STOP THE FASCIST LAWJ
In December 1972 a commission under the leadership of Secretary of State
Carl Lidbom presented a report and a bill called "Law concerning special
measures to prevent certain violent actions with an international., beck-
ground . "
The commission's definition of "international terrorism":
Violent actions that hit against non-concerned countries or citizens of
such countries.
The commission was called because of the Bulltofta hijacking performed
by the Ustasha movement But the commission's report concerns just as
much - or even more - the fears concerning Palestinian organizations.
There is no distinction made between fascist and revolutionary violence.
The Ustasha movement is mentioned as "Croatian extremists". The letter
bomb that was sent to a Palestinian in Stockholm is'scantily mentioned in
vague phrasings without pointing at any Zionist groups.
Other examples of "terrorist actions" the report collects from countries
where there is a struggle going on for national liberation or against
clearly pronounced fascist regimes. As examples of countries which are
the domiciles of "terrorists" or which detach "international terrorists"
the commission names: Uruguay (the Tupamaros), Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,
Columbia, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada (FLQ), Turkey, Greece and Palestine.
Those phrasings which are used in the report indicate that revolutionary
groups and organizations from these countries are directly equalled to
criminals.
The report mentions that Africa too can be quoted in this context, but
it avoids to name any countries that might be concerned in that case, undoubtedly for the reason that it was the question of the African national
liberation movements that made the "terrorist question" fall in the General Assembly of the UN. The occupation of the Ethiopian embassy is mentioned
as an example of "disturbing order", however, without giving the Eritrean
question as the reason for the occupation.
The commission's definition of "foreign extremist groups" in Sweden:
Political organizations or groups, whose activity exclusively is directed
against political conditions in countries other than Sweden and who are
in sharp contradiction of the regime of the country where the members have
their origins.
Any clarifying statement of the essence of such a contradiction is not
given, But the conclusion is that the commission finds it criminal to work
against the fascist regimes in such countries as Greece, Turkey, Iran etc.
The1 "insidious and conspiratory" nature of these "extremist groups" is
stressed time and again in the report. We easily recognize these phrases
from countries with pronounced fascist regimes, who over and over again
appeal to "international conspiracies" as an excuse for cruel oppression,
torture and terror.
The report stresses that there should be no changing of the rights of foreign citizens to "devote themselves to such political activities as are
consistent with our democratic social system". This is contradicted in the
bill by the extensive interpretation that is given to the concepts of
"terrorists" and "presumptive terrorists". The new law requires for its
application only very flimsy assumptions. This same law, masked in alar-