måndag 25 juni 2012

Julian Assange is already condemned by Swedish State feminism


Julian Assange's case exposes the prevailing doctrine of state feminism in Sweden and its accompanying propaganda machinery.

It is a machinery where man-hating radical feminists with no grasp of feminism's legacy, journalists who wield power but have no real understanding of the purpose of journalism, and members of the judicial system who want to make a career out of the equal rights and opportunities doctrine work hand in hand.

What is happening in Sweden today is unworthy of a country that calls itself a democracy.

But that's not all! Julian Assange's case has revealed the true face of Swedish patriotism as well. Whosoever dares criticize this propaganda machinery risks being either ignored or condemned through guilt by association.

But I take this risk because, after all, I am a journalist and a feminist in Sweden, and the right of freedom of expression also applies to me, even if I am critical.

Julian Assange’s affairs in Stockholm opened the floodgates for the downgraded variants of feminism and journalism that are present in Sweden today.

The preliminary investigation protocol detailing Julian Assange's liaisons with two women makes for shocking reading for a Swedish feminist pioneer of the 1970s.

I am one of those who, as the host for many years of the legendary women's program Radio Ellen on Swedish Radio, fought for women’s rights and equality between the sexes.

I could never have dreamt that a legitimate struggle for equal rights and opportunities for both women and men would degenerate into state feminism devoid of common sense and reason.

Those of us who pioneered feminism in Sweden in the 1970s fought for our sexual freedom and for the right to take responsibility for ourselves, but we also fought to be able to, like men already do, enjoy sex.

Sexual liberation went hand-in-hand with the demand that we as women must be able to support ourselves and not be economically dependent on men. This is essential because only when we women are economically independent will we be able say 'no' if we feel we are being sexually used. Being a feminist is not about hating men. Feminism is about strengthening women’s self esteem, not about making ourselves into victims or being categorized by the state as victims by default.

But in today's feminist Sweden, the following can happen. In the preliminary investigation minutes for the case of Julian Assange in Sweden, I read: Woman A. says about her relationship with Julian Assange: "I was proud as hell to get the world's coolest man in bed and living in my apartment." After having sexual intercourse on numerous occasions, she goes to the police.

How did Sweden's sexual revolution of the 1970s transform into an oppressive 21st century power apparatus where men are portrayed as potential enemies and threats to the state? A state in which those who criticize the prevailing system are denied a voice in the media.

Liberation feminism was hijacked in the late 1980s when it was disarmed and renamed 'Jämställdhet' (the equal rights and opportunities doctrine) and co-opted into the power apparatus. Jämställdhet became the state norm and an ideology in Sweden. And it became a career ladder, especially in politics, civil service and in the judicial system.

Many pioneering feminists disappeared into Swedish universities, where they transformed our struggle into 'scientific knowledge', and became elite feminists. They got money from the State, as universities in Sweden are publicly funded. Instead of talking about 'the sexes' they started talking about 'genders', and the struggle no longer focused on transforming the state apparatus: it switched to targeting the male sex and men as sexual creatures. The present totalitarian gender ideology was also promoted by the Swedish media, which does what is required from it by the State.

In today's Sweden, the media is dedicated to educating the population rather than to keeping power in check.

When it comes to Julian Assange there are, naturally, underlying motivations. He challenged media by doing what every journalist dreams of: a global Scoop!

What Julian Assange and WikiLeaks did was wound the pride of many journalists.

Every journalist dreams of getting The Scoop, but very few manage to pull it off.
The Swedish tabloid Expressen tried to turn Julian Assange himself into the scoop with the headline: "Manhunt for Wikileaks Julian Assange - suspected of rape in Sweden."

Some hours later the investigation was cancelled. It was later re-opened by a new prosecutor, Marianne Ny, who clearly holds radical feminist views. She collaborates with the politician, lawyer, and former Jämställdhet ombudsman, Claes Borgström.

