Two anti-racism rallies, one in Sweden and the other in Canada, were disrupted by neo-Nazis and white supremacists in the last 24 hours.


According to this news story, ten youths at an anti-racism in Stockholm, Sweden, ten youths were assaulted with sticks and glass bottles at an anti-racism concert in Farsta, in the south of Stockholm, on Saturday night. Police suspect that the attackers are neo-Nazis. As a result of the attack, an 18-year-old is in the hospital in serious condition. One of the witnesses at the rally is quoted as saying:

“They began throwing glass bottles at us and most of us tried to run up the stairs to safety … But it wasn’t possible. They just continued to punch and kick him. It was really horrible.”

The young woman quoted above goes on to offer this brave stance:

“I think it’s obvious that it is Nazis who were trying to scare us into silence. But those of us who were there just felt even more angry and more motivated to continue the fight against racism.”

A similar incident occurred in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, according to this news story. Community activists lined the streets distributing leaflets and spreading a message that racism is not welcome in the city, despite appearances by a white supremacist group, including members of the Calgary Aryan Guard, blamed for recently plastering the city with neo-Nazi posters. At one point during the Kensington rally, the Aryan Guard group became involved in a shoving match with a man who tried to grab one of the flags. Said Lee Easton, an anti-racism activist, “We need to show that white supremacists do not represent the entire city of Calgary, that Calgary is and can be a very inclusive place.”


It seems to me there are a couple of take-away message about these two stories. One is that the struggle against racism is never won and is an on-going battle. The other message here is that the anti-racism movement is alive and well internationally. Of course, the obvious question this begs is where are the anti-racism rallies in the U.S.?