrival.

Although modern Witches often refer to the holiday by the rather generic name of Midsummer's Eve, it is more probable that our Pagan ancestors of a few hundred years ago actually used the Christian name for the holiday, St. John's Eve. This is evident from the wealth of folklore that surrounds the summer solstice (i.e. that it is a night especially sacred to the faerie folk) but which is inevitably ascribed to 'St. John's Eve', with no mention of the sun's position. It could also be argued that a Coven's claim to antiquity might be judged by what name it gives the holidays. (Incidentally, the name 'Litha' for the holiday is a modern usage, possibly based on a Saxon word that means the opposite of Yule. Still, there is little historical justification for its use in this context.) But weren't our Pagan ancestors offended by the use of the name of a Christian saint for a pre-Christian holiday?

Well, to begin with, their theological sensibilities may not have been as finely honed as our own. But secondly and more importantly, St. John himself was often seen as a rather Pagan figure. He was, after all, called 'the Oak King'. His connection to the wilderness (from whence 'the voice cried out') was often emphasized by the rustic nature of his shrines. Many statues show him as a horned figure (as is also the case with Moses). Christian iconographers mumble embarrassed explanations about 'horns of light', while modern Pagans giggle and happily refer to such statues as 'Pan the Baptist'. And to clench matters, many depictions of John actually show him with the lower torso of a satyr, cloven hooves and all! Obviously, this kind of John the Baptist is more properly a Jack in the Green! Also obvious is that behind the medieval conception of St. John lies a distant, shadowy Pagan deity, perhaps the archetypal Wild Man of the Wood, whose face stares down at us through the foliate masks that adorn so much church architecture. Thus medieval Pagans may have had fewer problems adapting than we might suppose.

In England, it was the ancient custom on St. John's Eve to light large bonfires after sundown, which served the double purpose of providing light to the revelers and warding off evil spirits. This was known as 'setting the watch'. People often jumped through the fires for good luck. In addition to these fires, the streets were lined with lanterns, and people carried cressets (pivoted lanterns atop poles) as they wandered from one bonfire to another. These wandering, garland-bedecked bands were called a 'marching watch'. Often they were attended by morris dancers, and traditional players dressed as a unicorn, a dragon, and six hobby-horse riders. Just as May Day was a time to renew the boundary on one's own property, so Midsummer's Eve was a time to ward the boundary of the city.

Customs surrounding St. John's Eve are many and varied. At the very least, most young folk plan to stay up throughout the whole of this shortest night. Certain courageous souls might spend the night keeping watch in the center of a circle of standing stones. To do so would certainly result in either death, madness, or (hopefully) the power of inspiration to become a great poet or bard. (This is, by the way, identical to certain incidents in the first branch of the 'Mabinogion'.) This was also the night when the serpents of the island would roll themselves into a hissing, writhing ball in order to engender the 'glain', also called the 'serpent's egg', 'snake stone', or 'Druid's egg'. Anyone in possession of this hard glass bubble would wield incredible magical powers. Even Merlyn himself (accompanied by his black dog) went in search of it, according to one ancient Welsh story.

Snakes were not the only creatures active on Midsummer's Eve. According to British faery lore, this night was second only to Halloween for its importance to the wee folk, who especially enjoyed a ridling on such a fine summer's night. In order to see them, you had only to gather fern seed at the stroke of midnight and rub it onto your eyelids. But be sure to carry a little bit of rue in your pocket, or you might well be 'pixie-led'. Or, failing the rue, you might simply turn your jacket inside-out, which should keep you from harm's way. But if even this fails, you must seek out one of the 'ley lines', the old straight tracks, and stay upon it to your destination. This will keep you safe from any malevolent power, as will crossing a stream of 'living' (running) water. Other customs included decking the house (especially over the front door) with birch, fennel, St. John's wort, orpin, and white lilies. Five plants were thought to have special magical properties on this night: rue, roses, St. John's wort, vervain and trefoil. Indeed, Midsummer's Eve in Spain is called the 'Night of the Verbena (Vervain)'. St. John's wort was especially honored by young maidens who picked it in the hopes of divining a future lover.

