Posted on 08/31/2009 8:54:49 PM PDT by WesternCulture
Sweden's fervent defence of free speech has sparked a diplomatic storm with Israel over the government's refusal to condemn an article accusing Israeli soldiers of smuggling dead Palestinians' organs.
The row is likely to overshadow a visit to Israel by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt next month, right in the midst of Sweden's presidency of the rotating European Union, a key player in the Middle East peace process.
Many ordinary Swedes back the government's stance of not condemning the piece by Aftonbladet, the country's top-selling daily, according to a survey released on Wednesday.
In an online poll answered by 24,000 readers of the national daily Svenska Dagbladet since Sunday, 65 percent said they backed the position taken by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's centre-right government.
Israel has urged the Swedish government to condemn the "anti-Semitic" article, which claimed that Israeli soldiers snatched Palestinian youths to steal their organs and returned their dismembered bodies days later.
"We are not asking the Swedish government for an apology, we are asking for their condemnation," a senior official quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as telling ministers during a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
But Sweden, which was one of the first countries in the world to pass a law guaranteeing freedom of expression in 1766, has refused to condemn the tabloid.
"It's important for me to say that you cannot turn to the Swedish government and ask it to violate the Swedish constitution," Reinfeldt said on Monday.
The only Swedish condemnation has come from its ambassador to Israel, Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier, who slammed the piece as "shocking and appalling."
But the Swedish government distanced itself from Bonnier's remarks, stressing they should only be seen in a local context.
Urban Ahlin, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Social Democrats, has described the row as "a minor diplomatic crisis between Sweden and Israel" and has called upon Bildt to appear before the parliament's constitutional committee to explain Bonnier's comments.
In his complaint, Ahlin defended Sweden's freedom of the press and expression laws and stressed that "it is not the government's business to speak out about whether something is suitable to print."
Ahlin wants Bildt to explain if all Swedish embassies had been sufficiently briefed on freedom of expression and if those instructions had been followed in the case of Bonnier.
The foreign minister will not appear before the committee before spring next year.
Faced with a political impasse, some are trying to launch a legal battle.
Swedish Chancellor of Justice Göran Lambertz received two written requests on Tuesday asking to investigate whether the report amounted to racial agitation contrary to Sweden's freedom of expression legislation.
Lambertz is the only prosecutor in the country who can take legal action in cases concerning free speech.
Swedish national media have been highly critical of the article but nevertheless defend its right to be published.
The Dagens Nyheter newspaper devoted three columns to a philosopher criticising Aftonbladet's journalistic methods rather than the decision to publish itself.
Svenska Dagbladet published a lengthy editorial from the liberal Haaretz daily, and also asked six major Swedish newspapers if they would have published such a story.
Five refused but the majority agreed that Aftonbladet had not violated the country's press freedom laws.
Expressen, its major tabloid rival, was vigorous in its defence of the decision to publish.
"Aftonbladet was within its rights to publish the article, and neither the Chancellor of Justice, nor the Israeli government, nor the Swedish ambassador has the right to interfere with that decision," wrote the editor-in-chief of the newspaper's culture section, Björn Wiman.
- No, what would the point be?
Even if there probably are few people who suspect Sweden's government of being an enemy of freedom of speech, it's not up to our government to lecture the media in the domain of what to think and what to publish.
2. Does PC Aftonbladet owe Israel an apology?
- Yes, that and furthermore Aftonbladet could too *** **** and die. Sweden would become an even better place to live if this would happen.
Purchasing a tabloid is an insult not only to your own intelligence but also to the brave men and women who have been willing to lay down their lives for the cause of freedom of speech throughout the history of Western Civilization.
Thanks to people like them, I, as a son of Sweden living in the 21st century, is able of apologizing to another great nation, namely Israel, on behalf of our media on an American site.
The US, the Nordic countries and Israel have survived Stalin as well as Nazi Germany. We should continue to quarrel, but we should also support each other.
In any case, Sweden is definitely not an antisemitic nation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Wallenberg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folke_Bernadotte
“The US, the Nordic countries and Israel have survived Stalin as well as Nazi Germany”
- I mean the people of Israel have survived Nazi Germany (I’m fully aware Israel didn’t exist in the days of Hitler).
re: post 1,2,3
Blue eyed, Blonde and Jew Baiting.
What do they have to fear from this administration?
