ABSTRACT
Stellan Vinthagen, a leading figure within the Swedish Plowshare Movement, initiated a heated debate within the pages of Syndicalisten and Brand, the newspapers of the Swedish Syndicalism movement, respective, the radical left. Vinthagen wrote a polemical article on Animal Liberation Front and political militancy in general. He argued that undemocratic forces must not appropriate the struggle for human and animal rights. Therefore, we must become aware of the need for a non-violent and open struggle. While these militant movements using violent means and secret organisational forms developed in England and on the European continent, according to Vinthagen, their methods and ideology have spread to the Swedish radical left. Vinthagen argues provocatively that AFA (Anti-Fascist Action) and SUF (the Syndicalism Youth Association) have become more or less "terrorist" organisations. "These underground movements [AFA and SUF] are at worst simply terrorist youth schools". (Syndikalisten, no. 1-2,1996) He continues by saying that when the Swedish left is dominated by groups like SAC (Syndicalism Association) and the Left Party, which despite their demands for radical social change remain within the 'law ', then it is not surprising that groups appear which use anti-democratic methods in their struggle for a new society. "Then we get underground movements which haunt society's sewers, where they can neither create nor live, just survive." (Ibid.) Not surprisingly, Vinthagen's article awoke a stream of criticisms. However, his article did focus upon two recurrent conflictual themes within the radical left which have long divided the left movement as a whole in Sweden: the use of violence in the struggle and the principle of openness. The use of violent, respective non-violent, measures in their struggle have been a central conflictual theme throughout the history of the radical left in Sweden. And it is still actual today within the alternative political culture in general.
