Indicator history

The Sweden Democrats (Swedish: Sverigedemokraterna, SD) is a political party in Sweden, founded in 1988.  Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson, while Björn Söder is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. The Sweden Democrats was formed as a direct successor of the Sweden Party, which in turn was the outcome of a merger in 1986 of the Swedish Progress Party and the BBS (Keep Sweden Swedish).The Sweden Democrats has its roots in Swedish fascism, and there were, particularly at the end of the 1980s and for the first half of the 1990s, distinct overlaps between them and openly anti-democratic, Nazi and fascist groupings. During the latter half of the 1990s, however, the party worked hard to erect a more respectable façade. In 1999 the Sweden Democrats openly renounced Nazism. Furthermore, some of the more provocative paragraphs in the party program were also toned down or eventually deleted (in particular those dealing with capital punishment, the banning of abortion and non-European adoption, to which the party was strongly opposed). 

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 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.  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. 

A SD politician in southern Sweden wrote racist Afrophobic statements on Facebook that the word “Nigger” is not a racist term.“No, for me a "Neger" (Nigger) is a "Neger" (Nigger). There is nothing negative with that at all,” Annika Rydh of Älmhult, Småland, told local paper Smålandsposten in November 2011. The debate kicked off after Rydh answered the query “Is it racist to say "Neger" (Nigger)?” in a Facebook post. Annika Rydh is one of two Sweden Democrats on the municipal council in Älmhult. She told the  Smålandsposten that  “We do have freedom of speech in this country, after all." In recent years there have been many reports to the Swedish Equality Ombudsman pertaining to the word and several companies and government agencies have been made to pay damages to people who felt discriminated against when that particular word has been used (The Local, Sweden democrat: "A Negro is a Negro", http://www.thelocal.se/37620/20111128/). 

Another SD county politician, Leif Vogel was forced to resign from his position at the local council after sending racist emails to the daily newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Dagens Nyheter on the 22 and 23 January 2011. Svenska Dagbladet published a series of articles  describing the conditions of several rental properties in the Stockholm suburbs of Rinkeby and Tensta both of which have a high concentration of immigrant residents. The articles referred to  mold and other problems, which had been ignored by landlords. After reading the articles, the politician sent emails to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet that:  "They not only bring their dyslexia with them, but also a total lack of culture and knowledge, as well as bedbugs, lice, and cockroaches and like in the picture, their detrimental effect on our homes". In February 2011, SD announced, that the politician was leaving the party and his position at the local council in Knivsta (The Local , http://www.thelocal.se/31782/20110202/ ). 

Jimmie Åkesson, the party leader of the Sweden Democrats, claimed in an article published in the Swedish News paper, Aftonbladet, 19 October 2009, that Islam is the biggest threat to Sweden since World War II.6 The anti-racist organization Centre against Racism (Centrum Mot Rasism), reported the case to the Chancellor of Justice (JK), stating that the statements by Jimmie Åkesson, head of the far-right Sweden Democrats were tantamount to agitation against Muslims. The Center against Racism also reported Aftonbladet to the JK for publishing and spreading the article. In the article, Åkesson states that”more than ten Muslim terrorist organizations have established themselves in Sweden”. Further, he goes on saying that Sweden has the most rapes in Europe, and that Muslim men are highly overrepresented among the perpetrators. The case was refused by the Chancellor of Justice who didn’t consider Åkesson’s article as violating Swedish rules governing the freedom of expression (http://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/debattamnen/politik/article12049791.ab). 

source: Svenska Dagbladet. 2008-05-02. http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/sd-till-attack-mot-renagande-samer_1204465.svd, (accessed, 2010-11-08).

The Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society (Jens Rydgren).  2010-10-21, http://hsf.bgu.ac.il/europe/index.aspx?pgid=pg_127842651505941456

The Local , http://www.thelocal.se/31782/20110202/ (2011.02.02)

The Local, Sweden democrat: "A Negro is a Negro", http://www.thelocal.se/37620/20111128/ (2011.03.02)

News Mill, http://www.newsmill.se/artikel/2009/10/19/mariam-om-ab (2011.03.02). 

Aftonbladet, ”Muslimerna är vårt största utländska hot” (2009-10-19), (http://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/debattamnen/politik/article12049791.ab) (accessed 2012-03-10).

