Photo: DPA

Extremist Swede gives anti-Islam party millions

Published: 24 Jan 10 13:08 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100124-24791.html

Swedish far-right businessman Patrik Brinkmann has announced he will pour €5 million into the coffers of Pro NRW, an anti-Islam populist party based in Cologne.

In a report to air Sunday night on Germany's public broadcaster WDR, Brinkmann says he fears Germany is becoming "too foreign" and that Sharia law will be introduced in the country.

"However, there are no, or very few, politicians who take this seriously," Brinkmann said.

"That's why I believe that a new right wing (in Germany) can not only succeed, but in five or ten years be as large as the FPÖ in Austria or the SVP in Switzerland," he added, referring to Austria's Freedom Party and the Swiss People's Party, two far-right groups which have enjoyed a certain amount of electoral success.

The millionaire, who reportedly already has ties to Germany's extreme-right NPD and DVU parties, will finance a building for Pro NRW to be used as an anti-Islam centre.

Burkhard Freier, the deputy head of the North Rhine-Westphalian branch of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Verfassungsschutz, considers Pro NRW and a related group, Pro Köln (Pro Cologne), dangerous organisations.

However, he added that Pro NRW's membership roll is so small, around 300, that it does not have much of an influence in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state.

"That's why they play up every new member, every property purchase and every event as big as they can on the internet so they can give their own adherents the feeling that 'we are somebody'," Freier said.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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13:28 January 24, 2010 by Prufrock2010
It's hardly surprising that neo-nazi fruitloops are coming out of the woodwork in today's climate of anti-islamic xenophobia. The more compelling question is, what legal basis exists for a Swedish citizen to interject himself in German state politics. What's this guy's dog in Germany's hunt?
13:55 January 24, 2010 by jmjdk
The more compelling question is, what legal basis exists for a Swedish citizen to interject himself in German state politics.
The domino theory. The theory that got the U.S.A. into the Vietnam war and kept us there for way tooo long. The Swedish citizen is just try to prevent the similar thing from occurring in Europe (spread of islam) as has happened in the far east (spread of communism). The only difference is that he trying to do it with money and not bullets. Hopefully less people get hurt and or killed this way.
14:09 January 24, 2010 by Frenemy
@jmjdk:

baaaaa, seriously dude?!

I'm probably more militantly confrontational than everyone that posts on here (save one possible exception: HerrDB, lol)

...but it ought to be readily apparent to any thinking/rational human that the US justifications for Vietnam were nothing more than pathetic equivocations. Domino theory??!! What a joke. By contrast, the threat of Islamofascism represents an imminent threat and clear/present danger to everything we hold dear (any assumptions to the contrary are inherently self-destructive...at best [!])
14:14 January 24, 2010 by Prufrock2010
The Swedish citizen is just try to prevent the similar thing from occurring in Europe (spread of islam) as has happened in the far east (spread of com…
So cross-border financing of fascist, ultranationalist organizations is a laudable thing? Well, I suppose the U.S. will now put that theory to the test since the U.S. Supreme Court has just given American corporations, including those controlled by foreign individuals and entities, carte blanche to purchase each and every American elected official from county dog catcher to congressman to senator to president of the United States.

For me it's a little disquieting that wealthy individuals are allowed to buy their way into the politics of another country in which they don't even have a right to vote. But then again, when fascism and ultranationalism are conflated, I suppose geographic borders lose their significance. Why should anyone in any country bother to vote when outside money is going to determine the shape of politics and policies in your own country? I get it. Welcome to the world of "Rollerball."
15:25 January 24, 2010 by snorge
I'm all for this guy, keep guys like him em coming and pouring the money to get rid of Islam in the West.

