Indicator history

In the 2010 general election, the Sweden Democrats for the first time crossed the four percent threshold necessary for parliamentary representation. This increase in popularity has been compared by international media to other similar anti-immigrant movements in Europe.The party polled 5.7% and won 20 parliamentary seats. However, former Swedish Democratic MP William Petzäll left the party on 26 September 2011 while still retaining his parliamentary seat, leaving the party with 19 seats in the parliament. 

The Sweden Democrats believe that the current Swedish immigration and integration policies have been a failure. SD feels that the current situation with a large number of immigrants living in cultural enclaves is not beneficial for the country.  As the party considers Sweden to have had too much immigration in later years, which it claims have seriously threatened national identity and societal cohesion, SD wants to reinstate a common Swedish national identity which in turn would mean a stronger inner solidarity. SD rejects the policy of multiculturalism, but accepts a multiethnic society where cultural assimilation is promoted. SD wishes to strongly restrict immigration, and give generous support for immigrants who instead of wanting to assimilate in Sweden voluntarily prefer to emigrate back to their country of origin. 

Jimmie Åkesson, the party leader of the Sweden Democrats, claimed in an article published in the Swedish News paper, Aftonbladet, 19 October 2009, that Islam is the biggest threat to Sweden since World War II.6 The anti-racist organization Centre against Racism (Centrum Mot Rasism), reported the case to the Chancellor of Justice (JK), stating that the statements by Jimmie Åkesson, head of the far-right Sweden Democrats were tantamount to agitation against Muslims. The Center against Racism also reported Aftonbladet to the JK for publishing and spreading the article. In the article, Åkesson states that”more than ten Muslim terrorist organizations have established themselves in Sweden”. Further, he goes on saying that Sweden has the most rapes in Europe, and that Muslim men are highly overrepresented among the perpetrators. The case was refused by the Chancellor of Justice who didn’t consider Åkesson’s article as violating Swedish rules governing the freedom of expression.

Source:

Aftonbladet, ”Muslimerna är vårt största utländska hot” (2009-10-19), 

(http://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/debattamnen/politik/article12049791.ab) (accessed 2012-03-10).

The Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society (Jens Rydgren).  2010-10-21, http://hsf.bgu.ac.il/europe/index.aspx?pgid=pg_127842651505941456 (accessed 2012-03-10).