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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire's highest court on Friday upheld a judge's dismissal of civil rights complaints against a white nationalist group that prosecutors said committed trespassing when it launched “Keep New England White” without authorization in 2022 banner from an overpass.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court, in its first review of the state's civil rights law, agreed with the lower court judge that prosecutors' interpretation of the law was unconstitutionally overbroad.

The court explained that the state's interpretation of the law provides for state sanctions against individuals who inadvertently invade public property and whose presence is motivated by considered one of the characteristics laid out in the law. These characteristics include race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

“Such a broad statement discourages the expression of certain messages for fear of government sanctions under the law due to the content of the messages expressed,” the court wrote in its opinion.

The court also said it was “not persuaded” that the complaints “sufficiently allege” that group members intentionally trespassed.

The attorney general's office said it was dissatisfied with the court's decision but respected it, spokesman Michael Garrity said in an announcement.

“Our office remains steadfast in its commitment to enforcing the Civil Rights Act to ensure that all Granite Staters are free from discrimination, violence and hateful threats. “We will continue to explore all options to protect the rights and safety of our communities,” the statement said.

William Gens, a lawyer representing the group, said its members were “very happy with the decision and it was based on reasons that we had put forward all along.” He said the attorney general's interpretation “failed to adequately inform the public as to what conduct, including the speech portion of conduct, constitutes a violation of the law.”

The complaints alleged that the Nationalist Social Club, also generally known as NSC-131, and two of its members trespassed on public property and hung the banners on the overpass overlooking U.S. Route 1 in Portsmouth for racist reasons. About 10 people participated, the complaints say. The complaints asked a judge to issue an order banning the group and its members from threatening physical violence or violence and interesting in discriminatory behavior for 3 years.

NSC-131 was identified by the Anti-Defamation League as a New England-based neo-Nazi group founded in 2019 that “advocates racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance” and whose “members are a collection of neo-Nazis and racist skinheads, many of them.” “They were previously members of other white supremacist groups.”

A second lawsuit from the attorney general's office against the group is pending. She accuses the group of violations in response to an indication outside a Concord cafe where a drag story hour was happening.

Gallery tours and “wild swimming”

Dreaming of Greek island hopping? Cambodian explorations? Uganda Gorilla Adventure? Chances are, our adventurous readers have taken a visit that's excellent for them – after which shared not only their travel adventures, but additionally their practical suggestions with us.

This week we hear from a pair from San Jose who just returned from England. Read on for details and find more travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.

Wish you were here

ENGLAND: San Jose residents Lila Naimark and Jon Rortveit recently celebrated their twenty fifth anniversary on a visit to England, which was made exceptional by Sarah, their UK-based daughter, who booked them rooms in “one of the elegant country hotels in Great Britain, The pigsays Lila. “Each of the nine pigs is a restored country estate, the centerpiece of which is the kitchen garden, and the focus is on a 25-mile menu, meaning all food is sourced within a 25-mile radius. They offer English wines, which are becoming increasingly popular thanks to climate change. We enjoyed our time there The Pig near Bath and look forward to enjoying the newly opened Pig in the Cotswolds.”

TRAVEL TIPS: “The No. 2 special thing was lunch Sketcha pretty quirky London restaurant. The food was divine (Isle of Wight tomatoes!), the decor magical. But the bathroom was the star. One of the waiters responded to my “Where's the…um…loo?” question by leading me to an unmarked door that opened to reveal a large, bright room with twelve 6½ Foot-high sleeves decorated with scrolls. Instead of the usual boring rectangular stalls, the Sketch bathroom features egg-shaped stalls! There are sinks and mirrors on the walls of the large room. Put it on your list for your next visit to London. I recommend going for lunch as it's less busy.”

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BERLIN (AP) — Spain has won its fourth European Championship. Mikel Oyarzabal's goal within the 86th minute secured the 2-1 victory. England's decades-long, painful wait for a serious trophy continues.

Oyarzabal slotted home Marc Cucurella's cross as the sport looked set to enter time beyond regulation at Berlin's Olympic Stadium after England's latest show of resilience on the tournament. Substitute Cole Palmer equalised for England within the 73rd minute, cancelling out Nico Williams' Forty seventh-minute opener, scored from a pass by 17-year-old winger Lamine Yamal.