You a bleeding liberals who think Islam should coexist here is the west will be sorely disappointed once it happens. Just look at what model citizens Islam has sent to Germany. And you want more??????
15:28 January 24, 2010 by So36
This guy supports neo-Nazis. Perhaps it's time for you to wake up.
15:33 January 24, 2010 by mixxim
In the UK I saw a sign in the Supermarket which said ' If you want Swedes cut in half please ask an assistant' I think maybe she should be invited to come here....
15:48 January 24, 2010 by Frenemy
hmmmm, actually....I prefer my swedes to be blonde, large-breasted, and semi-promiscuous!! (cut in half? no so much...)
15:54 January 24, 2010 by Prufrock2010
@snorge

You would like to "get rid of Islam in the West," and to accomplish this you propose supporting more neo-nazis? Hmmm.... How did that nazi thing work out for you the last time around? I guess the terrorists have won after all, if the sentiments expressed in your post are representative of the beliefs of anyone other than a lunatic right wing fringe that's every bit as crazy and dangerous as the jihadists.

By the way, one doesn't have to be "liberal" to respect the rule of law and constitutional principles.
15:54 January 24, 2010 by mixxim
The Safeways staff should be told the difference between suedes and swedes...
16:06 January 24, 2010 by Jibzy
@Snorge: I'll say it again..if you had made the right choices in the past..this wudnt have happened to you :-)

Whats a model islamic citizen btw? Who agrees with everything you say? Do we have to eat pork and drink beer to please you ..master.. ?
19:27 January 24, 2010 by wxman
Quit trying to equate those who are anti-Islam expansion and Nazis. If you'd read the history of WWII, you'd find out that Islam and the Nazis were allies. Both wanted to eradicate Jewry from the face of the earth. The Palestinian Imam frequently visited Herr Schikelgruber in Berlin during the war, and Bosnians had their own SS gruppen. The only difference in their uniform was they wore the death's head on a more traditional North African fez.
20:11 January 24, 2010 by Edin
@wxman,

2 days ago when you wrote something like "When I was stationed there in 1972, the place was already filthy with them (Muslims)"... entire comments where deleted when I reported the abuse....

My question is: upon fair conclusion that you are/where a us soldier stationed in Germany, was the above statement product of what they teach you there, or you are just an old redneck, neo-conservative, fascist???

Either way, I'll report the abuse again in few minutes (for comparing second-largest religion in the world to Nazis), giving you the time to read this...
20:12 January 24, 2010 by Meringer
There is no difference in spreading hate against muslums than there was against Jews. It started out as just distrust and dislike,progressed to finger pointing and blame, then to hate and murder. They are starting out as a small but vocal group advocating the control and then maybe the expulsion of a group of people, how long before it could escalate into more, maybe preventing Islamic people from voting, then from owning businesses or their own homes, then trying to force them out of the country, then increasing violence and hatred, then rounding them up and killing them. Sounds familier doesn't it. How hard would it be for the extreme right to go to out of work youth, and tell them it is not your fault, it is the fault of the foriegners (specifcaly Islamics) who are taking your job, your money. To tell these disaffected people that they need to take action against the evil outsider who is ruining his life and country. This is a slippery slope and a Nazi like group could rise up again, against Muslums instead of Jews.
20:25 January 24, 2010 by Edin
Actually... there are some very good comments here... lets leave them
20:46 January 24, 2010 by Frenemy
@Meringer: I commend your (theoretical) historical analysis. But you're wrong.

Contemporary German society has built-in safe-guards that prevent something like that from happening again (its called "collective guilt").

Modern Germany has the opposite problem: reluctance to use violence as an instrument of foreign policy under any circumstances...(foolish)
20:51 January 24, 2010 by Celeon
@ wxman

While there certainly was a connection of a common hatred of jews on the upper level (For instance between Heinrich Himmler and Mohammed Amin al-Husseini) the men of the muslim SS battalions had rather simple and pragmatic reasons for joining up with the Waffen SS.

Just as today the region of Yugoslavia was divided along ethnic and nationalistic lines with raising tensions that were a logical consequence of the german occupation and destabilisation of the region.