And now it’s not only the two women who voluntarily invited Julian Assange to their homes and slept with him several times before they discovered that he was simply a normal horny man. Now, the media too had discovered that Julian Assange was not some saint, but a typical horny man.

But the bloodthirsty media forces initiated a hunt without checking the facts of the case and without waiting for a trial. Instead, the media became judge and jury because the politically correct approach in today’s Sweden is that women are always victims and are blameless when it comes to sex.

That fact that the media behaves like some kind of people’s court of mob justice in the case of Julian Assange is very serious; the media whipping up a hostile sentiment against Julian Assange before he has even been brought to trial in a Swedish court is in violation of his human rights. It is a grave state of affairs when Sweden's biggest newspapers won't even publish his own words.

The media should not take the role of the courts by speculating about a case before due process has been carried out and judgment rendered. The media's role is to examine the facts and show respect for the rule of law in a democracy.

Sensationalist headlines, tabloid journalism based on rumor and personal antagonism is not journalism. It is simply a way of selling newspapers and cheating the public. This form of Swedish journalism is unworthy of a democracy.

Worst of all is the fact that Julian Assange has been under house arrest in England with an electronic tagging device on his ankle for over 500 days. He does not want to go to Sweden because he fears that Sweden will extradite him to the United States.
Julian Assange's case raises serious questions about human rights violations in the democratic country we call Sweden. But the media will not report on this. It is preoccupied with creating as much antagonism towards Julian Assange as possible.

Helene Bergman
Journalist, feminist and former radio host of the legendary women's programme Radio Ellen on Swedish Radio.
Translater from Swedish to English:
Traci Birge


22 kommentarer:

  1. Hej Helene,
    Sweden, once a country i admired. Today I fill fear.
    I do not understand how it was possible. What happened to the country where many of my friends still live?.
    Just now I'm reading again "Att Vilja ga vidare" by O.P.
    Do you remember?
    Tack for Din komentar.

    Jacek Lozinski, journalist, Polen

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. Hej:-)
      Yes I also feel fear and I also feel very sad. Yesterday as a coincident the SVT showed a documentary of OP. It was made 1973 and then I felt how Sweden was then. I am asking myself all the time as you do. What have happened?? The only thing I can do now is to write and point out the wrong thing.
      Thanks for commenting!

      Radera
  2. My conspiracy theory alarm is going off. Governments everywhere would love to silence Assange. Perhaps Sweden is stepping up the game a bit.

    Shame...

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. I think you are right! And I am still asking WHY Sweden wants to step up the game?

      Radera
  3. I hope everybody in Sweden takes a few moments to read the FACTS of the Assange case, as written by his mother Christine:

    http://wlcentral.org/node/2486

    It's time more people in Sweden spoke up!

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. I totally agree with you! I posted it on Twitter and Fb.
      Thanks!
      Helene

      Radera
  4. I personally believe, being British that Julian Assange has done himself no favours in not returning to Sweden and clearing his name. He is some sort of fool. But if there is hostile resentment, one can really understand his reluctance, but he has then chosen (it would seem) to move the goal posts to aspects of extradition to the USA from Sweden, so thus unwilling to leave the UK
    He should have had his day in court by now, and if these women INVITED him to their homes, to SLEEP with him, then he should be compensated for false statements made against him.
    But he has really lost all, by graduating the game to claiming asylum in a foreign embassy, after due process of British law, no doubt at the tax payers expense & the personal warranty of bail of many people who befriended him
    As a female, one can often say a mans brain is ruled by his **** and there seems no exception.

    SvaraRadera
  5. As a Swedish journalist living in Sweden and with a lot of experience how this country has a hidden agenda, I can understand Julian Assange´s fear of coming here.
    Thanks for commenting

    Helene

    SvaraRadera
  6. As a Swedish citizen I agree completely. Julian Assange should keep away from coming here, for his own safety. He should NOT trust the Swedish justice system which has become no more then a complete "lap dog" for a political agenda.

