Counter-Currents
1,169 words
Kevin MacDonald speaks at the Scandza Forum Stockholm, May 20, 2017
For about a month, since the very successful Scandza Forum event in Stockholm on May 20th, part of the AltRight has been in a sad state, with many low-water marks reached in comments on Facebook and in discussion threads. Lots of allegations and statements, many of them false, have been made, followed by demands for proof and support. As these speculations are now starting to harm and divide individuals, I feel it is my duty to clarify the points on which I have first-hand knowledge. My account spans a few days preceding the May 20th event when I personally took part in some significant exchanges. First, a short background.
I got to know Daniel Friberg in the early days of the Internet in the mid-1990s or slightly before. We got along very well together over the Internet, and had a very close collaboration on a project that included his magazine and lots of supporting material. We did this for a few years. He has been involved in the production and publication of all my book translations until the reissue of my first book translation, which now is republished by Logik Förlag. We are indeed very good friends and think highly of and much appreciate each other, although in recent years we have not been closely working together or socializing that much.
Roughly a week before the May 20th Scandza Forum event, I had a few short conversations with Daniel regarding the new organization Nordic AltRight. He had evidently heard that I was recruiting attendees to the Scandza event, as he asked me to have him and his girlfriend put on the invitations list. I forwarded that request to the Scandza organizers. A short time passed, and Daniel then asked me to confirm that he really was invited. I got back to Scandza, and they replied that Greg Johnson had asked to not have Daniel invited. This was a request and not an ultimatum. There were, to my knowledge, no conditions or terms attached to that request.
This was a bothersome situation. I let a few days pass, hoping than something improbable but fortunate would happen in the meantime. Then I told my contact at Scandza that I would call Daniel, which I did on May 16th. There was a discussion, and we exchanged several messages during the evening. Daniel was anxious to get in contact with Scandza as soon as possible. He said that I could tell them anything we had communicated about.
The SMS conversation below is from our exchanges that night. First is a screenshot, followed by a translation.
SMS conversation between Omar Filmersson (blue) and Daniel Friberg (gray)
Filmersson: “I have no contact right now, but he will probably get back to me soon during the evening.”
Friberg: “OK. Please try to speed this up or give me his phone number so that we can settle things – then I will wait before I take the matter further. But [name of a leading Nordic AltRight profile] and Co. thought that we should utilize all of our channels to urge a boycott of the conference if Greg doesn’t withdraw his demand.”
Filmersson: “Wait and do nothing until at least you have been in contact. I’m trying to reach him.”
Friberg: “OK.”
Friberg: “He has, however, only until 10 p.m. tonight. Please point that out. We have a press conference to prepare and need to make a decision tonight regarding how to deal with this, and what attitude to take to [the Scandza organizer] in the future.”
Filmersson: “I’ll send that at once. I am sure that [the Scandza organizer] at least gets my e-mail rather promptly.”
Filmersson: “Daniel, with the magnitude of the consequences in mind, I would really ask you not to start something or making some irreversible decision tonight. Sleep on it. If you give this some time, maybe it can be resolved. If an all-out boycott is urged through all channels, there will be a big fuss in open daylight within all of AltRight that would cause harm and sow division, and that would also taint the launch of the new organization.” [The last words refers to the Nordic AltRight.]
Two days later, on the 18th: Scandza’s principal organizer called me about a sudden crisis situation. He told me that intended speakers had been contacted in a way that could lead them to reconsider taking their flights to Sweden. He asked me to write to Kevin MacDonald as soon as possible to confirm the things I had related to him two nights before and to assure that, as far as I knew, no other individuals had been denied registration (the story that had been told to MacDonald was that everyone associated with Daniel was banned).
I don’t know what form these messages to MacDonald (and perhaps others) took or whom they were officially from. The Scandza organizer didn’t go into details, but I am certain that the important points he made were not distorted, because if they had been, then my letter to MacDonald would make no sense and only cause confusion and further inquiry.
Regardless of right and wrong, and though I didn’t and still don’t know all the details, I found it unacceptable to risk having the whole thing derailed. More than a hundred people (of whom I had gathered between 25 and 30) had reserved that day, and some of the greatest proponents of the AltRight/New Right were arriving from different continents. Regardless of the upsetting things we had to deal with, this was a very important event that I was not willing to let go down the drain.
Fortunately, Kevin MacDonald replied to the effect that we were still running on track; the show was still on.
