SWEDEN — strike against racist violence ! WENEN _ strike against racist violence ! IN THE course of the last two months Sweden, and Stockholm in particular, has been shaken by an unprecedented wave of racist violence. In November shoot-to-kill attacks injured 5 immigrants and led to the death of an Iranian student. In late December/early January there was a campaign of bombings and bomb threats in connection with the trial of two members of VAM (White Aryan Resistance). In late January a series of 5 attacks within 5 days shocked Uppsala and Stockholm. The attacks, random in nature, seriously injured two Turks and a Palestinian: three other immigrants were also shot. Meanwhile, around Sweden, there have been arson attacks and physical assaults on shopkeepers and shopworkers.
This racist campaign of violence is now dominating the political debate and atmosphere in Sweden. Stockholm is in a state of shock, and immigrants are in fear of their lives. Throughout the country, demonstrations have been organized in support of the immigrants. On the initiative of the Kurdish National League, 15 immigrant organizations have called for a one hour strike between organize the stone. 10 and 11 am on Friday February 21. A committee has just been formed to organize the strike, with the support of Riksförbundet Stoppa Rasismen (the National League to Stop Racism).
The strike is being called a "manifestation of mourning". One of its declared aims is to show what happens to the Swedish economy if immigrants do not work. The first appeal of the strike committee, however, leaves the door open for any Swedish organization or individual to "give their support in the manner they find suitable".
An indicator of the gravity of the situation is that the Minister of Social Affairs (a member of the liberal People's Party in the four-party bourgeois coalition) has publicly supported the strike, while King Carl Gustav XIV has condemned the violence and said that, "It is necessary for us all to come together and fight the injustice of our society". Trade union leaders are divided, some in support and some against.
The Swedish employers federation (SAF) has described the strike as "unmodern" but has not openly condemned it. The Conservative Prime Minister, Carl Bildt, is under much pressure. He also has not openly opposed the strike, but has said that it is "perhaps not a good idea" . Restricting his condemnation of the attacks to saying, "We are of course against all types of criminality", he has said that racism is a "peripheral problem" of society, and suggested that the gun attacks might be connected with underworld rivalry.
In the Stockholm area, the Socialist Party (SP - Swedish section of the Fourth International) is pushing for the formation of "Guards Against Racism" standing outside shops where immigrants work alone. The initiative has already been taken in one suburb (Orminge), and has involved the SP, the Left Party and the Social Democrats. It has already been taken up by Stoppa Rasismen and has spread to another suburb.
There is currently a debate on whether immigrants should individually arm themselves in self-defence, given the inability/unwillingness of the police to protect them. While not condemning this, the SP is advocating collective defence as a better method at this time.
The "21 February Committee" is calling for European-wide support for their initiative, with broad demonstrations outside Swedish embassies on the evening of Friday February 21. The Committee can be contacted at:
tel: 46-8-6528585 fax: 6502120. The person responsible for press contacts and information is Kurdo Bahksi. * be considered under the proposed new laws.
So why is the government attacking asylum seekers? It is part of the creation of a Fortress Europe. The government wants to be seen as doing something to stop black people coming to Britain. In the imagination of the Tory popular press illegal" immigrants and asylum seekers are lumped together as costing the British taxpayer millions of pounds.
In the public debate about asylum rights all the political parties try to separate "economic" refugees from "political" refugees. 1992
Labour's spokesperson on domestic affairs, Roy Hattersley, said in Parliament on November 5, 1991: "I have made it clear that I would not allow in the bogus asylum seeker... No one I know wants the open door policy on immigration".
But in the real world it is not possible to separate "economic" from "political" refugees. This is particularly so inasmuch as the economic and political devastation of those parts of the world producing refugees and immigrants was caused by the same coun tries now implementing immigration controls. *