The nordic countries - Norway, Sweden, and Denmark - still like to represent themselves as progressive third world concerned countries on the world scene. Who dont' remember former swedish prime minister Oluf Palme, when he was demonstrating against the US war in South East Asia at the end of the 60'ies together with FNL representatives. Progressive cuban economic scientists are still talking about the nordic example - as an example for Cuba.
However the past has difinately died - and done so many years ago. Xenofobia has been on the rise in the nordic countries during the last 15 years, and has reached levels not seen much other places. Norway sitting on hundreds of billions of US dollars of oil reserves has practically stopped emigration into the country and stopped accepting refugees. Sweden went into economic shock in 1991 when George Sorros and other participants in the international Casino Capitalism sent the swedish currency into a free fall. Sweden now accepts less than 10% of the emigrants and refugees the country accepted 7 years ago. In Denmark one right wing government was forced to step down in february 1993 when it was proven, that the secretary of (in)justice singlehandedly had prevented entry of tamil refugees, arguing that Sri Lanka was at peace - when it just as today was at war.
The nordic countries continues to be governed by socialdemocratic governments - with the exception of Norway in which they lost the elections 3 months ago. However the keynesian ideology that governed those parties 20 year today has been replaced by neoliberal ideology, and to the ruling class they represent a much more favorable alternative than selfdeclared liberal or conservative parties, as the socialdemocrats both produce the same politics and still maintains a considerable control over the labor movement.
Denmark as other countries has experienced increasing xenofobia during the last 10-20 years. I will concentrate only on the latest events. In september 5 seamen were acquitted for murder, after having murdered 2 nigerians aboard their ship 5 years ago. The 2 nigerians had been hidden on the ship, and were not discovered until the ship was 40 kilometers off the Nigerian coast. One of the ships danish officers went wild, and did beat the shit out of the nigerians until 4 other danish seamen "for humanitarian reaons and in order to save their lives" threw them off the ship. 40 kilometers off shore. All 5 were acquitted of murder, and later it turned out, that hidden passengers are routinely gassed to death in the ships cargo trunks.
During the same month of august when the government encounters problems illegally sending back somali refugees to Somalia, the populist extreme right wing proposes to let the refugees parachute out from airplanes above Somalia. Later on, after an extensive - positive - media coverage they suggest removing the parachutes.
For the first time since the 2nd WW the nazis participated in the danish local
elections on November 18th. They were on the polllist for just one city council elections
south of the capital Copenhagen, where they managed to establish a headquarters and open a
nazi radio 2 years ago. Now, international law and UN declarations forbids racist
activity, Denmark has signed them also, but the Danish state puts the "liberty of
expression" in the first place. This has made Denmark a safe heaven for nazis
expelled from Germany and for nazi publishing houses unable to operate elsewhere.
Despite the fact that socialdemocratic mayors across the country during the last 5-10
years have participated in propaganda against ethnical minorities, and despite the fact
that the socialdemocratic secretary of the interior, Birthe Weiss for the last 5 years has
closed most of the doors for refugees, emigrants, and even for bringing a foreign wife or
husband into the country, she is replaced by the socialdemocratic prime minister in mid
october, for being "too soft" on etnical minorities, and is replaced by an
outspoken socialdemocratic racist exmayor, Thorkild Simonsen.
Then, what was the result of the elections? Observing only the numbers, there was a small shift to the extreme populist right - and a minor strengthening of the revolutionary left. However politically the whole spectrum during the last 3-4 months upto the elections took a huge step to the right. The socialdemocrats lacking ideology have been drifting rightwards during the last 15-20 years, so this is only a continuation of that tendency. The problem is not so much the nazis participating in elections - they got some 130 votes and no seat - og right wing racist populist parties. The problem is much more a media system that puts the nazis or violent racist on prime time, allowing them to send out their message for free, and a political establishment fra reformist socialist parties and rightward that take a huge leap rightwards "in order not to loose votes".
And now to the international setting. Its no coinsidence that this happens at the same time, as the october financial temporary crash - we're still waiting for the big one. In order to prevent peoble, unemployed, workers being sacked, youngsters who were never allowed to enter the workmarket, capitalism needs scapegoats. In nazi Germany of the 30ies the jews were made the scapegoats of the economic crisis of that time, and for the trauma of "Germany having been humiliated after the 1st WW". Today capitalism creates new scapegoats, targeting especially islam and ethnical minorities in the developed capitalist countries in general. Media manipulation as in nazi Germany plays a fundamental role in creating that situation.
The only way to remedy this situation is to combat the mainstream media propaganda,
struggle for equal opportunity rights on the labor market allowing ethnical minorities to
get jobs also, and off course fight the root problem - capitalism itself.