As predicted years ago.
In Sweden, Jews pay price for sympathy for refugees
June 25, 2016, 11:44 am
Although the level of conventional anti-Semitism is low among the general population in Sweden, there is a concentration and rise of anti-Semitic activity originating in Arab and Muslim communities. This development goes unchallenged in the political echelons and in mainstream mass media.
The communities in question include people with personal links to the Arab-Israeli conflict, having been influenced by educational and political environments where hatred of Jews and Israel is condoned. A clear linkage between spikes in anti-Semitic attacks and anti-Israel sentiments can be seen in times of unrest, such as during the first and second Gaza wars, and in cities with a high concentration of Muslim immigrants, such as Malmö. Such anti-Semitic expressions, manifested under a thin vail of anti-Israel criticism, are not identified and dealt with systematically, on neither a national nor regional level.
The troubling enabler for the rise in anti-Semitism is the current political environment, led by a coalition government of the Socialist and Green Parties. This includes government ministers with open anti-Israel opinions, who have a history of participation in anti-Israel flotillas and anti-IDF demonstrations in the West Bank.
At the same time, Sweden’s foreign ministry is actively seeking non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, leading to a palpable zigzag in foreign policy. In this quest, the end justifies all and any means, starting with a hasty recognition of the State of Palestine, ostensibly to bring a “new dynamic” to efforts to end conflict. By contrast, the opposite practical conclusion was drawn in the case of another conflict, that between Morocco and Western Sahara. Here, unilateral recognition in lieu of UN effort wasruled out to the great satisfaction of the Moroccan government, and the first IKEA store in Morocco is now on its way. Also as part of this effort, Swedish Deputy Foreign Minister Annika Söder recently visited Zimbabwe, where she drew previously unheard attention to the two nations’ common history and ability to learn from one another.
The Swedish government has an admirable view of aiding refugees fleeing from conflict, including many Jews after World War II. However, with regard to the current influx, a toxic mix of condescension and reverse racism is applied by the government and mainstream media. New immigrants are seen collectively as victims due to their harsh experiences, rather than judged as individuals with the free choice to take action and face the consequences of those actions. As a result, in the current political discourse, those from immigrant backgrounds are viewed as vulnerable and are therefore judged by a different yardstick, which allows them to stand beyond reproach when it comes to anti-Semitic tendencies.