"And the glow-worm came With its silvery flame, And sparkled and shone Through the night of St. John, And soon has the young maid her love-knot tied."

There are also many mythical associations with the summer solstice, not the least of which concerns the seasonal life of the God of the sun. Inasmuch as I believe that I have recently discovered certain associations and correspondences not hitherto realized, I have elected to treat this subject in some depth in another essay. Suffice it to say here, that I disagree with the generally accepted idea that the Sun-God meets his death at the summer solstice. I believe there is good reason to see the Sun-God at his zenith -- his peak of power -- on this day, and that his death at the hands of his rival would not occur for another quarter of a year. Material drawn from the Welsh mythos seems to support this thesis. In Irish mythology, Midsummer is the occasion of the first battle between the Fir Bolgs and the Tuatha De Danaan.

Altogether, Midsummer is a favorite holiday for many Witches in that it is so hospitable to outdoor celebrations. The warm summer night seems to invite it. And if the celebrants are not in fact skyclad, then you may be fairly certain that the long ritual robes of winter have yielded place to short, tunic-style apparel. As with the longer gowns, tradition dictates that one should wear nothing underneath -- the next best thing to skyclad, to be sure. (Incidentally, now you know the REAL answer to the old Scottish joke, 'What is worn underneath the kilt?')

The two chief icons of the holiday are the spear (symbol of the Sun-God in his glory) and the summer cauldron (symbol of the Goddess in her bounty). The precise meaning of these two symbols, which I believe I have recently discovered, will be explored in the essay on the death of Llew. But it is interesting to note here that modern Witches often use these same symbols in the Midsummer rituals. And one occasionally hears the alternative consecration formula, 'As the spear is to the male, so the cauldron is to the female...' With these mythic associations, it is no wonder that Midsummer is such a joyous and magical occasion!

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Jo Cox, Rising star in UK Parliament, Shot Dead in Northern England

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World | Fri Jun 17, 2016 3:30am EDT

Related: World

British lawmaker shot dead, EU referendum campaigns suspended

BIRSTALL, England | By Craig Brough

A British member of parliament was shot dead in the street on Thursday, causing deep shock across Britain and the suspension of campaigning for next week's referendum on the country's EU membership.

Jo Cox, 41, a lawmaker for the opposition Labour Party and a vocal advocate for Britain remaining in the European Union, was attacked while preparing to meet constituents in Birstall near Leeds in northern England.

Media reports said she had been shot and stabbed. West Yorkshire regional police said a 52-year-old man was arrested by officers nearby and weapons including a firearm recovered. "We are not in a position to discuss any motive at this time," said Temporary Chief Constable Dee Collins.

One witness said a man pulled an old or makeshift gun from a bag and fired twice. "I saw a lady on the floor like on the beach with her arms straight and her knees up and blood all over the face," Hichem Ben-Abdallah told reporters. "She wasn't making any noise, but clearly she was in agony."

The lawmaker's husband Brendan said: "She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now: one, that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her."

The rival referendum campaign groups said they were suspending activities for the day, with the Remain camp saying its activities would also be suspended on Friday. Prime Minister David Cameron said he would pull out of a planned rally in Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern coast of Spain.

Cameron said the killing of the mother-of-two, who had worked on U.S. President Barack Obama's 2008 election campaign, was a tragedy.

"We have lost a great star," the Conservative prime minister said. "She was a great campaigning MP with huge compassion, with a big heart. It is dreadful, dreadful news."

It was not immediately clear what the impact would be on the June 23 referendum, which has polarized the nation into pro- and anti-EU camps. But some analysts speculated it could boost the pro-EU "Remain" campaign, which in recent days has fallen behind the "Leave" camp in opinion polls.

