Representatives of the liberal part of Swedish society demand to stop the flow of refugees
In recent months, serious shifts have been occurring in the country's political and intellectual elite. Now, from a completely liberal standpoint, the idea is being defended that the country should protect itself from the massive influx of culturally alien population.
According to Anders Persson, a 33-year-old political science lecturer at Landskrona University, whose open letter sparked a storm of debate in the European press, the current policy of 'hospitality' has degenerated into segregation that is tearing Sweden apart. 'Neither I nor my children have spent a single day in an integrated society,' says the political scientist, who, by the way, sharply criticizes any manifestations of nationalism and xenophobia. 'Here in Landskrona, as in other Swedish cities, parallel communities have formed – with separate beaches, shops, restaurants, and sports facilities.'
According to Persson, the kingdom's policy has stalled, but the main problem is that even now, discussing the problems that have arisen, which strike at the ideals of integration and tolerance, remains taboo. For many decades, the country has pursued the same policy towards migrants, despite the fact that internal and external circumstances have completely changed. As the political scientist asserts, everything follows the principle once formulated by Albert Einstein: 'We keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results.'
In just the last decade, the country's education system, left to its own devices, has changed beyond recognition, and a significant portion of current schoolchildren is a lost generation. 'High-achieving students, who are often ethnic Swedes, move to schools in the suburbs of Landskrona, while low-achieving immigrants remain in the city,' Persson says. 'When I recently visited my school to tell ninth-graders about the Arab-Israeli conflict, none of the 25 present knew what anti-Semitism and the Holocaust were.'
Many Swedish cities, according to the political scientist, have already exhausted their resources for possible integration, and the rest will likely exhaust them during the current influx of migrants. 'Swedes should no longer open their hearts, as the former prime minister, who lost the last election, said in a speech famous for its unrealistic nature,' Persson urges. 'Instead, we must engage our brains, take control of the situation, and seek a solution.'