Originally published: July 14, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

Harry Kane responded to Gary Lineker's criticism of England's Euro 2024 campaign by saying that former internationals have a “responsibility” to reflect on the impact of their words.

England got here under scrutiny after a 1-1 draw with Denmark of their second group match at Euro 2024, with former striker Lineker branding the performance “shit”.

Kane said while he understood that pundits had an obligation to be honest, he added that former players should pay attention to the challenges involved in representing England given the country's historic and ongoing failures at major tournaments.

Asked specifically about Lineker's comments, Kane replied: “Former players have to be aware that it is very difficult not to listen to it these days, especially for some players who are not used to it or who are new to the environment.”

“I always feel they have a responsibility. I know they have to be honest and give their opinion, but they also have a responsibility as a former England player who many players looked up to. People are interested in what they say and people listen to them.

“Everyone has their very own opinion but the underside line is that we haven't won anything as a nation for a really, very very long time and a number of these players were involved in that too, in order that they know the way tough it’s.

“It's not about eliminating anyone. It's just the fact that they know it's tough to play in these big tournaments and tough to play for England.”

“I would never disrespect a player. I would just say: remember what it's like to wear that jersey and that his words are listened to. They are heard.

“We all need to win a giant tournament. If we help them as much as we will and provides them confidence, that's a significantly better way.”

Lineker, 63, scored 48 goals in 80 appearances for England between 1984 and 1992. He won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup and was part of the England team that reached the semi-finals of the 1990 European Championships in Italy.

After England’s draw with Denmark, Lineker told the Rest is football podcast: “I believe we want to reflect the mood of the nation. I can't imagine that anyone who’s English would have enjoyed that performance since it was lethargic, it was grim. You can think up all kinds of words and swear words if you happen to want, but it surely was shit.”

Kane scored his first goal of the European Championship against Denmark, but admitted that he had been out of form personally in the first two games.

“I attempt to steer clear of it (watching and reading media criticism) as much as possible,” he added. “I believe it's almost unattainable lately with all the several platforms to not see some things.”

“As a player, everyone has the correct to their very own opinion and I do know that in big tournaments all the pieces gets more exciting and performance is scrutinised. If I'm honest with myself… did I do my best? No.

“But I didn't score a goal in the group stage of the World Cup or the group stage of the European Championship. So from my point of view, being one goal ahead is a bonus. I always judge myself first and I know I can play better and I know a lot of players in the team think that too – that we can all play a little bit better. That's what I do. I don't panic. I don't get too elated or too depressed. I keep doing what I'm doing and just move on to the next game.”

Kane was substituted within the second half of England's draw with Denmark after missing the tip of Germany's season with a back injury.

Although there have been concerns concerning the 30-year-old's fitness, he stressed that he felt fresh and had no injury worries.

“I think the preparation for the tournament was good for me personally,” said Kane. “Even in the matches of the tournament, in the first game, I felt as fit as I have all season. Of course I know that I was substituted in the second game, but that was because the coach wanted to see something different, maybe especially to freshen up the strikers.”

“In my opinion, I am fit and I am getting better and fitter with every game. I have said the same thing in previous tournaments, that you have to try to be at your best when the most important part of the tournament comes, the knockout round.

“As at all times, time will tell. If we’re eliminated, there might be a number of questions, but from my standpoint, I believe that going into that knockout round, you’re feeling 100% comfortable (that's necessary) and I believe I'm there.”

Gareth Southgate's side are preparing for their final Group C game against Slovenia on Tuesday, currently leading the table with four points.

After the draw with Denmark, Southgate said England were not physically at the “right” side to apply pressure high up the pitch.

Kane said England's pressing problems stemmed from playing against a back three against Serbia and Denmark. Slovenia played with a back four in their first two group matches and the England captain said he hoped his side could be more forceful.

“I believe each games against the three-man defense left us a bit confused on the pitch,” he said. “We had prepared before the sport. But then there have been just certain things where we couldn't quite construct up the pressure that we desired to and we weren't 100% sure when to go and that's difficult.”

