Immigration is growing in importance to Swedish voters, according to a new study that revealed 20 per cent of voters think the far-right Sweden Democrats is the party with the best immigration policies, a higher figure than for any other party.
Category Archives: Sweden
The demographics of Islamophobia
Just three days into 2013, Annika Rydh, a Swedish government official from the town of Almhult, issued a shrill call to both her colleagues and neighbors. Worried about the perceived growth of the Muslim population in her homeland and beyond, she urged the European Union “to act by having some kind of restriction, like the one-child policy in China.” If Muslims don’t like the proposed rule, she continued, they can go back where they came from.
Rydh’s appeal comes on the heels of a decade-long campaign to curtail Muslim immigration into western countries and reduce the number of babies born to Muslim families. International in scope, the anti-Islam movement relies on scare tactics that, more often than not, imply that the Judeo-Christian traditions are in danger of being trampled by Sharia law.
Eleanor J. Bader examines the demographic myths promoted by Islamophobes. She notes:
Surprising as it seems, a host of anti-choicers have demonstrated a clear tilt toward population control when it comes to Muslims. Indeed, it seems apparent that, for them, racism and Islamophobia trump unbridled procreation for Mohammed’s adherents.
The iron pipe of Swedish neo-facism
Daniel Strand traces the rise of the Sweden Democrats.
‘Limit Muslims’ birth rate’: Sweden Democrat
An outspoken local Sweden Democrat politician who previously argued “negro” is not a racist term, has generated headlines again by calling for a law to cap the fertility rate of Muslims around the world.
Annika Rydh, municipal party secretary in Älmhult, southern Sweden, blogs about her work and often links to Islam-critical articles. Recently, she linked to a film entitled “Muslim Demographics” that claims Muslims are trying to take over the world one baby at a time.
“It’s a global problem,” Rydh wrote on her blog, according to anti-fascism magazine Expo. “We can’t tackle this locally. The international community needs to act by having some kind of restriction, like the one-child policy in China.”
Yet, BBC News has previously revealed that the film she posted on her blog refers to incorrect birth rate statistics.
Sweden Democrats MP quits after racist scandal
A Swedish lawmaker once seen as a future leader of the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party announced Sunday he was quitting parliament and the party after a racist scandal.
Erik Almqvist, 31, was one of three party officials caught on film hurling racist abuse at two men, arming themselves with iron bars after a heated argument outside a fast-food restaurant, and calling a woman who tried to intervene a little “whore”.
“No, this is not your country, it’s my country,” Almqvist is seen telling one of the men in the clip.
Sweden Democrats send corpse pics to student
A 15-year-old boy mailed the Sweden Democrats seeking the party’s view on Islam for a school project and received a link to a website showing close up photos of mutilated, decapitated and burned bodies.
“I was shocked. I had no idea how I was supposed to respond to his mail. I can’t describe the feeling, the photos were so horrible,” the student, named as Johan, told the Svenska Dagbladet daily.
Sweden Democrats sends members anti-Islam mag
Some 6,000 members of the Sweden Democrats will be receiving an anti-Islam newspaper at the end of the month, courtesy of the party. “Dispatch International is a paper that plays an important role in the societal debate,” MP and editor in chief for the Sweden Democrat paper SD–Kuriren, Richard Jomshof, told local paper Sydsvenskan.
The publication, which is connected to the Swedish anti-Islam group “Freedom of the Press Society” (Tryckfrihetssällskapet), recently featured an article where a professor argues that the Muslim call to prayer should not only be seen as that but also as a threat. The Freedom of the Press Society has previously also posted anti-Semitic comments on its Facebook page.
Up yours, Sweden Democrats!
Following Sweden’s 4-2 victory over England in yesterday’sinternational friendly in Stockholm, in which Sweden’s captain Zlatan Ibrahimović played such a spectacular role, his teammate Pontus Wernbloom has taken the opprtunity to have a go at the anti-migrant, Islamophobic Sweden Democrats. He tweets: “What does the SD have to say after The Zlatan Show today? It is an honour to play in the same team as the man.”
Immigration fears and unemployment boost support for Sweden Democrats
Banking on concerns of immigration and rising unemployment, far-rightists are gaining popularity in Sweden, amid expectations of becoming the third party in the country’s coming election.
“Immigration is topping the agenda and this benefits the Sweden Democrats,” Carl Melin, polling head at United Minds, told Reuters Monday, November 12.
Protestors outnumber attendees at Wilders lecture in Malmö
Anti-racists demonstrate against Wilders in Malmö
While protesters outnumbered those attending a speech by controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders in Malmö in southern Sweden on Saturday, the event passed off without incident.
“Our intelligence told us that we should be prepared for trouble,” a Malmö police officer told The Local. But at the end of the event a colleague assured The Local that the day “had passed without incident with just minor disturbances”.
The frequent critic of Islam was a guest of the anti-Islam Swedish “Freedom of the Press Society” (Tryckfrihetssällskapet) and addressed an audience of approximately 100 people at a venue in Malmö’s western harbour. Outside a crowd of around 300 gathered to protest at the presence of the leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom.