Sweden Democrats Archives - Page 3 of 5

MEP Halla-aho wants a tougher PS stance on immigration

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Migrant Tales

The popularity of the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* plummeted to a record low of 13.3% in December and this has caused visible cracks in the party’s leadership. MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who was sentenced for ethnic agitation, blames PS chairman Timo Soini’s too soft stand on immigration for the drop in popularity, according to Oulu-based daily Kaleva.

“It would be good that the party leadership understands that one of the central pillars of our support hinges on our critical view of immigration,” he was quoted as saying on Kaleva. “This is not a marginal issue for voters.”

Read full story (in Finnish) here.

In order to understand Halla-aho’s real message, all you have to do is go back to 2008-11 when politicians like him were openly labeling and victimizing migrants and minorities as rapists and criminals with the help of a near-toothless media.

Halla-aho’s attack of Soini for being too soft on immigration is a typical Frankenstein movie plot. The mad scientist, in this case Soini, creates a social Frankenstein called Halla-aho, who turns against and kills his master.

Another matter that helps uncover Halla-aho’s opportunistic motives is his constant whining about migrants and minorities. Like the legendary Spanish antihero Don Quixote who attacked windmills with Sancho Panza, Halla-aho’s windmills are migrants and cultural diversity.

Is Don Quixote Halla-aho and Sancho Panza Soini?

Why are they windmills? Because Finland is already culturally and ethnically diverse. The only way you are going to turn Finland into an imaginary white Finnish country is by placing all those who aren’t ethnic Finns into box cars.

Halla-aho divides Finland into two groups: the so-called ethnic Finns (the good people) and migrants (those that are ruining Finland).

In the ongoing debate about immigration, there is one group that is always forgotten. This group, which is made up of tens of thousands of people, are Finns with multicultural backgrounds.

One of the reasons why this large group of people is largely ignored is because it would force some to see and accept Finland as a culturally and ethnically diverse country. For far right politicians like Halla-aho, it means giving up the fight to keep Finland white.

In Halla-aho’s world, a white Finn is any person who is ethnically white and speaks the Finnish language as white Finn. Swedish speakers aren’t included never mind groups like Estonians and Russians.

It’s highly doubtful that one person can change the misfortunes of a party like the PS. The party’s track record speaks volumes. Even so, it reveals that a more radical anti-immigration party like the Sweden Democrats and Danish People’s Party may be lurking in the PS background.

This party – if created – will be many times scarier than the PS.

* The Finnish name of the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The names adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our posting

More red lights flashing in Sweden after three mosques set ablaze within a week

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Migrant Tales

After one mosque was set ablaze on Christmas Day in Eskiltuna, two others have been targeted by suspected arsonists in the southern town of Esilöv on December 29 and in Uppsala on New Year’s Day, reports Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest daily.

The attacks against three mosques took place within a week. The far right Sweden Democrats caused a political crisis that would have required the minority government of Stefan Löfven to call snap elections in March. An agreement announced on Saturday between the government and opposition parties helped call off such elections.

Apart from being a direct attack against religious freedom in Sweden, the suspected arson attacks are a direct threat to Sweden’s cultural and ethnic diversity.

Read full story here.

Elvir Gigovic, chair of the Muslim Council of Sweden, told The Guardian that the spate of attacks against Muslims in 2014 was systematic. Justice Minister Morgan Johansson described the Eskilstuna fire as a “heinous atrocity” that was nothing more than violence directed against the Muslim community.

Expo, an anti-racism NGO, claimed that there have been at least 13 suspected arson attacks against mosques in Sweden this year alone.

The fact that a handful of people are taking the law in their hands and committing acts of violence against a religious groups should be enough proof of the ugly face of intolerance but our resolve to not be intimidated by vigilante style violence.

We hope the authorities in Sweden capture the perpetrators soon.

Sweden calls off snap elections in March 2015 after reaching agreement with the opposition

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Migrant Tales

The minority government of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has abandoned plans to hold snap elections in March 2015 after reaching an agreement with the Alliance, comprising of opposition parties like the Moderates, Center Party, Liberal Party and Christian Democrats, according to The Local. The far right Sweden Democrats, which caused a political crisis this month, blasted the so-called December agreement.

Mattias Karlsson, the acting chairman of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, said that his party is now the main opposition party as a result of the agreement.

