Pegida Sverige
Pegida Sverige is the Swedish version of the anti-Islam movement PEGIDA which orginated in Dresden, Germany.
Contents
History
A facebook group for Sweden Pegida Sverige was set up in December 2014 and had over 5,000 'likes' by 7 January 2015. The administrators of the page also promoted a Scandinavia-wide Pegida page.[1]
Activities
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Demonstrations
It held its first protest on the evening of Monday 9 January 2015 in Stortorge, the central square in the city of Malmö, southern Sweden.
It drew a very poor turnout, with media estimates ranging between 30[2] and 200[3] protesters while organiser Henrik Rönnquist reportedly put the figure at 140.[2]
Islam as a 'foreign religion'
At another Pegida Sverige demonstration in Malmö on 27 June 2015, 'artist' Dan Park gave a speech in which he called Islam "a foreign religion" and claimed - as the video (right) shows that "Islam is a reality-denying and hateful ideology where homophobia, Jew-hatred and contempt for women are the pillars, and which is spread globally through violence by its followers."
Park further stated, as the video (right) shows that "Islam has been compared to Nazism and the similarities are striking" and unfurled a banner reading "Islam = fascism". He wore a yellow star pinned to his jacket, presumably in an offensive attempt to equate Islam with Nazism and himself as an opponent (or as he sees it 'victim') of Islam with Jews victimised by the Nazis.
Ideology
The concerns of the group mixed anti-Islam and anti-immigration sentiment. The Swedish government has commitment to admitting 100,000 asylum seekers per year[4] and the reported aim of the protest was to call for tighter immigration restrictions. A spokesperson insisted 'It is not about racism, not about throwing immigrants out of the country…it is about our values, traditions'[3] but some Pegida supporters reportedly held signs calling for the deportation of supporters of 'Islamic State.'[4]
People
According to English language translations of Swedish press reports, the protest was organised through a closed Facebook group which attracted supporters of the far-right Sweden Democrats party and the counterjihad publication Dispatch International.[5] Art gallery owner Henrik Rönnquist was quoted in the press, pictured holding a mgeaphone at the demonstration and has generally been described as the leader of Pegida Sweriga. Some reports state that his associate Dan Park, an artist with several convictions for inciting racial hatred, was a co-organiser.[5]
Opposition
A counter-demonstration which drew between 3,000[5] and 5,000[2] people vastly outnumbered the Pegida protest.
The demonstration came soon after three mosques in the country were targeted in separate incidents over the course of one week, in a string of suspected arson attacks, which had also prompted anti-racism campaigners to organise responsive demonstrations.[6]
People
- Henrik Rönnquist - leader[4]
- Dan Park - organiser[5]
Notes
- ↑ Facebook Pegida Scandinavia. Accessed 13 January 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Anti-racists swamp first Pegida rally in Sweden, The Local, 10 February 2015, accessed 12 February 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 PEGIDA holds its first rally in Sweden, EuroNews, 9 February 2015, accessed 12 February 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Malcolm Brabant, Sweden 'doesn't need groups like PEGIDA', Deutsche Welle, 10 February 2015, accessed 12 February 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Thousands gather to oppose Pegida demo, Radio Sweden, 9 February 2015
- ↑ Sweden protest after three mosque fires in one week, 2 January 2015
