Swedish Populist Leader Claims Country Is In ‘War-Like State’

The party leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Akesson, speaks to the press up
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images
Chris Tomlinson

Leader of the populist Sweden Democrats (SD) Jimmie Åkesson has claimed Sweden is in a “war-like state” and that the socialist government has “imported” crime and unemployment.

Åkesson blames the Swedish government’s immigration policy for the surge in crime just over a week after a report was published by the Crime Prevention Council, Brå, which noted Sweden topped 22 other European countries for fatal gun violence.

“Parts of Sweden are currently in a war-like state. Streets and squares have been left in the hands of criminal gangs. Shootings, murders and revenge are dictated by clan leaders,” Åkesson said in an opinion article for news website Nyheter Idag.

“Families are forced to live in residential areas where insecurity is constantly present. Sweden has transformed from a stable welfare democracy into a country of division and insecurity,” he added. and claimed that during a recent clan gang conflict in Hjällbo, Swedish authorities stopped clan members from Germany at the border who allegedly wanted to take part in the violence.

“Hand grenades, bombings, automatic fire, gang wars, clan structures, parallel societies, terrorism and serious criminal children. All new elements in the Image of Sweden. A view of Sweden that no one over the age of 20 recognizes,” Åkesson said.

The SD leader also noted the large unemployment rate among migrants compared to the native Swedish population, stating that as many as 675,000 people with migration backgrounds in Sweden were unable to support themselves.

According to Åkesson, his party is ready to make “tough demands” of migrants, saying: “Those who have made it here must adapt, whether they like it or not, otherwise, they will never become part of our society. We, therefore, want to link welfare and other benefits to citizenship, while at the same time raising the requirements for becoming citizens.”

“Sweden must return to its roots. Back to a situation where hardness, respect and a genuine willingness to do the right thing are rewarded. Those who do not understand the importance of these values simply have to face the consequences. The limit of what Sweden can tolerate has long been crossed,” he said.

The anti-mass migration stance of Åkesson is a reiteration of policies his party has supported for several years and has seen surges in popularity, particularly in early 2020 when polls showed the SD to be the most popular party in the country.

Since then, however, the party has dropped into third place behind the ruling Social Democrats and the “centre-right” Moderates, with a May poll from IPSOS putting the party at 20 per cent.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com

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