Saturday, November 18, 2006

Posted by at

2 comments:

C. said...

Now here's something to be proud of:
*dramatic eye roll*


Militant tee-totallers smash booze store
Paul O'Mahony

A branch of state alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget last night had its windows smashed by anti-alcohol activists in Umeå.

The group smashed seven of the shop's large display windows. It also spray-painted the word 'äckelgift', or 'disgusting poison', onto one of the windows.

Straight Edge Terror Force, as the group calls itself, sent a letter to local media in Norrland explaining that the attack was intended to serve as a warning about the negative effects of alcohol.

"People who do not use this poison always have to answer for why they do not abuse it. Is it the abstention from this drug that needs to be defended, or its usage?" the group asked in its statement.

"It is the first time anything like this has happened to Systembolaget," Lennart Agén, spokesman for Systembolaget, told The Local.

Agén has never heard of Straight Edge Terror Force before.

"We have to figure out who they are. Then we can try to speak with them.

"This is not an appropriate way to conduct a discussion," said Agén.

Commenting on Umeå, Agén notes that the northern Swedish town has "lots of vegans".

Umeå is the main Swedish stronghold for the straight edge movement, whose followers often abstain from alcohol, tobacco, drugs and animal products for ideological reasons.

"Alcohol is a terrible poison, which contributes to getting people on trouble and making them feel bad," the group wrote in its statement.

'Straight Edge Terror Force' is the title of a 1997 song by Umeå band Last Exit.

11:15 AM
Kwach said...

Another fine example of a good idea gone wrong in the hands of extremists. Sort of like Christianity, but without the fried chicken.

7:55 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)