The End of Tolerance

Last Friday, hoards of armed vigilantes soared the streets of Stockholm, distributing the leaflets with the slogan “It’s enough now!” About a hundred of them were hunting and beating young, defenseless refugee men. Immediately, police forces were on their heels, a special police force has been set up to apprehend the violent mob and bring them to justice. Information has been given to the local newspapers, stating that those were partly football hooligans, partly far-right extremist group members, who also offered some resistance to the police trying to stop them. Sounds awful doesn’t it? The public outcry followed immediately. Investigations, condemnations against such intolerant behavior in otherwise so tolerant Sweden, as well. “What happened to our Sweden?”, they lamented.

No question, it is a horrible thing to happen. People, driven to leave their home out of fear for their lives may not be treated in such a manner. Every human has a right to safety and happiness. In America it’s even chiseled into the constitution. And for a long time, the more fortunate countries, have met the never-ending stream of refugees with opened arms, smiles, home-baked cakes and readiness to help, like any good Christian would do. Because back at home, those poor people had no one to help them, this is why they are here. So what is causing this turn of events, not only in Sweden, as we can increasingly see?

When I was a kid, no older than five years old, I had a book of Arabic fairy tales. Those were, as most of them are, about a wise man, who lived in a small village. All sorts of things kept happening to him, and from his reactions you could learn some wisdom. I was an avid reader and have read a lot of books, but some of those fairy tales remained etched in my memory forever. One of them was about this wise man traveling to some town, as he was young. He found himself at the city gates and spoke to the guards, asking to let him in. “We have orders not to,” –the guards said, -“ The town is full and our king said, that no mendicants, no tradespeople or salesmen are allowed, the walls are about to burst and we cannot feed all of them”. “Tell your king I am a wise man and can be of use to him”. The guards eyed him, uncertain, and decided to ask the king, lest he should be angered by their neglect to consult him. They came back, saying the king was curious what such a wise man could do. “I can make shoes”-, said the man. “We have enough shoemakers here”. “I can bake bread”. “We also have enough bakers, and we must make sure they don’t go hungry”. Our wise man thought for a while, and then said: -“Tell your king I can do the work of seven people at once”. The king was impressed and allowed him to stay in his town, asking his advice now and then.

Now, everyone knows how wise fairy tales are. How they work at the subconscious level to teach and warn us to survive many situations in life. How the hidden truth of fears and hardships of many generations have been passed on from father to son, in this archaic form. And anyone who was not asleep during the history lesson, knows why wars were fought and kingdoms lost. So how is it possible that as soon as we get more comfortable, have no fear to starve to death or be shot in the street, we lose this necessary survival instinct, and begin to pretend that we are invulnerable? What audacity makes us believe that we are capable of Herculean deeds without godlike descent and powers? What hidden resources do today’s politicians believe we have, to deal with situations, clearly beyond our control? And how is it possible that in so-called democratic countries, only one way of thinking considered correct, that of the current political chaos? With a large part of population, in these modern towns, erroneously led into believing, that the city borders are made of gum, that could be indefinitely stretched to fit as many people as one likes. Not only that, they are led to believe that in the granaries of each town, there’s a horn of plenty, that just provides the necessary amount of grain, needed to feed the world. Above that, the unshakeable belief of a large part of the population, that every person in the world is the same, and deserves the best, is highly commendable, but just as misleading. Everyone is valuable. But not everyone is the same.

Enough to look behind the media battle against the vigilantes in Sweden. “Vigilante” is often made sound like a bad word. But the word "Vigilance", just means "paying close attention", and anyone old enough to remember Charles Bronson, knows what kind of satisfaction one feels, just watching anyone on screen, busting the arses of criminals, while the police notably comes too late. The reaction in Stockholm comes after the murder last week of social worker Alexandra Mezher by the 15 y.o. refugee, who would probably escape all responsibility. Under the current judicial system, it is not only impossible to penalize him, it is also impossible to deport him. Him, and many thousands of others, who have come to the West, with the single goal of making a living by criminal activity.

There is a public outctry, and it has nothing to do with people not wanting to share their space and food. It has to do with values. Values, that have taken hundreds of years of fighting for them to take root. Values like women’s right for respect and equality, a right not to be afraid, a right to practice ones’ own religion, without having others claim prerogative and constant attention. Of all, democratic right to voice one’s opinion, without being claimed as a pariah. Freedom of word and letter. All of these basic rights that we consider natural today, are being threatened, and this clear and present threat is being ignored.

I dare to predict, that those evil vigilante attacks will increase. Mainly, because of the inability of the European government, to ascertain the safety of their subjects. The growing fear will increase the sympathy of the average citizen. Your normal family person, who, self unable to wield a banner, and losing faith in the system, will support radical groups taking the matter in their own hands. And I don’t even want to imagine how this could end.