A Woman Stands Up to More Than 300 Nazis Refusing
​to Let Them Pass

ImagenDefiant Tess Asplund and the Nazis attempting to march through the city of Borlange, Sweden,



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​Tess Asplund, stood in the way of the right-wing extremists in central Sweden and silently raised her fist. The image of her peaceful protest and stand against racism has gone viral in Scandinavia. This activist is deemed a hero in Sweden for 'iconic' defiant gesture in front of a fascist march.The photograph of her brave and defiant action has been shared by thousands of Scandinavians on Twitter and Facebook, and the snap is already being hailed as an iconic moment in modern Swedish history. 

Ms Asplund had been taking part in a counter demonstration, organised by Dalarna Against Racism, to protest the Nazi march in Borlange on Sunday.

Speaking to local media, Ms Asplund, from Stockholm, says she is shocked that the photograph has had such spread online in the past few days. 'I normally stand with a raised fist at demonstrations, this is not new to me,' Ms Asplund, who has been an activist for 26 years, told P4 Dalarna.

'I just felt when they came walking that "you shouldn't be here" and then one of them stared at me and I stared back. He said nothing and I said nothing, and then the police came and removed me.'

When asked if she had been scared to face the Nordic Resistance Movement - many of whom have convictions for violent crimes - Ms Asplund simply said: 'I am not afraid of them.'

Photographer David Lagerlof, who captured Ms Asplund's action, wrote on his Facebook page about the snap: 'A single woman steps out into the street and stands in front of Sweden's most violent Nazi organisation.

'The place is Borlänge, 1st May, where the Nazi's have gotten a demonstration permit. In a single gesture, the woman then raises her fist and refuses to move. "What is she thinking?" is my surprised reaction while I raise the camera to take the picture
'In front of her, the organisations leader set moves closer in solemn silence. The woman's gaze meets that of the man in the middle, the leader of the nazi organisation who appears to stare back at her. 'There is a short "battle of the gazes" before the police steps in and removes the woman.' 
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Content from Portside
Posted May 2016
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