Ban on racist organizations

The plan defines the party as anti-racist and describes the authoritarian right as a real threat to democracy, while at the same time the basic laws should protect democracy and people's freedoms and rights. To investigate freedom of association in relation to racist and Nazi organisations is in line with that mission. However, the plan bases resistance primarily on broad anti-racist movements.

• anti-racist partydecisive»Vänsterpartiet är ett socialistiskt, feministiskt och antirasistiskt parti« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party is a socialist, feminist and anti-racist party”
• authoritarian right threatens democracy»Den auktoritära högern har blivit reella hot mot demokratin« (party programme ↗)“The authoritarian right has become real threats to democracy”
• constitutional protection for democracy»Grundlagarna ska värna demokratin och människors fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“The basic laws should protect democracy and people's freedoms and rights.”
• broad anti-racist movement»Vi vill vara med och bygga en bred antirasistisk rörelse som förstärker sammanhållningen och skapar tryck på förändring.« (party programme ↗)“We want to be part of building a broad anti-racist movement that strengthens cohesion and creates pressure for change.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme makes clear that democracy is undermined when racist and other undemocratic groups spread their hate, that society has an absolute duty to prevent incitement against ethnic groups, and that the goal is a society without racism. That an investigation of freedom of association in relation to racist and Nazi organisations follows directly from this anti-racist commitment. The question of prohibition itself is not discussed in the documents.

• racist groups threaten democracydecisive»Demokratin undergrävs när rasistiska och andra ickedemokratiska grupper sprider sitt hat« (party programme ↗)“Democracy is undermined when racist and other undemocratic groups spread their hate”
• prevent incitement against ethnic groups»och att förhindra att nätet används för förtal, hets mot folkgrupp, kränkningar av enskilda« (party programme ↗)“and to prevent the internet being used for slander, incitement against ethnic groups, violations of individuals”
• society without racism»klasskillnader, patriarkat, rasism eller homo- och transfobi, ett samhälle utan fördomar och« (party programme ↗)“class differences, patriarchy, racism or homo- and transphobia, a society without prejudices and”
• anti-racist party»Socialdemokraterna är ett antirasistiskt parti, som strävar« (party programme ↗)“The Social Democrats are an anti-racist party, which strives”

The plan states that the party works vigorously against racism and fascism, that no one shall be subjected to hate crimes or hate propaganda and that far-right movements strike back against democratic achievements. Investigating freedom of association in relation to racist and Nazi organizations is in line with that, while at the same time the plan requires that democracy be defended with democratic means. An organization ban is not mentioned, so this is a derived conclusion.

• vigorously against racismdecisive»Vi arbetar kraftfullt mot rasism och fascism.« (party programme ↗)“We work vigorously against racism and fascism.”
• protection against hate propaganda»utsättas för hatbrott eller hatpropaganda.« (party programme ↗)“be subjected to hate crimes or hate propaganda.”
• far-right extremism as threat»Högerextrema rörelser slår tillbaka mot allt vi uppnått i fråga om jämställdhet, demokrati, tolerans och lika rättigheter för alla.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Far-right movements strike back against everything we have achieved regarding gender equality, democracy, tolerance and equal rights for all.”
• democratic means»Demokratin måste försvaras med demokratiska« (party programme ↗)“Democracy must be defended with democratic”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of association are unshakeable principles and that the rule of law and individuals' rights against the state should be defended. The counter-proposal wants to investigate a restriction of freedom of association for racist organizations, which hits precisely that principle. The plan's strong commitment against racism and xenophobia pulls in the opposite direction, but the means conflict with the unshakeable freedoms and rights. Therefore the plan rejects the requirement.

• freedom of association is unshakeabledecisive»Yttrandefrihet, religionsfrihet och föreningsfrihet är därför orubbliga« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of association are therefore unshakeable”
• rule of law defended»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and individuals' rights against the state must be defended.”
• protect constitution's scope»Vi vill göra det svårare att ändra grundlagen, skydda oppositionens ställning i riksdagen och stärka domstolarnas oberoende.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to make it harder to change the constitution, protect the opposition's position in parliament and strengthen the courts' independence.”
• racism should be counteracted»Diskriminering, strukturell rasism och intolerans, i alla dess former, ska motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Discrimination, structural racism and intolerance, in all its forms, should be counteracted.”

