Sweden Democrats

Party leader |  Jimmie Åkesson
Parliamentary leader |
Founded |  1988
Headquarters |
Political ideology |  Conservatism
National conservatism
Political position |  Right-wing
International affiliation |  European Conservatives and Reformists
Color(s) |  blue, yellow
Website |  sd.se

Sweden Democrats (Swedish: Sverigedemokraterna; SD) is a conservative political party in Sweden. It is led by Jimmie Åkesson. A conservative party, the SD rapidly increased in size in the early 21st century due to public opposition to the growing liberalism, socialism, and cultural Marxism in the country.[1] The party has been falsely labeled as "far-right" and even "neo-Nazi" by the mainstream media, far-leftists, and open borders activists,[2] and left-wing individuals have committed harassment and violence against the party and its supporters.[3][4]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Policies
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## History[edit]

Sweden Democrats was founded in 1988. The party has gained populist sentiment in recent years in a country that has traditionally been suspicious of nationalist sentiment. In 2010, the party entered parliament for the first time with 5.7% of the popular vote, and it received 12.9% of the vote in the 2014 elections.

In 2015, the Sweden Democrats cut ties with its youth organization, Young Sweden Democrats, who were impatient with the slow pace of reform and for alleged skinhead associations. In March 2017, the SD grew to become the most popular party in Sweden, according to polls,[5] and it surged in the polls leading up to the 2018 elections because of the increasingly apparent negative effects of mass migration in the country.[4][6] The Sweden Democrats received 17.6% of the vote in the 2018 election, which, while lower than some observers had expected, was still a large increase which coincided with a hung parliament and the Social Democrats' worst result since 1908.[7] Regardless, the SD achieved an ideological victory as the mainstream parties adopted similar migration policies as it.[8] The SD performed very well in Skåne County in southern Sweden,[9] and it won more seats than its number of candidates for 17 city councils.[10] A member of the SD became the mayor of a municipality for the first time in the party's history,[11] and by June 2019, the party helped govern five municipalities.[12] The SD also was the victim of electoral fraud.[13]

The Sweden Democrats continued growing, and in a November 2019 poll, it had become the largest party in Sweden.[14] In December 2019, the Moderate Party caved and dropped its opposition to cooperating with the Sweden Democrats.[15][16]

In October 2020, the SD-controlled municipality of Hörby enacted a new flag policy that prohibited the municipality from flying the LGBT flag.[17]

## Policies[edit]

The SD takes a strong position against mass migration.[18] It is Euroskeptic and supported leaving the European Union,[19] though Åkesson admitted in February 2019 that the EU's anti-Brexit tactics caused him to reconsider campaigning for independence.[20][21] Unlike other Swedish political parties, the SD acknowledges the existence of "No Go Zones."[22][23] The party takes strongly pro-Israel positions,[24] and it supports relocating Sweden's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[25] In 2018, the SD has three Jewish lawmakers in the country's parliament.[26]

