We hereby report on some recent developments in the political situation and class struggle in the various Nordic Countries.
Norway
Comrades from the Struggle Committee (kampkomiteen.org) have reported on actions in five different cities on the 7th of September, to commemorate the death of Eugene Ejike Obiora, who was strangled to death by police during an incident where he was issuing a complaint against being denied welfare benefits in Trondheim. Manifestations were held with speeches and leaflets distributed. In Bergen, a powerful speech ended with the following appeal:
"We're done talking about rotten eggs and bad individuals. The entire rotten State is guilty! They have closed their ranks and defend the murderers. That is how the police always do, and the political authorities just let it happen. But the people never forget, our memory is shared among hundreds of thousands of brains. We will always remember Obiora, and justice will be done one day! Justice for Eugene Obiora! We will never forget Obiora!".
In Kristiansand, activities were held on the 11th of September to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the coup d'etat in Chile. The role of Yankee imperialism in Latin America was condemned in speeches, and the masses attending sang songs like Victor Jara and El Pueblo Unido powerfully.
In Trondheim, in the proletarian neighborhood of Saupstad, revolutionaries carried out a banner drop action in solidarity with the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist and the People's War in Turkey. Hammer and sickle flags and two banners reading "Long Live the TKP/ML!" and "Down with the TKP/ML Trial!" could be seen.
Serve the People Media (tjen-folket.no) have received an impressive video of the class struggles in front of the Norwegian Parliament on the 29th of August, which was reported on in an earlier Nordic Report. The video can be seen here.
Finland
Comrades from the website Red Flag (punalippu.noblogs.org) have shared an important article regarding the fascist political tendency in Finland, which we partially translate here.
"Globally, the world economy has entered a crisis. Inevitably, because we live in a world economy, in an era of imperialism, this crisis extends to Finland as well. In Finland, the deepening of the crisis also means the development of fascist tendencies, which have once again been indicated. Fascism is the most stripped-down, most chauvinist, open terrorist dictatorship of imperialism, i.e. a special form of government of the bourgeois dictatorship. Especially in times of crisis, when the old power is no longer able to rule as before, it needs to intensify the fascist tendency in society.
The fascist tendency manifests itself in the prohibition of gatherings, bypassing the Constitution in the name of the corona. The regional government agencies (AVI) have made 24.8. decisions on public events for more than 50 people. The problem is, firstly, that general meetings and public events are a set of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. Secondly, the fact that the decisions were taken without territorial discretion, which is a statutory discretion. This goes beyond the constitutional obligation of the authorities to strictly comply with the law. The decisions of the AVI are about restricting the fundamental demo-liberal rights, which is a fascist act.
The recklessness, and incomplete explanation, is reflected in the fact that the decisions and assessments in the area are almost similar, even though some areas have not had any coronary infections at the moment. [...]
Who can be ministers for social affairs and health and for education and culture? Oh yes, the “leftist” ministers, Krista Kiuru of the SDP and Li Andersson of the Left Alliance! This will hopefully at the latest remind you dear readers that the fascist tendency does not view the party and it is time to abandon the illusions of so-called “people’s front” parties.
The repeal of the rights of demo-liberals and fascist actions are also reflected in the proposed changes to terrorist laws that restrict freedom of expression and opinion and increase coercion and control. In addition to secret home searches, which is the first amendment, it has been suggested that, in future, it would also be punishable to perform essential tasks in a “terrorist organization”. However, terrorism is not very precisely defined, so it can be thought of as anything that the bourgeois dictatorship perceives to be a threat to it.
The third proposal concerns an amendment to the public call for terrorism. According to the proposal, incitement would also be punishable if it did not pose a concrete risk of a terrorist offense. According to Professor Martin Schein, who specializes in fundamental and human rights, the exhortation clause is contrary to the freedom of expression provision.
It remains to be said: while fundamental rights are being curtailed, the bourgeoisie must, of course, secure voting and maintain a democratic backdrop. Justice Minister Anna-Maja Henriksson promises that a home vote is possible for all those at risk in the corona in next spring's municipal elections. The democratic rights of the people are, after all, a piece of paper".
Sweden
On the website of the Communist League of Sweden, two articles were shared which enlighten the reader about the current situation of the housing market in Sweden and the political necessity for revolutionaries to participate in the housing movement, to mobilize, politicize and organize the deepest and broadest masses. In the light of recent events, such as the riots in Malmö, this is a particularly important policy.
