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Protesters arrested after Iraq expulsion demo

Published: 16 Feb 11 11:05 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/32078/20110216/

Swedish police have arrested 16 protesters outside the Swedish Migration Board's (Migrationsverket) asylum seeker detention centre in Kållered outside Gothenburg.

The protest was against the planned deportation of a group of 15 Iraqis scheduled at 8am local time, according to newspaper Göteborgs-Posten (GP) on Wednesday.

A number of the deportees are Christians, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and human rights organisation Amnesty International, the report said.

Police removed about 90 people from the scene and arrested 16 protesters on suspicion of police disobedience. Demonstrators blocked the entries and exits to the facility by forming human chains and with vehicles.

The protests continued on Wednesday morning at Gothenburg's Landvetter Airport, where the flight to Baghdad was scheduled to take off, with about 150 demonstrators.

Late last month, 20 asylum seekers were deported back to Iraq from Stockholm and another six from Denmark despite heated protests against their expulsion.

According to the UNHCR, a number of the asylum seekers who were sent back belonged to religious and ethnic groups targeted by violence in Iraq. Two days before the expulsions, 70 protesters were arrested outside the facility in Kållered.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis have fled the war in their country to resettle in Sweden, with official statistics showing 117,900 people born in Iraq lived in the country in 2009, up from 49,400 in 2000.

TT/AFP/The Local (news@thelocal.se)

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12:21 February 16, 2011 by UScitizen
Those two guys in the window are becoming famous.

According to the latest report, "Curveball" lied about WMD'S in Iraq to get the US involved in bringing down Saddam Hussein so how do we know any of these people are telling the truth about anything?

Has anything happened to the 20 asylum seekers who were deported last month? Maybe that should be checked on before any more deportations are carried out. If not, send them all back.
12:35 February 16, 2011 by loudasthunder
There's that photo again with the mis-spelled sign, this time it's 'we ned free'?

I seriously doubt the returnees are Not the targeted religious groups they claim to be, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that they'd say anything just to stay here.

It's also obvious that the protesters are not Scandinavians ie; 'Sven Svensson' or 'Bengt Bengtsson', but more like Abdul, Hassan or Muhammad.

There is a hidden agenda with them, otherwise, why the unruly protests?

Tusen Tack Sverige, Excellent Work : )
12:44 February 16, 2011 by flintis
# the flight to Baghdad was scheduled to take off, with about 150 demonstrators.#

Unfortunately the protesters were not on the passenger list. What a unique way to reduce the national defecit, deport the protesters & the asylum seekers on the same plane
14:38 February 16, 2011 by RobinHood
Lies are not the exclusive priviledge of Iraqi illegal asylum seekers trying to save their own skins.

Curveball's liying contribution to the start of the Iraqi war was a little different to the way you describe it. The then US administration had multiple sources (Iraqi, American, and UN) confirming Iraq had decommissioned its WMD.

These sources were disregarded in favour of a single source (Curveball) who said Iraq had not decommissioned its WMD's. Curveball was so off target and out of line, even the most basic of cross checks would have revealed him to be a fake; cross checking is usual for sources such as Curveball. Those cross checks were not carried out because anyone in US intelligence who suggested they should have been was reassigned to Ulan Bator. It became well known that Curveball's material was holy writ, and not to be contradicted - ever. The vast supply of material that did contradict Curveball was not only disregarded, it was actively disputed by Rumsfield and Chenney. Curveball was ultimately presented to the UN and the world as the prime justification for war with Iraq. History will record this as one of the greatest betrayals of the US people of the 21st century.

Curveball was indeed an Iraqi liar, an obvious liar, but a useful liar. His useful lies were cynically passed on by George Bush, and tens of thousands (including thousands of brave US soldiers) consequently died. A war started by an Iraqi liar is one thing, but a war started by a US president lying to his citizens and his soldiers (lying for reasons that have yet to become clear) is quite another sin, and I hope the Devil has a special place in Hell for everyone involved with Curveball; right next to 19 guys who arrived on 11 September 2001, and are still wondering what happened to their 72 virgins.
16:26 February 16, 2011 by UScitizen
@ Robinhood

I didn't really describe it, I only said what Curveball himself said. He said that lying justified the war and getting rid of Saddam. He said there was no other way. If anyone believes that Curveball's lying was justified, then everyone's lies were justified.

His exact words are:

"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right. They gave me this chance. I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy."

If that is accepted as ok, then Bush and everyone else were justified. The German BND was told Curveball was lying but chose to ignore it, so you can blame Germany for not impressing upon the US that the man was a liar.

Point is, many lied and many are to blame, not just George Bush and a couple of his cabinet members. If you're going to point fingers, don't just pick out one or two, be honest about who you blame.
19:53 February 16, 2011 by buschmann
The protesters are there only for the media exposer. Take away the cameras and they will go away.
21:57 February 16, 2011 by Iraniboy
I have a feeling that the picture is fake :D It is too similar to another picture used in a similar news.

Sweden is a generous country in accepting asylums, if they find someone no eligible I actually trust it. We cannot make conclusion based on general information rather than full details are required. By the way, if these Iraqis have lost their homes in Iraq due to US bombings, I assume another government should pay for that! or ?
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