Britain's sterling currency rose against the dollar after news of the attack, adding around two cents.
Finance minister George Osborne and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney scrapped major speeches planned for Thursday evening and the International Monetary Fund said it had delayed the publication of a report on the British economy.

'HORRIFIC MURDER'

Media reports, citing witnesses, said the attacker had shouted out "Britain first", which is the name of a right-wing nationalist group that describes itself on its website as "a patriotic political party and street defence organisation".

But the deputy leader of the group, Jayda Fransen, completely distanced it from the attack, which she described as "absolutely disgusting".

West Yorkshire's elected Police and Crime Commissioner said "our information is that this is a localised incident, albeit one that has a much wider impact".

Gun ownership is highly restricted in Britain, and attacks of any nature on public figures are rare. The last British lawmaker to have been killed in an attack was Ian Gow, who died after a bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded under his car at his home in southern England in 1990.

Britain's Union Jack flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament in London, while in Birstall hundreds of people attended a vigil at a local church.

Colleagues expressed their shock and disbelief at the death of Cox, a Cambridge University graduate who had spent a decade working for aid agency Oxfam in roles including head of humanitarian campaigning and was known for her work on women's issues.

She won election to parliament for northern England's Batley and Spen district at the 2015 general election, and lived with her husband and children on a traditional Dutch barge moored on the Thames near the Tower of London.

Related Coverage

"We've lost a wonderful woman, we've lost a wonderful member of parliament, but our democracy will go on," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a televised statement. "As we mourn her memory, we'll work in her memory to achieve that better world she spent her life trying to achieve."

Labour lawmaker Sarah Champion said: "She's a tiny woman, five feet nothing and a lion as well - she fights so hard for the things she believes in. I cannot believe anyone would do this to her."

Police said a 77-year-old man was also assaulted in the incident and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

BBC TV and other media showed a picture of the alleged suspect, a balding white man, being apprehended by police. Temporary Chief Constable Collins said a "very significant investigation with large numbers of witnesses" was under way.

"We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident," she said.

The last attack on a British legislator was in 2010, when Labour member and ex-cabinet minister Stephen Timms was stabbed in the stomach at his office in east London by a 21-year-old student who was angry over his backing for the 2003 Iraq war.

In 2000, a Liberal Democrat local councillor was murdered by a man with a samurai sword at the offices in western England of lawmaker Nigel Jones, who was also seriously hurt in the attack.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, Michael Holden, Estelle Shirbon, David Milliken and William Schomberg; Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Pravin Char)

 

British lawmaker killed in "charged" atmosphere before vote on EU

By Reuters

Published: 10:14 EST, 17 June 2016 | Updated: 10:15 EST, 17 June 2016

By Michael Holden

LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - In the weeks before lawmaker Jo Cox was killed, there were warnings that passions could spill into violence in the fevered campaign for next week's referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.

Police have declined to comment on the motive for Thursday's murder, but the attack has raised questions about whether those fears have now been realised.

Cox, a supporter of the campaign to stay in the EU, was shot and stabbed by a man who witnesses said shouted "Britain first" -- a rallying cry for some supporters of the "Leave" campaign but also the name of a right-wing group.

Leading figures from the "Remain" campaign have made no link between Cox's death and the referendum campaign, which has become increasingly angry and bitter in the latter stages.

But on social media some Britons highlighted a warning last month by Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU UKIP party and one of the most prominent figures in the referendum campaign.

"I think it is legitimate to say that if people feel they've lost control completely, and we have lost control of our borders completely as members of the European Union, and if people feel that voting doesn't change anything then violence is the next step," Farage told BBC TV in last month's comments.

He went on to say he found it "difficult to contemplate it happening here but nothing is impossible", and said after the attack that he was horrified and deeply saddened.

One of the most emotive issues during the campaign for the June 23 referendum has been immigration.

