Tel-Chai Nation

If the organizers of the tennis match really planned behind the scenes to make the Davis Cup tournament as controversial as possible, then I'd say it was stupid to bother. A blogger at ESPN's site (via Power Line) said a short time ago:

There can be only one reason for how this has come about: The town fathers in Malmo, and perhaps the leadership of the Swedish federation itself, desperately wants this tie to be controversial -- wants to see it played behind closed doors, in order to somehow suggest that Israel is a pariah nation -- thereby advancing anti-Israel sentiment.

And that's just what happened: there were riots (also via Power Line and Hot Air Headlines):

Dozens of anti-Israel activists clashed with police Saturday as they tried to storm a closed arena where Sweden and Israel were playing a Davis Cup tennis match.

The activists hurled rocks and firecrackers at police vans as they tried to break through the barricades set up to keep protesters from the arena. Hundreds of riot police pushed them back using truncheons. [...]

The clashes erupted after about 7,000 people gathered at a square in downtown Malmo to hear speeches condemning Israel's offensive in Gaza and urging support for Palestinians. [...]

Sweden's Left Party leader Lars Ohly told the crowd that the European Union and the rest of the world should "boycott the racist regime in Israel."

The protesters then marched toward the Baltic Hall arena, where some of them attacked the police line with eggs, rocks and firecrackers.

The doubles match between Sweden and Israel started as planned before about 300 special guests invited by the two countries' tennis federations.

Okay, should I be recommending a boycott of their products and exports, including cars and trucks from Volvo and Saab?

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Scandanavia