Dear Friends,

The Book Fair in Gothenburg is looked upon as the greatest yearly cultural
event in Sweden and its program goes well beyond the literary, crossing
bridges to the political sphere.

To illustrate this last point, this year instead of the traditional
fireworks the inaugurational speech addressed the severe challenge implied
by the dramatic electoral gains of the extreme rightist and neo-Nazi groups
in Sweden. "Swedish Democrats" doubled its number of votes with 13% of the
total votes, becoming the third party represented in the swedish
parliament, with all its implications. They are represented in all of the
swedish municipal goverments, about 290, less 7 municipalities. In some
municipalities they won over 30% of the vote and in a few communes, maybe
four of them, the two nazi groups won a mandate. Let us keep in mind, that
for some of us, the swedish welfare model  was fantasized as a metaphor for
"global welfare."

In the past decades, the swedish church has become a progressive force,
concerning the values and vision of the WSF-process. During the 2008
European Social Forum, we enlisted the participation and support of K.G.
Hammar, a former Archbishop of Sweden, who remains one of the lights
shinning in the autumn darkness. He has written inspirational books on
climate change, "holy peace" and the like in recent years.

I just finished listening to Monsignor Desmond Tutu and his daughter, about
their experiences with the "Truth & Reconciliation" Commision, which
managed to effectively avoid a blood bath after the Apartheid Regime fell
appart and Mandela became president. We are aware that much needs to be
done and transformed in South Africa to dismantle the institutionalized
legacy of Apartheid.

There are several seminars concerned with Gaza, Palestina, ISIS, Human
Rights, Climate Change (Friends of the Earth) and pretty much, a similar
range of topics that constitute the geist of the WSF-process.

Given that the activities of the Social Forum has declined in Sweden, it
would not hurt to have a stand and organize some sessions about the WSF,
during the next Book Fair in Gothenburg, late september 2015.

Abrazos
Azril

Pieças adjuntas

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