EXTREME POLITICS

Looks like the nationalists have improved their behavior — and, as a result, their public image:

Despite the violence, there were no reports of any serious injuries during the November 30th marches held annually by Swedish right-wing groups to honour the Swedish king who died in 1718.

Violence erupted when members of several anti-racist groups staged a counter demonstration to force the right-wing marchers to change their route and keep them out of central Lund.

“We’re satisfied that the right-wing demonstrators were able to carry out their march, even if the route had to be changed. We are, however, very dissatisfied that the left-wind demonstrators attacked police,” said the police’s HÃ¥kan Jarborg Eriksson to the TT news agency.

Jarborg Eriksson commanded the roughly 150 officers drawn from all over SkÃ¥ne county who arrived in Lund to patrol Sunday’s demonstrations.

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Suddenly the counter-demonstrators began throwing paving stones and bottles, and launched a number of fireworks, resulting in the thick smoke covering the area.

The Local

Looks like the Swedish nationalists have been “upping their image”:

“On Saturday, November 22nd, the National Socialist Front (NSF) decided to transfer all of its assets to the newly started People’s Front party as we feel this party has the ability to rebuild a Swedish Sweden. This also means a closing of the books for the National Socialist Front,” the group writes on its website.

According to the magazine Expo, the group has done away with all references to Hilter, but continues to fight for an ethnically homogeneous Sweden.

According to the party’s platform, ethnic Swedes own the right to the country because they share the “same genes and same blood” which belonged to people who “for thousands of years have worked the same earth”.

The party’s aim, therefore, is to “return to the Swedes their power and their rights”.

The Local

It will be interesting to see how this develops in Sweden — a country that has been very open to liberal reforms, but has maintained a strong right-wing presence, since WWII.