“The politicians' smears are not because they are strong... They are afraid that the people, we workers, will realise our own power. Afraid that we workers will unite, organise and threaten their rule." Fredrik, a communist from Revolution (IMT in Sweden), spoke at the 10,000-strong demonstration in Stockholm on Saturday. This is his speech.
“The response has been proportionate.” Did you hear that?
Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, the major newspapers – they all say the same thing: that Israel's response has been proportionate.
Over 8,000 dead Palestinians! Half of all homes destroyed or damaged! 1.4 million refugees – out of a population of 2.5 million!
An entire nation in organised starvation!
The UN says that most of those who have fled have one litre of water per day and one or two pieces of bread.
This is in addition to the millions of Palestinians who are already displaced – who have been systematically displaced for almost a hundred years – who have been systematically murdered and terrorised, while the whole world has been watching.
Let me correct myself. The world has not just watched.
Israel has done this with active support from British imperialism, from American imperialism, from French imperialism – and recently from Swedish imperialism.
They say we live in a peaceful country. That's because the bombs are not visible here.
This ‘peaceful’ Sweden is the world's largest arms exporter, per capita: the world's largest exporter of war, murder and misery. Since last year, an exporter to Israel – to Netanyahu's systematic murder and expulsion of Palestinians.
The company Saab produces most of the weapons. Their stock skyrocketed after 7 October, due to the prospect of making big money from the following death and destruction.
Saab's chairman is Marcus Wallenberg. Jacob Wallenberg [his cousin] is the chairman of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. These are the real faces of Swedish capitalism.
We shout: wake up Sweden!
But there are two Swedens. One is already awake.
There is another Sweden, one that is only now starting to wake up / Image: Revolution
They know what is happening. They call genocide "proportionate" – because it protects the imperialists’ investment and power.
There is another Sweden, one that is only now starting to wake up. It is the preschool teachers’, cleaners’ and nurses’ Sweden. It is the industrial workers’, bus drivers’ and harbour workers’ Sweden.
These are the people who work faster and faster in hospitals to save people's lives. They are the ones who work until they are burnt out – because they care about people.
In the same way, doctors and nurses are now braving the bombs over Gaza City, even though the electricity will soon be cut off because the fuel is running out. Because if they can save lives, they will.
This is why I am a communist.
The bourgeoisie would have us believe that imperialism and capitalism are the best humanity can do: ‘human nature’ is their brutal exploitation and plundering of the earth.
But greed, ruthlessness and exploitation – that is the bourgeoisie’s, that is the imperialists’, that is the capitalists’ morality.
Solidarity with the oppressed, common struggle for each other, for something greater than ourselves: that is the people’s, that is the working class’ morality.
In Germany, thousands defy the ban on demonstrations. In Paris, thousands have forced the government to lift the ban. There are hundreds of thousands on the streets of London.
And across the Middle East, millions of people are rising up.
The working class has begun to rise: in compassion, in unity, in solidarity. To show that the Palestinians are not alone, that we will take up the fight. If we are organised, we can move mountains.
There are comrades from Revolution walking around the demonstration with contact lists. It says: "Get organised for Palestine!"
I'll tell you what that can achieve. Here today we have industrial workers, train drivers, healthcare workers, shop workers, warehouse workers, hotel staff, janitors, bus drivers, teachers, school students – together we exist in every major workplace and school in Stockholm.
It's time for us to utilise that power.
Write down what is happening, take protest statements, unite the workplace! Start preparing school strikes, form resistance committees, committees for Palestine! Link them up, and go on strike!
Everyone here could not just bring one more person next weekend. Everyone here could bring 10 more.
The politicians' smears are not because they are strong. On the contrary. It is because they are afraid.
They are afraid that the people, we workers, will realise our own power. Afraid that we workers will unite, organise and threaten their rule.
How many are we today? 10,000? In a week we could be twice as many, three times as many: we could be 20,000, we could be 30,000!
It is time to make imperialism pay for the crimes of imperialism.
It is time to give imperialism a "proportionate response" to the massacre in Palestine.
There is only one solution: Intifada – revolution!