Hate-crimes in Scandinavia

 WILL TINFOILHATTERS BE OUR NEXT TERRORISM THREAT?

Original piece by Daniel Poohl of EXPO.se

Published 2021-11-05

Translated by Activism-Works.com

Quackery and conspiracy theories.  It's easy to shake our heads in disbelief and laugh at those who claim the world is run by an evil secret society.  But perhaps it's time to take their threats seriously.

During the first weekend of November the so called 'Frihetsrørelsen' (Freedom movement) once again held a demonstration in Stockholm.  Burning torches and bengali-lights in the Autumn darkness.   Speakers who warned that the governments handling of the pandemic was infact part of a bigger plan to rob us of our freedoms and rights.

Since the start of the pandemic the movemnet has tried to recruit vaccine-sceptics and conspiracy theorists of all kinds.  And they are not alone.

Similar phenomena has occured in the US, the UK, Germany and France to name but a few.   Where they have managed to gather tens of thousands in their protests against lockdowns and vaccine passports.

They portray themselves as defenders of democracy and human rights .  But at the core of these protests is a conspiracy theoretical analysis of power.  or as one of the front figures of 'Frihetsrørelsen' wrote on Facebook:  "For me it is obvious that I am not conspiratorial or engage in conspiracies .  It is the elite in power who has created a conspiracy against the universe, earth, nature and humanity.

We are dealing with people who has made conspiracy theories into an ideology of itself.   Conspiracy theorists who believe they are seen through a system rigged against them and  who tries to convert all of us blind sheep.

They attract those who has lost faith in society, or those who see themselves as abandoned by the state.  Around Europe and the US they intertwine with the far-right.  They gather quacks and practitioners of alternative medicine.  A sort of league of tinfoil-hatters where free New-agers and modern shamans find mutual interests with far-right extremists.  Crystal therapy, silver water and a little ethnic cleansing.

It's difficult to fathom and easy to laugh and shake our heads in disbelief.  But lately it has become obvious that the conspiracy theories milieu can create severe damage .  The fake propaganda about the vaccine and the virus fuels fear of the vaccine, which threatens public health.  The conspiracy theoretical mindset has entered the center of political power..

Donald Trump convinced a major part of the Republican party the grandiose lie that the election was stolen.  Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban has built his political campaigns on the conspiracy theories that the financier and philanthropist George Soros is behind immigration to Europe.  When lies and tall tales dominate politics, it threatens the future of democracy.

There is another threat, which can become far more evident in the years to come - the conspiracy theorists political violence and terror.

In 2019 Yahoo-news reported on a document from FBI's office in Phoenix, where they for the very first time mention " Conspiracy theories driven homeland extremists" as a growing threat.   It especially pointed to the Qanon movement as agitators.

In January 2021 their suspicions became reality.   Several of the Trump supporters, that took part in the deadly storming of the Capitol in Washington, belonged to the Qanon movement.  According to The Guardian people who adhere to the Qanon movements ideals have been guilty of threats against politicians, kidnappings and at least one murder since 2018.  Now the FBI warns of more violence.    The Qanon cult builds on a prophecy that Donald Trump will successfully deal with a secret satanic pedophile circle of people that they claim runs The US.  But what happens when reality proves them wrong?   FBI thinks some Qanons will transfere their frustrations into political violence .

In Europe its followers has mutated and mixed in with the anti-pandemic protests. When German far-right-extremists and conspiracy theorists tried to storm the parliament in Berlin August 2020, Qanon references were seen on their banners.

The development has made EU's coordinator of counter terrorism Gilles de Kerchove to issue a warning againt this new form of terrorism.

Swedish secret services does not appear to have caught up on this new trend however.  The National Center for analysing the threat of terror attacks does an evaluation every year.  In their analysis for 2021 this international trend is not mentioned with a single word.  

In one way that is reasonable.  In Sweden the conspiracy theorists haven't stormed Rosenbad (Swedish govenment building)  nor have they blown up any 5G masts.   But if we are to believe experts in the US and EU, there is cause for viewing  conspiracy theorism as a potential new form of violent extremism.  And here in Sweden we should know how dangerous these ideas can become.

Peter Mangs was convicted in 2013 on 2 accounts of murder and 8 accounts of attempted murder.  The crimes were obvious hate-crimes and Mangs had been inspired by far-right extremist ideas.   At the same time he seemed to be a supporter of many different conspiracy theories.  Among other things he spread flyers for the conspiratorial site Vaken .se.  During the  preliminary investigations against Mangs it became evident that he was inspired by an increasing amount of conspiracy theories.

Today he would no doubt have been a follower of the Qanon theories.  Maybe he'd even taken part in 'Frihetsrørelsen' s demonstration against the elite of power's great conspiracy.

Credit: Daniel Poohl, EXPO.se