Supporters of a British exit, or Brexit, say that uncontrolled immigration from the rest of the EU has put pressure on jobs and services, and that millions of Turks could arrive in Britain if Turkey joins the 28-country bloc.

"Taking place inside the febrile and increasingly-charged atmosphere of the EU referendum debate -- with the swing to anti-immigrant sentiment -- for some that may swing them towards hate, and for a smaller minority perhaps even violence," Nick Ryan, of the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, told Reuters.

Tempers have also flared over accusations of scaremongering by both sides and allegations by each that the other is distorting the facts, especially on the cost of EU membership to Britain and the likely economic impact of a Brexit.

The "Remain" campaign led by Prime Minister David Cameron says an exit would be a "leap into the dark" for the country and its economy. The "Leave" campaign says a Brexit would liberate Britain to trade more freely with the world.

FAR-RIGHT LINKS?

British media have named the suspected killer arrested by police as 52-year-old Thomas Mair, whose brother said he had a history of mental illness and no strong political views.

But a U.S. civil rights group said a man by the name of Thomas Mair had been associated with a neo-Nazi organisation since 1999, and the cry of "Britain first" heard by witnesses raised the possibility the attack was politically-motivated.

Among those to use the phrase is a small Christian, right-wing nationalist political party called Britain First whose motto is "Taking Our Country Back".

The party, set up in 2011, wants to halt immigration, deport all illegal immigrants and make it an act of treason to transfer any sovereignty to a foreign institution.

But its leader, Paul Golding, has distanced the group from any link to Cox's killing, which he called a "despicable crime", and said it had no connections with Mair.

"What this person said -- was he referring to an organisation, was he referring to a slogan, was he shouting out in the middle of an EU debate 'It's time we put Britain first'?" he said in a video statement on the group's website.

"I've heard this almost every day. It's the name of our party yes ... (but) everyone is saying it's time we put Britain first, it's the type of language that's been utilised during this referendum campaign."

The party has 1.4 million "likes" on Facebook and anti-fascist campaigners say its ranks include former members of the British nationalist Party (BNP), a far-right party that won two seats in elections to the European Parliament in 2009.

But Britain First remains a fringe party, having mustered just 1 percent of first-round votes when Golding stood in an election for London Mayor in May.

Golding turned his back when it was announced that Labour's Muslim candidate, Sadiq Khan, had won the election and although the party rejects accusations it is racist, it says it wants to introduce a comprehensive ban on Islam.

It also recently held its first activist training camp in the mountains of north Wales, with a film on its website showing members wearing military fatigues holding Union flags, boxing and practicing self-defence.

Support for far-right parties in Europe has grown as the continent struggles with an influx of migrants, most notably in Austria where far-right candidate Norbert Hofer almost won a presidential election in May.

But Britain has not seen any notable rise in far-right public backing, and the BNP has faded into obscurity. (Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Timothy Heritage)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3646970/British-lawmaker-killed-charged-atmosphere-vote-EU.html#ixzz4BtLDkRcu
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LONDON Lawmaker Jo Cox was shot dead in the street in northern England on Thursday, causing shock across Britain and leading to the suspension of campaigning for next week's referendum on the country's EU membership. [nL8N1991FN]

Following is a summary of reaction:

BRENDAN COX, JO'S HUSBAND

"Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy and a zest for life that would exhaust most people.

"She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now: one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her."

PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON

"We have lost a great star. She was a great campaigning MP with huge compassion, with a big heart."

"It is right that we are suspending campaigning activity in this referendum, and everyone's thoughts will be with Jo's family and her constituents at this terrible time."

LABOUR PARTY LEADER JEREMY CORBYN

"We've lost a wonderful woman, we've lost a wonderful member of parliament, but our democracy will go on. Her work will go on. As we mourn her memory, we'll work in her memory to achieve that better world she spent her life trying to achieve."

"Jo died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and representing the people she was elected to serve."

"In the coming days, there will be questions to answer about how and why she died. But for now all our thoughts are with Jo's husband Brendan and their two young children."