“He (Löfven) doesn’t deserve to govern Sweden,” Karlsson was quoted as saying on The Local, which cited TT news agency.

Read full story here.

Löfven said at a press conference that the agreement with the Alliance will permit the minority government to govern during 2015-2022.“With the agreement the government will not be making any decision about an extra election, it is simply not the immediate interest,” the prime minister said.

The biggest loser of the December agreement isn’t only the Sweden Democrats but the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* of Finland, which were hoping to capitalize on the snap elections in Sweden. Finland holds parliamentary elections in April 2015.

Statements over a week ago by the party’s secretary Björn Söder, that the Saami, Jews and Kurds couldn’t be considered “true” Swedes unless they assimilate into white Swedish culture, and the arson attack on Christmas Day in Eskilstuna against a mosque, must have boosted the resolve of the minority government and the Alliance to reach an agreement in order to keep the Sweden Democrats in the cold.

The Sweden Democrats saw their support rise in the September elections to 12.9% (up 29MPs to 49MPs) from 5.7% (20MPs) in 2010.

All Swedish parties have boycotted the Sweden Democrats since it is a far right party that is demanding a drastic cut in immigration.

Arson attack against mosque in Sweden is another red light flashing in the roaring silence

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Migrant Tales

A mosque in Sweden that was hit by arson on Christmas Day is the latest warning that we cannot stand idly to the ever-rising tide of Islamophobia and far-right violence griping Europe these days. Words are not regular bullets that kill instantly but are time bombs that can explode anywhere and anytime.

The attack against the mosque that injured five in Eskilstuna, a city with a large immigrant population located west of the capital Stockholm, came after Sweden Democrat party secretary Björn Söder claimed over a week ago that Jews, Kurds and the Saami cannot be considered “true” Sweden unless they assimilate into Swedish society.

Anti-immigration parties support assimilation, or one-way integration of migrants and minorities, while in theory at least the adaption process should be a two-way street (integration).

Read full story here.

Söder’s statement doesn’t only expose his issues with racism but a whole mindset of hostility towards cultural diversity.

In other words, the Sweden Democrats, which brought down on December 3 the minority government of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, since the far-right party holds the balance of power in the country, believe that migrants and minorities must become white Swedes like him in order to be accepted as “true” Swedes.

What is a true Swede anyway? All Swedes migrated many generations ago to this part of Europe. The Garden of Eden never existed and is only a myth used in nativist ultra-nationalistic discourse.

In such logic we find as well the seeds of hatred and the failed assimilation policies of anti-immigration parties.

Is it only a question of time when such parties – if they ever get enough power – will start drafting modern Nuremberg Laws to stamp out cultural diversity? Can we afford to wait passively to see if this will happen?

Any sensible person can tell that the classification of who is a “true” Swede, or “true” European, is more than problematic. Nazi Germany found this out when it enacted the Nuremberg Laws and Reich Citizenship Law of 1935 to classify partial Jews, or Mischlinge.

Here’s how Nazi Germany classified Jews: full Jews and Jewish Mischling first or second degree. What these types of classifications revealed was anti-Semitism than anything else. Source: www.neztratitviru.net

What does a European anti-immigration party mean when it classifies itself as ethnically pure and the rest who are not like it as a threat? What do the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and far-right Muutos 2011 of Finland mean when they claim that Muslims won’t integrate, Muslims are destroying our way of life, and Muslims are violent? What code does the National Front of France signal to its followers when it makes an anti-kebab statement, or when Jobbik of Hungary, Golden Dawn of Greece and Ukip openly target Jews and immigrants?

Rob Owen Bell wrote on a recent opinion piece claims that Islamophobia in the UK (and in Europe) is code for race-hate and religious bigotry:

While it is only right that we feel pity for the rare victims of this bizarre condition, we cheapen their suffering by continuing to tolerate the use of the term as code for race-hate and religious bigotry. How much longer are we going to give a platform to thugs in suits struggling to keep a straight face for the cameras as they state they’re “not racist, just against radical Islam”, while their mates swill Stella and chuck Nazi salutes in the background?

One matter is for certain: Things will get worse as long as politicians continue to accept such intolerance by remaining silent and treat racism with bandaids. We need more radical steps are needed to challenge the threat to Europe imposed by fascist, crypto-fascist anti-immigration parties.

Change will not take place as long as migrants and minorities are kept out of the decision-making process.

