This story has been around for a few days in Swedish and Danish — Steen posted about it on Monday — but Fjordman’s article is the first account in English that I know of:
Yrsa Stenius, the Swedish press Ombudsman, wants to press charges against certain bloggers. She is worried about developments on the Internet, where anybody can just write anything they want. She says this has gone too far. She fears this trend could even spread to the mainstream media, unless something is done and a legal precedent is established to rein in unruly bloggers.- - - - - - - - -
At the same time, the extreme left-wing thugs of Antifascistisk Action (AFA), who frequently physically assault critics of mass immigration, for instance members of the small party the Sweden Democrats, recently destroyed the car of a 90-year-old woman and wrote “nasse” (Nazi) on top of it. As it turned out, they picked the wrong car. Why doesn’t Ms. Stenius and the rest of the establishment worry more about the violent activities of AFA, instead of “impolite” bloggers who do nothing more than write words on their websites?
Yrsa Stenius is originally from Helsinki, Finland, from the country’s Swedish-speaking minority. She has been associated with Aftonbladet since 1979, and was even their political editor-in-chief in the mid-80s, and was a columnist for them as late as 2007.
[…]
Aftonbladet has close ideological ties to the Social Democrats, the country’s dominant party for most of the past century. According to journalist Karen Jespersen, Helle Klein, political editor-in-chief from 2001 to 2007 and a former leading member of the Social Democratic Youth League, has stated that “If the debate is [about] that there are problems caused by refugees and immigrants, we don’t want it.” During a demonstration organized by Islamic and anti-racist organizations in December 2006, Klein stood in front of a banner which read “A Sweden for all — Stop the Nazi violence” and held a speech warning against Islamophobia in the media. Klein has voiced strong sympathy for terrorist organization Hamas in her editorials, while warning against the threat to world peace posed by Israeli aggression and the Christian Zionist Right in the USA. She still blogged at Aftonbladet‘s website as of April 2008.
[…]
Shouldn’t it worry Ms. Stenius that a representative of one of Scandinavia’s largest newspapers, with close ties to the country’s largest political party, thus cooperates openly with an organization known for physically assaulting members of a legal opposition party, even in their private homes? Isn’t that worse than what a few bloggers may or may not write about mass immigration at their private websites? I don’t know much about the specific mandate of the press Ombudsman, but according to the Wikipedia entry, the PO “is to determine whether the actions of a newspaper is in line with good journalistic practice.” Well, I hereby suggest that Yrsa Stenius does some research into the organization AFA, and asks whether it is “good journalistic practice” for Swedish journalists to cooperate with such an organization. Perhaps she should also take a look at potential ties between AFA and Expo.
There’s much more information at The Brussels Journal about this latest example of Swedish illiberality.
8 comments:
While the stories coming out of Sweden are increasingly absurd, it is particular weird that they do not even seem to understand what 'civil liberties' even means!
The Ombudsman institution is too unchecked for a decent democracy. It's a Danish idea, but the goodwill the institution creates around itself lends itself towards abuse due to the lack of 'checks and balances'.
I find the lack of comments on this thread interesting in itself.
Has Sweden been written off?
It seems like those on the outside are willing to rally and help people who are willing to help themselves, and so we see interest and support efforts grow behind the Fallaccis, Steyns, Wilders, Levants, Bardots, of the world who show a bit of courage.
And then there are the Swedes and their Hans Blix fighting spirit. Sweden's survival instinct reminds me of the dodo bird - with similar odds for survival in an increasingly global, competitive, and morally confused world.
Where's Gordon? Where are you Gordon? Why don't you pooh-pooh this thread Gordon? Where are you to deny that AFA are a bunch of violent gangsters? I can't hear you Gordon. Tell me why Gordon.
Chalons, perhaps Gates of Vienna been cut off in Sweden already?
It is really strange to watch the Swedes (well all of Europe) commit demographic suicide. They say they don't want to be like those right wing Chrisitans in America. At least some of us are capable of the most fundamental human activity needed to ensure a future: making babies. it's like Swedish liberals are grown up children throwing a big temper tantrum disguised as rebellion against a group of people they view as their authority figures.
@Chalons:
There are comments about this but for the most they are written in swedish, on swedish forums about politics.
There are many of us that, at least so far, believe that the way without violence is still an option. We are trying to make as many people as possible wake up but in a political and medial climate that is far from optional it´s not exactly the easiest task.
Words spread and beneath the seemingly calm surface it´s boiling. To understand this you have to have some knowledge about the swedish psyche. In Sweden you do not let out your voice for any petty problem but you simply let it boil and grow. Once the pressure is too high you let go.
