Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Dialogue Police

I’ve written previously about the modern liberal conviction that dialogue is all that’s necessary to solve any political issue. Last weekend the Swedish police put that theory into practice: to implement a new strategy during demonstrations in Malmö last Friday, police fielded a special unit known as the “Dialogue Police”.

A reader in Sweden has translated excerpts from an article in Dagens Nyheter:

Dialog PolisThe police are investing in talking

The new police line concerning violent demonstrators is termed dialogue and respect. Gone are the shields and the line formations.

“All participants in this kind of action are trained under our new concept,” said police officer Eva-Gun Westford who was on the spot in Malmö on Friday.

After the Gothenburg Cravalles in 2001, where police and demonstrators clashed in violent confrontations, there was discussion about how the police should handle potentially violent protesters. One result is the concept that was used during demonstrations in Malmö on Friday evening.

Dialog PolisA new police tactic is employed against demonstrators and larger crowds, where communication is used now instead of confrontation and repression. Specially trained dialogue police (Dialog Polis) officers are dealing with the demonstrators’ leaders.

[…]

Do you think that those who smashed the windows and assaulted the man had respect for others this evening?
- - - - - - - - -
“I have really no idea about that. We knew that they would come, we followed them and dialogued with them, we have some damage to SE-Banken, which was badly burnt, some stones and bottles were thrown, but no arrests. We would still describe this as relatively calm.”

If this had happened on a normal night, would you have arrested someone, then?

“It is not certain that we would have been able to make any arrests even then. But the circumstances now are somewhat extraordinary this evening.”

So the police are satisfied that it was not worse? It is worth the “little” damage that has occurred anyway?

“I am grateful that more did not happen.”

Eva-Gun Westford has been a cop for 35 years and remembers how the previous tactics could develop into serious confrontation.

“Then we stood up in line as if it were the worst war, and chased them with batons and shields along the streets of Malmö. Now we are having this dialogue and we think that is most important. So far, I think that this concept wins.”

From another source:

Dialog PolisThe Good Activists in Malmö smashed shop windows and the big panes of a (capitalist) bank with paving stones. A passing civilian who got fragments of glass all over himself became so angry that he threw back one of the paving stones. Immediately he was attacked by a black-masked crowd and was knocked to the ground, where he was beaten while all those Good People standing around were cheering.

Twenty feet further away stood the Swedish Dialogue Police. No one intervened. Did not move a finger, but were videotaping the incident.


Note: As far as I can determine, the photos used in this post were taken by Anders Hansson.

14 comments:

Proud Infidel said...

Apparently, the notion of the police upholding law and order and protecting it's citizens is done for in Europe. Another step towards oblivion...

Fjordman said...

So, why didn't the police have a dialogue with the anti-Islamists in Cologne this weekend?

Seriously though, if somebody decided to destroy a once-functioning judicial system, they couldn't have done a better job. I really do wonder sometimes whether they do this on purpose.

Anonymous said...

I really do wonder sometimes whether they do this on purpose.

Hasn't fomenting chaos as a means to power always been the way of socialists?

Anonymous said...

Greetings:

I live in the San Francisco Bay area and this is nothing new out here. The police make nice with the demonstrators and basically sacrifice the rights of the general public in order to not have to work too hard. When the un-dialogue-able demonstrators become too disruptive to the public order, they may be arrested or ticketed, but there never seems to be any convictions, fines, or jail time resulting.

I grew up in the Bronx, in the days of the "beat" cops who would come down the street flipping their nightsticks as they patrolled. The smart guys learned from the folk wisdom that when you were told to move on you moved. The slower thinkers heard the message again from their bruises.

To me, this is another example of the "tyranny of the minorities" where those in power sacrifice the rights of the general public to accommodate some group. As each new minority group makes itself known, another slice of the public order salami is given up in appeasement. Once a month, bicycle activists, known as "Critical Mass" clog up the city's streets during a Friday evening rushhour to express their outrage at society's failure to meet their needs. The politicians and police do next to nothing to limit their behavior. I get the sense that the demonstrators are getting their "jollies" by punishing society with their behavior.

Czechmade said...

Why not "witness police" or "Monty python police?"

Gregory said...

Pretty soon anarchy is going to be the only workable solution.

Anonymous said...

Fjordman, that's easy to answer:

Police only talks with leftist terrorists, autonomnous nutjobs and islamists. Nazis... no. Nazis are so evil that you can't even talk with them.

Not to mention that Sharia-Schramma and his friends in the police HQ (the future Religious Police of Cologne) gave certain orders.

David M said...

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the - Web Reconnaissance for 09/24/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.

spackle said...

This is more like a police force from the mind of Gahndi. If it were not so pathetic it would be laughable. This however seems to be the attitude of most Western police forces. Success is measured by criminals/demonstrators not being hurt. How many times have you heard cops saying "it worked out well. No one got hurt".

This is usually code for no demonstrators hurt at the hands of police. Bystanders and businesses battered and destroyed? See above quote. One only has to look at the booming non-lethal weapons industry to see where this is going. Thank you ACLU and years of cries of police brutality. As someone who was personally punched by a cop for no reason, I still long for the old days of take no prisoner police forces.

spackle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I laughed when I saw this - it's like a parody - you couldn't make it up.

Anyone remember "The Wild One" with Marlon Brando? A bikie gang arrive in a town and are sent on there way by a no-nonsense tough cop.

In the next town the cop is a mealy-mouth weak guy and guess what? The gang runs riot.

Well it's not rocket science, is it?

Homophobic Horse said...

"Dialogue" is but another aspect of the hypnotising effect of liberalism.

Other forms of hypnosis consist of "united in diversity", "change", and "hope".

Anonymous said...

Why shouldn't these people believe in the power of talk, talk, talk, talk and more talk? They took over all of Western civilization, using just talking and writing, talking and writing. They convinced a whole 3500-year culture to commit suicide, just with their talking and writing, talking and writing, talking and writing.

Henrik R Clausen said...

You mean, this is real? When I first saw this, I thought "Cool parody". Second thougth the same.

Checking the Swedish source, however, I cannot sense even the slightest touch of irony in the article.

It is said that Sweden (relatively) has twice a large police force as Denmark. If they spend their time like this, it's no wonder the Swedes are not getting their taxmoneys' worth.

I'm still not convinced this is real...

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