These were the observations on which I based my conclusion that a boycott of some kind was indeed underway at the time of writing that email:
- Friberg mentions a boycott in the text conversation above.
- The issue was out on Facebook (and from there further out over the Internet) almost immediately after the 10 p.m. deadline.
- A leading member of the Nordic AltRight posted on Facebook that he cancelled his ticket and demanded a refund and encouraged others to follow his example, and that a lunch/speakers’ event on the 20th now was being organized for those who preferred that instead and perhaps had traveled from far away.
- The fact that Kevin MacDonald and perhaps more people had been contacted to the effect that the whole event could be in jeopardy.
A fifth observation, from which I would be very careful to draw any conclusions, was the coincidence that the date for the Nordic AltRight’s press conference was set to the day before the Scandza Forum event. (The Scandza Forum date was the first date of the two to be officially announced.)
After all that has transpired, and all that probably will transpire, I really hope that things still can get back to normal for the good of the cause.
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22 comments
Comment deleted
You can comment at CC when I am allowed to comment at Altright.com.
The title is a bit misleading, since the article only corroborates a subset of Greg’s statements in relation to all this. There are still plenty of attacks, like Daniel being a doxxer for instance, that are not covered. I would suggest another title to avoid muddle this up even more.
I am glad to see Friberg’s defenders are reduced to this sort of quibbling. Soon they will fall silent altogether.
Obviously the title refers to what is in the piece. It does not, for instance, assert that I also told the truth on my tax returns. (I did, but Omar would not know that.)
A few days ago, Greg Johnson wrote “All things considered, though, it is better to sacrifice personal friendships than to weaken the movement as a whole.”
Filmersson obviously has a close friendship with Friberg, perhaps even closer than his connection to Greg. In this piece, he shows that his allegience to truth and the movement takes precedence, even if that means sacrificing a friendship.
I should add: Filmersson performed this unenviable duty with exceptional tact and circumspection, and he clearly would like to maintain friendships on both sides.
In this essay, has managed to maintain the two pillars of friendship described by Emerson:
“There are two elements that go to the composition of friendship, each so sovereign, that I can detect no superiority in either, no reason why either should be first named. One is Truth. The other element of friendship is tenderness.”
http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/essays/friendship.html
I want to thank Omar Filmersson for this very important corroborating testimony, which settles some of the issues that have been central to this controversy since the beginning: 1. That Friberg made an ultimatum, not I (he repeatedly claimed I did). 2. That he was not invited to the conference in the first place (my friends at TRS apparently banned me for making this truthful claim). 3. That Friberg threatened to sabotage the event after 22.00, on Tuesday 16 May, by means of arranging a boycott — a threat which he later made good on, as anyone can see.
Friberg has lied repeatedly and shamelessly, and gotten others to lie on his behalf, about all three of these points; and he has attacked and slandered me repeatedly, and gotten others to attack me on his behalf, for telling the truth on all three of these points.
This clearly shows that he has been completely dishonest from the very beginning.
I an a Swede and live in Stockholm. I have no lust to be polite in this. My opinion is this:
I know Omar to be a honest, disciplined, idealistic and highly intelligent man with great work ethic. My few encounters with Greg Johnson tells me the same about him.
Daniel Friberg, whom I have met a few times, is a maniac. He creates an environment of fear. People who engage with him feel intimidated to not say or do what they want. He is a bully. He also is very manipulative. I have seen how Friberg interacts. He is a pure psycho. The sooner he could disappear from the movement the better.
I am sure that Friberg now spends 90% of his time trying to ruin Greg Johnson. Daniel needs this kind of conflicts to feel alive. There is only one thing that really matters to Friberg: his own ego. He has terrible low self-esteem. He is exactly the kind of person you don’t want in position of power.
This Lurk is now attacking the brightest star and hope of the movement. It is sad.
Greg told the truth about Friberg. Finally someone dared. Everything Greg Johnson has written about Friberg’s personality is correct.
Hello,
I am also Swedish.
I’ve met Greg on two occasions, and just changed a few words with my inadequate English. Although I do not agree with all political positions Greg has, my impression of him is good, and he seems to me to be an honest person.
I have never met Daniel, so I can not comment on him. But by all means, as I understand he has made valuable efforts and sacrifice of time and resources for our cause over the years. Which makes conflicts like these depressive.
If only people would respect others, you don’t have to agree with all their political opinions, discuss and criticize constructively yes, but just don’t put time and effort to destroy some others work. There is no honour in it, and It does nothing for our cause and struggle to move forward to new victories. On the contrary.