U.S. PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE HILLARY CLINTON

"I am horrified by the assassination of British MP Jo Cox, murdered earlier today in her district in Northern England. By all accounts, she was a rising star. It is cruel and terrible that her life was cut short by a violent act of political intolerance.

"It is critical that the United States and Britain, two of the world's oldest and greatest democracies, stand together against hatred and violence. This is how we must honour Jo Cox -- by rejecting bigotry in all its forms, and instead embracing, as she always did, everything that binds us together."

GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL

"The incident is terrible, dramatic and our thoughts are with the people affected – the Labour lawmakers, the politicians. I don't want to connect this with the vote on Great Britain staying in the European Union.

"I think the lesson must be that we have to treat each other with respect, even if we have different political views.

"The exaggerations and radicalisation in some of the language do not help to foster an atmosphere of this kind of respect. That is why all of us who value the democratic rules of the game know how important it is to be careful to set limits in choosing our words and in making our arguments, and to treat with respect those who think differently, who have different faiths, who live differently, and who love differently. Otherwise the radicalization will be difficult to stop."

FRENCH PRIME MINISTER MANUEL VALLS

"Deeply sad for Jo Cox and the British people. Through her it's our democratic ideals that were targeted. Never accept that!"

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY

"I join you in expressing my deep sorrow that a young parliamentarian, who obviously was a young woman of enormous talent, has been killed in the conduct of her duties with her constituency. It is an assault on everybody who cares about and has faith in democracy. And our thoughts are profoundly with the family – her husband, her children – and with all of the British people, who I know feel the loss profoundly."

BRITISH FINANCE MINISTER GEORGE OSBORNE

"Jo fought to help the refugees from the Syrian civil war – she gave a voice to those whose cry for help she felt was not being heard."

"It changed attitudes and I know it contributed to a change in policy. She will never know how many lives she helped transform. Today, doing that job, she senselessly lost her own life."

DUTCH FINANCE MINISTER JEROEN DIJSSELBLOEM, CHAIRMAN OF GROUP OF EURO ZONE FINANCE MINISTERS

"The UK is a beacon for peaceful politics and we hope that the British public ... can make their democratic choices serenely and in a safe way next week."

DANISH PRIME MINISTER LARS RASMUSSEN

"My thoughts are with her family, her friends, and the British people. It was a true shock to me that a British politician was killed during the campaign."

SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER NICOLA STURGEON

"This is utterly shocking and tragic news, which has left everyone stunned."

"She was held in huge regard as a brilliant young woman, who had already contributed a huge amount in her time in parliament, and today she was simply going about her job as a local MP."

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO BRITAIN MATTHEW BARZUN

"We are heartbroken by the loss to her family and country of MP Jo Cox. My love and our love to them, in this time of unbearable grief."

FORMER U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, WHO SURVIVED SHOOTING IN 2011

"Absolutely sickened to hear of the assassination of Jo Cox. She was young, courageous, and hardworking. A rising star, mother, and wife."

MAX LAWSON OF CHARITY OXFAM, WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH COX

"Jo was a diminutive pocket rocket from the north. She was a ball of energy, always smiling, full of new ideas, of idealism, of passion. She gave so much to Oxfam."

DAVID MILIBAND, FORMER BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY

"People in need around the world have lost a tireless, effective and redoubtable champion today following the murder of Jo Cox MP. Her passionate advocacy, first of all working in NGOs and then in parliament as an elected representative, on behalf of vulnerable and displaced people was a study in effective activism."

HENRIETTE REKER, MAYOR OF COLOGNE, WHO SURVIVED A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED STABBING LAST OCTOBER

"The death of Jo Cox has really affected me. Xenophobic slogans inevitably lead to violence.

"We all bear the responsibility that such a situation never happens again in Germany or Europe."