“I don't think we were good with the ball, which made it feel like we were just running and continuously running. So it was difficult to reverse that momentum. I believe in the subsequent game it’ll be a special threat due to lineup… it’ll probably be different than in Slovenia. Hopefully we will show a bit more energy and enthusiasm, especially without the ball, and I believe that may help us with the ball as well.”

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What we learned from Kane's expressive performance

Harry Kane entered the English media room at Blankenhain Castle, won a darts match, sat down, answered questions, took a sip of water and then left the room.

But the part in between, in which the English captain spent 40 minutes clarifying things from the camp's point of view, was unusually revealing.

It was decided on Sunday morning that Kane would be the player to speak at the public press conference. This is part of a wider strategy by the Football Association regarding which voices are heard and at what time, and Kane is more than happy to take on that responsibility.

analyzed what he said and what it meant

England's critics

“The bottom line is that we haven't won anything as a nation for a really, very very long time and a number of these players have been involved in that. They know the way tough it’s,” Kane said in reference to Lineker's dig.

Lineker was not the only pundit to criticise England's performance against Denmark, but as the face of Britain's national broadcaster's football coverage, his words carry more weight than most.

Although Kane remained respectful and raised several reservations, he clearly wanted to stand up for the team after the negative reaction to them.

His own fitness

“I felt fitter than I actually have all season. I do know I used to be substituted within the second game, but that was since the coach desired to see something different and clean up the strikers. It's necessary to enter this knockout round feeling 100% and I believe I'm there.”

Kane was quick to dismiss the notion that he was not fully fit, having missed Bayern Munich's final game of the season due to a back injury.

He looked underwhelmed in England's first two games at Euro 2024, but tried to reassure his fans by telling them not to worry about his fitness.

Tactical problems within the opening games

“I just think playing against the back three in both games caused us a little bit of confusion on the pitch. We had prepared before the game. But then there were just certain things where we couldn't quite build the pressure that we wanted to and we weren't 100 percent sure when to go and that's difficult.”

After the Denmark game, Kane said the players didn't know when to use pressure. It was a devastating revelation. And now he has provided that assessment a bit more context, mentioning that playing against a back three disrupted attacking triggers. Playing against Slovenia's likely back 4 should alleviate that problem.

keep Calm and carry on

“I think we are calm. Many of us have been here and done it and we have given the English fans some fantastic moments. I know that 99 percent (of the fans) are fully behind us. You can judge us after the tournament.”

The word “calm” was utilized by Kane 3 times during his press conferences and in as many answers.

The message from England's training camp after the Denmark game is that the team remain relaxed – or at the very least attempt to – despite the dismal performances. Kane reiterated that message on Sunday, urging fans to order their final judgement until the tip of the Three Lions tournament.

Jude Bellingham was not going to take this lying down. He didn’t allow Serbia to fight their way back into the sport and when it was over, he didn’t allow anyone to spoil his or England's mood.

In the post-match press conference, it was emphasised to him that while the primary half against Serbia had shown why England were among the many favourites to win the 2024 European Championship, the second half had highlighted the weaknesses that would ultimately be their undoing.

“I don't really agree with that,” said the 20-year-old, who scored England's goals within the 1-0 win in Gelsenkirchen. “The first half shows why we can score goals against any team and the second half shows why we can score a clean goal against any team.”

Bellingham said there was “always a negative theme” when it comes to the general public and media response to England's performances – “and sometimes rightly so” – but he preferred to stress the positive.

In the second half within the Veltins Arena, they’d to “hold out at times and suffer a little,” but they won the sport. And: “This team is still new,” he added, “and is growing together from game to game.”

He made some good points, not a lot the one England had proved by beating Serbia, but actually the one which they were a brand new team and that some people were eager to criticise the performances and particularly manager Gareth Southgate at every opportunity.

It was impressive to see such a young player speak so openly, determined to challenge and reshape his team's history. He wasn't going to shrug his shoulders and let journalists disparage his team's prospects.

