'Racist' ad for far-right Sweden Democrats on Stockholm Metro prompts huge protest

[pampango]

One part of the advert, which shows pictures of rough sleepers with the words 'Sweden should do better than this'

Thousands are set to protest in a central Stockholm square after an advertising campaign for the far-right Sweden Democrats party went up at one of the city's metro stations.

One of the most prominent adverts, mounted above the escalators at the Östermalmstorg metro station in the plush Östermalm area of Stockholm, reads: "Sorry about the mess here in Sweden. We have a serious problem with forced begging! International gangs profit from people's desperation. Our goverment [sic] won't do what's needed."

"But we will! And we're growing at record speed. We are the opposition and we promise real change! We are the Sweden Democrats! Welcome back to a better Sweden in 2018!", referring to the year of the next Swedish General Election.


The advert, aimed at tourists, has prompted a large protest, due to take place in Stockholm on Tuesday night

Sweden has experienced a surge in migration in recent years, and takes in more refugees per capita than any other EU country. It is estimated that 74,000 asylum seekers will arrive in the country, which has a population of just under 10 million, this year.

The Sweden Democrats party, which grew out of the Keep Sweden Swedish and Swedish Progress Parties in the late 1980s, languished with little support for many years. However, since the 2010 election, when they broke the four per cent threshold to get seats in the Swedish parliament, they have made attempts to become even more mainstream.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/racist-advert-for-farright-sweden-democrats-on-stockholm-metro-prompts-huge-protest-10438016.html

Anti-immigrant, anti-vulnerable, anti-diversity; the right never changes.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. I find it odd that these ads are in English.

Wouldn't a far right nationalist party stick to Swedish?

"Aimed at tourists".... But still,

[smirkymonkey]

3. I found that strange too.

Hmmmm...

[pampango]

5. "Aimed at tourists" so English makes sense. But why would the far right care what tourists think?

Is it part of some PR effort to make themselves look more "reasonable" to the rest of Europe and the world?

Sweden's far right is quiet nativist (as are most right wingers everywhere) while the 'liberal government' obviously is not. The right's nativism makes you wonder why they care what foreigners think about their ideas.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. well that was what I was wondering - it appears to be a play for outside sweden not inside.

[Adrahil]

6. English is very common is Sweden.

Fluency in English is about 90% and it used so much, especially in cities, that many linguists consider is a second language, rather than a foreign language.

[MADem]

7. English is the international language, and most can read it to some extent, even if they can't speak

it easily.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the donkey in the room....they call themselves DEMOCRATS.

It's like the OLD Democratic Party back in the days of Jim Crow.... Anti-immigrant, anti-vulnerable, anti-diversity; the right never changes.

[Syzygy321]

2. I find it odd that people are taking a complex

issue and dumbing it down to:

"it's racist!"

Sweden has a very liberal government with an open-door immigration policy. This is great if it's all roses and happiness for immigrants and native Swedes.

But in fact there are problems. These from Jews being run out of Malmo by anti-Semitic attacks, to crime in the poor immigrant settlements, to immigrants saying they arent welcomed to integrate as Swedes, even if they want to.

And some Swedes - both immigrant and old-school - criticize the government for sticking its head in the sand and pushing a "Nothing is wrong here; keep voting for us!" agenda and quelling legitimate concerns with accusations of racism.

If indeed criminal gangs are behind forced begging - which, yes, happens in the world - then Swedish law enforcement and government need a strategy for addressing it.

So the first question to ask is "Is this ad true? Are criminal gangs exploiting poor people? - and if so, how did it come about and how do we protect our immigrants who are victims from our other immigrants who prey on them?"

But it's easier (for many reasons) to not ask that question. And shouting, "racism!" works wonders to silence criticism.

As many here may have noticed.

[pampango]

4. "Sweden has a very liberal government with an open-door immigration policy." And the far-right there

likes neither neither the liberal government nor the open-door immigration policy. Indeed, the far right across Europe, and elsewhere, uses opposition to immigration as a touch stone of their appeal.

Of course, there are problems in Sweden which the government needs to address, including protecting society and its immigrants at the same time. That may include reducing the number of immigrants - who are mostly refugees from wars. Reducing immigration is the policy that the right always jumps to and they profess loudly that it has nothing to do with racism.

The Swedish left apparently thinks the right harbors a degree of racism that is manifested in their approach to immigration policy. That does not seem surprising to me.

[Syzygy321]

9. I have no doubt at all that some in the

right-wing party are just plain racists.

That's what makes it easy for the opposing party to use that accusation.

But logic tells me that if there were no beggars, the sign would be too ridiculous to post. So presumably, yes, there are beggars.

One side posts a sign. The other side protests the sign. Who in this story is helping the beggars?

[pampango]

11. There are beggars. I trust the "liberal Swedish government" to help them more than

the far-right ever will. The far right just wants to deport them, not to help them.

[Syzygy321]

12. Is the government helping them?

I don't follow the sich in Sweden, but there are occasional riots in Malmo I think, and some youth crime, and most Jews of the city have been driven from their homes due to racist attacks and insecurity. The government either couldn't protect them or didn't want to.

It's nice to give people money and a home and.social services. It doesn't guarantee a good outcome.

See the Torch The Witch threads for evidence.

[pampango]

13. The far right would solve the diversity "problem" with deportations and cutting immigration.

Our tea party folks would do the same because "some immigrants commit crimes".

Liberals recognize the value of diversity (and its problems). Conservatives prefer to minimize or eliminate diversity.

I suspect that a liberal Swedish government will continue to allow many refugees into their country and do their best to integrate them into society.

If the far right ever does govern Sweden, perhaps there will be no riots in Malmö, there may be less youth crime and Jews may be safer on Malmö. The right undoubtedly believes that less diversity, more Swedish ethnic homogeneity, will make for a better life.

[Syzygy321]

14. IMO you are doing what the protesters are doing:

Most of your post is a retelling of "The other guys suck."

Regarding the actual problem, you say you think the gov will keep the door open and "try to integrate people."

But they have been trying and many people - immigrants and non - are getting hurt.

Saying, "Diversity good, monoculture bad, right wing guys nasty" doesn't solve problems. It just wins votes and makes people (the ones who arent begging or getting beaten up) feel good about their values.

We can't solve this on a message board. I am just pointing out the twistiness of the discussion and the questionable intentions of both sides.

[MADem]

8. One has to legitimately wonder if Swedes would be screaming about "immigration" if most of the

people coming to their borders were from, say, Ireland.

Some immigrants get more flak than others. The nail that sticks up sometimes gets hammered down.

It is a complex issue, but to suggest that race doesn't act as kindling to get that fire burning is naive too.