Thousands of people in Sweden marched to the country’s parliament building Oct. 4 in an anti-racist protest against the recent electoral gains of a far-right political party. Similar though smaller protests were held throughout the northern European country.
The far-right Sweden Democrats, founded in 1988, polled 5.7 percent of the vote, exceeding the 4 percent threshold for the first time and winning 20 seats in the country’s 349-member parliament during the Sept. 19 elections, sparking the protests.
The conservative extremist party ran on a platform that demanded major cutbacks in immigration and espoused anti-Muslim xenophobia, calling Islam the worst foreign threat to their country since World War II. It is worth noting that most immigrants to Sweden, especially Muslims, are refugees. This Swedish party is now attempting to unleash its bigotry on people who have already suffered the consequences of capitalist wars and other forms of oppression.
