Guess what took place in Stockholm this past Saturday? That's right, it was the first annual Global Counter-Jihad rally! Which sounds pretty serious, but was essentially just a gathering of packs of buffoons who are terrified by the idea that Islam is poised to take over the world and consign their way of life to the scrapheap of history.Wherever there is the fear of an Islamic planet, there tends to be the English Defence League, and so it proved as the EDL showed up in the Norra Bantorget area of the city to bro down with their likeminded European fascist friends. As seems to be their wont these days, they'd arranged for their summit to coincide with a gay pride parade.
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Predictably, Stockholm's LGBT community weren't too pleased about fascists turning up to their party. Someone from the group Queers Without Borders made a speech about fascist "pinkwashing"; complaining that the right-wing knuckleheads were attempting to disguise their true agenda and excuse their presence in the city by feigning support for the pride parade. About 250 antifascists and 350 police also showed up to complete the set.The protests began peacefully, with a group identifying themselves as The Royal Swedish Vuvuzela Orchestra "silencing" the fascists giving speeches across the square with the monotonous blaring of their horns. But then a black-clad antifa bloc known as Svarta Blocket started throwing fire crackers at the police, and pouring out ammonia on the street, and this prompted the policemen to wade in with their horses and dogs. The protesters quickly found themselves kettled in a nearby park, and at least three people were grappled into custody.
Eventually the civilian supporters of the EDL exited the area sheepishly in cars to avoid getting attacked. When the fascists had left, everyone got back to partying.You can see more of Per Englund's work here.
