Sweden now has two significant anti-immigration parties, the Sweden Democrats (SD) and Alternative for Sweden (AfS). The latter is smaller, newer, and less hesitant about speaking openly and frankly about the need to return Sweden to the control of native Swedes.
A crucial election is coming up next Sunday in Sweden. Both migration-critical parties are expected to make major gains in parliament after the vote, and the Sweden Democrats have a shot at becoming the country’s largest party.
Alternative for Sweden was planning a final rally before the election in Stockholm next Friday. The party had gone through the correct procedures and obtained the necessary permit from the municipal authorities. However, at the last minute the government yanked the permit, using the “hate speech” of a party member as its excuse.
Significantly, the leader of AfS, Gustav Kasselstrand, has announced that the party does not recognize the legitimacy of the municipality’s decision. He says the rally will go ahead as planned, and called for all AfS supporters to show up at the location in central Stockholm.
Swedes are not as reflexively respectful of authority as Germans are, but they’re pretty close, so this is a momentous act of defiance on the part of AfS. One might expect, say, Scots to be this ornery. But Swedes…?
It seems that change is in the wind.
Many thanks to Tania Groth for translating this article from the Swedish dissident website Fria Tider:
Ruling parties stop Alternative for Sweden (AfS) in “Kungsan” — Kasselstrand: “Now it’s war!”
September 3, 2018
Politicians in the city of Stockholm decided today to cancel Alternative for Sweden’s (AfS) final election gathering in Kungsträdgården (“Kungsan”) this coming Friday, September 7. However, the AFS announces that they will still show up, and are calling on supporters to join them.
“We do not accept this decision,” says party leader Gustav Kasselstrand to the Swedish online outlet Fria Tider.
In connection with the public AfS party rally in Malmö this past Sunday, Jeff Ahl was reported for “persecution of minorities” because he used the phrase “Sweden for Swedes”.
This is what the city of Stockholm is using as an excuse to cancel the party’s final election rally in Kungsträdgården this coming Friday.
“Our premises and facilities should not be used by those who want to harm our democracy. This applies equally regardless of which anti-democratic or extreme political orientation you support,” says the Social Democratic Finance Council member Karin Wanngård.
In a press release, it was also stated that “We do not rent premises or facilities to organizations that do not support the democratic rule of law, do not stand up for human rights and do not support equality between women and men. ‘Persecution of minorities’ is a clear stand against the violation of human rights.
“Citizens of Stockholm have the right to feel that we are on their side, and an organization that actively targets citizens of Stockholm is not welcome to claim the resources of the city.”
When Fria Tider called AfS party chairman Gustav Kasselstrand, he said that they will not obey Stockholm city council’s decision.
“It’s scandalous. We will not accept the decision. We invite everyone to come to Kungsan on Friday.”
He says that the charge against Jeff Ahl is “utter nonsense” and points out that it is the police themselves who have levied the charge. “You can, basically, be reported for anything these days under the heading ‘persecution of minorities’,” Kasselstrand says.
“We want a democratic meeting, and we have been granted permission for this under the rules of procedure. But apparently the city of Stockholm does not accept this, so it’s obvious that it is they who do not support democracy. It’s just an excuse they are using, as they are terrified of us having this public meeting.
“Make sure to come to Kungsträdgården,” he continues. Show your support for Alternative for Sweden and freedom of expression. We are now waging war against the political establishment,” he says to Fria Tider.
According to AfS Vice-Chairman William Hahne, the party has spent a lot of money on the planned election final. “We have spent hundreds of thousands of kroner and hundreds of hours preparing our big finale before the election, a finale that is now essentially being stopped by a trumped-up charge. Stand up for democracy and show up anyhow! EVERYBODY TO KUNGSAN!” He writes on Twitter.
This defiance will win more votes for the new party. I hope it doesn’t split the vote, but on the other hand, that doesn’t matter so much in a parliamentary democracy.
Please, though, don’t call the government’s machinations “trumped up”. It clangs on the American ear.
A split vote would be no problem. I’m sure that if SD and AfD collectively formed a majority, all would be well.
The big question is, will a “major” party break ranks and form a government with them, or will they continue to all ally with themselves to avoid this?
If the latter, which I suspect, they’d need 50% to govern.
On the other hand, with more than 30%, they’ll likely effectively make the governance of the collective others impossible, as small parties will be able to demand too much…
If the Swedish “Social Democrats” fake the election result as other EU members have done apparently, then Sweden may find itself in a situation of “politics by other means”. I watched a video on the Youtube Channel by a Swedish politician who explained how easy it was to “fix” an Election.
It certainly seems easier than manipulating most media, etc., etc.
Frankly, I’m surprised as to the extent to which “fixing” elections has NOT been done, as it seems a lot easier than the rest of what they do.
Or perhaps they do that ALSO. It could explain the Soros attempts to influence State Secretary of State elections… as a first step in “fixing” results.
“We are now waging war against the political establishment,” he says to Fria Tider.
A moment like this in an election can be significant and swing the floating and uncommitted voter at the last minute. The “up the establishment” talk would appeal to many. let’s hope so.
Has the Stockholm political establishment banned this rally because they want to inhibit the AfS or because they don’t want to have to think about them? Either way it is good news. It indicates how unsure of themselves the establishment politicians are – for all their bluster.
I wish both parties the best of luck.
Sweden DOES NOT HAVE SECRET BALLOTS. Everyone can see what party slips you take and who you vote for. This information can easily be taped and studied. It is considered scandalous even by other European countries.
I pointd this out one time and was taken to task for spreading non-truths. Do you have a link for this?
Here is blog-writ (in Finnish) that shows what Swedish ballots look like:
– Color defined for election in question (national/regional/community)
– Same color for all parties in the election at hand
– If person is not allowed to fold the ballot then security is compromised
– If ballot is not thick enough then security is compromised
– If person takes only the ballots he/she will vote then there is no security
– For some strange reason there has been shortages of Sweden Democrats ballots at the polling stations in previous elections
– This time it has spread to early voting places also
https://pt-media.org/2018/08/24/joillakin-vaalipaikoilla-alkoi-sdta-aanestavien-vaikeutus/
Thanks. It translated well, with a glitch here and there. For example, calling ballots “boycotts”.
Here is a commenter on that post:
One of my relatives has lived in Sweden for decades. My parents told him that you would now vote for the Swedish Democrats. He replied that he did not dare. I did not understand his answer before this article. Just a shocking election system! That is, the whole polling station can see which party you vote for! I have to say to my parents that they will advise my relatives to take the balls of all parties into the polls in the blink of an eye. It may not have come to him. I really did not know this myself. I always thought that Sweden had the same system as in Finland.
Thus your “strange” reason about the shortage of SD ballots at polling stations makes sense. Sad, though. In all the years that the Sweden Democrats have been in line, has there ever been an honest accounting?