Sweden's liberal dream was pioneered by the nation's Social Democratic movement, whose parties have topped national polls ever since the end of World War I.
But this latest election has seen a convulsive change. Swedish voters supported an alliance of four Right-wing parties — including one, named the Sweden Democrats, which stands accused of historical links to neo-Nazism.
Final poll results showed on Thursday that the Right-wing bloc has now chosen the new prime minister, elbowing aside the ruling Social Democrats.
To the shock of liberals in Sweden and across the world, the voters backed tougher immigration controls, foreign criminal deportations and stiffer punishments for the rising number of young men who have been plaguing their once-peaceful country with shootings and drug-dealing.
'The violent crimes are getting worse,' says Torsten Elofsson, a former Swedish police chief and candidate for the Christian Democrats, a party in the new Right-wing alliance. 'These used to happen in Stockholm and other big cities such as Malmo and Gothenburg. Now they have spread to small towns everywhere.'
n just a decade, Sweden has gone from having one of the lowest rates of fatal shootings in Europe to the highest, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. This year is on track to break records, with 44 gun deaths by mid-August, close to the highest annual tally of 47 in 2020.
In Sweden's lax youth penal system, a convicted murderer aged under 18 serves just two or three years in a reform establishment. Mr Jansson said: 'It could be too late to save Sweden if nothing is done now.'
In a way, Sweden has cooked its own goose. During the migration crisis seven years ago, when a million refugees came to Europe from Syria, elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa, at least 163,000 were welcomed here, despite the country's comparatively small population, which was then 9.5 million.
Sweden believed the bulk of the newcomers were Syrians fleeing war — but many turned out to be Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and Africans pretending to be genuine asylum-seekers. At that time, if you put 'asylum' in Arabic into an internet search engine, 'Sweden' came out as the top result.
n February this year, a controversial imam, Basem Mahmoud, based in an immigrant enclave of Malmo, claimed Muslims would soon take over Sweden.
The imam, who has called Jewish people 'the offspring of pigs and apes', saying he was quoting Islam's Koran, proclaimed in a recorded speech: 'Sweden is ours in ten or 15 years, whether they (Swedes) like it or not'.
Sweden is today the most dangerous country in Europe.
Syl said
Sep 17 12:16 PM, 2022
"Sweden believed the bulk of the newcomers were Syrians fleeing war — but many turned out to be Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and Africans pretending to be genuine asylum-seekers. At that time, if you put 'asylum' in Arabic into an internet search engine, 'Sweden' came out as the top result."
I bet the UK wasn't far behind.
Maddog said
Sep 17 3:31 PM, 2022
Italy just elected a fairly right wing PM too.
The political pendulum is always swinging it seems.
Anonymous said
Sep 18 2:38 AM, 2022
Digger wrote:
Sweden's liberal dream was pioneered by the nation's Social Democratic movement, whose parties have topped national polls ever since the end of World War I.
But this latest election has seen a convulsive change. Swedish voters supported an alliance of four Right-wing parties — including one, named the Sweden Democrats, which stands accused of historical links to neo-Nazism.
Final poll results showed on Thursday that the Right-wing bloc has now chosen the new prime minister, elbowing aside the ruling Social Democrats.
To the shock of liberals in Sweden and across the world, the voters backed tougher immigration controls, foreign criminal deportations and stiffer punishments for the rising number of young men who have been plaguing their once-peaceful country with shootings and drug-dealing.
'The violent crimes are getting worse,' says Torsten Elofsson, a former Swedish police chief and candidate for the Christian Democrats, a party in the new Right-wing alliance. 'These used to happen in Stockholm and other big cities such as Malmo and Gothenburg. Now they have spread to small towns everywhere.'
n just a decade, Sweden has gone from having one of the lowest rates of fatal shootings in Europe to the highest, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. This year is on track to break records, with 44 gun deaths by mid-August, close to the highest annual tally of 47 in 2020.
In Sweden's lax youth penal system, a convicted murderer aged under 18 serves just two or three years in a reform establishment. Mr Jansson said: 'It could be too late to save Sweden if nothing is done now.'
In a way, Sweden has cooked its own goose. During the migration crisis seven years ago, when a million refugees came to Europe from Syria, elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa, at least 163,000 were welcomed here, despite the country's comparatively small population, which was then 9.5 million.
Sweden believed the bulk of the newcomers were Syrians fleeing war — but many turned out to be Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and Africans pretending to be genuine asylum-seekers. At that time, if you put 'asylum' in Arabic into an internet search engine, 'Sweden' came out as the top result.
n February this year, a controversial imam, Basem Mahmoud, based in an immigrant enclave of Malmo, claimed Muslims would soon take over Sweden.
The imam, who has called Jewish people 'the offspring of pigs and apes', saying he was quoting Islam's Koran, proclaimed in a recorded speech: 'Sweden is ours in ten or 15 years, whether they (Swedes) like it or not'.
Sweden is today the most dangerous country in Europe.
A question that should be asked is. How does a liberal country suddenly turn to a neo nazi party?
How does a liberal suddenly stop being a liberal and swing to the complete opposite end of the spectrum?
To go from a party and culture that embraced and welcomed immigrants to one that wants the same immigrants out of swedan by I guess any means.
You've got to admire the muslims mind you. It's not like it's a new approach for them. They've never made any secret of their intentions when they show up in another country. And yet still countries welcome them with open arms.
If the muslims do over run swedan in 10 to 15 years then the swedes have no one to blame other than themselves.
Anonymous said
Sep 18 2:41 AM, 2022
What counts as right wing nowadays was centre-left a few years ago. Tony Blair would have been centre-left as was Boris Johnson. Donald Trump was also centre left and before running for the Republicans had considered running as a Democrat - at least that is what I heard. Anybody nowadays that puts their nation first (a nationalist) is considered far-right. Nationalist is now a dirty word.
