J.A. Sehlander

På J. A. Selanders gata i Eskilstuna står han ännu, fast nu i brons – Johannes Anton Selander. Richard Brixel har givit honom kropp, men minnet, det lever i staden själv. Han var publicisten, liberalen, den envise mannen som i en tid av …

On J. A. Selanders Street in Eskilstuna he still stands, though now in bronze – Johannes Anton Selander. Richard Brixel gave him a body, but his memory lives on in the city itself. He was the publicist, the liberal, the stubborn man who refused to keep his mouth shut in a time of silence. As editor-in-chief of Eskilstuna-Kuriren during the dark years of the war, he stood there, sometimes alone, but steadfast, with his pen as his only weapon. Many looked away, choosing the security of comfort. Selander did the opposite. He held on to freedom of the press, to the democratic word, and he did not let the lure of fascism blind him. Thus he became a voice for more than himself – a voice for a city, a country, and perhaps for a time that might otherwise have forgotten itself. The sculpture on the street is therefore not just a statue. It is a reminder. A reminder that free speech always requires its guardian.

Viktig person, väl värd en staty