Right now, as I mentioned, things are boiling. Unfortunately this will take an unpleasant end no matter how it ends up.
Also, to get an understanding of how things work here, one must know that free speech is not a reality in today´s Sweden but more a confession of the lips of left-wing politicians and journalists.
Anyone opening their mouths regarding the "wrong" subject is likely to be publicly humiliated, lose their jobs, lose their friends, get kicked out of the social security system and are also likely to get a visit from the left-wing stormtroopers from AFA.
If this is the case, you will have little to no chance of getting help from the legal system or money from the insurance company for possible damage to your property.
Not many swedes are angry enough to be ready to risk this but do not doubt. It will come and then things will be messy. However docile on the surface most swedes still carry the heritage of their ancestors and are likely to be highly aggressive if threatened on a large scale in a not so far future. The only ones seemingly lacking this heritage are the spineless politicians that exists here as well as in the rest of Europe. They, in non-understanding cooperation with journalists and mullahs, are yet to face the future to come with or without their wish
Still most of us prefer a non-violent solution and works in that direction. Action is prepared for when the day comes and many swedes have, as we write and speak, begun to let go of their mental blocks against violence because we can see it coming all around us despite the attempts of media and politicians to wrap us into a sweet lullaby.
@God´s second mistake:
Do not despair: Not all of us hate the US or despise christian values. Not being a believer I still try to live by the basic christian standards on behavior which I find to be a good way of maintaining a good society.
Not all of us are interested in committing demographic suicide. However: You miss a few vital points here that can explain the low birthrates of the native swedes and other europeans.
One: High taxes. The tax pressure in Sweden and in the rest of Europe makes a lot of people crumble. As an example: Every dollar I make costs my employer (at least)two dollars because he has to pay a fee(tax) to the state that is just about equal to what I earn. On top of that he has to pay VAT(25%), energy tax(even VAT on the energy tax(I know, it´s madness)), environmental tax and so on when he buys raw material and electricity to run the machines.
On top of this he also has to pay a state tax of 30% of the yearly profit.
When I get my salary I, for a starter, will have to pay 30% in tax. I will have to pay VAT(25%) whenever I buy something and when I buy gasoline(2$/liter) only about 25% is an actual cost for the fuel and the remaining 75% of the price are different taxes such as energy tax, environmental tax and on top of that VAT.
The total tax pressure here are estimated to a total of about 70% of the monthly wages.
The tax payers carry such a heavy burden that every child is a question of economy. This is in large part due to the fact that we, as taxpayers, have to support AT LEAST 60.000 new "swedes" every year and this has been going on fort the last thirty or so years and it is now taking tremendous tolls of ordinary peoples income.
At the same time we see a decrease in the resources of the National Health Service, public scools, the judicial system, military and so on.
The reason for not making babies in Europe is, to make it short, that we have to support a large number of cuckoo-babies that our leaders and moral elite has forced upon us without really asking for our permission and at the same time they(and a bunch of others) have managed to build a system of oppression that effectively deals with anyone daring to question this madness.
Finally, hoping that all this text has made some impression other than confused, I will give you an example:
Me and my wife, together earning more than average here, are in the position that we have to ask ourselves if we can afford having a third child because when my wife(pediatrician) is home for maternity leave we lose about 2000$ every month. Not one single family with income such as ours are able to sustain their normal life with such a loss.
As an opposite example: Any family on social welfare can have as many babies as they like and do not have to ask themselves wether they can afford it or not. The welfare system takes care of it all and if they need a bigger apartment that is paid for by the social security system even if this happens to be a family with (already) fifteen children.
They can have as many babies as they want and the expenses are paid for by me and other taxpayers who at the same time cant afford to have babies of our own since we have to pay for imported cuckoos.
There you have a strong reason for the demographic suicide that you write about. To me, living in the midst of this upcoming hell, it looks more like demographic genocide than anything else.
The last Swedish patriots with guts died defending Berlin in 1945.
Thanks for the insights, Skalman. The current situation in Sweden seems to be a good example of the often cited Edmund Burke quote:
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Yes, I know that quote is overused these days to the point of becoming an eye-roller, but if it cannot be applied to contemporary Sweden, it applies nowhere. Passivity, complacency, and 'tolerance' have apparently given evil the upper hand in Sweden. I too hope you can find a peaceful solution, unfortunately it's usually the bad guys that set the terms of battle in these dramas.
Let Sweden be a lesson to others who take their freedoms for granted - Don't forfeit your liberty in the first place.
Post a Comment