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”
It can be difficult to separate the alleged watchdogs of freedom from the bloodhounds of the populist radical-right discourse. On June 6, 2017, Sweden’s national holiday, charges were filed with the Swedish international prosecution office against “a number of individuals in key positions inside Sweden’s government administration, media and in the country’s political establishment” engaged… Continue reading “How the Swedish Radical Right Hijacked Human Rights”
The alt-right mobilised online to back far-right parties at Sweden’s general election – but are their tactics no longer effective? Recent years have seen the far and extreme right wing building international coalitions to disseminate propaganda in an attempt to bring the public around to their talking points, including the development of large networks of… Continue reading “Meme warfare in the Swedish context”
The right-wing populist perpetuum mobile Like many others, appalled by what I find extremely dubious and divisive rhetoric in disarming the credibility of independent testimony from Holocaust survivors, I started a petition against Teodorescu’s editorials. Its main aim was to make the owners of GP (the media house Stampen AB, Stena Finans and other lesser… Continue reading “Holocaust survivors in Sweden– the ‘straw men’ for the radical right (Part 2)”
‘Our adversaries have forced us into an existential fight about the survival of our culture and our nation. There are only two choices: victory or death.’ –Mattias Karlsson of the radical right Swedish Democrats, Facebook comments on the outcome of the Swedish national elections 9 September 2018. Following Sweden’s national elections on 9 September, tensions… Continue reading “Holocaust survivors in Sweden– the ‘straw men’ for the radical right (Part 1)”
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?”
The neo-nationalist and anti-immigrant party could make gains, but may have hit an electoral ceiling. This Sunday’s national election could mark a dramatic shift in the landscape of Swedish politics. If the polls are accurate, it is unlikely that the traditional blocs on either the left or the right will win a majority. The balance… Continue reading “The Sweden Democrats remain deeply unpopular despite making gains”
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”
It was born of the dark web amongst the Swedish radical right – a meme naming the tiny city of Finspång, in the province of Ostrogothia, as the place where in the fictional future ‘national traitors’ would be executed in large sways once fascists took power. Images have circulated of people hanged on street-lamps and… Continue reading “’Finspång’ – An Execution Meme of the Swedish Radical Right Ignites the Political Discourse”