hydrarchist writes "
Gothenburg 2001 Aftermath, an Overview -
The Summer of Resistance and the Swedish Model Gothenburg 2001
From ksvensson
The following text is based on a discussion held at an info meeting* about
Gothenburg and Genoa prisoners in March 2003.
Background: The Swedish Model
Sweden has long been regarded as a model social democratic society; where
an extensive welfare state has existed parallel with a highly developed
capitalistic economy. This peculiar situation has been the result of a
long tradition of cooperation and collaboration between the antagonistic
parties, namely the Social Democratic Workers Party, its closely allied
Lands Organisation union and the economic forces of capitalism with the
industrial giants ABB, Ericsson, SAAB and Volvo at the forefront. The
state and national ideology is based on the thought that through dialogue
and understanding, all conflicts, no matter how large or small, can be
amicably solved.
This approach of amicable cooperation and collaboration was also applied
during the planning stages of the EU Top meeting held in the second
Swedish city of Gothenburg in June of 2001. Through dialogue between
representatives of the state and the globalisation movement, the riots of
Seattle and Prague were hoped to be avoided. The local city government in
Gothenburg launched 'The Gothenburg Spirit' as a guiding premise in this
process. In return for helping with the planning for, and accommodation
of, the thousands of activists that were converging on Gothenburg, the
city government felt as if it could expect peace and tranquillity in
payment.
The Swedish police however, had a different idea of how to deal with the
situation. In line with their longstanding strategy and tactics of
dealing with radical politics, they separately forged plans for hard-
line and definite 'preventive' measures. These were not necessarily
forged with the prevention of the immediate situation in Gothenburg in
mind,
but rather preventive in relation to future expressions of radical
politics
by making an example of the current one. In Sweden, as well as in the EU
as a whole.