    These events aren't about a case (or cases) of rape at all. It's just an purely political case to get that "inconvenient guy" trough a made up, and constructed, accusation. With the help of a prosecutor and our police force.

    I also have to add that I'm, as an Swedish citizen, are grossly ashamed and disgusted for the behaviour my own country. It has no place at all in a democratic country. And this is (just) one of many reasons I no more see Sweden at a true democracy. Our politicians (with the help of our justice system and media) has disqualified Sweden in that sense and meaning. Yet again.

    SvaraRadera
  7. Hej Helene
    What do you think about the chances of extradition by Swedish government? Were there any other similar cases before which can make Mr.Assange's fear legitimate?
    Regards,Amir \

    SvaraRadera
  8. Great article. It's good to see feminists speaking out against the madness of radical and state feminism.

    SvaraRadera
  9. Julian Assange visited Sweden and was welcomed as a hero, and I would also consider himas such, staanding up against the imperialistic US. However he met a lot of Swedish ladies and he was horny and took a lot of things for granted, and took a lot of liberties sexually against those women. Nothing strange about that - if you are a man. But a No is a No in Sweden. It doesn't matter if it is Julian Assange or me. We can face legal procedures if we force our will without a consent from the woman. This is what a lot of men have faced earlier. So justice in Sweden works if J.A. Will be held responsible for his action. But I am shure that there will be no more legal actions against him after the questioning from the prosecutor. The reason is that the actions that he is suspected of is to minor to lead to criminal case in court. Mark my words...
    /Heidar

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. Den här kommentaren har tagits bort av skribenten.

      Radera
    2. Of course a no is a no, but if you read the police interviews, you'll see that they didn't really say no. One woman said she felt it was easier to let him continue, but she didn't tell him she wanted him to stop. The other woman said felt it was too late to say stop, so she didn't tell him to stop. She worried about hiv or pregnancy, and the risk would have been smaller if the intercourse was interrupted, but nothing in the police report says that she told him to stop, only that she felt it was too late to do so. It doesn't say anywhere that they were afraid to say no, they just didn't. Despite this, all the blame is put on him.

      He's now branded as a rapist, just becase they didn't say no, or stop. He's blamed for their decision to let him continue to have sex with them, as if he should have read their minds.

      For this he's already spent ten days in prison in solitary confinement! And may look forward to an unspecified number of days under similar conditions in Sweden while the investigation continues, before the trial even takes place. Who's beginning to look like the victim here?

      Nobody likes excessive police violence, and it's about time we start disliking prosecutors' excessive violations of personal integrity too. He deserves to be treated with more respect.

      Radera
  10. Ta av dig foliehatten och sluta försvara kräket. Vilken riktig man som helst hade fått saken ur världen. Det är lätt att bli anklagad för sex-brott i Sverige, men jävligt svårt att bli fälld, vilket du som (påstått) feminist borde begripa. Skulle han dessutom blivit fälld skulle han varit fri nu. Våra straff är ju inte direkt hårda.

    Istället har han slösat med energi och pengar (både sina egna och Wikileaks förmodar jag) på den här nonsens grejen. Varpå Wikileaks tappat fart.

    //stolt feminist och Wikileaks anhängare.

    Try to write in english:

    Please leave your conspiracy-theories elsewhere. If he would have been a real man he would have been free now. It is easy to get accused for rape in Sweden, but very hard to get a conviction. And if you get a conviction, you are free quite soon. As a feminist (your claim) you schould know how few men that actually get locked up for crimes like this.

    If Assange and Wikileaks would have gone to Sweden direct - they would have saved energy and money that they could have used in more productive ways, in their real work. Now they - and you are part of a anti-feminstic witch-hunt. It is hard to see. When a man like Jan Guillou who maybe has the best knowledge of how badly the Swedish justice works stands up for the women and you dont - it feels very strange.

    //proud feminist and pro-Wikileaks man.

