On the night of the 8th March, following one of the largest mobilisations on International Women’s Day for some time, a group of left wing activists were viciously attacked by neo-Nazi thugs in the city of Malmö in Southern Sweden.
One of the young men, gay football supporter Showan Shattak, is still in hospital with critical injuries. This incident comes only a few months after a gang of neo-Nazis showed up at a peaceful anti-racist demonstration in Stockholm attacking people with iron bars.
While these events are extremely worrying there has also been an amazing outpouring of mass anger and support for those attacked. More than 10 000 people demonstrated in Malmö, and several thousands attended events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and other cities, against Nazi violence and racism. In addition, messages of support have been sent from around the world under the hashtag #kämpashowan.
It’s clear that a polarisation is taking place in Swedish society: with large numbers attending left-wing manifestations and a growing popular sentiment against the right-wing government. People are angry with their neo-liberal agenda and the dismantling the Swedish welfare state.
Simultaneously, however, the far right Sweden Democrat party is gaining in the polls with 13.5% of support and alongside this there is an increase in violent nazi attacks on migrants and left wing activists. According to anti-racist news site EXPO the activities of far right organisations increased by 28% in 2013. These include street meetings, propaganda distributions and demonstrations.
With elections taking place in September Far Right parties are gearing up to make gains, including the more openly fascist 'Party of Swedes' - as well as the Sweden Democrats.
The hard core neo-Nazi groups have also sent some of their members to Ukraine to learn street fighting with the fascist thugs of 'Right Sector' in the opposition movement there. The presence of Nazi groups like Svoboda in the new Kiev Government will give encouragement to Nazis everywhere.
One of the thugs who attacked Showan and his friends had returned from Ukraine just a few days before the attack. The recent activities of Far Right groups in Sweden confirms the argument that the election of far right organisations to parliament or councils always gives more confidence to the bootboys on the streets to attack migrants and the left.
This is why it’s important that socialists take a clear position of ‘no platform for fascists’ before they grow in strength. The victims of fascist thuggery understand only too well the results of allowing them to promote their poison.
Why are the fascists growing in Sweden?
Since the 1980’s, and particularly following the banking crisis of 1991-2, the Swedish welfare state has been dismantled by successive governments of the right and the left.
Unemployment has remained high at around 8% and youth unemployment much higher at around 20%. Inequality has increased through a clawing back of social welfare and public services.
The Social Democrats (like our Labour Party), with the support of the trade union leaders, were key to implementing this neo-liberal agenda, and have betrayed their working class supporters.
Unfortunately, the biggest organisation to the left of labour, the Left Party (formerly the old Communist Party) have had a policy of supporting the Social Democrats in Government. In opposition, they’ve been very wary of criticising the Social Democrats in the hope of getting some ministerial posts in a coalition government.
Some working class people, feeling let down by the left, believe that voting for the Sweden Democrats is a ‘protest vote’ against the mainstream parties. In reality, the fascist group have supported the neo-liberal right wing government for the last 4 years in parliament.
Despite the worrying signs of the growth of the far right, there is so much hope. The massive outpouring of anger and support seen across the country following the two neo-Nazi attacks, with thousands taking to the streets in an immense outpouring of solidarity and the amazing International women’s day manifestations show the opportunity for the left to grow in Sweden.
However there needs to be an organisation that puts people power at the heart of it's politics in order to focus the opposition both to cutbacks and to the rise of the Far Right.
