Antifascistisk Aktion

Last updated

The Antifascistisk aktion (AFA) is a far-left, extra-parliamentary, anti-fascist movement in Sweden, whose stated goal is to "smash fascism in all its forms". [1] The purpose of the organization is to exchange information and to coordinate activities between local groups.

Contents

The groups' activities have included handing out flyers, organizing demonstrations, direct action, and property destruction. The group has no central authority, using a flat organization structure consisting of many independent groupings, without a board or leader. AFA works with other anti-racist groups all over Europe. [2] [3] The groups' origins are in the heterogeneous anti-fascist groups of the late 1930s and early 1940s, mostly made up of social democrats, communists, and progressive Christians. [4] Their ideology is libertarian socialism. [5]

History

1932 "Come to us" poster of the German Antifaschistische Aktion Antifa Her zu uns.svg
1932 "Come to us" poster of the German Antifaschistische Aktion

The name Antifaschistische Aktion (Anti-Fascist Action) was used from the early 1930s in Germany. [6] The name was subsequently used by anti-fascist groups in several other countries.

Antifascistisk aktion (AFA) was founded in Sweden in 1993. AFA is a part of the "autonomous" (autonoma in Swedish, from autonomist Marxism) subculture, which revolves around many forms of leftist activism like antifascism, environmentalism and animal rights activism. This subculture includes people of many different ideologies, but the ideologies of the movement is always some form of radical leftism. [7] In stark contrast to the American Antifa, [8] the Swedish AFA is not open to more moderate forms of leftism, and on one occasion members of a left-wing party were spat upon by them. [9]

Approach

Their Activity Guide advocates direct action against neo-Nazis. [10] AFA members have admitted to arson by timed firebombs, [11] and have pleaded guilty to burning the Tråvad spinnery in 2005. [12] In January 2006, Swedish AFA members attacked the Norrköping immigration office and threatened officials. [11] In June 2006, AFA members broke windows of an estate of the Christian Democrats in Kalmar. [13] In October 2006, AFA members threatened to block a municipal council meeting in Gothenburg, because the Sweden Democrats had been elected to the council. [14]

In July 2007, AFA members threatened and attacked an immigration judge in Gothenburg. [15] The judge's front door was hit with an axe, and the house was vandalized with red spraypaint. Personal information about the judge and other judges was posted on the Internet. [16] On 7 March 2008, Säpo, the Swedish security police agency, reported that AFA or people using its symbols constantly threaten municipal and provincial elected council members. [17] In August 2008, AFA members spread announcements in Uppsala with the name and image of an opponent, encouraging people to attack him. For this, AFA promised to pay 500 Swedish kronor and a free "knogjärn" (knuckle duster). [18] In February 2009, AFA members attacked the National Democrats politician Vávra Suk. [19]

Criticism

An editorial in the tabloid newspaper Expressen argued that the anti-fascist label was misleading because the organization's methods such as stealing the subscriber list of the National Democrats newspaper and threatening the subscribers are counterproductive and similar to methods used by fascists. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweden Democrats</span> Political party

The Sweden Democrats is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Sweden founded in 1988. As of 2022, it is the largest member of Sweden's right-wing bloc and the second-largest party in the Riksdag. It provides confidence and supply to the centre-right ruling coalition. Within the European Union, the party is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party.

Antifa may refer to:

<i>Antifaschistische Aktion</i> Anti-fascist militant group in Germany

Antifaschistische Aktion was a militant anti-fascist organisation in the Weimar Republic started by members of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) that existed from 1932 to 1933. It was primarily active as a KPD campaign during the July 1932 German federal election and the November 1932 German federal election and was described by the KPD as a "red united front under the leadership of the only anti-fascist party, the KPD."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Jomshof</span> Swedish politician (born 1969)

Richard Johannes Jomshof, né Lohikoski, is a Swedish politician affiliated with the Sweden Democrats (SD) party and former pop musician. He served as Secretary-General of the Sweden Democrats from 2015 to 2022 and has been a Member of the Riksdag since September 2010. In 2022, he was appointed as chairman of the Justice Committee in the Riksdag.

