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‘I am not a Satanist’: Sweden’s ‘mad’ biker

Published: 11 Jun 12 10:18 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/41364/20120611/

The man whose “666” number plate was scrapped by Swedish authorities after 20 years has spoken out about the ban, political correctness in Sweden, and life as “The Mad Swede” around the world.

As news of Robert Löfgren’s “offensive” number plate has swept the globe after The Local’s report on Thursday, the owner of the motorcycle has been the subject of a veritable media storm.

“This is all getting a bit much, I was even on the television last night. But really, the whole thing is stupid, isn’t it?” Löfgren told The Local.

“After all, I’m not a Satanist.”

Click here to see more images of The Mad Swede, including with the “offensive” hog

The Swedish Road Authority (Transportstyrelsen) wrote Löfgren a letter in early June stating that his plates would be de-registered as the plates may be “offensive” to some.

The number 666 represents the antichrist or the devil in popular culture and is sometimes referred to as “the number of the beast”.

Some people take the number so seriously that they actively avoid it, a fear known as Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.

Löfgren himself, however, has no such fear but admits that the devil did have an influence on his triple six decision.

“I’ve actually had the number plate for 20 years. I was inspired to get it after I rode my bike along what was then called The Devil’s Highway – Route 666 in the US. This was back in the days when I worked as a motorcycling journalist called ‘The Mad Swede’,” Löfgren said.

“When I got back to Sweden in 1991, someone told me my motorcycle was a beast and I figured I’d make a personalized number plate. 666 seemed like the obvious option.”

Now, Löfgren claims he felt the need to confront the agency to find out exactly how many complaints they had received about the devilish plates.

“They told me that no one has complained, but that they had decided that it might cause offence. Political correctness gone mad. The times are changing in Sweden, that’s for sure,” he told The Local.

As for now, the avid motorcyclist must choose a new plate that doesn’t rub anyone the wrong way.

“Could I change the plate to 667? Or would people be offended because that’s the neighbour of the beast. Where can we draw the line?”

Oliver Gee
Follow Oliver on Twitter here

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12:55 June 11, 2012 by Samuel Nemalladinne
ha ha really !! funny sweden,
14:37 June 11, 2012 by foxpur
@Samuel, it happens in the USA too...

A man I knew had "PI PI" for his daughter (as in the mathical useage)... but it was withdrawn for being too close to "PEE PEE"... He eventually get it back but too some time

Or another whose plate was "DE MON"... was pulled... The fact that is was the man's LAST NAME... he tried his name Theopolis but thade it worse (7 character max at the time... "THE DEMON"... he got his 1st plate back after a bit of legal threat several years later that his name is not illegal.
14:56 June 11, 2012 by ameribrit
Change it to 616 as this is the actual historical number of the beast.
16:39 June 11, 2012 by strixy
Sweden is a mad country. offensive to some? Then those 'some' surely do not have to kep on looking? :P
18:58 June 11, 2012 by bcterry
According to the bible, which i personally hold no affiliation, 666 is not offensive.

666: Cannot be a satanic number, because Jesus of Nazareth destroyed the devil with His death (Hebrews 2:14); otherwise, His death would have been in vain.

666: The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six (Ezra 2:13). Adonikam means "God with us" and it was exactly 666 of its descendants who left the slavery of Nebuchadnezzar. This means that 666 also symbolizes the glorious freedom of God's children. God with us removing us from deceit and darkness (John 8:32).

666: It is a number of prosperity, so much so that the wisest man beneath the sun, King Solomon, received 666 gold talents as annual salary (1st of Kings 10:14).

666: Contains so much wisdom, that in spite of receiving a lot of offerings, when tallied Solomon would refer to the 666 talents of gold and later more offerings were mentioned (2nd Chronicles 9:13).

666: John himself says that there is wisdom in the 666, and only he who has understanding can count the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man (not of Satan) (Revelation 13:18).

666: The Lord created man on the sixth (6) day of the creation of the world (Genesis 1:24-31) this is why the number 6 represents man (humanity), therefore 666 was a man who would explain the Bible. This means that, 6 would explain the 66 books of the Bible. Obviously that man could only be the Man Christ Jesus (1st letter to Timothy 2:5).

666: According to John, a third part of the stars (angels) would be dragged by the dragon's tail (Revelation 12:4), meaning that two third parts would not be dragged, in other words 66.6% would not be dragged.

666: The latitude of Ponce, Puerto Rico (The place where by predestination Jose Luis De Jesus was born) is 18 (which is the sum of 6+6+6) and the longitude of Ponce is 66.6.

666: Jose Luis De Jesus was born on April 22, 1946, in other words 4-22-46, when you take the 4 representing the month and the first 2 of the day of his birth they add up to six (6); next, add the remaining 2 of the day of his birth and the 4 of the year of birth, they too add up to six (6), that leaves a six (6) corresponding to the digit of his year of birth, resulting in: 666.

666: God's wisdom, when you hear and believe it, embeds itself as a seal in the mind [heart] of each believer (Ephesians 1:13) and as a sign of love to God the mark in the arm [tattoo] that He himself had predestined from eternity as His wife [the church] (Song of Solomon 8:6) That mark would be the number of His name: 666.

666: Wealth and honor, SSS: length of days (Proverbs 3:16). The location of these tattoos also was prepared beforehand, as was the baring of his holy arm unto the nations (Isaiah 52:10).

Also, the church of satan, which i also hold no affiliation, is just as viable as any other religion.

This whole offensive process is based on personal subjective bias.
07:18 June 12, 2012 by teejees
I was watching QI last week and this came up as to whether 666 was the real number mentioned in the bible but it was really 616 and apparently some bus company found it was really unlucky to have a bus route called 666 and changed it to guess what 616 as they did not know the correct information. Here is a link about it aswell http://www.wnd.com/2005/05/30211/
08:56 June 12, 2012 by rise
Where I was living when younger there was a car with the letters RIP 666! =) Probably banned too...
19:31 June 12, 2012 by luke123
So much for Sweden not being a country full of Christian wackjobs.

"Satanists" my ass. What's next. Burning witches ??
20:43 June 13, 2012 by samspur1
makes me sick! who cares, really. many in this day and age, would get more offended if he preaches the contrary... satanist shmatanist. catholic shmatholic.

sighhh
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