World Jewish News

Swedish police rejects demand of Jewish community to rescind permit for neo-Nazi march near Gothenburg synagogue on Yom Kippur

A violent neo-Nazi group that plans to march near the synagogue of Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of Judaism, already paraded on Sunday through the city streets.

The racist and anti-Semitic group, called the Nordic Resistance Movement, carries flag and banners bearing Nazi symbols.

The group has a permit for the September 30 march which takes place during the Gothenburg Book Fair, when some 100,000 people will gather in the city for the largest literary festival in Scandinavia. The route that they will follow which takes them near the synagogue, is an alternative route offered by police to prevent them from marching on the main roads of the city near the book fair.

Local police has allowed the march. Gothenburg police chief Erik Nord told local media that Sweden’s freedom of speech laws also protect protests without permits.

But the country’s Jewish community expressed outrage that police allowed the rally near the synagogue and called to rescind the permit or move the rally to the city’s outskirts far away from the synagogue. But the request was rejected.

‘’This is an outrage," declared Aron Verstandig, president of the Council of Swedish Jewish communities. "This is the only day of the year when many Jews—even those who are usually non-observant—come to the synagogue to pray. On this day, of all days, police have decided to permit this neo-Nazi organization to march in the streets of Gothenburg, a mere stone's throw away from the synagogue."

The Swedish Jewish community declared a public struggle against the police's decision, emphasizing besides the fear for their safety and security, the march also raises highly unpleasant connotations for Jews, as during the Holocaust, Nazis often committed their worst atrocities during important days on the Hebrew calendar.

EJP