Skåne is on fire!

  • Another night lit up by vehicles in flames.

    Those who are affected by it are asking themselves: Why is this allowed to happen?

    Fire devours more than plastic, oil and gasoline.

    Belief in the future and any hope of education and employment also disappear in the black smoke. The fire consumes it all.

    Nothing but the charred remnants of a sense of responsibility and willingness to participate in society will remain.

    The cars burn like the old-fashioned beacons; the fires people lit when their country was threatened, as a call for mobilisation.

    It is high time to extinguish the source of these fires in Skåne.

    Police officers and firefighters cannot be the only ones who go out to meet both victim and perpetrator. An entire society must work together.

    Aldo Iskra, General Secretary Open Skåne

  • Open Skåne

    - We are a politically and religiously independent organization.

    - We initiate and take responsibility for dialogues, meetings and forums for informal and formal leaders from diverse sections of society.

    - Our aim is to strengthen social cohesion in Skåne.

The mosque at the Islamic Centre in Malmö came under fire with one shot from a rifle on New Year's Eve.

Violent extremism and Islamophobia

Open Skåne’s pilot project:

Muslim communities and Police Region South

  • Together, police and Muslim leaders develop strategies to create a safer Skåne, free from violent extremism and Islamophobia.

"We must learn to see the power of diversity. We do this best through the personal meetings that Open Skåne offers.“

Police Chief Ulf Sempert

An antisemitic poster outside of the synagogue in Malmö.

Antisemitism

Open Skåne’s pilot project:

Jewish-Muslim partnership

  • Through public and private meetings, Jews and Muslims overcome the barriers to communication and shared responsibility.

    The goal is to strengthen trust among the next generation of Jewish and Muslim leaders.

"Open Skåne is a tool for creating long-term relationships between people who today are afraid of each other."

Imam Salahuddin Barakat

The man who was subjected to a racist attack on a Malmö bridge in front of his young son tells the news media that he will continue to fight against racism and Afrophobia.

Afrophobia

Open Skåne’s pilot project:

Afro-Swedes in Skåne

  • Through networking, opportunities are strengthened for Afro-Swedes to be heard and to act together on behalf of equal rights for all.

"Open Skåne opens doors that lead to conversations between people who otherwise would never have met. This gives us a chance to affect both individual people and society at large."

Activist Felix Unogwu, network Afro-Swedes in Skåne

Police cordon in Kristianstad, where a man was shot in both legs on a Monday evening.

Social unrest

Open Skåne’s pilot project:

Think tanks on security and confidence in a better future

  • Key individuals, with diverse responsibilities and roles in the community, come together to find new solutions to common challenges.

"We have learned a great deal through Open Skåne's way of working; the openness and the courage to ask questions that affect the participants and inspire them to grow.”

Henrietta Hansson, CEO of Länsförsäkringar Göinge-Kristianstad and co-founder of theThousand Thoughts Network.

Refugees from Syria at Malmö Central Station.

Inclusion

Open Skåne’s pilot project:

Open Skåne Café

  • Open Skane Café provides newcomers with opportunities to learn Swedish and to gain knowledge of how Swedish society works.

"Waiting for a residence permit takes a long time. I do not want to be passive! I want to get to know people. To study! To work!”

Newcomer Mohammed

Open Skåne’s

Cooperation Partners

  • Church of Sweden (Lund diocese)
  • Church of Sweden (national)
  • City of Malmö
  • County Administrative Board of Skåne
  • Lund Mission Society
  • Lund University
  • Malmö Muslim Network
  • Malmö University
  • Police Department, South Region
  • Region of Skåne
  • Sparbanksstiftelsen Färs & Frosta
  • Swedish Church (Malmö)
  • The Chamber of Commerce of Southern Sweden
  • The Network of Jewish communities in Skåne
  • The Sodalitium Majus Lundense Foundation
  • Thora Ohlsson Foundation

  • “Open Skåne is needed as a network where leaders in society, business, and religion can meet as necessary, and act together. "

    Bishop Johan Tyrberg, Lund Diocese

  • “Open Skåne gives us an excellent opportunity to rationally and successfully cooperate with religious associations throughout the entire county.“

    Regional Police Chief Annika Stenberg, Police Region South

  • "Open Skåne helps to increase trust between people. It strengthens the social capital, which is an important resource in meeting the the challenges ahead."

    Henry Fritzon, Chairman of the Board, Region Skåne

  • “We want Malmo to be a city where diversity is always seen as something positive. Open Skåne contributes to this! "

    Mayor Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, City of Malmö

  • ”Open Skåne creates new contacts among people, which results in an expanded capacity in business.”

    Stephan Müchler, CEO Chamber of Commerce of Southern Sweden

An entire society must work together!

www.openskane.se