HIP-HOP Swedish 'Idol' Judge Alexander Bard: Snoop Dogg's Arrest Was 'Celebrity Profiling,' Not Racial Profiling

After being arrested in Sweden on alleged drug suspicions following a concert on Saturday, July 25, Snoop Dogg accused police of racial profiling -- but musician and Swedish 'Idol’ judge Alexander Bard believes that authorities were practicing “celebrity profiling,” not racial profiling.

Snoop Dogg Arrested in Sweden on Drug Suspicions, Alleges Racial Profiling

"Police carrying out roadside controls noticed that Snoop Dogg seemed to be under the influence of narcotics," a police spokesperson previously told The Guardian, while Snoop voiced his outrage about the incident via videos on Instagram. "He was arrested and taken to the police station to take a urine test. The incident lasted several minutes. Once the test was carried out, he left."

"They made me pee in a cup -- didn't find shit," Snoop said in one of the clips seen below. "F--- y'all."

On my mamas im sick and tired of the pigs. N America n these countries that jus don't respect us fuck that new me new u u do we do 2 A video posted by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Jul 26, 2015 at 6:46am PDT

Message to my fans n fam !! A video posted by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Jul 26, 2015 at 6:50am PDT

Bard, who founded music groups Army of Lovers and Bodies Without Organs (also known as BWO) and also describes himself as a philosopher and anthropologist, gave Billboard a comment regarding Snoop’s run-in with law enforcement in Sweden, upon request.

“This arrest was not racial profiling, which is an American [phenomenon] but not a Swedish phenomenon. But it was clearly a case of celebrity profiling,” Bard tells Billboard. “The Swedish police are losing the ridiculous battle called the War on Drugs as much in Sweden as anywhere else at the moment, and they have clearly now gone into desperate hypergear by chasing celebrities over drug use to grab media headlines, and thereby hoping to retake the initiative in this prestigious generational battle.”

He continues: “However, with Swedish youth below 30 years of age taking a radically different and more progressive approach to recreational drugs compared to the conservative parental generation, this is an effort highly likely to backfire against the authorities. At least in social media, the outburst against the ridiculed Swedish police is immense. The arrest of Snoop Dogg has rather led to the most vocal calls as of yet for legalization of soft drugs in Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries.”

“With over 10 percent of the Swedish population now openly admitting to using cannabis on a regular basis, the zero tolerance policy against recreational drugs by previous Swedish governments must now be regarded as a massive and embarrassing flop,” Bard adds. “Racial profiling is consequently not the problem (Justin Bieber has been arrested in Sweden on similar charges in the past, and lesser known Caribbean reggae musicians visit untouched by the authorities) -- but his is clearly celebrity profiling in a propaganda-based conflict where Sweden is embarrassingly a decade or so behind the rest of Western Europe. Swedes may be good at sex and rock 'n' roll. But they have a rather strange hang-up on drugs, which a younger generation is increasingly embarrassed about. Therefore, the celebrity angle to the whole affair.”

Billboard also received a quote about the situation from a Swedish writer/producer who wishes to remain anonymous.

“This is a common thing in Sweden,” the source agrees. “Justin Bieber's tour bus was raided a couple of years ago, the Grammys were also raided and some people had to leave urine samples. Probably many more examples exist. And it’s definitely not the last time it will happen.”

“I think it's a matter of making statements from the authorities, saying that ‘in Sweden we are perfect and won't look through the fingers because you’re a star.’ It's very politically correct, but weighted down with a bunch of pride and pretentious ideas of "making the right thing” -- even more so because it's obviously planned raids," the source said. "I'm not for drugs. But I'm for making big artists feel at home here and want to come back next year. If they smoke a joint or two on Swedish soil, it's just what it is and taking them to the police station or tearing apart their tour bus just feels pretty dramatic, knowing they stay for about two days.”

Additional reporting by Fred Bronson