In the first article, "The Housing Crisis of Monopoly Capital is Plaguing the Country", the Swedish comrades discuss the change in the Swedish housing market from principally State monopoly capitalist companies to principally non-State monopoly capitalist companies. This is a general tendency in the Scandinavian countries.
"Not since the beginning of the 20th century have private construction companies had such a dominant influence over what is built, what forms of lease are provided and at what price. The process obviously serves to make it impossible for popular demands to have an impact on public power and reduce profits. [...]
Municipalities around the country have sold municipally owned homes to companies that allow the housing stock to decay and carry out surface renovations in order to shock-raise rents. They are called slum hosts and they create hell for the tenants by neglecting the basic care of the houses. Mold, water damage, poor ventilation, lack of heat, fire hazard and elevators that are directly dangerous but still not ruled out. When the municipalities sometimes act, the properties are sold between different companies, which makes the owner difficult to reach with sanctions and fines. [...]
The only way to counteract the damaging effects of the crisis is to build local fighting collectives that together can become a nationwide fighting mass movement. There are a variety of slogans and requirements that the movement should raise in the local work based on the given situation. [...]
It should be obvious to everyone that capitalism means crisis and endless misery for the working class. The only way to solve the problems is to carry out a socialist revolution in which the political power is transferred to the own political organs of the working class and the property of the capitalists is transferred to the proletarian state. Planned economy works very well, as both the Soviet Union and China showed before the bourgeois capitalist forces prevailed and began to pursue capitalist politics in the name of socialism with catastrophic consequences. A society with exploiters at the helm and a lot of political puppets who carry out what they want is doomed to eternal darkness for the working class. Only we can change direction and it is time that we increase our efforts significantly to speed up the process".
In the second article, "Speed Up the Housing Struggle in Your Own Residential Area!", the Swedish comrades make it clear that their position is for comrades to take the initiative in their own neighborhoods and develop the housing movement, even if no such movement exists at present. The comrades write:
"We communists always strive for collective struggle, but when it comes to starting a struggle where nothing exists, it still depends on individuals taking the initiative (in their own residential areas, not someone else's) and paying attention to the problems that exist and starting to conduct politics. Work to gather people who want to solve the problems. [...]
Therefore, it is not sustainable to just work in the old tenants' associations. On the contrary, the main force must probably be invested in building completely new organizations. It's not as strange as it may sound. Three active friends with a blog and a wall magazine will definitely quickly make an impression in a residential area and certainly become more famous than the local coffee maker club".
Greenland
Three leading members of the Social-Democratic Party of Greenland (Siumut), one of the most dedicated servants of Danish imperialism and colonialism, have been revealed in a corruption scandal. After directly participating in lawmaking to ensure the colonial State would hand out money from the people to the large fishers (feudal authorities in the Greenlandic countryside, bygder), these politicians (who are themselves such fishing feudalists!) have received around 800.000 Crowns to purchase fishing boats and similar equipment. The fishing products end up in large factories and are exported to Denmark. Meanwhile, the shrimp and fish workers have horrible conditions, as can be seen in this documentary film. This corruption scandal exposes very clearly the essence of the bureaucratic capitalism unfolding on Greenland, and how it leeches on the masses while serving imperialism.
The masses on Greenland are rising more and more to combat and resist the imperialist, colonial, semi-feudal exploitation and oppression. As we reported recently, a statue of the colonial founder, Hans Egede, was sabotaged in the capital city Nuuk. Now we can report the sabotage of a police station window and two police cars in Sisimiut, the 2nd largest city on Greenland. The Police of Greenland, which are really occupational troops of Danish imperialism, reported: "Larger vandalism was carried out against the buildings and cars of the police. The police station had a window of the civic service section crushed by stone throws. Additionally, vandalism was carried out against 2 police cars, of which one had the left side mirror torn off, and on the other, both side mirrors were attempted to be destroyed".
Denmark
Comrades from Communist Library (maoismen.wordpress.com) have published two unofficial Danish translations of documents from Peru. The first is the document "On the Rectification Campaign with 'Elections, No! People's War, Yes!'" from August 1991, which is a document of the Communist Party of Peru Central Committee, reproducing a statement by Chairman Gonzalo. The second is the new document "Chairman Gonzalo: On Chairman Mao and the Thesis that 'Three Worlds Delineate Themselves'" from September 2020, which is a document of the Peru People's Movement based on a speech by Chairman Gonzalo at the 1st Congress of the Party in 1988-89.