## See also[edit]

* European migrant crisis

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Byas, Steve (November 5, 2019). Are Europeans Fed Up With Liberalism — Even in Sweden? The New American. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
2. ↑ Lane, Oliver JJ (November 11, 2015). EXCLUSIVE: Sweden Democrats Slam BBC Article Claiming Polling-Leading Party Are ‘Neo-Nazis’. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
See also:
* Babones, Salvadore (September 10, 2018). Who's Afraid of the Sweden Democrats? The National Interest. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
* Peterson, Jared (September 17, 2018). Disappointed in article attacking Sweden Democrats. American Thinker. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
3. ↑ Multiple references:
* Tomlinson, Chris (August 19, 2018). ‘Black-clad’ Individuals Set Populist Sweden Democrats Election Kiosk On Fire. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
* Duxbury, Charlie (August 27, 2018). Fear and loathing on the Swedish campaign trail. Politico. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
* Protesters target Sweden Democrats and Alternative for Sweden with eggs and tomatoes. The Local. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
* Lane, Oliver JJ (September 7, 2018). Sweden Election: Police Investigate After Islamist Threat to Execute Populist Leader’s Family. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
* Tomlinson, Chris (May 17, 2019). Swedish Teen Assaulted While Leafleting For Populist Party Election Campaign. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (May 26, 2019). Political Violence: Swedish Populist Leader Attacked with Fireworks on Campaign Trail. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (August 22, 2019). Teen Accused of Attempted Attack on Swedish Populist Leader Prosecuted. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
See also:
* Tomlinson, Chris (June 1, 2019). Swedish Populists Most Likely to Be Threatened and Harassed for Views. Breitbart News. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Duke, Selwyn (August 27, 2018). Swedish Anti-migration, Anti-EU Party Poised to Make Big Gains in Coming Election. The New American. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
5. ↑ Montgomery, Jack (March 26, 2017). Eurosceptic, Anti-Mass Immigration Sweden Democrats Surge To First Place in Polls. Breitbart News. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
See also:
* Brown, Stephen (May 23, 2018). Swedish far right at record high in pre-election poll. Politico. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
6. ↑ Multiple references:
* Duke, Selwyn (June 27, 2018). Right Rising in Sweden as Muslim Migration and Nanny State Sink Culture. The New American. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
* Tomlinson, Chris (May 18, 2018). New Poll Shows Populist Sweden Democrats Tied for First Ahead of Election. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
* Tomlinson, Chris (August 21, 2018). Left-Wing Swedish Social Democrats On Course For Worst Election Result Ever. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
* Shaw, Adam (September 7, 2018). Swedish elections likely to benefit nationalist party amid migration crisis. Fox News. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
7. ↑ Multiple references:
* Montgomery, Jack (September 10, 2018). Sweden Election: Populists Win Biggest Ever Vote Share, Ruling Leftists Have Worst Result in 100 Years. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
* Newman, Alex (September 10, 2018). Swedish Nationalist Party Surges; Socialists Still Dying. The New American. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
* Chamberlain, Samuel (September 9, 2018). Sweden election sees gains for far-right, anti-immigrant party. Fox News. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
* Pancevski, Bojan (September 10, 2018). Sweden Moves to the Right in an Election Shaped by Immigration. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
* Pollard, Niklas; Johnson, Simon (September 9, 2018). Sweden faces political deadlock after gains by far-right party. Reuters. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
* Henley, Jon (September 10, 2018). Sweden election: far right makes gains as main blocs deadlocked. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
* Sweden joins Europe's move to right over migration backlash. Fox News (from the Associated Press). September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
See also:
* Hale, Virginia (September 10, 2018). Sweden Vote: International Election Observer ‘Shocked’, ‘Never Seen Such an Undemocratic System’. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
8. ↑ Multiple references:
* Schultheis, Emily (10 September 2018). Sweden’s Far Right Has Won the War of Ideas. Foreign Policy. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
* Europe’s populists are waltzing into the mainstream. The Economist. February 3, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
See also:
* Tomlinson, Chris (September 8, 2018). Sweden Election: Populists Set for Major Gains, Social Democrats’ Grip on Power Fading. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
9. ↑ Orange, Richard (September 11, 2018). Sweden Democrats biggest in two-thirds of Skåne districts. The Local. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
10. ↑ Multiple references:
* Tomlinson, Chris (September 23, 2018). Swedish Populists Win So Many Seats They Have Difficulty Filling Them. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
* Sweden Democrats won more local seats than able to fill. EUobserver. September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
11. ↑ Sweden Democrats take power in municipal council. The Local. October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
12. ↑ Europe Elects. Twitter. June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
13. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (January 30, 2019). Swedish Local Election Voided After Populist Party Votes Not Counted. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
14. ↑ Multiple references:
* Duke, Selwyn (November 15, 2019). Anti-immigrationism, Pro-Swedish Party Now Sweden’s Most Popular — for First Time. The New American. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
* Anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats take opinion poll lead. Reuters. November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (November 17, 2019). Sweden: Populists Top Poll as Leftist Govt Struggles with Gang Violence. Breitbart News. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
* Orange, Richard (November 15, 2019). Far-Right Sweden Democrats party top Swedish poll for first time. 'The Telegraph. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
* Far-right Sweden Democrats top opinion poll in historic shift. The Local. November 15, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
15. ↑ First meeting between Sweden Democrats and Moderate Party leaders. The Local. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
16. ↑ https://www.ft.com/content/1e692a28-1764-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385
17. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (October 15, 2020). Populist-Controlled Swedish Council Refuses to Fly Pride Flag. Breitbart News. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
18. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (February 18, 2018). Sweden Democrats Promise to Reduce Asylum Numbers to Zero and End Chain Migration. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
19. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (August 18, 2018). Populist Swedish Leader Doubles Down on Wanting Out of European Union. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
20. ↑ Lane, Oliver JJ (February 5, 2019). EU’s Brexit Punishment Tactics Working as Swedish Eurosceptics Say It’s Frightened Them Off Independence. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
21. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (May 10, 2019). Swedish Populists Say Brexit Changed Their Minds on Leaving EU. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
22. ↑ Kassam, Raheem (March 6, 2018). EXCLUSIVE — Sweden Democrats Refute PM’s ‘No Go Zone’ Denial as ‘Fake News’. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
23. ↑ Kassam, Raheem (November 19, 2015). EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sweden Democrats Leader Jimmie Åkesson Talks To Breitbart London From Brussels ‘No Go Zone’ Molenbeek. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
24. ↑ Bybelezer, Charles (September 6, 2018). How a Far-Right Political Party Could Upend Sweden's Israel Policy. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
25. ↑ Brünnhilde (May 1, 2018). The Swedish Democrats wants to move Sweden’s embassy to Jerusalem – “A matter of course”. SaveMySweden. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
26. ↑ Byas, Steve (January 1, 2019). Right-wing European Parties Seek Jewish Support. The New American. Retrieved January 1, 2019.

## External links[edit]

* Official website