We refuse the militarization of society – gang violence is the offspring of capitalism

Since the Swedish armyfired upon and killed communist workers, who spearheaded the demonstration in Ådalen 1931, Swedish military has not been used for police purposes. This is about to change. Through a broad unity, ranging from the Social Democrats to the Sweden Democrats, the politicians now want the military to again patrol our streets.

As communists, we reject this, partly because we see every reinforcement of the repressive role of the bourgeois state as negative for the working population, and partly because we know that organized crime as we see it today has been fueled by capitalism. The people now reap what capitalism has sown.

Every educational cut, every unemployed parent and every run-down housing block has created criminality. Every closed down youth recreation center, every wage cut and every increase in the insecurity of the people has created criminality. Social problems create criminality, it does not spring from a vacuum. More repression will not solve problems that could only have been solved decades ago.

The aggressive austerity policy pursued by successive governments has robbed the people of their welfare, hope, work and economic stability, and has created the foundation from which the gangs can now recruit. The erosion of employment security and the abolishment of the right to strike subdues people and make a life in criminality appear attractive. The increase in prices and the huge increase in the cost of living creates poverty that people want to escape.

We hold responsible all the politicians and all the capitalists, who in their own interest have forced the development we see today, for the escalating gang violence. Most of all we hold capitalism responsible.

Capitalism cannot offer anything but what we have today

In a world where the competition between the capitalist countries over market shares, raw materials and transport routes becomes ever sharper, the capitalists of all countries are forced to enact more and more drastic measures. On the one hand, this creates wars, like that in the Ukraine. On the other hand, this results in a war against the capitalists’ own populations. 

Every penny that is invested in the welfare of the people is a penny that is not invested into the strengthening of the competitiveness of the monopolies, and in times of sharpening competition within the entire system every penny matters. Money that has earlier been invested in our welfare has not disappeared following the austerity measures, but instead has ended up in the pockets of the capitalists, who use that money to increase their profitability and thereby also their ability to compete. 

This is why there is no other path under capitalism than the path that is marked by even harsher austerity, even worse pay and even more difficult conditions in all areas of life. That is also why capitalism fuels the criminality we see today and can do no different. Repression cannot solve this problem. Only socialism can solve this problem. 

For this reason we oppose all of the repressive mechanism that have been put into place. We oppose youth prisons. We oppose surveillance. We oppose wiretapping. We oppose harsher punishments. We oppose all measures that aim to violently crack down on the ills created by capitalism, and therefore hide that capitalism is the problem. 

We see the socialist revolution as the answer, as nothing besides it can stop the rampage of the monopolies, and therefore no other alternative can stop organized crime.

Communist Party of Sweden
Communist Youth of Sweden