Sweden Democrats
Encyclopedia
The Sweden Democrats is a political party
in Sweden
, founded in 1988. SD describes itself as a nationalist
movement although others use the term far-right. Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson
, while Björn Söder
is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. An Anemone hepatica
flower (blåsippa) is the official SD logo since 2006. In 2011 the party moderated its profile by also identifying as a social conservative
party.
The Sweden Democrats had 5,846 members in early 2011. SD is divided in eighteen district party associations throughout Sweden, as well as in various local or municipal associations. Young members are organised in the Sweden Democratic Youth (SDU), founded in 1998. The party also distributes a newspaper to its members, SD-Kuriren. Since 2005 the paper has been printed in tabloid format, and approximately 28,000 copies have been published.
In the 2010 general election
, the Sweden Democrats for the first time crossed the four percent threshold necessary for parliamentary representation. This increase in popularity has been compared by international media to other similar anti-immigrant movements in Europe
. The party polled 5.7% and won 20 parliamentary seats. However, former Swedish Democratic MP William Petzäll
left the party on 26 September 2011 while still retaining his parliamentary seat, leaving the party with 19 seats in the parliament.
The Sweden Democrats was founded on 6 February 1988 as a successor to the Sweden Party
, which in turn had been founded in 1986 by the merger of Bevara Sverige Svenskt
(BSS) and a faction of the Swedish Progress Party
. The roots of the party can be found in Swedish fascism
although in 1999 they rejected Nazism. Although SD's long used logo in the 1990s was a Swedish version of the NF torch, SD's first (albeit short-lived) logo actually consisted of a stylized Myosotis scorpioides
, a flower similar to the one used by the party as logo since 2006, a kidneywort. While opinion on the early SD vary, it is generally agreed (including by the Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism
and Expo
), that the SD has never been a Nazi party, although various "connections" have existed by members. Since the late 1990s, the party nevertheless underwent an extensive moderation policy.
(previously a member of the Centre Party
) strove to make the party more respectable, and introduced a uniform ban in 1996. During the 1990s, the party became more influenced by the French National Front, as well as the Freedom Party of Austria
, Danish People's Party
, German The Republicans and Italian National Alliance
. SD received economic support for the 1998 election by the French National Front, and was active in Le Pen
's Euronat
from the same time. In 1999, however, SD left its membership in Euronat to its youth organisation. In 2001, the more radical faction in the party was expelled, and broke out and established the National Democrats
.
Since the 2000s, the so-called "Scania gang" or "fantastic four"; Jimmie Åkesson
(party leader since 2005), Björn Söder
, Mattias Karlsson
and Richard Jomshof
continued the moderation policy which included ousting openly extremist members. Before the 2002 election, former Moderate Party
MP Sten Andersson
defected to SD, citing that the party had gotten rid of its extreme right elements. In 2003, the party declared the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
to be a cornerstone of its policies. In 2006, the party changed its logo from the torch, to featuring a Anemone hepatica
, reminiscent of the party's very first logo.
, SD for the first time won representation in the Swedish parliament, with 5.7% of the vote and 20 MPs.
and national conservatism
. The Sweden Democrat's ideological pillar is described in their manifesto first published on 4 May 2003 during Jansson leadership and then revised on 8 May 2005 (one day after Åkesson became the new chairman).
SD feels that the current situation with a large number of immigrants living in cultural enclaves is not beneficial for the country. The immigrants themselves are rootless, there have been rising antagonistic tensions between various population groups (socially, ethnically, religiously and culturally), and the immigration in itself, SD says, has caused social and economic strains on the country.
As the party considers Sweden to have had too much immigration in later years, which it claims have seriously threatened national identity and societal cohesion, SD wants to reinstate a common Swedish national identity which in turn would mean a stronger inner solidarity. SD rejects the policy of multiculturalism
, but accepts a multiethnic society
where cultural assimilation
is promoted. SD wishes to strongly restrict immigration, and give generous support for immigrants who instead of wanting to assimilate in Sweden voluntarily prefer to emigrate back to their country of origin. As more state funds are made free from funding mass immigration, SD believes that Sweden in turn will have the possibility to better help refugee
s in their own nearby locations.
