The municipality of Lund sponsors a Palestinian writer as part of an initiative for artistic sanctuaries.
For that, the municipality pays over SEK 900,000.
At the same time, the author praises the October 7 attack and shows open support for terrorist groups.
Now the municipality plans to stop the scholarship.
The article in brief
The Lund municipality’s sanctuary writer has publicly expressed support for Hamas and other terror-labeled organizations, as well as praised Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
An expert believes that her statements are terror glorification.
Now the municipality of Lund wants to stop the scholarship.
Freedom of expression is restricted in many places around the world. Therefore, a network was started for democratic countries to receive writers, journalists and artists. Whoever is accepted gets a sanctuary and resources to make their works for two years.
There are around 70 cities of refuge in the world – in Sweden, 25 cities are connected. The network has supported people from Belarus, Iran, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Myanmar, Honduras and China, among others.
This spring, Lund welcomed its third sanctuary artist: A writer with Palestinian roots, who will, among other things, translate Karin Boye’s poems into Arabic.
The author receives a stipend of SEK 10,000 a month, a free and furnished apartment and the help of a coordinator at the municipality. In total, it costs the municipality SEK 466,000 a year.
The post on October 7: “Hand out candy”
At the same time, the author has for several years publicly expressed support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Palestine and the surrounding area.
On October 7, the author published several posts praising Hamas’s attack on Israel.
“Hand out sweets in the streets of joy and celebration. For every martyr from us, rejoice and say Allahu akbar,” the author wrote.
The author has also shared posts with tributes to Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniya, as well as fighters from the terror-labeled Islamic Jihad and the slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
In an interview with the New York Times in February, Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk spoke out in a way that critics interpreted as indicating that Hamas might be open to political solutions and negotiations. The author then wrote that all forms of compromise regarding armed struggle are unacceptable.
The author rejected political solutions and negotiations – leaders open to political solutions were branded as traitors.
Political scientist Anders Persson believes that it is common among Palestinians to support the armed struggle against Israel, both what falls within the framework of international law and acts of terrorism.
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
The expert: Terror glorification
Much of the content of the author’s post is terror glorification, believes Anders Persson, political scientist at Linnaeus University with a focus on Israel and Palestine. It is something he has seen a lot of in Sweden since October 7, 2023.
– Hamas and Hezbollah have very strong support in the places they operate. There is a gap between these regions and the West, where they are labeled as terrorists, he says.
He explains that it is common to support the armed struggle against Israel, both that which falls within the framework of international law and terrorist acts. It is also common for individuals to pay tribute to terrorist-labeled armed groups with widely different ideologies.
Lund Municipality: Difficult to evaluate in a Swedish context
Mårthen Mirza is head of culture at Lund municipality. He says that the municipality did not know about the author’s statements.
He points out that the municipality does not support the author’s post. At the same time, he emphasizes that artistry is political and that by inviting artists you take a stand for freedom of expression and people who cannot work in their own home countries.
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– Then it can mean that you are also confronted with other types of questions. This is our third sanctuary guest, we have had one from Belarus and one from Ethiopia, and in all these cases it is about people whose artistry is political, and it is complicated to sit and evaluate that practice in a Swedish context.
– There is also a big difference between not standing behind those statements, and that it would mean that we do not stand behind the decision to invite the author as a sanctuary guest. It is not necessarily synonymous.
Mårthen Mirza says that the municipality relied on ICORN’s selection. ICORN is the international network that connects sanctuaries and cultural creators.
Photo: Fredrik Åkerberg/Lund municipality
Author: Not illegal
But the day after the interview with Expressen, the municipality announces that it will now open a case, with the aim of terminating the writer’s asylum grant.
It is not the first time this has happened in Skåne. A former refuge artist in Malmö lost his scholarship after he was convicted of drug smuggling.
But since in the author’s case it is not about breaking the law, the municipality must investigate what can be done.
– The conclusion after talking about this in the municipal management is that if we had known about this, we would not have invited the author, says Mårthen Mirza.
Expressen gets in touch with the author via email. The author writes that the posts are taken out of context and that the Swedish constitution also protects controversial and radical expressions.
“Swedish law does not criminalize political views, historical interpretations or rhetorical expressions, unless they involve direct, explicit and concrete incitement to violence against civilians or participation in criminal activity. None of these criteria are met in the current material.“
This is ICORN
ICORN, or Sanctuaries for writers and cultural figures, is an international network of cities and regions that provide shelter to writers and cultural figures from all over the world. The initiative is aimed at those who cannot work in their home country and is based in Stavanger, Norway.
The network was founded in the early 90s by author Salman Rushdie. Since then, it has undergone several changes and today over 70 cities and regions are connected. In Sweden, around 25 cities are involved.
In Lund, participation in ICORN costs SEK 932,000 over two years. It covers the cost of membership in ICORN, stipend for the author, travel, arrangements, apartment, broadband and telephony as well as a literature coordinator of 25 percent.
The costs per year:
Membership ICORN: SEK 25,000
Overhead costs, travel, arrangements, etc.: SEK 60,000
Scholarship to the author: SEK 120,000
Apartment: SEK 65,000
Broadband, telephony: SEK 6,000
Coordinator at 25 percent: SEK 190,000
Total: SEK 466,000
Source: Kulturradet.se and Lund.se
