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Being Swedish, I thought I'd add what the news is telling us...
Anna Lindh was stabbed while shopping in a mall in Stockholm (NK) by an unknown assailant (the only description so far being that he was either wearing baggy clothes, or very bulky). She was wounded in several places, including the gut and liver, causing severe internal bleeding. Following operations throughout the night, she died this morning.
She was a strong profile for the pro-Euro campaign, together with the Prime Minister Göran Persson.
The Swedish government has just (this morning) decided that the referendum is still on, the final day being Sunday.
What the effect on the outcome of the referendum will be remains to be seen, but as Mao pointed out, chances are that the pro-Euro side will win a lot of sympathy-votes (which they desperately need, as the polls show[ed] a good percentage against the Euro).
Anna did not, however, have the cuddly full-blown support we're shown today, when she was still alive. That is, the people liked her for being straightforward and honest, other politicians and people of power criticized most of what she did. Until now, goddamned hypocrites!
The problem for Sweden is that we have always supported openness between the people and the politicians, a stance that is already under critique since 9/11 and since the (yet unsolved) murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme. Every time we do get someone who dares shoulder the international concern and voice of critique we did have during Palme, it seems they are lost in-between politicians like Persson (although seldom as violently as in this case).
The police are already under heavy critique, for not insisting on personal protection, as well as vagueness and uncertainty in the hunt for the attacker, undoubtedly due to the fact that the last murder has almost two decades and millions of the taxpayers’ money later yet to be resolved. Everyone’s hoping that this is going to be a quick and effective search.
As to who the attacker is, there is yet no official clues. No threats have been made and there is really very little political motivation involved, nationally, for something like this. There is, however, a possibility that Anna, with her outspokenness, in among other things, the Middle-East problems, that she’s been the victim of some international agenda.
Somewhat unlikely, perhaps (although the general theory about Palme goes along those lines), but in a way, more comforting than this being the act of some nutter, who just happened to stab her.
My general opinion is that we should have postponed the referendum and that we should not let this affect our stance on openness, nor our (through Persson nearly inaudible) critique over the terrorizing anti-terror movement (should this turn out to be politically motivated).
- §eraphim |
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