SD has referred to the recommendations from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) which state that the return of refugees should be the solution to refugee problems. Former party secretary between 2003–2004, Torbjörn Kastell had said in 2002 that the party wanted "a multicultural world, not a multicultural society. In a 2008 survey, a significant minority of 39 percent of all Swedes thought that there were "too many foreigners in the country", and in 2007 a survey showed that 49 percent of all Swedes wanted to restrict the number of asylum seekers. In recent years, SD has tried to approach the immigration policy of the Danish People's Party
, which since 2001 has given parliamentary support for the current Danish liberal
/conservative
government in return for a tightening of Danish immigration policies and stricter naturalization laws.
According to Aftonbladet
, 14% of SD members are of immigrant origin, which corresponds to the proportion of foreign-born in Sweden. For the 2010 election in the municipality of Södertälje
(Stockholm County
), SD was the only party with a majority of immigrants on its electoral list, mostly Chaldean Christians
from the Middle East
. Polling 7.31% (3,447 votes), SD's municipal list in Södertälje got 5 of the 65 municipal seats. Nader Helawi and 4 other Swedes from immigrant origin will sit as municipal councilors.
of northern Sweden. It has been argued that the Sweden Democrats want to abolish their constitutional status as "indigenous" and even deport members of other ethnic groups. In 2008, the party accepted a motion against the rights to reindeer husbandry. They have argued that those "who do not involve themselves with reindeer husbandry are treated as second class citizens" and that the privileges the herders have are "undemocratic." They want to restructure the councils and funds that are used to benefit the Sami population, so that they are used "regardless of ethnic identity and business operations." They also want to abolish the Sami parliament
which claims special privileges for an "ethnic minority while the society claims equal rights for others."
.
, are opposed to the Accession of Turkey to the European Union
and want to renegotiate Swedish membership of the European Union
.
and believe that every child should have "one father and one mother", according to their website. According to the Social Democrat Björn Andersson's blog, SD is opposed to adoption rights for homosexual couples, and to letting lesbian women become inseminated. Although SD strongly criticizes what it calls a Homosex Lobby, the party claims that it is not hostile to homosexuals. Further, party leader Jimmie Åkesson expresses concern over that the increasing Islamization
of Sweden will eventually lead to the rights of sexual minorities being violated.
Published by SD Party secretary Björn Söder
on 1 August 2007, a blog article titled Botten måste snart vara nådd (Soon enough we'll hit rock bottom) led to intense debate and criticism.
and Svenska Dagbladet
decided to stop their boycott. Expressen
though still retains the ban on Sweden Democrat advertising.
During the 1990s, it is known that many outspokenly far-right persons has been involved with the party. The party was supported financially in the 1998 general election by the French National Front, and for the 2004 European election by Belgian Bernard Mengal.
a fundamental component of its politics. Furthermore, the party says that its fundamental goal is to combine the principle of social and economic justice with traditional conservative values. For this reason, the party believes that it is not easily pinpointed on the traditional left-right political spectrum in Swedish politics. Also, the Sweden Democrats say they have expelled all openly extremist members from the party, and refuse membership to anyone who has extremist views. The Sweden Democrats have complained of a media boycott, which they say has resulted in constant negative characterisations of the party.
published twelve cartoons depicting Mohammed and ignited the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
during the 2005 autumn and winter, the Sweden Democrats gave their unreserved support to the publication with reference to the freedom of speech
. SD stated that it saw no reason why a Danish newspaper should be forced to abide by Muslim rules and prohibitions regarding expression. When the boycott of Danish products was launched in the Middle East, SD launched a "Buy Danish" campaign in support of Danish workers. In 2006 SD entered to the Mohammed cartoon debate
by publishing a Mohammed-depicting cartoon on its youth league (SDU) and SD-Kuriren websites. The cartoon showed Mohammed from behind holding a mirror in front of his face. However, instead of any facial features, the mirror showed only a blank head. The cartoon was captioned "Mohammed's Face" (Muhammeds ansikte in Swedish).
The publication attracted the attention of the Swedish government which informed internet service provider Levonline about the SD's publications. Subsequently, Levonline shut down SD’s web page. The government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laila Freivalds
, denied any direct interference. However, at the same time Laila Freivalds condemned the publication as a provocation. Freivalds then resigned as Minister after being accused of interference with press freedom and lying about such actions.
This event spurred debate on government censorship in Sweden. The Sweden Democrats also had a hate speech
charge filed against them due to the posted caricature. Similar hate speech charges were filed against other Swedish publishers who depicted Mohammed. However, these charges were immediately deemed to be unfounded by the Swedish Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern).