Divided by religion, divided by ethnicity ,devided along the pro-german - pro-soviet lines. Pro- fascism , pro-communism. What happened in the 1990's was nothing less than the continuation of this conflict after a long post ww2 pause.

The bosnian men of the 13. Volunteer Mountain Division "Handschar" for instance were mislead into believing their unit would be formed to guard and protect their local towns and villages but instead they were sent to southern France and later to Silesia in Poland.

The members of "Legion Free Arabia" which also included African nationals of cristian and muslim religion, joined up with Germany with the goal of freeing their home countries of british colonial influence or rule.

It was the same with the members of "Legion Free India" which were of course made up of hindus and sikhs.
22:33 January 24, 2010 by Frenemy
@celeon: I think I seriously underestimated you buddy (it would seem that you have quite the head on your shoulders)

@fredfelman: meh...thats called "takfiri" methodology of anti-western warfare tactics ("blending in" for the supposed "greater good")

@franz: you think Islam is "brutal"? have you ever read anything in the Christian Old Testament or the Jewish Talmud??!! (religion [all of them] ought to be abolished!!). But you're absolutely right, it IS time for the truth to be spoken: (no offense to any ausies out there, but I say we take all these religious types and put them in Australia...let them fight it out, then we'll simply nuke the left-overs....) ;-)
22:43 January 24, 2010 by LMB222
Could you guys remind me please what I should be afraid of? That "Islam" everybody is talking about, what's wrong with it? They mistreat their women? Like that doesn't happen everywhere. They don't mingle? Like that's very surprising with immigrants. (Do immigrants assimilate in the US? Never in the first generation)

I admit, I don't have a particular sympathy towards them, but I'm not afraid of them. I ignore them, they are just a bunch of backward machos. Surely they don't fit, so why do we import more?
01:22 January 25, 2010 by Annika669
So am I Swede, so am I ashamed, like never before humiliated as hung out as Swede in this
16:33 January 25, 2010 by Henckel
@ Frenemy: I agree with you view of Swedes. Who would ever want to wear a burqa?
23:33 January 25, 2010 by Logic Guy
Well, the truth is, Germany and all of Europe doesn't want to go backward.

The Crusades were enough. But I really believe that most us know, at least sub-consciously, that Europe is headed for something just as tragic or probably worse.

As I have said before, humans have struggled since the very beginning, simply because there has never been enough ntelligent people. High self-esteem would literally solve all of the world's problems. A new form of psychology is the key.
18:06 January 26, 2010 by 97B50
I would suggest that all who seem to think Islam is not a threat to German society and culture as we know it, would do well to inform yourselves about the real Islam and not the Islam that Muslims would have you know. Islam is a religion of violence, death, and sexual perversion. It is the world's fastest growing religion because in areas where it predominates the population is given two choices; convert to Islam or die.
03:36 January 27, 2010 by Davey-jo
@97B50 Are you familiar with the gentle conversion tactics of Chalemagne? I believe it can be summed up as "convert to Islam or die" oops sorry I meant to say Christianity. Still it matters not. Europe is no more Christian now thanks to him than it will be Islam thanks to these twits. Europeans do not take to religion easily and basically they still think the Sun is a God and worship it every summer day!
04:51 January 27, 2010 by Xxsarahxx
I can't believe this type of anti any group whatsoever is legal in Germany after what they did to the jews and others only a short time ago. It is nothing short of horrific.

If there are so many people just on this forum alone in support of this, how many regular germans are sitting at home silently agreeing.

All I have heard from Germans since moving here are complaints about the turkish and the muslims. They have learnt nothing from their history and that leaves them open to repeat it.

How about just getting to know these people and developing a common ground. Yes there are some nutter islamist, but from what I have seen there are just as many if not more nutter germans....
06:32 January 27, 2010 by Perra
There are many Saudi organisations funding mosques in Europe so I cannot see why the contribution this Swede made would raise any alarm or concerns.

