ACTIVISM. Sweden’s Nest 7 were in Jönköping on Tuesday 5 December, first for a trial at the district court and then for activism on the streets.
The day began with the comrades gathering at Jönköping District Court to support two members accused of violating the Public Order Act. According to the prosecutor, the members had hung up banners in various places in Jönköping.
Something the prosecutor probably didn’t know was that members and activists put up banners around Jönköping on the night before the trial with the message “You can never silence us”.
The trial was rather short, as the incompetent prosecutor didn’t know which law the members had allegedly broken. This meant the trial had to be postponed until an undetermined date.
After receiving this news, the comrades went to Östra Storgatan in central Jönköping to hold a public leaflet distribution, taking up positions with a flag bearer and several leaflet distributors.
The activity progressed relatively calmly, with some interesting conversations taking place, both with sympathisers and opponents. It also attracted attention from residents on the street.
When the person in charge was satisfied with the activity, everyone packed up and went to the top of a parking garage for a confetti action. Small pieces of paper bearing the same message as the banners – “You can never silence us – Motståndsrörelsen.se” – were thrown off the parking garage and onto the car parks and pavement below, before the day was concluded.
We spoke to Jerry Olsson, one of the two defendants, and asked him some questions.
Hi. For those who don’t know, who are you?
Hi. My name is Jerry Olsson, and I’m a 43-year-old working family man. I devote a large part of my free time to activism of various kinds in the Resistance Movement.
What do you have to say about today’s trial?
Well, today’s trial was a bit of a farce from start to finish; partly because the presiding judge had to reprimand the prosecutor regarding the chosen charge, and partly because the prosecutor had to be sent home with the task of doing his homework before coming back. The icing on the cake was when two police officers showed up to testify after the trial had already been adjourned, then looked at us surprised as we just walked out. That made me smile a little!
How do you think your lawyer performed?
I think my lawyer has given me good advice, and she has consistently advocated the same defence strategy as I have. However, she hasn’t had the opportunity to do much to influence the court yet, since the trial was interrupted before we got to that point. I have great confidence she will do a good job when she finally gets the chance!
Will this negatively affect future engagement?
No, of course not. This sort of thing just strengthens morale. The huge amount of effort and tax money currently being spent on a completely insignificant case like this convinces me they are desperate to stop us at any cost!
Thank you for taking part in this interview!