The Sweden Democrats originally planned to publish a set of cartoons in their newspaper SD-Kuriren. However, after the controversy erupted, Jimmie Åkesson issued a statement on SD's website on 9 February 2006, stating that it would refrain from further publications online and in print, due to concerns that it might spur hostile actions against Swedes and Swedish interests.
The shutdown of Sweden Democrats' websites was reported to Konstitutionsutskottet by the Liberal People's Party
leader Lars Leijonborg
. SD filed charges against the Security Police
(Säpo) and the Department of State with the Justitiekansler and Justitieombudsmannen, alleging that the government's interference was unconstitutional. The spokesperson of the Green Party Peter Eriksson also expressed concern over possible government involvement in the event.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, founded in 1988. SD describes itself as a nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
movement although others use the term far-right. Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson
Jimmie Åkesson
Per Jimmie Åkesson is a Swedish politician. He is the current leader of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election. He is under constant protection by the Swedish Security Service.- Biography :...
, while Björn Söder
Björn Söder
Björn Olof Söder is a Swedish politician of the nationalist Sweden Democrats. He is the current party secretary of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election....
is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. An Anemone hepatica
Anemone hepatica
Anemone hepatica is a herbaceous perennial growing from a rhizome in the buttercup family , native to woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.- Taxonomy :The taxonomy of the genus Anemone and its species is not fully resolved...
flower (blåsippa) is the official SD logo since 2006. In 2011 the party moderated its profile by also identifying as a social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
party.
The Sweden Democrats had 5,846 members in early 2011. SD is divided in eighteen district party associations throughout Sweden, as well as in various local or municipal associations. Young members are organised in the Sweden Democratic Youth (SDU), founded in 1998. The party also distributes a newspaper to its members, SD-Kuriren. Since 2005 the paper has been printed in tabloid format, and approximately 28,000 copies have been published.
In the 2010 general election
Swedish general election, 2010
A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main contenders of the election were the governing centre-right coalition the Alliance and the oppositional centre-left Red-Greens coalition A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main...
, the Sweden Democrats for the first time crossed the four percent threshold necessary for parliamentary representation. This increase in popularity has been compared by international media to other similar anti-immigrant movements in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The party polled 5.7% and won 20 parliamentary seats. However, former Swedish Democratic MP William Petzäll
William Petzäll
William Nils Erich Petzäll is a Swedish politician . He is a member of the Riksdag since 2010, when he was elected as a then-member of the Sweden Democrats....
left the party on 26 September 2011 while still retaining his parliamentary seat, leaving the party with 19 seats in the parliament.
Early years (1988–1995)
Sweden Party
Sweden Party was a political party in Sweden. It was founded in 1986 through the merger of Bevara Sverige Svenskt and the Progress Party. The leader of the party was Stefan Herrmann, formerly the leader of the Progress Party....
, which in turn had been founded in 1986 by the merger of Bevara Sverige Svenskt
Bevara Sverige Svenskt
Bevara Sverige Svenskt was a Swedish racist movement based in Stockholm and is a slogan used by various Swedish nationalist parties. The stated objective of the BSS movement, and the aim of the slogan, was to initiate a debate in order to stop immigration by non-Europeans and repatriate non-ethnic...
(BSS) and a faction of the Swedish Progress Party
Progress Party (Sweden)
The Progress Party was a minor Swedish populist political party that existed in various forms from 1968 to the 2000s, when local parties merged with the Sweden Democrats, or developed into distinct local parties. It was based mostly in Scania, although it at times had active local chapters other...
. The roots of the party can be found in Swedish fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
although in 1999 they rejected Nazism. Although SD's long used logo in the 1990s was a Swedish version of the NF torch, SD's first (albeit short-lived) logo actually consisted of a stylized Myosotis scorpioides
Myosotis scorpioides
Myosotis scorpioides , the Water Forget-me-not or True Forget-me-not, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Myosotis. It is native to Europe and Asia and it can be found elsewhere, including much of North America, as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It grows in bogs and...
