State repression of racist associations: Dilemmas of tolerance in the Nordic countries. (20th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Backlund, Anders
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian political studies. Volume 45:Number 3(2022)
• Page Start: 348
• Page End: 369
• Publication Date: 2022-04-20
• Subjects: Scandinavia -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 320
• DOI: 10.1111/1467-9477.12228
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0080-6757

Abstract

Abstract: When faced with organised racism, liberal democracies attempt to strike a balance between combating extremism and protecting core values such as freedom of association. Earlier research has argued that states that have experienced nondemocratic regime control in the twentieth century—either through a domestic takeover or a foreign occupation—are more likely to take a repressive approach to racist associations. In this study, I show that the previously overlooked Nordic region speaks against this explanation. Finland, which managed to avert a domestic authoritarian threat, is more repressive of racist associations than are the Scandinavian countries. The latter, two of which faced Nazi occupation, take a more liberal approach, which targets illegal actions rather than associations. These findings lead me to argue that the explanatory power of historical legacies cannot be reduced to a binary indicator such as nondemocratic regime control. I conclude by proposing a direction for future research on state repression of organised racism.