Had I how ever tried to raise money for a church in Iran or in Saudi Arabia I would have been instantly put to death/caning/amputation or life in jail.

After living in the middle east a few years I would say that you have to accept the custom where you live, I lived there because I made money, same reason as most immigrants we have are here... I did for obvious reasons not question my Arabian masters and I left the whole region after awhile after my neighbourhgs wife was raped in front of her daughter and the investigation was closed by the police since the attacker was a highly valued citizen of the country.

However most of the normal working people I met in the middle east, disregarding religion, were all carrying about the same values as me, and all were in my opinion normal, hence we should not have any problems to live in harmony after getting rid of all extremists and after getting rid of this stupid political correctness that prevents us to persecute extremis views from both left/right and religous sources.
08:57 January 27, 2010 by Xxsarahxx
Perra

The Swedish guy is not funding a catholic church, he is funding an anti-islam hate party. Why doesnt he use the money and fund a swedish school instead? that would be better spent.

The middle east countries are not democracies, they do not follow the same guidelines ours do so you cant even compare, living there to living here. I don't expect them to follow our rules, that is where the problem is. No tolerance for anything different.

For example, who are we to tell people how to dress? We are walking around thinking take some clothes off you look hot, they are thinking, put some on, you look like a tart!!!! Live and let live I say!!!

I agree with you about curbing the extremists, that is what needs to be done, so we can all live our very fleeting lives happy and healthy!!! :-) I thought in Germany especially they would be more harsh on racism, I guess I was wrong.
10:00 January 27, 2010 by Perra
I do not think that this guy from Sweden is opening a hate-church against muslims, I think its a natural response since we have people now screaming for sharia laws in UK, Germany and all over Europe, it is not political correct to complain about this but the fact is that it is a threat to our democracy and our way of life.

A question I like to ask to the people protesting against democracy in the UK is: Why do you move from one part of the world to another and try to convince the people in your new country that you are right and should rule by gods-right???

I think that the muslims that move to europe have to be as humble and law obedient as the christians/westerners that move to the muslims countries are, thats not too much to ask.

We have to compare us to them even if the laws are completely different, if we try to be too nice it is like to try to cuddle a mad wolf in yo submission, it will not work, and you will be eaten.

We are all living in the year 2010 not 1010 so all this Jihad bullshit has to be put to an end, there is noone that will ever complain about any religous beliefs in Europe, but when people that we have granted asylum and relief from persecution, hatred, political violence, war and disaster strucken countries are telling us that we have to obey by their rules we cant stay silent but have react.

I suggest that the people who are demonstrating against our democratic system and values move to a country which have religous laws and ask them to take care of them.

Last time I looked the middle eastern countries were among the richest in the world, so I cannot understand why they cannot take care of their own therfore I suggest that the Jihadists ask their muslim brothers in Arabia to take care of them instead of us Europeans, they have more money than us and are currently doing nothing to assist their brothers and sisters! Actually the poor refugees are living in Europe and are being taken care of due to our Christian/Democratric heritage and traditions.

By the way, Pls look how much country by country have given to the victims in Haiti... Not Saudi, UAE or Iran havce given more than the poorest African countries..
14:09 January 28, 2010 by Don Sharpe
Mr Brinkmann is a HERO for our times. He won't be the last . . ...
16:20 January 29, 2010 by tlwinslow
Maybe it takes one to know one when it comes to Islam, whose leaders throughout history make Hitler look tame considering the limited military technology available to them. It's too bad that the West is full of Islam history ignoramuses, else they'd understand that Islam is a threat to the existence of the West, and close ranks, not let left-center-right politics blind them. Until the Muslim threat was defeated in Vienna in 1683, the West was in a thousand-year-long defensive war against horrible Islam, and now that Western govts. are blithely allowing mass Muslim immigration, Europe is threatened with becoming Islamized without the need for a military victory. Study Islam's hairy history free online with the Historyscoper and arm your mind with the knowledge to better understand the issues at http://go.to/islamhistory
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