, a flower similar to the one used by the party as logo since 2006, a kidneywort. While opinion on the early SD vary, it is generally agreed (including by the Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism
Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism
The Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism is a Sweden-based non-profit organization, founded in 1983, that works to counteract and spread knowledge about antisemitism. The organization claims political and religious independence.-History:...
and Expo
Expo (magazine)
Expo is a Swedish anti-racist magazine, started in 1995 and issued by the non-profit Expo Foundation . The magazine, issued four times a year, contains investigative journalism focused on nationalist, racist, anti-democratic, anti-semitic and far-right movements and organisations...
), that the SD has never been a Nazi party, although various "connections" have existed by members. Since the late 1990s, the party nevertheless underwent an extensive moderation policy.
Moderation (1995–2010)
From 1995, the party's new leader Mikael JanssonMikael Jansson
Mikael Jansson is a former leader of the Swedish political party Sweden Democrats . He served as party leader between 1995 and 2005. He was replaced by Jimmie Åkesson.- External links :...
(previously a member of the Centre Party
Centre Party (Sweden)
The Centre Party is a centrist political party in Sweden. The party maintains close ties to rural Sweden and describes itself as "a green social liberal party". The ideology is sometimes called agrarian, but in a European context, the Centre Party can perhaps best be characterized as social...
) strove to make the party more respectable, and introduced a uniform ban in 1996. During the 1990s, the party became more influenced by the French National Front, as well as the Freedom Party of Austria
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
, Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
, German The Republicans and Italian National Alliance
National Alliance (Italy)
National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by...
. SD received economic support for the 1998 election by the French National Front, and was active in Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
's Euronat
Euronat
EuroNat is an organisation of European nationalist political parties, formed initially at the congress of the French National Front in Strasbourg on 30 March 1997. It had a loose organisational structure, and was in practice based on coordination by activities of the FN...
from the same time. In 1999, however, SD left its membership in Euronat to its youth organisation. In 2001, the more radical faction in the party was expelled, and broke out and established the National Democrats
National Democrats (Sweden)
The National Democrats is a minor political party in Sweden, formed by a faction of the Sweden Democrats in October 2001. The party describes itself as a democratic nationalist and ethnopluralist party....
.
Since the 2000s, the so-called "Scania gang" or "fantastic four"; Jimmie Åkesson
Jimmie Åkesson
Per Jimmie Åkesson is a Swedish politician. He is the current leader of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election. He is under constant protection by the Swedish Security Service.- Biography :...
(party leader since 2005), Björn Söder
Björn Söder
Björn Olof Söder is a Swedish politician of the nationalist Sweden Democrats. He is the current party secretary of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election....
, Mattias Karlsson
Mattias Karlsson
Mattias Karlsson is a Swedish orienteering competitor. He is Relay World Champion from 2003, as a member of the Swedish winning team in the World Orienteering Championship in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. He also has bronze medals from 2004 and 2006 , and obtained silver in the 2004 Long distance...
and Richard Jomshof
Richard Jomshof
Richard Jomshof, born 1969 in Helsingborg, Sweden, is a member of the Swedish parliament for the Sweden Democrats since 2010 and was the chief editor of SD-Kuriren 2000-2009....
continued the moderation policy which included ousting openly extremist members. Before the 2002 election, former Moderate Party
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1904 as the General Electoral League by a group of conservatives in the Swedish parliament...
MP Sten Andersson
Sten Andersson
* Not to be confused with Sten Christer Andersson , who was a long-time member of the centre-right Moderate Party and subsequently a member of the far-right Sweden Democrats ....
defected to SD, citing that the party had gotten rid of its extreme right elements. In 2003, the party declared the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
to be a cornerstone of its policies. In 2006, the party changed its logo from the torch, to featuring a Anemone hepatica
Anemone hepatica
Anemone hepatica is a herbaceous perennial growing from a rhizome in the buttercup family , native to woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.- Taxonomy :The taxonomy of the genus Anemone and its species is not fully resolved...
, reminiscent of the party's very first logo.
In Parliament (2010–present)
For the 2010 general electionSwedish general election, 2010
A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main contenders of the election were the governing centre-right coalition the Alliance and the oppositional centre-left Red-Greens coalition A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main...
, SD for the first time won representation in the Swedish parliament, with 5.7% of the vote and 20 MPs.
Ideology and political positions
The Sweden Democrats' party programme is based on nationalismNationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and national conservatism
National conservatism
National conservatism is a political term used primarily in Europe to describe a variant of conservatism which concentrates more on national interests than standard conservatism as well as upholding cultural and ethnic identity, while not being outspokenly nationalist or supporting a far-right...