Maddog said
Sep 18 5:14 PM, 2022
Anonymous wrote:
What counts as right wing nowadays was centre-left a few years ago. Tony Blair would have been centre-left as was Boris Johnson. Donald Trump was also centre left and before running for the Republicans had considered running as a Democrat - at least that is what I heard. Anybody nowadays that puts their nation first (a nationalist) is considered far-right. Nationalist is now a dirty word.
There's economic and social wings that complicate issues.
I doubt these right wing Swedes want to to dismantle the Swedish welfare state.
They just want to to reserve it mostly for people born there or that support their culture.
Anonymous said
Sep 19 2:18 AM, 2022
If they have legal citizenship or are recognised as a legitimate refugee - then as long as they haven't committed any crime I can't see how they can be thrown out of Sweden.
In the UK we have someone called Shamima Begum, born in Britain, who left Britain to join ISIS in Syria. There she married someone from the Netherlands who went to Syria to join ISIS also. Anyway there has been a huge legal wrangle because Shamima wants to return to the UK and the chap she married wants to return to the Netherlands. I think nearly everyone else that joined ISIS was allowed to return but somehow Shamima Begum was picked on by journalists and made a cause celebre which pushed the British Government into saying she wouldn't be allowed back. Or something. Personally I think she should be allowed back because the British in the guise of NATO bombed ISIS in Syria into oblivion and she ended up in a refugee camp.
Sweden's liberal dream was pioneered by the nation's Social Democratic movement, whose parties have topped national polls ever since the end of World War I.
But this latest election has seen a convulsive change. Swedish voters supported an alliance of four Right-wing parties — including one, named the Sweden Democrats, which stands accused of historical links to neo-Nazism.
Final poll results showed on Thursday that the Right-wing bloc has now chosen the new prime minister, elbowing aside the ruling Social Democrats.
To the shock of liberals in Sweden and across the world, the voters backed tougher immigration controls, foreign criminal deportations and stiffer punishments for the rising number of young men who have been plaguing their once-peaceful country with shootings and drug-dealing.
'The violent crimes are getting worse,' says Torsten Elofsson, a former Swedish police chief and candidate for the Christian Democrats, a party in the new Right-wing alliance. 'These used to happen in Stockholm and other big cities such as Malmo and Gothenburg. Now they have spread to small towns everywhere.'
n just a decade, Sweden has gone from having one of the lowest rates of fatal shootings in Europe to the highest, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. This year is on track to break records, with 44 gun deaths by mid-August, close to the highest annual tally of 47 in 2020.
In Sweden's lax youth penal system, a convicted murderer aged under 18 serves just two or three years in a reform establishment. Mr Jansson said: 'It could be too late to save Sweden if nothing is done now.'
In a way, Sweden has cooked its own goose. During the migration crisis seven years ago, when a million refugees came to Europe from Syria, elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa, at least 163,000 were welcomed here, despite the country's comparatively small population, which was then 9.5 million.
Sweden believed the bulk of the newcomers were Syrians fleeing war — but many turned out to be Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and Africans pretending to be genuine asylum-seekers. At that time, if you put 'asylum' in Arabic into an internet search engine, 'Sweden' came out as the top result.
n February this year, a controversial imam, Basem Mahmoud, based in an immigrant enclave of Malmo, claimed Muslims would soon take over Sweden.
The imam, who has called Jewish people 'the offspring of pigs and apes', saying he was quoting Islam's Koran, proclaimed in a recorded speech: 'Sweden is ours in ten or 15 years, whether they (Swedes) like it or not'.
Sweden is today the most dangerous country in Europe.
"Sweden believed the bulk of the newcomers were Syrians fleeing war — but many turned out to be Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and Africans pretending to be genuine asylum-seekers. At that time, if you put 'asylum' in Arabic into an internet search engine, 'Sweden' came out as the top result."
I bet the UK wasn't far behind.
The political pendulum is always swinging it seems.
A question that should be asked is. How does a liberal country suddenly turn to a neo nazi party?
How does a liberal suddenly stop being a liberal and swing to the complete opposite end of the spectrum?
To go from a party and culture that embraced and welcomed immigrants to one that wants the same immigrants out of swedan by I guess any means.
You've got to admire the muslims mind you. It's not like it's a new approach for them. They've never made any secret of their intentions when they show up in another country. And yet still countries welcome them with open arms.
If the muslims do over run swedan in 10 to 15 years then the swedes have no one to blame other than themselves.
What counts as right wing nowadays was centre-left a few years ago. Tony Blair would have been centre-left as was Boris Johnson. Donald Trump was also centre left and before running for the Republicans had considered running as a Democrat - at least that is what I heard. Anybody nowadays that puts their nation first (a nationalist) is considered far-right. Nationalist is now a dirty word.
There's economic and social wings that complicate issues.
I doubt these right wing Swedes want to to dismantle the Swedish welfare state.
They just want to to reserve it mostly for people born there or that support their culture.
If they have legal citizenship or are recognised as a legitimate refugee - then as long as they haven't committed any crime I can't see how they can be thrown out of Sweden.
In the UK we have someone called Shamima Begum, born in Britain, who left Britain to join ISIS in Syria. There she married someone from the Netherlands who went to Syria to join ISIS also. Anyway there has been a huge legal wrangle because Shamima wants to return to the UK and the chap she married wants to return to the Netherlands. I think nearly everyone else that joined ISIS was allowed to return but somehow Shamima Begum was picked on by journalists and made a cause celebre which pushed the British Government into saying she wouldn't be allowed back. Or something. Personally I think she should be allowed back because the British in the guise of NATO bombed ISIS in Syria into oblivion and she ended up in a refugee camp.