Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Code Red in Malmö

Sweden's third-largest city is Malmö.

Malmö is ruled by a Social Democratic mayor with extremist left-wing leanings. In deference to his red political leanings, Malmö mayor Ilmar Reepalu states – publicly and on the day that the civilised world commemorates the 6 million Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust – that Swedish Jews are required to publicly display their animosity towards the Jewish state of Israel. If they don't, they deserve what's coming to them.

And what's coming to them is anti-Semitic attacks, physical attacks on individual Jews, mass attacks on Jews congregating in public places, attacks on synagogues, vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and a ban on Jews playing tennis in public, if these Jews are Israelis.

In this context it ought to be mentioned that something in the region of 30 percent of Malmö's population is Muslim. In fact, with Reepalu at the helm, Malmö has forged student-exchange links between schools in Malmö, Sweden, and that other beacon of democracy, gender equality and religious freedom, Saudi Arabia. (Link in Swedish.)

Furthermore, it needs to be pointed out that 2010 is election year in Sweden.

The mayor of Malmö, Ilmar Reepalu, his brown shirt sleeves rolled up for action, is fishing for votes. In some very murky waters indeed.

To their credit, large swathes of the Swedish media have been scathing in their condemnation of Reepalu's overtly racist comments.

What is disturbing, however, is the politically correct disconnect that this media condemnation highlights: Ilmar Reepalu was born in Estonia, a country which during the Second World War was noted for its strong Nazi sympathies. Virtually identical statements by Swedish citizens with Islamist affiliations, however, have for years passed by without media comment.

It is a worrying discrepancy in a country that is nominally a democracy. It would appear that Sweden's direction is not determined by elections but rather by political correctness.

Ilmar Reepalu's party leader, Social Democrat Mona Sahlin, continues to remain silent. It's a silence that speaks volumes.

Sweden's voters have the opportunity to speak far louder in the upcoming parliamentary elections this September.

Because in Sweden, red truly signals danger.

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