Woman who defied 300 neo-Nazis at Swedish rally speaks of anger

[Deleted]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ral-photograph

The lone protest of a woman defying a march of 300 uniformed neo-Nazis is set to become an iconic image of resistance to the rise of the far-right in Scandinavia.

A photograph of Tess Asplund, 42, with fist raised against the shaven-headed leadership of the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) in Borlänge, central Sweden, on Sunday has gone viral in the country.

“It was an impulse. I was so angry, I just went out into the street,” Asplund told the Guardian. “I was thinking: hell no, they can’t march here! I had this adrenaline. No Nazi is going to march here, it’s not okay.”

After joining a large counter-demonstration she took the train back to Stockholm and did not think about what happened until Monday evening, when the photograph spread on social media.

“Now it’s a circus. I am in shock,” said Asplund, who is 5ft 3in and weighs just 50kg (eight stone). “The Nazis are very angry, so I am a little ‘Oh shit, maybe I shouldn’t have done that, I want peace and quiet.’ These guys are big and crazy. It’s a mixed feeling, but I am trying to stay calm.”

Asplund’s lone protest comes at a time when the far-right in Sweden is increasing its activities, according to Daniel Poohl of Expo, the anti-racist foundation in Stockholm, whose photographer David Lagerlöf captured the image.


The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party polls between 15% and 20% and holds the balance of power in parliament, while racist sentiments are fuelled by a fragmented landscape of internet hate sites. The avowedly antisemitic National Socialists of the NRM are the extreme wing of this spectrum, Poohl says.

“We live in a Europe where far-right ideas are becoming more popular, and there is also a reaction against them. It is a time when people are longing for something to channel their urge to resist the Europe that builds borders against refugees, the Europe that cannot cooperate any more. Tess has captured one of the conflicts of our time,” he said.

Swedish media have compared the photograph to a famous image from 1985 known as tanten med väskan, “the lady with the bag”. The image, taken by Hans Runesson, shows a woman hitting a skinhead from the Nordic Reich party with her bag.

The picture of Asplund is in many senses more powerful in the Swedish context today, Poohl says. “We now live in a multicultural society, so it makes sense that it was a black woman.”

Swedish civil society is working hard to settle tens of thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Asia who sought asylum in the country last year, but there has been a spate of arson attacks on refugee accommodation, and the government has toughened up its asylum policies.


The NRM is known for targeting anti-racists, says Asplund. “I have friends who have been attacked by them and who have had to change their address. I have had calls at night from private numbers, screaming at me. It is hard to talk about the hate,” she says.

“I feel ashamed that we have this problem. The police say it is a democratic country, so they can demonstrate. But these are Nazis! It is horrible.”

Asplund, who describes herself as Afro-Swedish, is unemployed, and active in the group Afrophobia Focus. Sweden was identified by the UN last year as having a particular problem with afrophobia, defined as hostility towards people with a background from sub-Saharan Africa.

“Racism has been normalised in Sweden, it’s become okay to say the N-word,” she says, recounting how a man on the subway used the racial slur while shouting and telling her to hurry up. “But nobody paid any attention. I thought Sweden in 2016 would be more open minded, but something has happened,” Asplund says.

“I hope something positive will come out of the picture. Maybe what I did can be a symbol that we can do something – if one person can do it, anyone can.”

Thoughts on this?

She is being lauded as being brave and so forth here in Sweden, while what she did is what everyone should be doing I don't think it's anywhere close to brave to stand up to them, there's no realistic expectation of harm for her in any way.

[Deleted]

It kinda looks like a Walter White fan club march imo.

What's with the raised fist btw? What does that mean in her culture?

[Deleted]

It kinda looks like a Walter White fan club march imo.

What's with the raised fist btw? What does that mean in her culture?

It's a nelson mandela sign according to her or something, iirc.

[Deleted]

It's a nelson mandela sign according to her or something, iirc.

Ooh boy...

[Deleted]

Ooh boy...

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article22748977.ab

– Hela den här uppståndelsen är så sjuk. Jag är så van vid min knutna näve, det är min Nelson Mandela-gest som jag använt sedan jag blev aktivist för 26 år sedan, säger Tess Asplund.

Yeah, it was a nelson mandela gesture.

[Deleted]

I have no love for the "Nordic Resistance Movement" but what right have she to disrupte a lawful demonstration (organizers have sought permission for the match so the police are ther to direct traffic) if the far-left or som Muslims do a lawful demonstration is it then ok that a far-right person to stand in the way to disrupte there lawful demonstration, and hope for a provocation?

As Mooneye pointed out there was no danger for here, in front of all the police and cameras, she wanted a provocation.

“Racism has been normalised in Sweden, it’s become okay to say the N-word,” It was always ok to say neger, its only black as the color black in Sweden and have not the same cultural meaning as nigger in English. But I gess Sweden is very multicultural if neger get the same cultural meaning as nigger. Foreign influences override a old domestic concept.

EDIT: Funny then the articel speak about the skinheads then they have more hair then she have.

[Ryme]

Asplund herself reads like a typical buzzword reactionary, but what she's reacting to here seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to want to protest against.

