Twenty-three years ago this week, Swedish Prime Minister and longtime leader of the Social Democrats, Olof Palme, was buried at the Adolf Fredriks cemetery in Stockholm, Sweden. As one of the most prominent champions for the abolition of apartheid, Palme had been murded two weeks earlier in front of a Stockholm cinema after viewing a late-night showing with his wife. Although police eventually detained a suspect, Christer Pettersson, and charged him with the the prime minister’s murder, he was later acquitted due to a lack of evidence. When Pettersson died in 2004, most leads into the investigation died along with him. The case is, however, still open.

Palme’s last official speech, given one week before his death, was given to a Swedish group dedicated to the abolition of apartheid. Having begun his political career with South Africa at heart — he collected proceeds from fellow students’ blood donations and put the money towards anti-apartheid efforts — Palme had built much of his international career as a proponent of equal-rights campaigns. Palme demanded that the Nordic countries become accountable for joining together and putting pressure on South Africa to abolish apartheid. The policies Palme proposed became implemented in the Swedish government and in various manners within other Nordic countries. Read More…

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