People

Siavosh Derakhti

Sweden – Iran

Biography

Siavosh is a Swedish Social Activist, founder of Young People Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia. He was born in Sweden of Iranian parents with Azerbaijani origins, who fled Iran in search of a better life in Scandinavia. As a teenager, concerned by growing anti-Semitism sentiments among his fellow Muslim friends, he organized a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Germany, seeking to build bridges of understanding between Jews and Muslims. His initiative blossomed into a movement to combat xenophobia in Sweden, and Siavosh now travels throughout the country to spread his message of equality and dignity to schools, businesses and civil society organizations.

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“We wanted to build bridges between various minorities. We were going to fight hatred with love. For every individual in here can make a difference, and we should not be fearing extremism or radicalization or terrorists. The only thing we should be fearful of is the good people’s silence.”

Siavosh Derakhti