Swedish far right not welcome at Nobel dinner

[pampango]

Source: The Local

Sweden Democrats' (SD) leader Jimmie Åkesson is the only parliamentary party leader not invited to the Nobel banquet in Stockholm City Hall in December, with the Nobel Foundation citing the values expressed in Alfred Nobel's will.

"It comes across very clearly that no consideration should be made to nationality affiliation. SD's values stand in direct contravention of this," said Michael Sohlman, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, to the Aftonbladet daily.

The decision to exclude Åkesson from the guest list for the Nobel Banquet on December 10th was taken by a united Nobel Foundation board.

"We are a private foundation and decide ourselves who we want to come to the banquet," Sohlman said, explaining that the Sweden Democrats' policy programme indicates a view of humanity not compatible with that expressed by Alfred Nobel.


Read more: http://www.thelocal.se/29858/20101027/

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This may play into the Sweden Democrats' hands to some extent (the "real" nationalists dissed by the "establishment internationalists") but at least it's not "business as usual" for the Nobel committee with regards to the far right in Sweden.

[JuniperLea]

1. "values expressed in Alfred Nobel's will"

It's all about "values expressed in Alfred Nobel's will." It's his money, his prize, his banquet, his rules.

This is one of the many things that pissed me off royally when Pubbies bitched, howled and moaned about Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

It's not THEIR prize. They have no say whatsoever in the award; it was never meant to be so. These awards are presented based on "values expressed in Alfred Nobel's will" and not any one person or party's politics.

I believe it was an insult to the Nobel Foundation, and to Norway, that American Republicans behaved so poorly.

[alp227]

2. Good. The far right sucks and is so reactionary that Nobel'd roll in his grave n/t