. The Sweden Democrat's ideological pillar is described in their manifesto first published on 4 May 2003 during Jansson leadership and then revised on 8 May 2005 (one day after Åkesson became the new chairman).
Immigration
The Sweden Democrats believe that the current Swedish immigration and integration policies have been a failure.SD feels that the current situation with a large number of immigrants living in cultural enclaves is not beneficial for the country. The immigrants themselves are rootless, there have been rising antagonistic tensions between various population groups (socially, ethnically, religiously and culturally), and the immigration in itself, SD says, has caused social and economic strains on the country.
As the party considers Sweden to have had too much immigration in later years, which it claims have seriously threatened national identity and societal cohesion, SD wants to reinstate a common Swedish national identity which in turn would mean a stronger inner solidarity. SD rejects the policy of multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, but accepts a multiethnic society
Multiethnic society
A multiethnic society is one with members belonging to more than one ethnic group, in contrast to societies which are ethnically homogenous. In practice, virtually all contemporary national societies are multiethnic...
where cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
is promoted. SD wishes to strongly restrict immigration, and give generous support for immigrants who instead of wanting to assimilate in Sweden voluntarily prefer to emigrate back to their country of origin. As more state funds are made free from funding mass immigration, SD believes that Sweden in turn will have the possibility to better help refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s in their own nearby locations.
SD has referred to the recommendations from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR) which state that the return of refugees should be the solution to refugee problems. Former party secretary between 2003–2004, Torbjörn Kastell had said in 2002 that the party wanted "a multicultural world, not a multicultural society. In a 2008 survey, a significant minority of 39 percent of all Swedes thought that there were "too many foreigners in the country", and in 2007 a survey showed that 49 percent of all Swedes wanted to restrict the number of asylum seekers. In recent years, SD has tried to approach the immigration policy of the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
, which since 2001 has given parliamentary support for the current Danish liberal
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
/conservative
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
government in return for a tightening of Danish immigration policies and stricter naturalization laws.
According to Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
, 14% of SD members are of immigrant origin, which corresponds to the proportion of foreign-born in Sweden. For the 2010 election in the municipality of Södertälje
Södertälje Municipality
Södertälje Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Södertälje....
(Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
), SD was the only party with a majority of immigrants on its electoral list, mostly Chaldean Christians
Chaldean Christians
Chaldean Christians are ethnic Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, most of whom entered communion with the Catholic Church from the Church of the East, which was already Catholic, but most wanted to stray away from the Catholic Church, causing the split in the 17th and 18th...
from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Polling 7.31% (3,447 votes), SD's municipal list in Södertälje got 5 of the 65 municipal seats. Nader Helawi and 4 other Swedes from immigrant origin will sit as municipal councilors.
Sami people
The Sweden Democrats are critical of the special rights and privileges given to the indigenous Sami peopleSami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
of northern Sweden. It has been argued that the Sweden Democrats want to abolish their constitutional status as "indigenous" and even deport members of other ethnic groups. In 2008, the party accepted a motion against the rights to reindeer husbandry. They have argued that those "who do not involve themselves with reindeer husbandry are treated as second class citizens" and that the privileges the herders have are "undemocratic." They want to restructure the councils and funds that are used to benefit the Sami population, so that they are used "regardless of ethnic identity and business operations." They also want to abolish the Sami parliament
Sami Parliament of Sweden
The Sami Parliament of Sweden is the representative body for people of Sami heritage in Sweden. It acts as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous Sami people.-History:...
which claims special privileges for an "ethnic minority while the society claims equal rights for others."
Law and order
The Sweden Democrats advocate national responsibility and social justice. SD wishes to instate the possibility of life without parole for the worst crimes and to repatriate foreign citizens found guilty of serious crime (which already is general practice in Sweden, though the repatriation is usually limited to a few years after which the offenders are welcome to reapply for asylum). SD also wants to establish a public register of convicted pedophilesPedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
.
Foreign policy
The Sweden Democrats in their foreign policy reject joining the Economic and Monetary Union of the European UnionEconomic and Monetary Union of the European Union
The Economic and Monetary Union is an umbrella term for the group of policies aimed at converging the economies of members of the European Union in three stages so as to allow them to adopt a single currency, the euro. As such, it is largely synonymous with the eurozone.All member states of the...
