BY ANITA ÖSTLING AND DECHOR HIEN
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - At a June 3 rally here 200 people
protested against government moves to deport Somali refugees
from Sweden. They carried banners demanding, "We want the
right to asylum," "No temporary permits," and "The
Immigration bureau knows nothing about Somalia." Most of the
protesters were Somalis, a number of them young women.
This year alone the social democratic government has rejected applications for political asylum by 1,100 Somalis, according to official figures. Speakers at the rally put the number at around 2,000.
"In the last few weeks we have been trying to come together from different organizations to fight the deportations," said one man who, like most, asked not to have his name printed. "We had a smaller protest at the beginning of May in a suburban area, and now this one."
The reason immigration officials and other government officials give for the threatened deportations is that the situation in Somalia is now safe. Many Somalis know, however, that the real conditions that forced them to come here as political refugees is far from the sunny picture painted by these officials.
Supporters of Anita Ostling, Communist League candidate for parliament, participated in the rally. In a campaign statement they pointed out that the government's anti- immigrant policies are giving a green light to rightist forces that have carried out racist attacks on refugees and other immigrants. The socialist candidate has been demanding, "Stop the deportations! Open the borders!" and calling for affirmative action in hiring and education for immigrants from nations oppressed by imperialism.
Some 20,000 Somalis live in Sweden, the single largest number of immigrants from Africa. Government officials and "immigration experts" often claim that Somalis are "difficult to integrate into Swedish society" as an argument for trying to get rid of them. One such "difficulty" is the fact that Somalis here have a record of vocally defending their rights, the latest example being the protests in May and June.
Unemployment among Somali immigrants stands at record numbers - more than 90 percent according to some figures.
Authorities push refugees to go home
The threat of mass deportations of Somalis was
accompanied by the recent official invitation to Sweden of
Aden Abdullahi Noor (also known as Gabbiyo), a general and
defense minister in the dictatorial, pro-imperialist regime
of Gen. Mohammed Siad Barre in the 1980s. Gabbiyo's trip to
Sweden was paid for by the immigration bureau.
Gabbiyo was brought to Sweden to put pressure on Somalis to go home. He appeared on television arguing that it is now safe and that Somalis should return.
Protests followed the former Somali government official at many of his stops around the country. Angry immigrants threw bottles at him and chased him out of meetings. Facts about his unsavory past in the Siad Barre regime were publicized. The whole affair developed into a major embarrassment for the government, which finally withdrew his visa and ordered him to leave the country.
The government has taken steps to make it increasingly difficult to obtain political asylum in Sweden. The borders for legal immigration are now virtually closed. Even many refugees from shooting wars no longer qualify for asylum according to official criteria. In more and more cases they are being given temporary permits instead.
"You get a temporary permit to stay for six months," a protester at the rally explained. "Then it's renewed for another six months. And another six months. And another. Many people live like this for years, until they're finally deported."
Some refugees who have been legal residents of Sweden for years have had their permits questioned and withdrawn. There are cases of individuals who, having lived and worked here legally for 8-10 years, have been expelled for allegedly lying on their asylum applications when they came. These tightened government policies against immigrants have resulted in thousands being driven virtually underground to escape deportation.
Government officials are also pushing to get refugees from Yugoslavia to go back. They have encouraged so-called humanitarian organizations to "help" refugees return. These groups help pay for "trial" trips by refugees to their native countries, giving them lump sum payments to start "a new life in the old country."
Dechor Hien and Anita Ostling are members of the Transport Workers Union in Stockholm.