Socialdemocrats for Faith and Solidarity, formerly the Swedish Association of Christian Social Democrats organizes religious members of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. The organization was founded in 1929 as an organization for Christian social democrats. Since 2011, it has been open for members of all religions. It is an associate member of the International League of Religious Socialists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Fascist Action</span> British anti-fascist organisation

Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) was a militant anti-fascist organisation, founded in the UK in 1985 by a wide range of anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Sweden</span> Overview of the role of Islam in Sweden

Contacts with the Muslim world dates back to the 7th–10th centuries, when the Vikings traded with Muslims during the Islamic Golden Age. Since the late 1960s and more recently, immigration from predominantly Muslim countries has impacted the demographics of religion in Sweden, and has been the main driver of the spread of Islam in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Ekeroth</span> Swedish politician and economist

Kent Alexander Ekeroth is a Swedish politician and economist, who represented the Sweden Democrats in the Riksdag from 2010 to 2018. Ekeroth has been involved with operating the news website Samhällsnytt and its predecessors since the beginning of his parliamentary term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katerina Janouch</span>

Katerina Janouch is a Swedish author, journalist and sexologist of Czech origin. She is primarily known for her children's books, but has also written about relationships, abuse, female genital mutilation and the political unrest of Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-fascism</span> Opposition to fascism

Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were opposed by many countries forming the Allies of World War II and dozens of resistance movements worldwide. Anti-fascism has been an element of movements across the political spectrum and holding many different political positions such as anarchism, communism, pacifism, republicanism, social democracy, socialism and syndicalism as well as centrist, conservative, liberal and nationalist viewpoints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotta Lundgren</span> Swedish television host and food writer

Lotta Mari Johansen Lundgren née Bergqvist is a Swedish television presenter and food writer. Lundgren was born and raised in Tuve, a Gothenburg suburb. Lundgren has written a cook book. She has hosted the shows Landet Brunsås and currently Historieätarna along with Erik Haag both on SVT. In 2015, the duo presented Tusen år till julafton a Christmas calendar which was broadcast on SVT. The same production team is also behind Bye bye Sverige about the Swedish-American emigration 1850–1910 which premiered on Swedish Television on 7 December 2017. In 2020, Lotta and Erik Haag participated in Filip and Fredrik's Alla mot alla, where they won the final against Gry Forssell and Mikael Tornving. The team also won the season the following year by Alla mot alla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebba Busch</span> Swedish politician (born 1987)

Ebba-Elisabeth Busch is a Swedish politician, serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Minister for Energy and the Minister for Business and Industry since October 2022. She has served as Leader of the Christian Democrats since April 2015.

On 15 May 2016, unrest occurred simultaneously in the Swedish towns of Norrköping and Borlänge, primarily in Million Programme Muslim-dominated public housing-areas, with stone-throwing against police and firefighters, car fires and arson attacks. The unrest took place across Sweden since late March. Public transportation was temporarily suspended in several areas due to stone-throwing against trams and buses. These incidents were mainly perpetrated by Muslim youths. These incidents were considered particularly notable as they represented the spread of unrest to outside the three major urban areas of Sweden. Across Sweden, more than 2,000 cars were set on fire between January and July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post–World War II anti-fascism</span> History of movements and networks opposing fascism after WWII

Post–World War II anti-fascism, including antifa groups, anti-fascist movements and anti-fascist action networks, saw the development of political movements describing themselves as anti-fascist and in opposition to fascism. Those movements have been active in several countries in the aftermath of World War II during the second half of the 20th and early 21st century.

Alternative for Sweden is a far-right political party in Sweden. It was founded in March 2018 by Gustav Kasselstrand and William Hahne, along with other members of the Sweden Democratic Youth, who were collectively expelled from the Sweden Democrats in 2015. It advocates the forced remigration of immigrants and Sweden's withdrawal from the European Union.