, are opposed to the Accession of Turkey to the European Union
Accession of Turkey to the European Union
Turkey's application to accede to the European Union was made on 14 April 1987. Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union and its predecessors since 1963...
and want to renegotiate Swedish membership of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Family
The Sweden Democrats are in favour of the traditional nuclear familyNuclear family
Nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a father and mother and their children. This is in contrast to the smaller single-parent family, and to the larger extended family. Nuclear families typically center on a married couple, but not always; the nuclear family may have...
and believe that every child should have "one father and one mother", according to their website. According to the Social Democrat Björn Andersson's blog, SD is opposed to adoption rights for homosexual couples, and to letting lesbian women become inseminated. Although SD strongly criticizes what it calls a Homosex Lobby, the party claims that it is not hostile to homosexuals. Further, party leader Jimmie Åkesson expresses concern over that the increasing Islamization
Islamization
Islamization or Islamification has been used to describe the process of a society's conversion to the religion of Islam...
of Sweden will eventually lead to the rights of sexual minorities being violated.
Published by SD Party secretary Björn Söder
Björn Söder
Björn Olof Söder is a Swedish politician of the nationalist Sweden Democrats. He is the current party secretary of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election....
on 1 August 2007, a blog article titled Botten måste snart vara nådd (Soon enough we'll hit rock bottom) led to intense debate and criticism.
Controversies
The Sweden Democrats have complained about difficulties buying advertising space due to the media banning the party from advertisement, which has been criticised by free speech organisations. On June 16, 2006, however Dagens NyheterDagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
and Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet is a daily newspaper in Sweden. The first issue appeared on 18 December 1884. Svenska Dagbladet is published in Stockholm and provides coverage of national and international news as well as local coverage of the Greater Stockholm region...
decided to stop their boycott. Expressen
Expressen
Expressen is one of two nationwide evening tabloid newspapers in Sweden, the other being Aftonbladet. Expressen was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and slogans "it stings" or "Expressen to your rescue", always on the reader's side....
though still retains the ban on Sweden Democrat advertising.
During the 1990s, it is known that many outspokenly far-right persons has been involved with the party. The party was supported financially in the 1998 general election by the French National Front, and for the 2004 European election by Belgian Bernard Mengal.
The Sweden Democrats' response
The party dissociates itself from all forms of totalitarianism and racism and states that it considers the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human RightsUniversal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
a fundamental component of its politics. Furthermore, the party says that its fundamental goal is to combine the principle of social and economic justice with traditional conservative values. For this reason, the party believes that it is not easily pinpointed on the traditional left-right political spectrum in Swedish politics. Also, the Sweden Democrats say they have expelled all openly extremist members from the party, and refuse membership to anyone who has extremist views. The Sweden Democrats have complained of a media boycott, which they say has resulted in constant negative characterisations of the party.
The Mohammed cartoon debate
After the Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-PostenJyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
published twelve cartoons depicting Mohammed and ignited the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
during the 2005 autumn and winter, the Sweden Democrats gave their unreserved support to the publication with reference to the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. SD stated that it saw no reason why a Danish newspaper should be forced to abide by Muslim rules and prohibitions regarding expression. When the boycott of Danish products was launched in the Middle East, SD launched a "Buy Danish" campaign in support of Danish workers. In 2006 SD entered to the Mohammed cartoon debate
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
by publishing a Mohammed-depicting cartoon on its youth league (SDU) and SD-Kuriren websites. The cartoon showed Mohammed from behind holding a mirror in front of his face. However, instead of any facial features, the mirror showed only a blank head. The cartoon was captioned "Mohammed's Face" (Muhammeds ansikte in Swedish).
The publication attracted the attention of the Swedish government which informed internet service provider Levonline about the SD's publications. Subsequently, Levonline shut down SD’s web page. The government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laila Freivalds
Laila Freivalds
Laila Ligita Freivalds is a Swedish Social Democratic politician and a former Swedish Minister for Justice, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister....
, denied any direct interference. However, at the same time Laila Freivalds condemned the publication as a provocation. Freivalds then resigned as Minister after being accused of interference with press freedom and lying about such actions.
This event spurred debate on government censorship in Sweden. The Sweden Democrats also had a hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
charge filed against them due to the posted caricature. Similar hate speech charges were filed against other Swedish publishers who depicted Mohammed. However, these charges were immediately deemed to be unfounded by the Swedish Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern).
