By Jonathan M. Feldman, March 20, 2022
The Azov batalian is used to equate Ukraine with Nazis. Yet, the story of Ukraine is far more complicated. Some of Ukraine’s Nazi problem even comes from Sweden: The Azov battalion “has drawn far-right volunteers from abroad, such as Mikael Skillt, a 37-year-old Swede, trained as a sniper in the Swedish army, who described himself as an “ethnic nationalist” and fights on the front line with the battalion.”
While Ukraine, like Sweden, has Nazis, the problem of Nazism does not mean that a democratic state is not being attacked by a militarist thug, it is. A researcher pointing to Nazi influence in Ukraine notes that this is not an excuse for siding with Putin who is committing war crimes.Jews in Ukraine generally do not face acts of violence or public condemnations of Israel, according to the American Jewish Committee’s report. In 2018, the Pew Research Center found Ukraine to be the most accepting of Jews among all Central and Eastern European countries. In contrast, in Sweden, Jews flee cities because of gross anti-Semitism. So rather than focus on Ukraine as some Nazi bastion, I think for Swedes a better effort might be directed internally, towards Sweden, where the third largest city is in danger of seeing its Jewish community disappear because of persistent and unchecked anti-Semitism. Swedes have far more influence in fighting Nazis in Sweden than fighting them in Ukraine. Russia is attacking Jewish communities in Ukraine, so the Ukraine is led by Nazis line is disengenuous.
Yes, Ukraine like Sweden has a Nazi problem, but a March report explains the nuanced realities: “Nowadays, Ukraine counts between 56,000 to 140,000 Jews, who enjoy freedoms and protections never imagined by their grandparents. That includes an updated law passed last month criminalizing antisemitic acts. Unfortunately, the law was intended to address a pronounced uptick in public displays of bigotry, including swastika-laden vandalism of synagogues and Jewish memorials, and eerie marches in Kyiv and other cities that celebrated the Waffen SS.” Yet, in Sweden a synagogue suffered fire bomb attacks
The best way to marginalize Nazis in Ukraine is to end the war as soon as possible, oppose NATO expansionism, and provide alternatives to Russian imperialist aggression. Jewish security in Sweden is a more serious threat to Jews than Ukrainian fascists or even Russian imperialism. Yet, all the political parties are far more excited in projecting Russia as the country’s biggest security threat. Ukraine’s Jews are threatened by Ukrainian fascists, but also Russian imperialism. In some ways the very movement against Russian imperialism and militarism helps to sustain that very problem.
Crime-reported crimes with anti-Semitic motives by crime category, 2020, in Sweden
Crime category Number; Share (%)
Incitement against ethnic group: 89 incidents, 52%
Graffiti and vandalism: 19 incidents, 11%
Abuse: 3 incidents, 2%
Molestation: 17 incidents, 10%
Unlawful threats: 25 incidents, 15%
Defamation: 13 incidents, 8%
Other crimes: 4 incidents, 2%
Total: 170 incidents, 100%
Source: “Polisanmälda hatbrott 2020,” BRA, 2021.
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Swedish political parties have rallied to Ukraine but have proved rather ineffective in stopping anti-Semitism or Islamaphobia for that matter. The external Russian threat mobilizes all the Swedish parties to stop Russia, but Sweden faces serious security challenges that have zero to do with Russia and more to do with indigenously incubated racism, prejudice and hate.
The moral hypocrisy of the military mobilization against Russia can be seen by reviewing basic facts about the Jewish community in Malmö’s security concerns and the way Swedish military budget mobilization, now backed by all Swedish parties, is the other side of failed policies to defend Sweden’s Jews. A Times of Israel report in 2019 by Cnaan Liphshiz explained that “The Jewish Community of Malmo, Sweden, may need to dissolve itself by 2029 unless its current circumstances change. Community spokesman Fredrik Sieradski confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Tuesday that the shutdown was a ‘possible scenario’ following a report Friday in Expressen in which a local politician said the Jewish community had said it may ‘die out’ in the coming decade, partly because of alleged indifference by authorities to the community’s security needs. The debate was about a donation of more than $4 million by two philanthropists to cover security costs. The donation followed the objection of the city government’s ruling coalition, comprising the local chapter of Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Liberals, to allocate the funds from the municipal budget, Expressen reported.”
NO to Swedish arms shipments to Ukraine, YES to Swedish security transfers to Sweden through “peace and reconciliation” spending in Malmö.
