we're in Sweden it's Mayday and we're on
our way to a small place called y
shopping where a far-right political
party the SVP have gathered for a 300
Man March through the streets now they
say they're demonstrating against the
European Union there's our leftists who
are going to be there who are also known
for being quite extreme there's violence
on both sides there's apparently going
to be 400 police there um and it sounds
like things are going to get quite
serious Ali how serious is extremism in
Sweden do you think it's serious cuz
it's growing it's growing fast I
couldn't imagine something like this
that's about to happen today would
happen 5 years ago in Europe the rise of
the far right has become impossible to
ignore with a massive increase in
nationalist popul ity over the last few
years in Sweden though the emergence of
a leftwing extremist group per seen
anti-fascists Waging War against the far
right known as the Revolutionary front
the faction of militant socialists has
now become one of the most violent
groups in
Sweden one of their Affiliates was
recently jailed for attempted murder
after he stabbed a far-right supporter
twice in the
back the Revolutionary front formed in
2002 but there structure still remain
shrouded in
secrecy nobody knows exactly how many
members they have estimates range from
the hundreds to the thousands and
they're believed to operate in at least
five different districts in
Sweden so with demonstrations across
Sweden on the increase we went to see if
we could find the Revolutionary front at
the MayDay
rally we're at the front of the protest
right now everybody's lying down because
they don't want the far right to move
through here and it seems like the
police are just pushing forward now um
and we'll see what happens whether they
let them lie there or whether they start
moving them with Force but the far right
are literally just on the other side of
this police
barrier we made our way to the front of
the march to speak with the leader of
the farri Nationalist party the SVP what
is the protest for today what have you
marched the pro today is about
us showing that we want to leave the
European
Union all these people seem extremely
angry that you're here why do you think
that is
the far right have become increasingly
angry with immigration in Sweden as
nearly 50% of all Asylum applicants were
approved last year as well as wanting
out of the EU SVP also runs a white only
Eugenics project and even wrote an open
letter of support to Greece's Neo-Nazi
party Golden
Dawn the Revolutionary front say they're
at war with the extreme far right
clashing with the political SVP and also
with the militant Swedish resistance
movement whose leader is a convicted
murderer what do you think is going to
happen here today do you think it's
going to kick off I hope so people have
to know what's really going on today in
Sweden why are you playing cup here they
gave permission uh Nazi scums to
demonstrate what about the more militant
left are they
here yeah uh yeah but uh actually I
don't know where they are revolutionary
front have never given a formal
interview to the media and are
notoriously hard to track
down you've got decided to protect your
identity because I've I've received
threats for of in numerous accounts from
these specific Nazis why I take an
active stance Against Racism and against
Nazism and that's enough for them to
threaten my life are you affiliated with
any specific far-left group I'm not no I
don't represent any organization I speak
from myself and I think people have this
idea that it's the far right versus the
far left it's it's a very broad kind of
resistance against them it's not just
specific anti-fascist groups with their
policies is violence against us it's
violence against all of my friends who
might be homosexual or just a different
skin
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color whoa the far right March has been
allowed to move on but the farle don't
seem happy about it it there was a stone
grenade for Just 2 minutes ago there's a
lot of confusion in the far right seem
to be trying to tell the police what to
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do judging by people in masks sunglasses
and the fact there's a lot of uh
flashbangs going off I think it's safe
to say the Red Front are probably in
attendance helmet
me of the far left started attacking far
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right police are really getting pissed
off
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now seems that they're using the dogs
more of a deterrent to disperse people
away from the March as it goes down here
they set the dogss on people here to
move them out the way and then the far
right March can pass
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freely despite the aggression the police
managed to stop any major violence
breaking out at the March but there's
been an escalation in targeted attacks
between the two
sides this footage of the Revolutionary
front smashing the home of a suspected
fascist is one of the many attacks they
film and publish on the internet
we met with a guy whose house is being
trashed in this video he asked us to
withhold his name and identity for fear
of further attacks even though he denies
being a member of any extreme right-wing
groups I woke up one night to them uh
smashing my front Oran with an
axe and uh they also smashed my car the
same night yeah and uh tagged my door
with RF basically they um open those
Gates yeah went in
smash the windows and threw in the smoke
grenade and this is the same way they
came when they smashed my place
up we went to the court case where
alleged members of the Revolutionary
front were on trial for ransacking the
victim's home to see if we could get any
closer to meeting them you're the
accused what are they trying to convict
you with
here they seem to keep mentioning
revolutionary front why is
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that and those guys in there seem to
think you're part of SMR is that correct
they know that I'm a nationalist they
seem to think that nationalist means you
know nazi racist I don't call me uh
racist would you prefer Sweden if there
was only one race yes so what would you
do with the people that aren't I don't
know why I want to send them home these
are exactly the kind of views the
Revolutionary front are fighting
against so after months of negotiation
the Rev front have agreed to meet us
which is actually quite rare considering
they're a far-left organization so we're
going to go and meet them now they said
they're going to pick us up in a car
drive us to an unknown location and
hopefully the interview will take place
there member of the Red Front has picked
us up now we don't exactly know where
we're going it all feels quite secretive
but hopefully it's to meet other members
of rev
front to gauge the uh level of security
that these guys um hold up they've asked
us to leave our phones in the car
been told got this uh slightly spooky
tunnel we've got one guy down there who
was our driver essentially keeping guard
and we're told that there are uh
reference members at the top of this
this hill so we're just going to go and
mute them
now seems like the prime location for
kidna
tunist nice to meet you guys thanks for
taking the time to meet us are we doing
it in English or you guys rather the
Swedish Swedish considering you to a
members of red front if you could
explain to us exactly what it is Red
Front stands
for there were a lot of far-left groups
who were pacifists and you know they
condemn violence why did you guys
specifically decide to take up arms
against the fascists it's not good to
use violence but it's a tool and um when
it comes to the
anti-fascist war against the Nazi
Movement we can't afford to think about
the public opinion
it's being a Nazi in Sweden today means
a world full of hurt when you guys are
fighting and stuff what kind of weapons
would you bring with you for
self-defense I all this
Jas my homemade Knuckles homemade yes
and if uh if there're too many I switch
to uh
the knife you know very short could I
see is that okay are you sure you want
fingerprints on
this
wow I've read that some some media
reports will say you guys are
essentially terrorists or you're
extremist what do you think to that the
working class build this Society where
every house you see every road you see
the work class build and still we got
nothing to say about how we how this
Society has is going to progress MH so
if the the the same society that pieces
me on everyday basis call me a terrorist
then I'm feeling kind of proud
actually after meeting the Revolutionary
front I couldn't help thinking that
despite their willingness to use
violence to combat fascism the far right
continues to gain popularity the irony
is that both sides claim to be fighting
a battle for the working class and the
so-called war is playing out in ordinary
towns and CI across
Sweden but with racial attacks on the
rise regardless of the politics the sad
truth about this wave of extremism is
the only thing on the increase is the
number of victims