Disclosure: owing to heritage, I could ‘hyphenate Swede’ (but I’d rather just make Glug and leave my heritage to the family tree).
He seems to be confusing freedom of expression with freedom from criticism and freedom from responsibility. How predictably puerile of him.
In any event, apparently freedom of expression goes out the window if volatile persons from certain favored groups are offended:
free speech? give me a break. Lying and propaganda blood libel is not free speech.
I hear you, but then again, who gets to determine what constitutes “propaganda blood libel”?
lol. I think its pretty clear that this was. I guess if they had included the word allegedly in there a couple times and threw in “Israeli Embassy said its stupid to say something that idiotic” then I guess it would be considered an unbiased article in todays world.
Say what?!
BBC NEWS | Europe | Sweden shuts website over cartoon.
Sweden's got free speech?
"Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds described [Swedish Democrats' SD-Kuriren newspaper] as 'a provocation' by 'a small group of extremists'. "
Oh.. like it's becoming here.. safe speech is protected but not "extremist" speech such as speech that is not obedient to a liberal black "I have a background of Islam on three Continents" president. I see.
As the cheeky statement says about America, "It ain't no more, okay?"
Where did it all go wrong, Blanche? Obama's post-racial America?
Unless of course they were clamping down on any anti-Islamic publications or Mohammed cartoons. Then I have a strong feeling that the politically correct commissars of Sweden, in fact all West European countries would appease the muzzies and immediately suppress any anti-muslim articles or cartoons.
“Säpo stops Muhammad cartoon site”
- Thanks for keeping that particular story in mind.
(From that article:)
“Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds denied on Friday that the government had applied pressure on Levonline”
- I think she was lying. Fortunately, Freivalds will never make a comeback in Swedish politics.
Let’s hope for less of Freivalds and more of Gunvald Larssons in the Swedish future to come:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoD-SkhiYm4
“Then I have a strong feeling that the politically correct commissars of Sweden, in fact all West European countries would appease the muzzies and immediately suppress any anti-muslim articles or cartoons”
- The Danish government never bowed down to Mecca in an act of apology as far as I know.
The Blood Libel Canard was one of the propaganda instruments that Hitler used to get into German political office.
“The Blood Libel Canard was one of the propaganda instruments that Hitler used to get into German political office.”
- Correct - and before Hitler, Europe had known centuries of pogroms against Jewish minorities.
It’s a shame the editors of Aftonbladet fail to realize what “proud” European traditions they are honoring and what kind of friends they are making.
So is Hitler, so is Stalin..
There is a long road ahead of us, but one day even Islamofascism will be crushed beyond human belief.
Sweden will do it's fair share.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khaa3y0i87s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3hC0vsZ5-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KHVeFs9Mto
Last, but..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkeQ1sNUOKE
We have tamed both Russia and Catholicism.
There are presently several PC morons among us, yes.
But the rest of us are 9 million Vikings who are not done yet.
And if they should be found false, the most reasonable answer as to why they published them would be that it has agenda beyond providing accurate information.
In which case, the most appropriate thing to do by the government and everyone else is not to condemn it but to treat it with scorn and mocking and refusal to consider it seriously.
And you really can't blame the Jews for being a tad upset.
“(..)if they should be found false, the most reasonable answer as to why they published them would be that it has agenda beyond providing accurate information.
In which case, the most appropriate thing to do by the government and everyone else is not to condemn it but to treat it with scorn and mocking and refusal to consider it seriously.
And you really can’t blame the Jews for being a tad upset.”
- Good points.
Perhaps, this dispute doesn’t matter much.
A tabloid is a tabloid and leftist journalists will continue siding with Palestine.
This isn’t an act of antisemitism, it’s just another expression of a sad Liberal media company, void of ideas who’s trying to sell you a lie.
Both governments have better things to do than dealing with what these con men are up to.
OTOH, if it's a tabloid it's probably best to ignore it.
- Couldn't possibly agree more.
Presently, I'm ignoring all tabloids on Earth, enjoying a great American wine; Clay Station “Viognier”.
Tomorrow, I'm starting a new job.
I'll make new friends and continue contributing to the development of a great city.
What Aftonbladet tries to tell me matter little in my life.
Best of regards from hard working Gothenburg to hard working Pennsylvania,
WesternCulture
The perfect attitude! :-)
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