The right to protest and peaceful assembly is an incredibly important aspect of first world life, both sides are allowed to do it, both sides can be counter protested.

[Deleted]

I tend to view neo nazis as degenerates who distract from national socialism but I have to ask reading that...

How were the neo nazis the uninformed ones? I assume they knew what they where doing and why rather then the woman screaming gibberish at them..

[Kalis]

What is with the tucked in ties? Were they all worried about dipping them in soup?

Even your neo-nazis are weird.

[Fencers]

What's with the raised fist btw? What does that mean in her culture?

It symbolizes unity, defiance and resistance.

Seems pretty obvious unless one willfully ignored history and displays of symbolism there in and in context of historical events.

[BuckSparkles]

So is this woman brave? Did the neo-nazi rally cause any violence?

What is so brave?

[Deleted]

So is this woman brave? Did the neo-nazi rally cause any violence?

What is so brave?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe because of the fact that neo-nazis are basically hooligans and bullies who are known for making trouble in such rallies and picking on people who dare stand up to them, as well as being people who revere a violent, totalitarian ideology which has no regard for human rights? Just a thought.

Also, yes, the video shows things were about to get violent.

[Deleted]

“Racism has been normalised in Sweden, it’s become okay to say the N-word,” It was always ok to say neger, its only black as the color black in Sweden and have not the same cultural meaning as nigger in English. But I gess Sweden is very multicultural if neger get the same cultural meaning as nigger. Foreign influences override a old domestic concept.

Lol, I love how people try to change the meaning of it just because they feel it is offensive.

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Oh, I don't know. Maybe because of the fact that neo-nazis are basically hooligans and bullies who are known for making trouble in such rallies and picking on people who dare stand up to them, as well as being people who revere a violent, totalitarian ideology which has no regard for human rights? Just a thought.

Also, yes, the video shows things were about to get violent.

Saying she's brave is about the same as saying the woman in the picture hitting a nazi with her bag in the head was brave, completely ignoring everyone surrounding it who would get in there and beat the nazis up the second they touch anyone. It's not brave when you have a mass of people behind you and the police, if they'd do anything and it would get out of control, the nazis are the ones who would be at the receiving end of beatings, not the people.

[SDMF]

Regarding the picture of her "brave" protest, it's completely staged. She's someone who travels all across the country to disrupt demonstrations.
I also love how the media completely swallows the excuse about the raised fist being a Mandela salute. I'd like to see them doing the same whenever a national socialist gives a roman salute.

[Deleted]

Regarding the picture of her "brave" protest, it's completely staged. She's someone who travels all across the country to disrupt demonstrations.
I also love how the media completely swallows the excuse about the raised fist being a Mandela salute. I'd like to see them doing the same whenever a national socialist gives a roman salute.

Saw this picture on twitter. She basically travel around in Sweden to sabotage demonstrations aswell as speeches from politicians she don't like (politicians from the swedish democratic party).

[Deleted]

Regarding the picture of her "brave" protest, it's completely staged. She's someone who travels all across the country to disrupt demonstrations.
I also love how the media completely swallows the excuse about the raised fist being a Mandela salute. I'd like to see them doing the same whenever a national socialist gives a roman salute.

+1

She was in zero danger what so ever. They might be neo nazis but they tend to not be violent.
In Sweden groups like AFA and such are a much bigger problem as they actively search for starting a fight doesn't matter if its sd, fascists or some police.

Probably should add that i don't like the ones marching, never have never will.

[BuckSparkles]

Saw this picture on twitter. She basically travel around in Sweden to sabotage demonstrations aswell as speeches from politicians she don't like (politicians from the swedish democratic party).

So, she is just another loudmouth trying to make a scene and appear bigger than she is?

[Holas]

What makes these people "neo-nazis"? Do they want to gas/burn/KILL all muslims/jews/whoever ? or are they "anti-immigration" which is automatically labeled neo-nazi these days? also isn't being "nazi" is against the law in Europe? aren't they supposed to be arrested?

If they were real neo-nazis -shouldn't she be dead by now?

[Deleted]

What makes these people "neo-nazis"? Do they want to gas/burn/KILL all muslims/jews/whoever ? or are they "anti-immigration" which is automatically labeled neo-nazi these days? also isn't being "nazi" is against the law in Europe? aren't they supposed to be arrested?

If they were real neo-nazis -shouldn't she be dead by now?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic...tance_Movement

The Nordic Resistance Movement (Swedish: Nordiska Motståndsrörelsen; NMR, Finnish: Pohjoismainen vastarintaliike; PVL, Danish: Den Nordiske modstandsbevægelse; NMB) is a Swedish political party[1] and a Nordic National Socialist[2] organisation that exists in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. The leader of the organisation is Simon Lindberg, whereas the political wing in Sweden is managed by Pär Öberg.

[Deleted]

What makes these people "neo-nazis"? Do they want to gas/burn/KILL all muslims/jews/whoever ? or are they "anti-immigration" which is automatically labeled neo-nazi these days? also isn't being "nazi" is against the law in Europe? aren't they supposed to be arrested?

If they were real neo-nazis -shouldn't she be dead by now?

They are a white power movement who praise hitler, attack gay pride events and burn Israeli flags