The Sweden Democrats: Killer of Swedish Exceptionalism

Abstract

Like all liberal democracies, Sweden also faces challenges associated with globalization, international migration, and growing inequality. Despite its reputation as a moral superpower, Sweden is not immune to racism, nationalism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiment. Sweden Democrats (SD), which originated from an extreme right-wing milieu, represents populist radical-right in Sweden. Since the party had its roots in Swedish fascism and white nationalism, the SD has failed to present a respectable façade so far.

Radicalization to the right, secular (ish) pandemic politics and the normalization of the Greek Cypriot far right

“…An actor-focused approach, that is, focusing on the supply-side, also shows that FRPs have helped their normalization proving once again that the supply-side of politics matters greatly (Mudde, 2007). In recent years, several FRPs (such as Lega Nord, The Brothers of Italy, Front National, and the Swedish Democrats) have astutely attempted to distance themselves from their extreme past, endeavouring to craft a new party image that aligns more closely with liberal democracy (e.g., Albertazzi et al, 2018;Donà, 2022;Ivaldi, 2014;Kenes, 2020;Rydgren & van der Meiden, 2019;Stockemer, 2017). This marked the subsequent phase in these parties' evolution as they sought to retain their status as significant political players and establish a presence in their countries' governance.…”

Testing a moral exemplar intervention in a non‐conflict context: The effects of moral exemplars on key dimensions of outgroup evaluations

“…In Sweden, as in other countries, this effect has extended to the political arena with a growing tendency toward a more restrictive view of immigration (Traub, 2021). The right‐leaning Sweden Democrats, who campaigned extensively on an anti‐immigration platform, have gained considerable influence on governmental decisions since their success in the 2022 general election in Sweden (Lee Tomson, 2020; Mac Dougall, 2022). A 2018 poll by Pew Research Center showed that 52% of Swedes want fewer or no immigrants, while Sweden ranks as the country with the fourth largest immigrant population (18%) of the 27 countries polled (Connor & Krogstad, 2018).…”