I wish people would focus to do your own thing well, and the energy against the real enemy, who can now laugh and be happy for these harmful conflicts within our movment.
Instead of spending time to build your own movement stronger and better, and focusing on the hard criticism of our real enemies, it’s a lot who puts down their most precious time to counter others they see as competitors. Destroy them, try to take their readers, members or activists. Twist about the same people in the little puddle, instead of improving themselves, getting more attractive and looking for new people elsewhere.
This is not the recipe for success for our cause, so we all lose.
But with that said. I do know Omar.
I can only agree on what Alex wrote about Omar:
“I know Omar to be a honest, disciplined, idealistic and highly intelligent man with great work ethic. My few encounters with Greg Johnson tells me the same about him.”
This is absolutely true, everyone who knows Omar, know that this is true. You have to look long for finding such an honest, honorable and idealistic person as Omar. He does everything for the struggle for our race’s survival. He has done important and tiresome work as few others have over decades, without requiring compensation or confirmation for anything he does for our cause, which benefits our movement much.
No, it’s not money, career or getting a chance in the spotlight he is looking for, it is truly idealism and duty which drives him to do what he does, namely: the love of our race. For this, I can only feel respect and admiration for Omar.
Omar is obviously a good person. He dont like conflicts in our movement, and would like to work for such things to be avoided and that people within our movement should not fight each other. I know that Omar did not want to be caught up in this, and wished that this conflict could be resolved and that he did not want to hurt any friendship with either side. He wants to see the good and positive of all iniatives in our movement, and does not try to sabotage or backlash others who work for our common interests.
Instead, focus should be on building their own positive movement and not attacking others. Omar would not intervene in such a way if he did not see it as absolutely necessary.
For that I think his words do carry a lot of weight, and it can not be dismissed.
Best regards,
Per Nordin
Here’s what we know for certain.
One of either Greg Johnson or Daniel Friberg is a sociopath. Or on cocaine. Either Daniel Friberg is a sociopath for doing all the things Greg said he did OR Greg Johnson is a sociopath for making up such outrageous lies.
Those are things that only a sociopath, a cokehead, or someone with very serious personal issues would do. This should concern everyone.
That is why things really can’t go back to normal. There is a highly unstable personality within our movement, with a not inconsiderable degrees of influence and support. We have within our midst a walking time bomb who could potentially, nay, will eventually cause the movement a great deal of harm and embarrassment sometime in the future. Like the frog and the scorpion, that’s what unstable personalities do.
I understand the desire for peace within the movement but in my personal experience, it’s always a mistake to overlook this sort of thing. There is no “he’s a pathological liar but…” You just stay far away from those people. This is not a “don’t punch Right” issue. It’s a matter of “There is a time bomb in our movement and it needs to be defused.”
I imagine that Greg Johnson is to some degree acting as a spokesman for multiple aggrieved who may not have stature or support to withstand the inevitable retaliatory barrage Friberg. So Greg is taking one for the team.
This may hamper his ability to deliver the smoking guns that people demand but to me, the idea that Greg Johnson is making all this stuff up out of thin air (which is Daniel Friberg’s position) is so implausible to be laughable.
Daniel Friberg has behaved exactly like every fraud when they feel under threat of exposure. Like ascared and cornered animal. Vicious, spiteful, grandiose, deceptive.
An honest person in Daniel Friberg’s position would to know where the hell those rumors were coming from. They would say “Someone said that about ME? Gee, I wonder why someone would say that.” They would want to get to the root of the misunderstanding and clear things up. “OK, people said X about me. Well, here’s what really happened…” Because that’s how you keep such accusations from coming back.
Firberg is just not behaving like honest men would behave in his position. He seeks not to exonerate himself but to destroy his accuser which is (and I hate to get all armchair Freud here) what sociopaths do when confronted with their tomfoolery.
Now, that’s just my opinion. Who am I? I’m no special. I don’t know either of these two but just seeing the feud unfold, I can tell you I met many Daniel Fribergs in my life. You’ve just gotta look and ask yourself “Who appears more scared?” to know what’s going on.
Greg Johnson will eventually be exonerated and many people will feel very foolish.
Ok, those points are cleared up, certainly not favorably to Friberg.
But I´ll try a bit a wider view: so Friberg finds himself excluded from an important event: he will consider this as an affront. His reaction equals a poll: do you find it acceptable that I, Friberg, as a merited fighter for the cause, am treated that way.
