STOCKHOLM, July 30 -- An unofficial gay Pride parade organised by a right-wing nationalist is planned for July 29 to run through a predominantly immigrant neighbourhood with a large Muslim population. The event is making the headlines in the country and globally for all the wrong reasons. Pride Järva is organised by Jan Sjunnesson, a former editor-in-chief of Samtiden, a web-magazine owned by Sweden Democrats (SD), the anti-immigration party that became the third largest political party in the Swedish parliament following the 2014 general election. Sjunnesson is also the editor of website Avpixlat, often described in mainstream Swedish media as a xenophobic and far-right website. The planned parade has attracted criticism from the official Pride organisers, Sweden's LGBT federation, and anti-racism groups. They believe the agenda behind this parade organised by the far-right is to try to provoke Muslims in the predominantly immigrant areas. In a joint statement the official Stockholm Pride and the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) said they were distancing themselves from the initiative. "Jan Sjunnesson has for a long time made himself known as a person who's spreading hatred towards Muslims on social media [and] who's not supporting LGBT rights. "The magazine Expo in February published a compilation in which they, among other things, showed how Sjunnesson ... had shared an American film where Muslims were described as paedophiles and homosexuals and a 'Satanistic threat against society' who should be deported," the statement said.
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MOSCOW, October 24 -- The expansion of the zone of the search for “foreign submarine activity” by Sweden is heating up tension in the Baltic region, spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Friday. “Such unjustified actions of the Swedish Defence Ministry, backed by cold war rhetoric today only exacerbate tension in the region. They may result not in the strengthening of a separate country’s security, but in undermining of the foundations of marine economic activity in the Baltic Sea region,” the official said.
Sweden released a hazy photograph of what might be a mini-sub on Sunday MOSCOW, October 20 -- An unidentified submarine currently being sought by Sweden in its territorial waters could belong to the Royal Netherlands Navy, a Russian Defence Ministry source said. “In order to ease tensions in the Baltic sea and save the money of Swedish taxpayers, we would recommend to search for explanations from the Dutch navy. Last week, a Dutch diesel-electric submarine 'Bruinvis' was completing some practical tasks in the immediate vicinity of Stockholm,” the source said. The 'Bruinvis' is a member of the submarine class Walrus. Together with 3 sisters submarines, Walrus, Zeeleeuw en Dolfijn, it is stationed at the Dutch navy base Den Helder. General characteristics Type: attack submarine Displacement: 2,350 t surfaced, 2,650 t submerged, 1,900 t standard Length: 67.73 m Beam: 8.4 m Draft: 6.6 m Propulsion: 3 diesels, diesel-electric, 5,430 shp (4 MW), 1 shaft, 5 bladesSpeed:13 knots (24 km/h) surfaced, 20 knots (37 km/h) submerged Range: 18,500 km at 9 knot Test depth: >300 m Complement: 50 to 55Sensors and processing systems: Surface Search Radar: Signaal/RacalZW 07 Sonar Systems: Thomson Sintra TSM 2272 Eledone Octopus, GEC Avionics Type 2026 towed array, Thomson Sintra DUUX 5 passive ranging and interceptArmament:4 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (20 × Honeywell Mk 48 or HoneywellNT 37 torpedoes, mines, SubHarpoonSSM) STOCKHOLM, October 18 -- The Swedish armed forces announced a large military operation around islands off Stockholm following reports of suspicious "foreign underwater activity". "We have begun an intelligence operation... involving ships, helicopters and several ground units," Commander Jonas Wikstrom said on Friday. He said the operation was based on a tip-off from a "credible source" and that about 200 Swedish troops were involved. He added that no weapons had been used in the operation. Wikstrom did not specify how close the operation was to the Swedish capital, nor whether the activity involved one or more submarines, but said that he was informing the public as the area is "heavily trafficked". The Svenska Dagbladet newspaper reported that the sighting was at an island located just over 50km from the centre of Stockholm. Other Swedish media outlets reported seeing several military boats, a larger vessel in Kanholmsfjarden, and a number of helicopters heading from the mainland towards the area where the operation is taking place. In recent months, Sweden has recorded an increase in Baltic Sea manoeuvres by the Russian air force - including an incident in September when two SU24 fighter-bombers allegedly entered Swedish airspace. The then-foreign minister, Carl Bildt, called it "the most serious aerial incursion by the Russians" in almost a decade. "As the government has said, the situation has deteriorated in the Baltic Sea," Wikstrom said on Friday. Countries in the Baltic Sea region have become increasingly wary of Russia's military ambitions since Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March. During the Cold War the then-neutral - and now non-aligned - Sweden was regularly on alert following Russian submarine sightings. A Soviet submarine ran aground 10km from one of Sweden's largest naval bases in 1981. |
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