Now, two wrongs don’t make a right and I’m always arguing against “retributions” of all kind.
Iran killed zero people with the rockets they sent after Israel killed 16 people. They actually killed real human beings!
Then saying “Can we please be even now?”
And now Israel is saying they’re gonna strike “back”, and Sweden’s minister for foreign affairs is cheering them on. I’m like “strike back?! You struck first!”
Thirty-three civilians did get hurt by the rockets including a young girl. Revenge is never right and revenging on individuals that didn’t even do the original thing is even more wrong, even if they’re “of the same people” that hurt you. So I’m definitively not condoning the rocket blasts. They also took 25 human beings hostage (crew members of some ship). That is not OK either.
One of the drivers of modern wars is the view that we on our side are Real People who Matter and Count. If I stub my toe that should be headline news. One the other side there is no-one real. Only numbers that we should decrement.
And it breaks my heart to see Swedish politicians fueling this mindset.
American right-wing politicians are even worse. While Billström here in Sweden is cheering on a new strike from Israel, Bolton and Zakheim are arguing that the US should strike Iran.
A little less than two years ago, Jîna Emînî was killed and people protested that. The protests were brutally struck down (nearly 200 people were killed) and things haven’t gotten better.
During those protests, we empathized with the plight of the population there. They counted as human for a couple of months.
Ironically:
The pro-government protesters called for the anti-government protesters to be executed, and have referred to them as “Israel’s soldiers”, whilst shouting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, reflecting Iran’s clerical rulers’ usual narrative of putting the blame of the unrest on foreign countries
If there’s a strike against the population, these people might die. Missiles and soldiers are not toys. It’s real lives you are fucking up.
“But are you in favor of the rocket attack or taking the ship?” No, I am against that.
“But that was an act of revenge. Does that mean you are in favor of the consulate attack in Damascus?” No, I am against that.
“But that was an act of revenge. Does that mean you are in favor of the Huthi attacks?” No, I am against that.
“But that was an act of revenge. Does that mean you are in favor of IDF’s atrocities in Gaza?” No, I am against that.
“But that was an act of revenge. Does that mean you are in favor of the Oct 7 attacks?” No, I am against that.
“But that was an act of revenge. Does that mean you are in favor of the 2014 IDF-led massacres on Gaza?” No, I am against that.
“But that was an act of revenge. Does that mean you are in favor of…” No, I am against that. Stjärnstopp. Violence is bad. You can keep going back and it doesn’t get any better. Y’all are bickering in the back of the car as it’s going over the ledge. You’ll be the most justified avenger on the cinder the way things are heading.
I know Sweden has plenty of skeletons in its own closet. I’m not trying to be backseat driving how other regions are handling their stuff. What I’m complaining about here is our own ministry of foreign affairs completely recklessly war cheerleading.