But it was not as convincing as his normally assertive performance on the pitch. England played well for half an hour and took the lead when Bellingham burst into the box and finished off an excellent move with a header from Bukayo Saka's cross, but their initial momentum faded and couldn’t be regained. The second-half performance was passive; Serbian substitute Dusan Tadic said England “offered themselves to us”.

All of this could be much easier to cover up if it weren't symptomatic of a long-term trend. Southgate has modified a lot for the higher during the last seven and a half years, but there are still so many situations where his team, having taken control of a game, step by step lose the initiative, retreat and cling on implausibly.

This happened against Croatia within the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, away to Spain within the Nations League later that 12 months, against Italy in the ultimate of the 2020 European Championships and again against Italy last 12 months in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Naples. While England managed to win two of those games, they didn't win the 2 that mattered most when probably the most was at stake.

How far back would you prefer to go? The elimination from the European Championships against Iceland in 2016 and Italy in 2012. That happened within the opening game of the 2010 World Cup against the USA. That was the theme of their 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany, once they won a laborious victory against Paraguay within the opening game. They had the same experience within the round of 16 against Ecuador before losing to Portugal within the quarter-finals here in Gelsenkirchen.

There is a technical problem with the kind of midfielders England have had to date, nevertheless it also appears to be a part of the national team's psyche. England lost quarter-finals from good positions against Portugal at Euro 2004 and Brazil in 2002. The first half was good, the second not so good – as their then manager Sven-Göran Eriksson used to say.

England had three shots on goal in the primary half hour last night after which just two for the remaining of the sport (a long-range shot from Trent Alexander-Arnold and a Harry Kane header that hit the bar). They had 71 per cent of possession in the primary half hour but then just 44 per cent for the remaining of the sport. The drop was not quite as sharp as in last 12 months's qualifier in Naples (when England accomplished 233 passes in the primary half and just 96 within the second), nevertheless it was still worrying.

The balance in midfield was encouraging in the primary half-hour: Bellingham was the dominant figure across the pitch, Alexander-Arnold looked short and long along with his passes and Declan Rice was at all times on the move, at all times doing the easy things well and at all times quick to reply when the ball was lost.

But Alexander-Arnold's influence was waning. So was Saka after a wonderful first half, and Phil Foden, who was more calm throughout. The balance on the left, with Kieran Trippier filling in at left-back while Luke Shaw tries to accumulate his fitness, was off, but the issues went beyond that. Southgate put it right down to a lack of energy in his team – “and that didn't surprise me,” he said, “because a lot of players haven't played 90 minutes recently.”

This is usually how it may look in a team's opening match in a tournament. Getting off the bottom quickly is much less essential than gaining momentum because the tournament progresses.

England have done this well under Southgate, with a working example on the last European Championships once they looked moderately sluggish within the group stages against Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic before beating Germany, Ukraine and Denmark en path to that fateful final against Italy.

That's why Bellingham and his teammates were in a position to enjoy their victory here. “If you look at the last tournaments we've played, it's always crucial to get the first win,” said Trippier afterwards. “That gives us a lot of momentum and confidence. It shows the character of the guys. We learned a lot today, but the most important thing is the three points.”

Everyone who spoke afterwards – Southgate, Bellingham, Trippier, Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Kane – mentioned the character and resilience England showed within the second half. When the pressure mounted, they defended well. Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Trippier and Rice all made essential contributions, but perhaps probably the most pleasing performance was that of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who justified his selection.

Rice called it “a game of two halves” but said that “I thought it was comfortable in the end.” “We built this team on clean sheets,” he said. “At the last Euros we won five out of seven games. We have a really solid defense and it's about getting it done on the night. Winning the game tonight was a really good start for us. We just need to use the ball a little bit better in the second half when it starts to get tough.”

That at all times appears to be the large problem for England: keeping control of games moderately than losing initiative and momentum. Rice spoke of it as if that’s something that should be corrected on the training ground over the subsequent few days before they face Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday.

But sometimes it appears like it's in England's DNA. It's something that Southgate and his players have yet to beat, despite all of the undoubted progress the national team has made lately. At least, having began their season with a win, they will attempt to approach it from a position of strength.