Why does a country like Finland, which has so few migrants when compared with other European countries, voted in 2011 for an anti-immigration party like the PS that become the third-largest bloc in parliament?

In my opinion it shows that most politicians in Finland, as well as our institutions and society, are still very much in the dark about the threat of fascism and nativist nationalism.

Finland’s xenophobia has its roots in the difficult relationship it had with the former Soviet Union in the last century. Everything was acceptable back then, even becoming an ally of Nazi Germany in the Continuation War (1941-44), as long as your reasoning was hatred of the USSR and communism.

We cannot effectively challenge intolerance in Finland as long as we continue to teach at our schools and homes that immigration and cultural diversity are illnesses. We should be teaching the opposite: inclusion and respect for difference and cultural diversity. Acknowledging that over 1.2 million Finns emigrated between 1860 and 1999 is a good starting point.

If Finland has many unanswered questions about how it went to bed with Nazi Germany during the Continuation War, Europe too has a serious issue with its colonial past and which still continues to bolster racism in all forms and shapes.

Europe needs today a totally new discourse on our identity in the new century and strong anti-discrimination laws that have teeth. As long as we teach the same myths and social constructs of the past, we are only delaying such a crucial debate just like the US delayed and continues to delay black and minority rights.

By delaying that important debate we permit ourselves to be chained by our intolerance.

Racism has always been Europe’s greatest threat.

It’s high time we understand this unless we want to commit the same disastrous mistakes of the past.

* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.

Michael McEachrane: Seeing Sweden’s race problem for what it is

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Michael McEachrane*

Two things seem abundantly clear regarding the rise of ultranationalism in Europe today. First, it is symptomatic of a broader form of nationalism which all European states are steeped in. Second, it is this broader nationalism that ultimately needs to be confronted if equality is ever to become a reality in Europe.

Read full story here.

Even in a country like Sweden, an ultranationalist party with roots in neo-Nazism is now the country’s third largest party. Recently, the Sweden Democrats Party demonstrated its power by voting down the government budget. As a result, early national electionswill be held in March 2015. The party has declared that it aims to bring down any government that refuses to drastically reduce immigration.

Sweden is a poignant example of the problem of nationalism in Europe today. It seems fair to say that in Sweden nationalism is not deemed a mainstream problem. Rather, it is seen as something that either belongs to the past or is an expression of extremism. The Sweden Democrats may have 13 percent of the electorate, but all other parties in parliament treat them as a national anomaly, isolated and kept at a safe distance.

It also seems fair to say that neither race nor even racism is seen as a mainstream problem in Sweden. As longtime Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme summed it up in a Christmas speech in 1965: “Democracy is firmly rooted in this country. We respect the fundamental freedoms and rights. Murky racial theories have never found a foothold here. We like to see ourselves as open-minded and tolerant.”

Race is seen as a misguided belief, which is why it is not to be found in the country’s anti-discrimination legislation. And racism is a strong word reserved for extreme cases of prejudice and hostility. The majority, though, with good conscience can chant “No racists in our streets!”, a popular slogan in recent demonstrations against the Sweden Democrats and neo-Nazism.

The result is a compounded problem of denying the prevalence of nationalism and racism and the urgent need for political measures to eliminate them. Beyond its anti-discrimination legislation – which merely has led to a trickle of convictions – Sweden has few political measures in place against racism. Instead, the political focus tends to be on the “integration” of immigrants in the form of education, job training programmes, access to citizenship and so on.

Marginalisation and exclusion

The pressure is now increasing to heed to the politics of the Sweden Democrats and focus more on integration. What this does is ignore the social significance of a national “us” versus a foreign “them”. Like other European countries, Sweden is a nation-state with a long tradition of understanding nationhood in terms of ethnicity, race and culture. Like other ultranationalist parties across Europe, the Sweden Democrats capitalise on a growing sense of fear that this nation is under threat.

On the whole, judging from the patterns of discrimination and exclusion in European societies, it is all too clear that at the bottom of European divisions between a national “us” and a foreign “them” is race. In Sweden, traditional national minorities such as the Saami, Roma and Jews have a long history of being excluded from the Swedish nation. Today especially Saami and Roma are still highly marginalised. But like elsewhere in Europe, it is especially people of colour (the “visible minorities”, including Roma) that are most evidently discriminated against in every major area of society such as the housing and job markets.