The Sweden Democrats (Swedish: Sverigedemokraterna, SD) is a political party in Sweden, founded in 1988.  Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson, while Björn Söder is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. The Sweden Democrats was formed as a direct successor of the Sweden Party, which in turn was the outcome of a merger in 1986 of the Swedish Progress Party and the BBS (Keep Sweden Swedish).The Sweden Democrats has its roots in Swedish fascism, and there were, particularly at the end of the 1980s and for the first half of the 1990s, distinct overlaps between them and openly anti-democratic, Nazi and fascist groupings. During the latter half of the 1990s, however, the party worked hard to erect a more respectable façade. In 1999 the Sweden Democrats openly renounced Nazism. Furthermore, some of the more provocative paragraphs in the party program were also toned down or eventually deleted (in particular those dealing with capital punishment, the banning of abortion and non-European adoption, to which the party was strongly opposed). 

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 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.  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. 

A SD politician in southern Sweden wrote racist Afrophobic statements on Facebook that the word “Nigger” is not a racist term.“No, for me a "Neger" (Nigger) is a "Neger" (Nigger). There is nothing negative with that at all,” Annika Rydh of Älmhult, Småland, told local paper Smålandsposten in November 2011. The debate kicked off after Rydh answered the query “Is it racist to say "Neger" (Nigger)?” in a Facebook post. Annika Rydh is one of two Sweden Democrats on the municipal council in Älmhult. She told the  Smålandsposten that  “We do have freedom of speech in this country, after all." In recent years there have been many reports to the Swedish Equality Ombudsman pertaining to the word and several companies and government agencies have been made to pay damages to people who felt discriminated against when that particular word has been used (The Local, Sweden democrat: "A Negro is a Negro", http://www.thelocal.se/37620/20111128/). 

Another SD county politician, Leif Vogel was forced to resign from his position at the local council after sending racist emails to the daily newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Dagens Nyheter on the 22 and 23 January 2011. Svenska Dagbladet published a series of articles  describing the conditions of several rental properties in the Stockholm suburbs of Rinkeby and Tensta both of which have a high concentration of immigrant residents. The articles referred to  mold and other problems, which had been ignored by landlords. After reading the articles, the politician sent emails to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet that:  "They not only bring their dyslexia with them, but also a total lack of culture and knowledge, as well as bedbugs, lice, and cockroaches and like in the picture, their detrimental effect on our homes". In February 2011, SD announced, that the politician was leaving the party and his position at the local council in Knivsta (The Local , http://www.thelocal.se/31782/20110202/ ). 

Jimmie Åkesson, the party leader of the Sweden Democrats, claimed in an article published in the Swedish News paper, Aftonbladet, 19 October 2009, that Islam is the biggest threat to Sweden since World War II.6 The anti-racist organization Centre against Racism (Centrum Mot Rasism), reported the case to the Chancellor of Justice (JK), stating that the statements by Jimmie Åkesson, head of the far-right Sweden Democrats were tantamount to agitation against Muslims. The Center against Racism also reported Aftonbladet to the JK for publishing and spreading the article. In the article, Åkesson states that”more than ten Muslim terrorist organizations have established themselves in Sweden”. Further, he goes on saying that Sweden has the most rapes in Europe, and that Muslim men are highly overrepresented among the perpetrators. The case was refused by the Chancellor of Justice who didn’t consider Åkesson’s article as violating Swedish rules governing the freedom of expression (http://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/debattamnen/politik/article12049791.ab). 

source: Svenska Dagbladet. 2008-05-02. http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/sd-till-attack-mot-renagande-samer_1204465.svd, (accessed, 2010-11-08).

The Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society (Jens Rydgren).  2010-10-21, http://hsf.bgu.ac.il/europe/index.aspx?pgid=pg_127842651505941456

The Local , http://www.thelocal.se/31782/20110202/ (2011.02.02)

The Local, Sweden democrat: "A Negro is a Negro", http://www.thelocal.se/37620/20111128/ (2011.03.02)

News Mill, http://www.newsmill.se/artikel/2009/10/19/mariam-om-ab (2011.03.02). 

Aftonbladet, ”Muslimerna är vårt största utländska hot” (2009-10-19), (http://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/debattamnen/politik/article12049791.ab) (accessed 2012-03-10).