Sveriges Unga Muslimer (SUM), previously named Sveriges Muslimska Ungdomsförbund (SMUF), is an Islamic youth umbrella organisation in Sweden. The organisation was formed in 1991. SUM itself a member organisation of the following umbrella organisations: the Muslim Council of Sweden, Forum for European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) and Ibn Rushd studieförbund. In 2016 it had about 4000 members.

The Revolutionary Front was a far-left extremist political and militant network in Sweden. The goal of the RF was to dismantle the current society through a revolution and create a socialist state. The group fought against fascism, racism, sexism and capitalism, and campaigned through violent means.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Löfven II cabinet</span> 2019–2021 Swedish government cabinet

The second cabinet of Stefan Löfven was the government of Sweden from 21 January 2019 to 9 July 2021. It was a coalition, consisting of two parties: the Social Democrats and the Green Party. The cabinet was installed on 21 January 2019, following the 2018 general election.

Antifa is a political movement in Germany composed of multiple far-left, autonomous, militant groups and individuals who describe themselves as anti-fascist. According to the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the use of the epithet fascist against opponents and the view of capitalism as a form of fascism are central to the movement. The antifa movement has existed in different eras and incarnations, dating back to Antifaschistische Aktion, from which the moniker antifa came. It was set up by the then-Stalinist Communist Party of Germany (KPD) during the late history of the Weimar Republic. After the forced dissolution in the wake of Machtergreifung in 1933, the movement went underground. In the postwar era, Antifaschistische Aktion inspired a variety of different movements, groups and individuals in Germany as well as other countries which widely adopted variants of its aesthetics and some of its tactics. Known as the wider antifa movement, the contemporary antifa groups have no direct organisational connection to Antifaschistische Aktion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nima Gholam Ali Pour</span> Iranian-born Swedish author (born 1981)

Nima Gholam Ali Pour is an Iranian-born Swedish politician, author, activist, political commentator and journalist. Since the 2022 Swedish general election, he has been a member of the Riksdag representing the Sweden Democrats party for the Malmö Municipality constituency.

References

  1. ↑ "antifa.se - Antifascistisk Aktion Sverige". Antifa.se. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  2. ↑ "Antifascistisk Aktion – Mot sexism, fascism, kapitalism och homofobi". Antifa.se. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Antifascistisk Aktion – Mot sexism, fascism, kapitalism och homofobi". Antifa.se. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  4. ↑ Pritchard, Gareth (2012). Niemandsland: A History of Unoccupied Germany, 1944-1945. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1107013506.
  5. ↑ "Presentation – Antifascistisk Aktion". antifa.se.
  6. ↑ Balhorn, Loren (May 2017). "The Lost History of Antifa". Jacobin . Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Samtalskompassen - Våldsbejakande vänsterextremism: Ideologi". Samtalskompassen.samordnarenmotextremism.se. Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  8. ↑ "Unmasking the leftist Antifa movement (2017) - CNN Video". 18 August 2017.
  9. ↑ Viktorsson, Julius (3 May 2017). "Tre gärningsmän filmade och spottade mot Vänsterpartiets första maj-tåg". Helsingborgs Dagblad (in Swedish).
  10. ↑ "Aktivitetsguide för antifascister" [Activity guide for anti-fascists](PDF) (in Swedish). 11 February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  11. 1 2 Dunér, Teresia (10 January 2006). "Afa riktar ilska mot Migrationsverket". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Johansson, Lars (2005-12-28). "Afa tar på sig mordbrand på nazistgård". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Petersson, Claes. "Slåss med knogjärn". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2009-09-14.
  14. ↑ Sandberg, Peter (2006-11-03). "Aktivister försökte stoppa möte med Sverigedemokrat". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish).
  15. ↑ "Migration judge threatened by extremists". The Local Sweden. 30 July 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  16. ↑ Hedtjärn, Erik (2007-07-31). "Domare som utvisat irakier attackerades". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN   1101-2447.
  17. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  18. ↑ "Afa belönar misshandel av nazist". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  19. ↑ "Afa tar på sig våld mot ND-politiker". Expressen . Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  20. ↑ "Stoppa AFA". Expressen (in Swedish). 15 February 2009. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.