Swedish Armed Forces not welcome at National Day celebration

The Swedish National Day should be for the “new Swedes”, according to Swedish politicians. Therefore the Swedish Armed Forces are no longer welcome at the celebration. At the same time the Swedish soldiers are recommended not to show themselves in uniform publicly, as it might be dangerous for them.

The 6th of June is the Swedish National Day, celebrating the uniting of the Swedish kingdom by Gustav Vasa in 1523. Since 2005 it’s a public holiday, and around the country it’s celebrated in various forms.

Well, “celebrated” is maybe the wrong word here. Many municipalities for example arrange “celebrations” where they welcome “new Swedes” (read: non-Swedish immigrants from all over the world) and in other parts of the country, left-wing organizations are burning the Swedish flag. Between 2005 and 2008, Swedish nationalists arranged a big parade in the capital, Stockholm, but after that most celebrations among nationalists take part in smaller groups and in a less political manner.

At some celebrations the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) participate, but in one municipality (so far), Umeå, they are not welcome anymore. According to a letter from the Swedish Armed Forces, the municipality thought “that the presence of the armed forces” could “undermine the celebration of the new Swedes”.

These news comes just a month after a warning issued by the security department of the armed forces, which warned soldiers to wear uniform in public. General Karl Engelbrektsson motivated the warning with: “it is unnecessary to put on the away teams scarf when standing among the supporters of the home team”.

So, if the Swedish Armed Forces are the “away team” in Sweden, who is the home team?