arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

On Sunday night Per Johansson, from Ornskoldsvik, was putting up posters critical of the EU in Brussels. Now the Belgian police have decided to send him back to Sweden - without giving any indication of how long this decision (of him being denied the right to entry Belgium again) is going to last.

Per Johansson has been asked to leave Belgium before Wednesday (12 December). The decision by the Belgian police also means that he is not allowed to enter any of the other 15 countries within the Schengen agreement apart from Sweden, unless he has "appropriate documents". The police in Brussels do not mention when he will be allowed back into Belgium.

It was on Sunday night that the unemployed welder Per Johansson from Ornskoldsvik, together with three Belgian comrades, went out fly-posting the streets of Brussels. The four were captured and searched by the police and then taken for questioning at a police station.

At the time of their release, early Monday morning, Per Johansson was informed that he was no longer welcome, that he had to leave Belgium.

Police gave two reasons for the decision : 1) he did not carry his passport. 2) "He has caused serious problem to public order".

Per Johansson is aware of the fact that permission has to be given for fly posters in Brussels as well as in Stockholm.

"You can put up posters in two ways. Either without any sense (vandalism) or in a way that is appropriate, and we did the latter", commented Per.

The posters gave information about meetings and were critical of the EU, "that's was all", according to Per, and there were no reasons for the police to be upset.

Per Johansson is member of Rattvisepartiet Socialisterna (RS) and was in Brussels to prepare for an anti-capitalist Conference the coming Saturday. The three who fly-posted with him are members of RS sister organisation in Belgium.

"We all did the same, but the police obviously singled me out and that is why I was ordered to leave Belgium", explains Per.

Dagens Nyheter has been speaking to government officials who question the decision that Per is not allowed to enter other countries within the Schengen zone.

A spokesperson for the Swedish police, Leif Alabo, an expert on Schengen claims that the decision by the Belgian police could be seen as logical in the sense that other countries are affected. But the Swedish police would not take a similar decision (including the whole Schengen area). The same spokesperson is surprised by the fact that Per was not given a time limit.

"How long it the decision will last is important for anyone expelled. I think the police, because of the Summit, in Brussels have decided to take a tough stand. But despite this ; the police should have given him a time limit as we did in Gothenburg", says Leif Alabo.