JOHN CURTICE, POLLING EXPERT AND POLITICS PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

"It's fairly clear no one is quite sure what has happened. Until it's clear who was responsible and what their motivation was or it might have been, all it does is stop the campaign when the 'Remain' side probably would not want it to be stopped."

MUJTABA RAHMAN, EUROPE PRACTICE HEAD AT EURASIA GROUP

"This will hurt the momentum of the 'Leave' campaign, which has been gaining steadily in recent polls."

"It will allow British Prime Minister David Cameron an opportunity to act like a statesman and retrieve the agenda, something he has lost over the last week.

"If the incident is confirmed to have been motivated by Brexit, it will also reflect poorly on the more strident elements of the Vote Leave campaign, potentially swinging undecided voters towards 'Remain.'"

ALAN RUSKIN, GLOBAL CO-HEAD OF FX RESEARCH AT DEUTSCHE BANK

"Certainly people are talking about the possibility that this does influence the Brexit vote in favour of 'Remain'. It is a tragic event all around. There is a sense, there is an immediate emotional reaction, but there is still a week before the referendum itself."

    "It definitely is seen as part of the story, the recovery of risk. Generally you are seeing so-called riskier assets recover. All the assets, whether equities, aussie/yen or sterling/yen are recovering. They are up on the perception of a higher probability of a 'Remain' vote."

(Compiled by David Milliken, Andy Bruce, Estelle Shirbon and Ana Nicolaci da Costa, editing by Susan Thomas)

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Obamaville June 16 - America burns as Obama Fiddles - Terrorist Attacks and Economic weakness demonstrate Obama loss of focus and perspective on America

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Did Obama fall into the Trump Trap in Presidential Campaign?

This has been the strangest campaign in history and things get more bizarre by the day.  You can thank the unconventional disrupter Donald Trump for throwing out the rules and shattering all tradition.  Of course what do you really expect from the Populist Disrupter, Trump.

So far, he has opened eyes and shattered many preconceived notions about how to run presidential campaigns.  For example, both Trump and Clinton won their respective nominations in the primaries but it cost Trump about $50 million and Hillary four times as much, about $200 million.

When you consider that Trump was one of 17 candidates, meaning he had to defeat 16 other opponents, and Hillary was one of just 3, her spending seems much more unreasonable.  At the last check, Hillary had about 800 campaign staff while Trump had about 60.

Then there is the near total absence of prepared speeches by Trump, his habit of telling it like he sees it regardless of the truth, and his total disregard for the news media, and one wonders how he could possibly survive.

He may or may not be a Republican, he contributed money to Democrats in the past, and he thinks his private jet is better than Air Force One, and he may just be right.  People love him or hate him, and that includes fellow Republicans.

His unfavorable rating is the highest ever recorded in a presidential campaign, at 69%, yet Hillary has the second highest unfavorable rating in history at 56%.  The last two weeks were the best two weeks of her campaign as Hillary won the nomination, got the endorsement of Obama and many others, and teamed up with Elizabeth Warren to dice and slice poor Donald, yet her unfavorable continued to rise.

On the positive side for Mr. Trump, Hillary is still waiting for the FBI to act on her email scandal.  President Putin of Russia just might help Trump by disclosing classified Hillary emails hacked by the Russians, proving she jeopardized national security with her private server.

Trump has still not started on her about the Clinton Foundation, her conflicts of interest as Secretary of State, and her husband's dismal record when president in terms of jailing African Americans, destroying the manufacturing base in America, and providing the rule changes that directly led to the economic collapse of 2008-2009.

So in spite of everything I have just outlined, at best we can say we do not even know if either presidential candidate selected by the popular vote of the people will actually make it to election day without getting thrown off the party ticket, thrown in jail, charged with felony actions, or discovers some other form of self-destruction.

As for Obama taking over the Clinton campaign, here was the headline on CNBC this past week regarding the Obama economy.

US created 38,000 jobs in May vs. 162,000 expected

(Editor's note, just 23% of what was expected)

How Trump Trumped Obama!