The urban areas of Sweden are today spatially segregated along racial lines with people of colour concentrated to low-income housing projects. The country has the highest differences in employment in the West between native and foreign-born citizens and these differences are the most dramatic between ethnic Swedes and non-western born residents. People of African descent have a particularly hard time finding jobs, have the lowest educational payback in the country and are exposed to the most number of hate crimes.

To create a more inclusive society, counter such patterns and curb the rise of the Sweden Democrats, the traditional definition of the nation in terms of race and ethnicity needs to go. In addition, political measures against racism, and a consistent anti-discrimination perspective that includes race need to become mainstream.

Like the rest of Europe, Sweden prides itself in its constitutional tradition based on a “respect for the equal worth of all and the liberty and dignity of the individual”, as its constitution says.

But as the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent concluded on its visit to Sweden the same week that the Sweden Democrats forced the country into early elections:

“It is our view that the Swedish philosophy of equality and its public and self-image as a country with non-discrimination and liberal democracy, blinds it to the racism faced by Afro-Swedes and Africans in its midst. No country is free of racism and Sweden is not an exception.”

Read original posting here.

This piece was reprinted by Migrant Tales with permission.

*Michael McEachrane is a member of the Swedish NGO and anti-racist collective Fight Racism Now (FRN) and the editor of Afro-Nordic Landscapes: Equality and Race in Northern Europe.

Defining Swedish white privilege #1: Case Björn Söder

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Sensible people in the Nordic region and elsewhere understand the threat of far right nativist rhetoric through mouthpiece parties like the Sweden Democrats, Danish People’s Party, Progress Party of Norway and Finland’s Perussuomalaiset (PS)* that parrot their “us” and “them” racism. Sweden Democrat party secretary Björn Söder offers us a good example of how Swedish and Nordic white privilege works.

Söder was quoted as saying on The Local that people who aren’t white and don’t assimilate into white Swedes should leave the country. Moreover, he said that the Saami, Jews and Kurds may have Swedish citizenship but they can never be considered “real” Swedes like him.

Read original Dagens Nyheter interview with Söder here.

Read full column here.

Apart from the fact that Söder probably failed Swedish history as one Migrant Tales reader suggested on Facebook, his comment about who is and who isn’t a “true” Swede highlights white Swedish supremacist and racist thinking to the tee.

Definition #1

Considering the neo-Nazi background of the Sweden Democrats that dates back to the 1990s and Söder’s definition of a “true” Swede, it’s clear that the Nordic region’s ever-growing cultural diversity is under attack.

Thomas Elfgren rightly states on a column (in Finnish) Monday that National Socialists don’t need swastikas these days to spread their racist ideology. Far right politicians don’t even have to read Hitler’s Mein Kampf to be National Socialists.

Isn’t it surprising how far right groups and politicians make extreme suggestions to minorities that they’d never suggest in their right mind to themselves or their perceived ethnic group?

The rise of the Sweden Democrat not only shows the failure of mainstream parties to challenge intolerance, but that white privilege is still king in Sweden. It also shows that Nordic people of all ethnic backgrounds should rise up against intolerance. Leadership is needed today more than ever.

What Söder doesn’t phantom is that the Nordic region is already culturally diverse. No matter how the likes of politicians like him kick and bitch about cultural diversity by longing for the good old days when Sweden was predominantly white on the surface, cultural diversity is unstoppable and the process moves on.

Most of Swedish society understands the latter but there are a few white Swedish supremacists who use the white privilege card to drive home their far right views.

The Sweden Democrats are a menace to Sweden and the Nordic region. So are other anti-cultural diversity parties like the DPP, Progress Party and PS. It is a good matter that in Sweden, mainstream political parties are aware of the danger that the far right party poses for the country.

* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The names adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.

Sweden Democrats openly attack cultural diversity – will the PS of Finland follow their example?

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Migrant Tales

In a clear attempt to cash in on the anti-immigration sentiment, Sweden Democrat party secretary Björn Söder said that minorities like the Saami could never be Swedes and was willing to pay immigrants to leave the country, reports The Local.

The mere suggestion that Sweden is only a country of white Swedes reveals the racist and exclusive mindset of the Sweden Democrats. In a US context it would be something like encouraging Hispanics, blacks and other minorities to go back to where they came from because white USAmericans rule the country.

“Yes, and that is good,” Söder was quoted as saying on The Local. “We must make it easer for those considering moving back to their country. Then we’ll be in a better condition to create a society of common identity.”