    SvaraRadera
  11. We are worried about Julian... and I'm a feminist too, I'm always against sexual violence, I live in Colombia, a country where you can find a lot of agression against women. But I'm so lucky because I'm a professional woman and I had education, opposite to the lots of girls that doesnt have my opportunities and are mothers from 12 or 14 years old.

    I support women, always, I'm a feminist too... but I just can't trust the intention of this women. Everybody is concerned because we all know it is just a way to kill Julian. It is what US wants to do... Is just sad that 2 women are behaving like US puppets... the case and their allegations has no sense. I just can't trust this women. They were sleeping with Julian before... now is a violation.

    UK is a shame, because they left Augusto Pinochet free, a dictator that killed thousand of people in Chile, students, activists, journalists, oppositors of his goverment.... but, for UK Julian is worse than Pinochet... I would like to know the number of women who were rapped and abused and killed in the Pinochet regime, I'm sure they were thousand of women and little girls... Is just sad to see how the "first world", always claiming to be the "civilization", "the culture", and the progress of the world, is a just a bunch of gansters, involved in "vendettas"...
    *Sorry my spelling

    SvaraRadera
  12. Den här kommentaren har tagits bort av skribenten.

    SvaraRadera
  13. Snälla, om USA nu vill ha honom så varför har de inte begärt honom utlämnad från Storbritannien? Hela texten känns mer som en sammanfattning av allt som konspirationsteoretikerna slänger ur sig...

    SvaraRadera
  14. Sensationalist headlines and tabloid journalism is hardly unique for Sweden. The angle a newspaper article takes - be it radically feminist, patriotic or homophobic - doesn’t really have any significance as long as it does what the writer wants it to do. Feminism doesn’t enter in to it at all, it’s just a tool. I don’t understand why you’re discrediting how far Sweden has come in the matter of equality. It’s completely irrelevant to your point of the Swedish media coverage of the story being unfair.
    This could well be true, the floodgates did open, but they opened both ways and at the moment Swedish columnists seem to sympathize with the idea that Assange is running from Swedish justice. Still, up till now I’ve read and heard twice the amount of bile towards the two women involved than I have of Assange. But that’s as it should be yeah?
    As for the Swedish justice system it does have its flaws (like any other), but not at all to the degree you’re giving the impression of it having. If anything I believe these flaws would actually work in Assange’s favour.
    The bottom line is you know just as well as I do that the chances of him actually being convicted of sexual assault in Sweden are next to none, even if he is guilty (I personally don’t see how you feel the number of consensual intercourses matters or why you choose to mention it. Do several consensual intercourses mean he couldn’t possibly have committed a crime?). His reputation has been damaged because of these allegations and the media has played its part, but this could happen to any public figure through any allegation. It has in fact happened before. Again, feminism doesn’t enter in to it. The ethics of the media do. You’re contributing to a portrayal of a country that doesn’t exist and blaming the whole situation on jämnställdhet, which is completely ridiculous. He is being summoned for an interrogation, is that in any way radical?

    SvaraRadera
  15. Thank you Helene for excellent input in the case, I was also shocked when i read the reports (available on line) from the two women making accusations on the Assange case, how on earth could such allegations lead to a diplomatic crisis!!! As a swede I am embarrassed... BUT the good thing is that the longer this case goes on the more embarassing it will be for swedish prosecution authorities (Claes Borgström and Marianne Ny) and politicians (several) since the facts will be revealed over and over again; one prosecutor issuing order to arrest, another writes-off the whole case, third one resumes the case but doesnt make the effort to hear the suspect, even so issuing an international arrest warrant (interpol) etc. etc. What a shame for the swedish legal system!

    SvaraRadera
  16. I feel this article does some of the same wrongs it accuses others of. It judges people, like the prosecutor, and it complains about some voices not being heard. Who cares about the voices of these two ladies?

    The article also takes general observations and uses those for the purpose of justifying conclusions about an individual case, a common but less applaudable tactic.

    A

    SvaraRadera
  17. Wery god and reflected article. Gives hope for the future that some woman is able to think outside the box.

    SvaraRadera