But a decision in that question needs to take into account the full picture, and that is, as I´m made to understand: Greg´s steps were only to finally bring to light what was long festering under the blanket. He did not create a friction, he only finally brought to light existing ones. Which is “honorable” (to employ this word of Greg) because he takes it upon himself to be the bad guy while others in the past took the easier route and didn´t have the courage to talk about existing problems and tried to spare themselves the conflict.
It´s therefore clear that the situation calls for an open addressing and dealing with the causes of these frictions, i.e., Friberg´s behavior in the past. This baggage needs to be cleared, then we can move on.
If Friberg wants to rally his troups, he needs to offer disclosure of various ocurrences in the past, otherwise, that´s an incomplete picture which doesn´t allow to make a qualified decision. If he´s angry about being affronted, he needs ask what´s behind that behavior and be ready to accept that there may be other reasons than just malice.
I would hope, in the interest of constructive continuing, that this past can be healed, that Friberg can be made to understand criticism in his behavior. He undisputedly seems to be a merited and abled and highly ranking fighter for our cause. I would very much hope that reason may prevail and we can deal with things reasonably. But… I know that sometimes, such is not possible, and it is necessary to address problems and to not shy away from conflict. There may be no easy solution. Thanks to all who take it upon themselves and expose themselves to this conflict for the sake of our cause.
The people who are attacking Greg are mostly the same ones who have never supported him or CC. And the few former friends (including apparently some at TRS? I pay very little attention to them anymore) who oppose Greg publicly have just been exposed as dishonorable dead weight. Good riddance.
The newcomers to the movement will not care about any of this either way. It will turn some people off of the movement in general but will have no real effect. Spencer comes across as very petty and Friberg as just weird and very possibly untrustworthy. It won’t have much effect. The usual suspects are gonna usual and no one else will care.
It is obvious that Greg is in the right here and the smarter and more fundamentally decent people in the movement know that CC is light years ahead of all other WN/A-R websites. They will continue to support CC because they understand that there are greater things at stake than egomaniacal Twitter rants and endless trolling.
This will hurt Greg no more than it will hurt Spencer et al. But, when all is said and done, Greg benefits more in that he has now a more finely tuned group of people he knows he can count on. If I were part of the Altright.com crew, I would be feeling a bit uneasy about my circle of friends right now.
And, for what it’s worth, I am done with the childish clowns in this movement. It is time for a lot of these people to grow up and get serious. The Trump/Meme-War Party bubble has popped and it is time to move onward and upward. These people are like the kid who gets into a good school and then wastes all of his time drinking.
If Omar is right, this is a lie:
https://altright.com/2017/06/01/greg-johnsons-attacks-and-how-to-deal-with-them/#comment-3342007663
Since I have been attacked for making this statement, I must emphasize that the degree to which I support or legitimize statements or perceptions is strictly limited to what I have disclosed in this account (the title is editorial). My purpose for writing the text was to end ongoing speculations (which were damaging people) where only I had first-hand information. From the observations accounted for above and my communication with the Scandza organizer, I concluded that the Stockholm event was under severe attack. The decision to reveal the text conversation was difficult and heavy, but it was the only thing that could lend credibility to the clarifications made. This is the last I will say on the matter.
If anyone has read “You Gentiles” they would see that Friberg has acted exactly as his Tribe would. First he asks to be invited, then he threatens, then he attacks through others, then he attacks directly with lies and innuendo. He is either at your feet or at your throat.
He’s not actually Jewish. Well, maybe in a spiritual sense he is.
If Friberg is the guilty party (and I’ve always assumed so) then what are we to make of all his continued supporters?
Speaking of supporters, Greg, I’ll be back.
I think Friberg’s dwindling base of supporters consists of people who have been deceived by him, people who have invested in him (personally and financially) and who are in denial about the problem, and people who are just using this to forward their own grudges against me. Richard Spencer falls into all three categories.
Thanks for your support.
That’s completely false. We need to stop telling ourselves fairy tales about our enemies.
If we don’t see infighting on the left, it’s only because we’re not looking at it, which is surely a sign that we should stop repeating clichés and start watching our enemies more closely. For example, antifa are largely made up of anarchists and Trotskyites, both of which are notorious for their infighting, schisms, and sectarianism. Their vicious personalities and vicious ideologies produce vicious behavior right across the board. How could it be otherwise?
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