On August 27th, a quiet walk in central Stockholm became a nightmare for one man. He is 42 years old, and he was attacked just because he looked "foreign". As we detailed in our previous article, Allt Du Behöver Veta om Aktivklubbs Attack i Stockholm, var detta ett planerat hatbrott av nynazistgruppen Aktivklubb.

AfI har jobbat hårt för att visa vilka angriparna är och vilka platser som hjälper dem. Men den verkliga skadan är inte bara rättegången; det är det liv som krossades.

The victim's words, shared in a public statement, give us a clear picture. They show not just the cuts and bruises, but the deep, hidden hurt caused by cruel hate.

He remembers little of the attack itself: "I remember something happened behind me and then I seem to have lost consciousness. But what happened, or how, I don't know". What the police found out is scary: he was hit and kicked again and again, even while lying helpless on the ground. The violence stopped only when the police came.

Den fysiska kostnaden var enorm: en hjärnskakning, flera tänder förstörda, och en skrämmande tid då han knappt kunde höra. Men smärtan inuti är djupare.

"The feeling was, and it still holds tight, that I, a grown man of 42, was humiliated and thrown to the ground. It was so completely mercilessly. I didn't even get a chance to react. I just lay there while they treated me that way. It is so humiliating. That feeling has not let go of me. It feels humiliating and difficult".

Förnedring. Hjälplöshet. Detta är hatets dåliga vapen. De stjäl värdighet, förstör förtroende och tar bort den grundläggande trygghet vi alla behöver.

After the attack, he felt he had to leave Sweden. He went abroad to stay with relatives. He only came back for the trial, and with his return came the scary feeling that the pain will last a long time: "The feeling of discomfort and insecurity came back… I feel it here - a feeling of insecurity".

His life is now changed: "I've tried to go back to normal, to be a person who likes to walk. But I have become cautious, I watch people's faces… When I see two or three people together, I wonder if they're planning to do something. If I hear a sound behind me, I turn around immediately to see what it is. I am on my guard".

Detta är vad det innebär att leva i skuggan av hat. Det gör en vanlig promenad till en skrämmande utmaning. Det gör att vanliga grupper av människor ser ut som en fara. Det stjäl frid.

AfI stöder varje offer för hat. Vi gör deras röster högre, kämpar för deras rättigheter och kräver att de som gör detta hålls ansvariga. Vi får inte låta dessa handlingar bli normala. Vi får inte låta vårt samhälle bli en plats där invandrare lever i rädsla.