The Unfair Slurs Against Sverigedemokraterna

The controversy that has swirled around Counterjihad Brussels 2007 since it ended ten days ago centers on two European nationalist parties, Vlaams Belang, or “Flemish Issue”, and Sverigedemokraterna, or “The Sweden Democrats”. Members of both parties attended the conference, although as individuals, not as representatives of their respective parties.

Sverigedemokraterna acknowledges that in its early years it was home to various neo-Nazi sympathizers and anti-Semites. However, a deliberate reorganization of the party early in this decade purged the neo-Nazis and Jew-haters.

Much of the negative press and disinformation put out about SD arise from questionable sources, mostly leftist and socialist organizations with an indifference to the truth and an axe to grind against Sverigedemokraterna.

Because my knowledge of Swedish politics and history is thin, I rely on my Swedish correspondents for information. I have five or six regular contacts in Sweden, and they all agree: Expo, just to give one example, is not a reliable source of information about Sverigedemokraterna. The Swedes say that Expo habitually lies, misrepresents the truth, and shades information in order to reflect badly on SD. Several Danes who follow Swedish affairs closely say the same thing.

For a good overview of the situation, here is a comment that Magnus, who keeps the Swedish blog Magnus Orerar, left on my earlier post, in response to something Carpenter said. I have corrected some typos and modified his spelling slightly:

Good information! There’s a lot of anti-Semitic stuff going on in the political left too. One thing you didn’t mention is that the Swedish left party in Sweden had a leader in the 1930s, Nils Flygt, who then started a Nazi party in Sweden. Also the left party was pro-Hitler during the Hitler-Churchill conflict (now the morons say Lenin was better than Churchill).

This is no excuse for some anti-Semitic, and also Nazi-influences, in the mainly immigrant-critical Sverigedemokraterna during its first 5-10 years. But that influence never made them a Nazi party! The last 5-10 years they have also actively kicked out politicians (and active members?) with any Nazi connection, whatever it is, and also a large amount of new members (and politicians) in the hugely growing party Sverigedemokraterna in the party are ordinary people; roughly between 10% and 25% of the people in the southern cities vote for them, and in some cities the other non-socialist parties say Sverigedemokraterna is an important party to cooperate with. Many politicians are former politicians in non-socialist parties as Moderaterna (once the “right party”) and Kristdemokraterna.

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I don’t think Sverigedemokraterna was even close to what BNP is today ten years ago. Since a party split (I think year 2000/2001) anti-Semitic former SD members started a party (ND) which now isn’t big. That’s a heritage SD has, but former ND members are excluded from membership in SD.

The SD success I think is a natural — and in the point of view of a democracy, sound — response to the lack of immigration critics in all other parties..

I didn’t like any immigration-critical politics until about year 2000/2001, and certainly not Sverigedemokraterna. Its kind of fascist connections in the ’90s was well known. Since then I have come to realize the need of immigration-critical politics. Unlike in many other countries, there is only one immigration-critical party in Sweden, which is Sverigedemokraterna.

Also, critical points of views regarding Swedish immigration politics are more than ever stigmatized by “the political climate”; by other parties. So even if Sverigedemokraterna — now a pro-Israel, pro-Christian and very genuine democratic party — isn’t perfect, it’s anyway a fresh alternative in a dangerous situation of not only cultural but slow political change towards adoption of Islam.

I think it’s naïve of LGF to reject Sverigedemokraterna (SD) on the basis of information from the “anti-racist organization” Expo (which of course can show more than ten-year-old pictures of Nazi friendly persons in SD — although already by then expelled from the party). BTW I’m anti-racist, but Expo has also been influenced by socialist ideology. For example, recently they invited an extreme left violent movement, Anti Fascist Front (AFA) [Antifascisk Aktion or Antifa — BB], to contribute part of an Expo book. They also never confront the racist left or radical Islam.

Expo just a few days ago called any anti-Jihad blog a racist blog which boosts the political violence; LGF included, I suppose… (on TV-4)

I think it’s good if Sverigedemokraterna are monitored regarding fascist connections (which they certainly are, by Expo and others), but there is no point in accusing them of things which are in fact history now. I’m sure Sverigedemokraterna themselves agree on this.

The accusations against Sverigedemokraterna are, based upon what I’ve here described, unfair.

I will be posting more detailed information on SD as it becomes available and when I have time. The volunteers at CVF are busy even now compiling and translating the material.

For a preliminary view, see Christine’s post on the CVF blog.