Read full story here.

In Söder’s views, Jews, Kurds and the Sami are examples of groups that are Swedish citizens but cannot be considered “true” Swedes if they don’t assimilate into Swedish society.

Has anybody asked Söder who is a so-called “true” Swede? Why does he think he is a “true” Swede? Is there any such thing as a “true” Swede?

What Söder is claiming is what is exactly wrong in the Nordic region. White Nordic people think that this land is exclusively theirs. This is malarkey.

The language of the Sweden Democrat party secretary is regurgitated by parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) of Finland, Danish People’s Party and Progress Party of Norway. All four of them believe that only white Nordic people are the right people that should live in this region.

Willy Silberstein, chairperson of the Swedish committee against anti-Semitism disagrees with Söder.

“I am Jewish and born in Sweden,” he said. “I am just as much Swedish as Björn Söder. There is an us and them mentality which I think is a characteristic of the party.”

While the PS in Finland have distanced themselves from the Sweden Democrats, their success in the March elections will be watched closely by the PS. Finland holds parliamentary elections in April 2015.

PS claims it has sacked all of its racists and fascists from the party (sic!)

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Matti Putkonen said at a press conference Friday that comparing the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* to the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats was spreading hatred against the party. He went as far as to suggest that the attack against its office in Helsinki had something to do with such stories, reports tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.

Putkonen, who was convicted for rape about 23 years ago, lost his temper when HBL journalist Susanna Ginman questioned his claim that all the racists and fascists had been sacked from the party.

Ginman asked why PS MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who was sentenced for ethnic agitation, wasn’t sacked from the party.

Putkonen snapped back and asked if she considered Halla-aho a racist.

The journalist answered in the affirmative.

Read full story here.

If Migrant Tales would have been present at the press conference, we’d respond in the same way as the HBL journalist did.

We don’t know what kind of a person Halla-aho is but if we check what he’s written, it’s clear that they are rife with racism.

I’d ask Putkonen as well about Suomen Sisu, a far-right association, about MP Juho Eerola, who admitted being attracted to Benito Mussolini’s fascism.

The chairman of Suomen Sisu, Olli Immonen, is a PS MP.

One of the reasons why the PS has been riddled by so many scandals is because too many of its members are racists and fascists.

Will the Sweden Democrat victory give a boost to the PS in Finland?

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Migrant Tales

The Swedish election result not only showed a shift and set for a minority-left government, but historic gains made by the far-right Sweden Democrats. Conservative Moderat Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who conceded defeat late Sunday, said he will hand in his resignation Monday after eight years in power.

Just like the anti-immigration Peerussuomalaiset (PS)* in 2011, the Sweden Democrats scored their best election victory to date by almost doubling their support to 12.9% (+29 MPs to 49MPs) from 5.7% (20 MPs) in 2010 in the 349-seat Riksdagen (parliament).

Like the PS, they too are today the third-largest party in parliament after the Social Democrats and Moderate Party.

The interesting question to ask is if the good showing of the Sweden Democrats will give a boost to the PS in next year’s elections.

An important matter to keep in mind when looking at far-right, populist and anti-immigration parties is that they are a reaction not a solution to our ever-growing cultural diversity.

Seats gained by different parties in the Swedish parliamentary elections. From left to right: Left Party (V), Social Democrats (S), Greens (MP), Sweden Democrats (SD), Center Party (C), Liberal Party (FP), Christian Democrats (KD) and Moderate Party (M).

Sweden’s new prime minister is Social Democrat Stefan Löfven faces a daunting task in forming the country’s next government.

“I’ll talk to other parties,” he was quoted as saying on The Local. “My hand is outstretched. I’ll talk to the Greens, but also to other parties.”

A coalition comprising of the Social Democrats, Left Party and the Greens only adds up to 43.8%, while a center-right coalition totals 39.3%. This means theoretically that the far-right anti-immigration party holds the balance of power.

“We’re the absolute kingmaker now,” said Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson. “[You] can’t ignore us the way they have ignored us over the past four years.”

Read full story here.

Sweden’s incoming Prime Minister Löfven said he would continue to shun the far-right party as have done all mainstream parties.

Whether the policy of excluding the Sweden Democrats has worked or not remains to be seen. Mainstream parties in Finland have taken a different approach and even invited the PS to form part of government after the elections four years ago.

Even if the Sweden Democrats are heading north and the PS are heading south, it’s clear that a lot more has to be done to challenge right-wing populist anti-immigration sentiment. More leadership is needed especially from migrant and multicultural Swedes and Finns.

Did outgoing Prime Minister Reinfeldt’s pro-immigration statements and stance help the Sweden Democrats isn’t the point. The issue is that politicians must show leadership during difficult times and not look for scapegoats.

Far-right anti-immigration sentiment has also grown in Norway and Denmark, where xenophobic parties did well in recent elections.

Parties like the National Coalition Party and Social Democrats have done a dismal job in challenging the rhetoric of parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS).* The most recent baby carriage scandal by conservative MP Pia Kauma is a clear example how some mainstream politicians are flirting with xenophobia.

What do we have in Finland to show after almost four years of the PS in the opposition? Polarization of society, political scandals, strengthening of urban myths and racism – in sum, a country that appears to have lost its way.

How will the Swedish elections impact Finland’s elections in April?

Certainly it won’t hurt them.

Institute of Race Relations: How the Swedish media bought into the myth-making of the far Right

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Maria Tjader

The leader of the far-Right Sweden Democrats wants to portray himself as the victim of anti-white racism.

Read full story here.

A televised interview on 23 February with Jimmie Åkesson, the leader of the far-Right Sweden Democrats (SD), has generated much controversy over the alleged claims made by Åkesson with regards to his childhood in Sölvesborg. The interview is part of a series called ’Nyfiken på partiledaren’ (’Curious about the party-leader’), which is broadcast on SVT (the Swedish equivalent of the BBC), and focuses on getting to know the leaders of the main political parties in Sweden ahead of the National elections in September this year. The idea of the format of the programme is to see a different side of the politicians, away from public opinion and political events. According to Åkesson, his experiences as a teenager of segregation and failed multiculturalism led him to become a member of the Sweden Democrats as a way of supporting Swedish nationalism. Åkesson describes his adolescence as a struggle between him and immigrant-gangs that beat up him and his friends. This picture paints Åkesson as a brave nationalist whose main goal has always been to protect Sweden, his beloved country, from the threat of the ’Other’.

However, these suggestions have subsequently been refuted by a large number of people who grew up with Åkesson and who worked at his old school. Major Swedish newspapers, television and radio have reported on the inaccuracies in Åkesson’s story and he has, consequently, been accused of distorting the reality of immigration in Sweden for political gain and legitimacy. Åkesson’s former head teacher has refuted the claims saying that there were no gangs made up of immigrants at all, nor were there any particular individuals who acted in a threatening way towards other children. Another of his former teachers suggests that Åkesson has a bizarre view on the history of immigration in Sölvesborg. This claim is supported by the statistics from SCB (Statistiska Centralbyrån/Statistics Sweden) that paint a very different picture than that of Åkesson. According to this statistic, there were 24 new immigrants in Sölvesborg in 1985 and although the number rose there were never more than 200 new immigrants per year. Furthermore, this does not take into account migrants who left Sölvesborg. This is but another insight into the strange workings of SD, who has had its fair share of scandals since 2010, but it also tells us something important about the role of media in creating and sustaining the myths of the nationalist far-right.

Arguably, the flux of information has radically changed with the power of internet and social media. There have been previous reports on how Germany’s new extreme right have been using social media to attract, notably younger, supporters through parties, gigs and under-18 events. Similarly, any news-search on google, relating to the far-right or racism violence, generates nationalist websites that blame everything on left-wing multi-culturalists. It cannot, thus, be argued that the far-right lacks a platform for its freedom of speech. The issue is when national media lowers itself that same level, prioritising everyone’s right to be heard and seen rather than taking responsibility for whatever consequences their reporting might have.

The issue of using freedom of speech as an excuse for people to vent extremist opinions has been highlighted by the IRR before. It is undeniable that certain individuals and groups take advantage of the laws on freedom of press and speech, however there are other instances which show the complexity of these issues. There were those who criticised the laissez faire style used in Åkesson’s interview, arguing that it portrayed media as serving as an uncritical forum where anyone can say anything. But after the programme was broadcast, other authentic voices were given space to refute Åkesson’s myth-making, and their statements were reported as facts. This gives hope for a return to reporting with a critical edge.

Read original story here.

This piece was reprinted by Migrant Tales with permission.