The Sweden Democrats originally planned to publish a set of cartoons in their newspaper SD-Kuriren. However, after the controversy erupted, Jimmie Åkesson issued a statement on SD's website on 9 February 2006, stating that it would refrain from further publications online and in print, due to concerns that it might spur hostile actions against Swedes and Swedish interests.
The shutdown of Sweden Democrats' websites was reported to Konstitutionsutskottet by the Liberal People's Party
Liberal People's Party (Sweden)
The Liberal People's Party is a political party in Sweden. The party advocates social liberalism and is part of the governing centre-right coalition The Alliance, which achieved a majority in the general election of 17 September 2006...
leader Lars Leijonborg
Lars Leijonborg
Lars Erik Ansgar Leijonborg is a Swedish politician, Minister for Higher Education and Research 2006-2009 and Head of the Ministry of Education and Research 2006-2007...
. SD filed charges against the Security Police
Swedish Security Service
The Swedish Security Service , former name Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning , is the security service of Sweden, belonging to the Swedish National Police Board....
(Säpo) and the Department of State with the Justitiekansler and Justitieombudsmannen, alleging that the government's interference was unconstitutional. The spokesperson of the Green Party Peter Eriksson also expressed concern over possible government involvement in the event.
General elections
| Election year | # of total votes | % of overall vote | # of seats won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 Swedish general election, 1988 Elections to the Swedish Riksdag held 18 September 1988. The elections saw the Green Party elected to parliament for the first time.... |
1,118 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 1991 Swedish general election, 1991 Election to the Parliament of Sweden was held on 15 September 1991. The election, like all parliamentary elections in Sweden, was conducted using a party-list proportional representation system.... |
4,887 | 0.1% | 0 |
| 1994 Swedish general election, 1994 The Swedish general election, 1994 for the 349 seats in the Parliament of Sweden took place on 18 September 1994.... |
13,954 | 0.3% | 0 |
| 1998 Swedish general election, 1998 -Election results:Here are the results of the general election to the Parliament of Sweden , held on 20 September 1998.← Riksdag election, 1998 →PartyVotes%SeatsEq¹Party leader/Comment... |
19,624 | 0.4% | 0 |
| 2002 Swedish general election, 2002 The Swedish general election of 2002 was held on Sunday 15 September to elect the 349 members to the Parliament of Sweden. This election was hels along with other elections in Sweden to the Municipalities and the County Councils. 5,385,430 of the 6,722,152 eligible to vote voted in this election .-... |
76,300 | 1.4% | 0 |
| 2006 Swedish general election, 2006 A general election was held in Sweden on 17 September 2006, to elect members to the Swedish parliament. All 349 seats were up for election: 310 "fixed seats" in 29 constituencies and 39 members at a national level for what are called "adjustment seats", used to ensure that parties have... |
162,463 | 2.9% | 0 |
| 2010 Swedish general election, 2010 A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main contenders of the election were the governing centre-right coalition the Alliance and the oppositional centre-left Red-Greens coalition A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main... |
339,610 | 5.7% | 20 |
European elections
| Election year | # of total votes | % of overall vote | # of seats won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 European Parliament election, 1999 (Sweden) The European Parliament election of 1999 in Sweden was the election of MEP representing Sweden constituency for the 1999-2004 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 1999 European election. The vote took place on 13 June.- Results:... |
8,568 | 0.3% | 0 |
| 2004 European Parliament election, 2004 (Sweden) The European Parliament election of 2004 in Sweden was the election of MEP representing Sweden constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election. The vote took place on June 13... |
28,303 | 1.1% | 0 |
| 2009 European Parliament election, 2009 (Sweden) The European Parliament election of 2009 in Sweden was held on 7 June 2009 and determined the makeup of the Swedish delegation to the European Parliament. The election was held using a modified form of the Sainte-Laguë method of party-list proportional representation using the entire country as a... |
103,584 | 3.3% | 0 |
Party leaders
- Anders Klarström (1992–1995)
- Mikael JanssonMikael JanssonMikael Jansson is a former leader of the Swedish political party Sweden Democrats . He served as party leader between 1995 and 2005. He was replaced by Jimmie Åkesson.- External links :...
(1995–2005) - Jimmie ÅkessonJimmie ÅkessonPer Jimmie Åkesson is a Swedish politician. He is the current leader of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election. He is under constant protection by the Swedish Security Service.- Biography :...
(2005–present)