FUF is in place in Almedalen! Every day we publish a short summary of the previous day with a focus on global issues.
The final day of Almedalen was calm – a stark contrast to the intense and bustling previous days. The seminars and talks were comparatively few, and the consistent theme among those with an international focus was Ukraine, although a few dealt with the situation in Gaza, human rights in China and religious freedom in Libya.
From the Almedalen stage, the Left Party's party leader Nooshi Dadgostar and the Christian Democrats' Ebba Busch spoke. Dadgostar both began and ended her speech by talking about democracy and freedom - that they can never be taken for granted, and that they must be won over and over again. "Despite man's longing for peace and freedom, the world around us is crumbling," she said, highlighting both Ukraine and Gaza. She described international law and the rules-based world order as “small countries’ most important insurances”, and said that Sweden, as a small country, must always guard against this.
– Children are not allowed to be children when the world order of tyrants applies. We see how they advance in their brutal power struggle: an orange president in the USA who claims the right of the strong, a ruthless nationalist dictator in Russia who invades neighboring countries, a right-wing extremist settler government in Israel that carries out genocide against the Palestinian people. Terror and oppression. They do not respect humanity. No country is above international law, no people can be deprived of human rights, said Dadgostar.
In her speech, Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch (KD) mentioned the war in Ukraine, the war and famine in Sudan, the conflict between Hamas and Israel, the war between Israel and Iran and an erratic United States, and said that Sweden needs to act courageously.
– There are strong winds blowing in our world right now. The world's political continental plates are moving almost like an earthquake. It's cold, it's dark, it's really shaky.
The answer, according to Busch, lies in armaments.
Almedalen Week raises questions
With that, Almedalen Week is over for this time. Even though theyn often described as “the world’s largest democratic meeting place”, it is clear that it has changed – Almedalen is not what it was a few years ago. There are fewer visitors and exhibitors, global issues and arenas do not have as much space, and the presence of civil society is not only much smaller – the small organisations are no longer here*. Experienced Almedalen visitors we spoke to describe Almedalen as a reflection of political priorities – both in the issues that are given space and in which actors are present. Caroline Nordvall, Secretary General of the Network for Sustainable Business, experiences a similar development:
– I experience Almedalen as increasingly closed. The trend this year is more roundtable discussions, which in itself is good. But if it is only large companies and political representatives who receive an invitation, it is a sad development for the democratic foundation on which Almedalen rests.
The JAS plane that, as always this year, passed Almedalen had a different meaning this year and made more people than usual glance at the sky. On Wednesday, the organizer of Almedalen Week issued a warning that the Armed Forces during the day displayed and test-fired weapons systems, developed to meet the drone threat, at Tofta shooting range and that this could cause gunshots in Visby.
– This is an extraordinary priority, Commander-in-Chief Michael Claesson told SVT.
Perhaps that is precisely what this week's conclusion will be: democracy cannot be taken for granted, and in an Almedalen context, democracy is not only about what is said from the stages, but also about who is allowed to be in the room. When the sound of JAS planes and weapons systems echoes over Visby while the voices of civil society fall silent, we are left with the question: which voices will be heard in the future?
*Like other small civil society organizations, FUF has not had the budget to attend Almedalen Week. Our reporting this year has been made possible thanks to logistical possibilities and a conscious decision to still be there – on a smaller scale, but with the same ambition to raise international perspectives and the voice of civil society.
Thursday's summary from Almedalen can be found here. here!
You will find all our updates from the week and the parties' election promises regarding aid policy in the highlights. "Almedalen 2025" on our Instagram.
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