The plan counts freedom of association among the necessary parts of freedom of thought and wishes the constitutional protection for individual freedoms and rights to be strong. To investigate restrictions on freedom of association goes against that commitment. The fight against racism shall, according to the plan, be conducted with modernized discrimination law and prioritized hate-crime prosecution, not with organization bans.

• freedom of association as freedom of thoughtdecisive»Tryck- och yttrandefrihet, föreningsfrihet« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of the press and expression, freedom of association”
• strong constitutional protection»Grundlagsskyddet för demokratin och de individuella fri- och rättigheterna ska vara starkt.« (party programme ↗)“Constitutional protection for democracy and individual freedoms and rights shall be strong.”
• discrimination law and hate crime as means»Vi vill modernisera diskrimineringslagen, prioritera polisens hatbrottsverksamhet och säkerställa att alla skolor står upp för alla människors lika värde.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We wish to modernize discrimination law, prioritize police hate-crime work and ensure that all schools stand up for the equal value of all people.”
• combat all racism»Därför ska staten med kraft bekämpa all slags rasism, diskriminering och intolerans.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore the state shall vigorously combat all forms of racism, discrimination and intolerance.”

The plan counts freedom of assembly and association among the rights the constitution must always protect and requires strong protection for them. To investigate restrictions on freedom of association for certain organizations contradicts this commitment, even though the plan clearly takes a stand against racism. The plan explicitly warns that majority decisions restricting freedoms and rights are an expression of a totalitarian approach.

• strong protection for freedom of associationdecisive»samt anonymitetsskyddet, liksom för mötes- och före- ningsfriheten, är av stor vikt för en levande demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“and anonymity protection, as well as freedom of assembly and association, are of great importance for a vital democracy.”
• constitutionally protected freedoms»tet, åsiktsfrihet, religionsfrihet, yttrandefrihet, tryckfrihet, mötesfrihet, föreningsfrihet, demonstrationsfrihet« (party programme ↗)“ty, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom of demonstration”
• limit on majority decisions»är detta ett uttryck för ett totalitärt förhållningssätt.« (party programme ↗)“is this an expression of a totalitarian approach.”
• distancing from racism»byggnad. Kampen stod mot människoförakt, rasism,« (party programme ↗)“building. The struggle was against human contempt, racism,”

flags: citat_migrerat

The counter-proposal requires an investigation into freedom of association in relation to racist and Nazi organizations. The plan goes further in substance: participation in organizations with violent activities shall be prohibited and democracy's protection against violent extremism shall be strengthened. According to the plan tolerance cannot be extended to the open society's enemies. The plan therefore supports the demand for an investigation.

• prohibition against violent organizationsdecisive»Förbjuda deltagande i organisationer med våldsbejakande verksamhet samt förbjuda deltagande i kriminella gäng« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prohibit participation in organizations with violent activities and prohibit participation in criminal gangs”
• protect democracy»Vi måste också stärka demokratins skydd mot våldsbejakande extremism och andra kriminella hot.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must also strengthen democracy's protection against violent extremism and other criminal threats.”
• limits of tolerance»Den kan inte utsträckas till det öppna samhällets fiender.« (party programme ↗)“It cannot be extended to the open society's enemies.”
• violence meets the state's resistance»Den som vill omstöpa samhället med våld eller hot om våld« (party programme ↗)“Anyone who wants to overturn society with violence or threat of violence”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme counts freedom of assembly and freedom of association as entirely necessary elements of democracy, and the plan wants to strengthen the Bill of Rights' protection of rights. An investigation into restricting freedom of association to ban organizations goes in the opposite direction. The plan points out a limited exception—participation in and association with terrorist organizations—which shows that prohibitions are reserved for that category, not civic associations broadly, even if the plan simultaneously combats anti-democratic movements.

• freedom of association as democratic foundationdecisive»mötesfrihet, föreningsfrihet och rättstrygghet är helt nödvändiga inslag för att« (party programme ↗)“freedom of assembly, freedom of association and legal protection are entirely necessary elements for”
• strengthened rights protection»Förstärka grundlagens rättighetsskydd vad gäller yttrandefrihet, äganderätt och frihet från religion« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the Bill of Rights' protection regarding freedom of expression, property rights and freedom from religion”
• prohibition only of terrorist organizations»Förbjuda deltagande i, och samröre med, terrororganisationer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prohibit participation in, and association with, terrorist organizations.”
• fight against anti-democratic movements»Vi bekämpar alla rörelser och idéer som vilar på antidemokratisk grund och försvarar« (party programme ↗)“We combat all movements and ideas based on anti-democratic foundations and defend”