ACTIVISM. Sweden’s Nest 7 are back on the streets of Vetlanda again after the election campaign.
The election has long since passed, and Vetlanda’s local politicians have crawled back into the town’s sewers after securing their seats for another term of office. In the meantime, Nest 7 continue to be a visible feature on the streets, tirelessly spreading propaganda in the municipality. To show the residents of Vetlanda Municipality we have not disappeared just because the election is over, the town of Vetlanda was chosen as the first location for Nest 7 to conduct public activism in 2023.
The day’s public activity began with a short briefing, after which the activists split into groups and went to various places in town where they thought the most people would be, both in the town centre and on its outskirts.
One of the groups started their distribution outside a large grocery store, which resulted in a steady stream of people receiving leaflets. While this was ongoing, another group arrived at their destination a few hundred metres away. There was a stream of people there, too, running their errands for the weekend, darting in and out of the shops. The activists took up positions and started handing out leaflets to passers-by. The majority of people walking past were curious about what kind of leaflets were being distributed, and several people stopped for a conversation.
An elderly White woman told one of the activists she had returned from an extended stay abroad and that she hardly recognised the town anymore, as so much had changed. After the woman had talked with the activist for a good while, she wished him a nice weekend and hurried on.
Not everyone appreciated the activists’ presence, however. One woman, who could best be described as a stereotypical key-jangler* in both behaviour and size, felt compelled to ostentatiously stare at one of the activists as she tore up the leaflet she had been handed. This happened after she almost had a heart attack when she realised the leaflet was from the Resistance Movement. She then shuffled off, panting from the effort.
The activity continued on, with the various groups of activists moving between different locations during the course of the day. Later on, the groups reconvened on Stora torget in Vetlanda, where they stood with a banner outside the town hall, before concluding the day.
* A leftist, usually an old woman, who jangles a set of keys in attempt to “fight racism”
