For some decades now, it has been a tradition that Swedish parties have chosen a flower for their logo. In 2006, Sverigedemokraterna (SD, Sweden Democrats) changed their party symbol from a flaming torch in the form of a Swedish flag to a flower, Hepatica nobilis. The change marked a symbolic transformation from the parties Neo-Nazi… Continue reading “Review of Sverigedemokraterna och nazismen [”The Sweden Democrats and Nazism”] by Maria Robsahm (2020)”
What appeared as a harmless series of lectures for journalism students, soon turned out to be one of the first Swedish cases of the issue of ‘academic freedom’ as a battlefield of radical right mobilization. During fall of 2019, the Department of Media, Journalism and Communication at the University of Gothenburg arranged a lecture series… Continue reading “Sweden heading towards ‘academic freedom’ as battlefield of the radical right”
Four facets of the Fascist label in the Swedish context The use of the term ‘fascism’ or ‘neo-fascism’ in the context of the Swedish radical right and its parliamentary arm, the Sweden Democrats (SD), is extremely contested. Following the general elections of 2014, PM Stefan Löfven characterized the party in an op ed in Dagens… Continue reading “’Spöknippet’: the chilling continuities of fascist imagination in the Swedish Radical Right”
Framing far-right populist parties as just an unpopular minority downplays the actual impact the rise of far-right populism has already had on European societies. Images of violent far-right groups marching the streets in Germany and the strong performance of the populist far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) in the recent electionshave sparked fears of a further rise of… Continue reading “Why We Shouldn’t Call the Far Right an Unpopular Minority”
With the media on their side, the SD has managed to persuade many unionised women in the health service that it is the only party for them. Does the mainstream know why? One of the three biggest parties in Sweden, the nativist Sweden Democrats (SD) has become a force to reckon with. More scarily still,… Continue reading “Does Sweden’s mainstream have to talk to the Sweden Democrats?”
Ahead of the September 9 elections, the violent imaginaries of this radical right party with white supremacist roots are taking hold. The populist radical right Sweden Democrats are heading for yet another record result in the Swedish parliamentary elections on 9 September, polling at around 20% behind the ruling Social Democrats. The party – founded in 1988 as a… Continue reading “The Far-Right Sweden Democrats Are Selling Dystopia To Voters…And It’s Working”
Given increasing immigration to Europe, an important question is whether objective immigration increases the popularity of radical right parties. This question is especially relevant in Sweden, the country that accepted the largest per capita share of refugees during the so-called European Migrant Crisis of 2015. Sweden’s 2018 national election is only a few months away,… Continue reading “As Sweden Sees More Immigration, The Far Right Sees Opportunity”