We know Hillary decided to run on the coattails of President Obama, promising to protect his legacy if elected president.  In fact, she has been pandering to him the entire campaign, even though the whole world knows the Clinton and Obama clans do not like each other, maybe even despise the other.

It is an unhealthy alliance for the moment in order to keep Trump from winning the presidency and exposing all the bad things Obama might have done.  Tenuous at best, it could implode at any moment.

Trump seems to have come up with a strategy with his favorite advisor, himself, to change the campaign from a contest with Hillary to a referendum on the Obama presidency but like most lame duck presidents Obama pretty much kept out of the campaign.  Here in America tradition has it that a sitting president stays above politics by staying out of politics at the end of his term.

Obama followed such a course until this week when the constant baiting by Trump with little jabs at the departing president finally made Obama come unglued and viciously attack Donald.  It was quite the spectacle when the president lowered himself to the Trump standard and then distortions and exaggerations started flowing from his lips.

Suddenly Obama was morphing into the very person he hated the most, Donald Trump.

So here we are, just four months until the general election.  Trump is standing alone taking on the last two Democratic Presidents (Obama and Clinton), the good old boy VP Joe Biden, the former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the entire elitist political establishments from both parties, and the purveyor of the truth, the liberal news media.

On the Republican side, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan seems to be the only party leader willing to try to help Trump become a viable candidate.  The two Republican Presidents from the Bush family are sitting on the sidelines along with the party establishment and the last GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney seemingly willing to let the party suffer a humiliating defeat rather than help Trump.

Most of the major Republican contributors whose money is essential for most candidates to win are also like Ladies in Waiting on the sidelines.  The vast majority of the news media, long ago wrote off Trump and are now working overtime to make certain it was a self-fulfilling prophecy and not just a pipedream to stop Trump.

So, it is David versus Goliath, Trump versus the world.

On the side of Goliath stands everyone in the universal establishment from the news media to financial contributors to Republicans and Democrats united in their hatred of Trump and their desire to protect the status quo.

As the camera pans to the opposition, the David or Trump side of the most one-sided battle in the history of politics, we see a lone soul in the wilderness like a John the Baptist shouting out that it does not have to be like this.

Behind the lone soul in the wilderness the forest of trees emerge from the fog and we begin to see not trees but the Little People, the forgotten Americans.  These are the disenfranchised voters, the disappointed public, the out of work minorities, the undocumented workers, union members abandoned by their protectors, unemployed manufacturing and coal workers who believed their politicians, the people upon whose backs and hard labor the Establishment has flourished.

Now we see millions of Little People begin to come into view armed only with a faith in our nation and believing things have got to be better than what we have.  This army of forgotten souls has been searching for a leader for decades as both political parties have made empty promise after empty promise.

Very special interests that dominate the two party system and control Wall Street and all wealth, those one percent few, demand the politicians and media they own take down this radical from the wilderness and his followers who threaten their gravy train, their control of power, and their obsession with wealth.

Even President Obama, the latest of the political beneficiaries of the super wealthy, who has played their game since becoming president and increased their wealth enormously, is now worried about the voice in the wilderness.  Trump is threatening his legacy so Obama decides to break all the rules himself and use the office of the president and power of the presidency to destroy this insignificant gnat.

Watch as Hillary fades into the background as Obama takes front and center on stage to crush this brash native of Queens.

Perhaps this is why Obama wants to crush Trump.  Trump is in the process of exposing the real Obama eight-year legacy including;

failed to heal the economy,

failed to secure payroll increases for Middle Class

failed to improve foreign policy,

failed on his campaign promises to heal the nation and end illegal immigration,

failed to end the fighting in the Middle East,

failed to help the African American community,

failed to provide immigration reform to Hispanics,

failed to save 400,000 Syrian citizens from death since his red line promise,

failed to save 182,650 Mexicans murdered in drug wars to supply USA

It will be interesting to see how the battle between David and Goliath evolves the next five months.

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