Title: Man Sentenced for Threatening AFS Leader Gustav Kasselstrand
The incident occurred at Arlanda on May 1, 2022. The then 19-year-old man, who recognized Gustav Kasselstrand, approached and asked to take a selfie with him, which they did.
After the selfie, a quarrel arose between them and escalated to a threatening encounter. A video emerged of the highly charged confrontation. The film begins with the young man holding up his middle finger to Kasselstrand and verbally insulting him. Later, when the man picks up his own phone to film Gustav Kasselstrand in turn, Kasselstrand notes that the man’s hands are shaking and says it’s because he’s scared. The argument then escalates, with the man threatening to kill Kasselstrand.
The man was later sentenced to 100 daily fines of SEK 140, totaling SEK 14,000. According to the Attunda District Court, it appears that the man sought out the confrontation with Kasselstrand and that it was entirely reasonable that Kasselstrand perceived that the man could become physically violent. The District Court further writes in a statement that “the purpose of the confrontation from the man’s side must also have been that Gustav Kasselstrand would feel some form of insecurity because of his political views.”
Gustav Kasselstrand formed the nationalist party, Alternative for Sweden (AFS), in 2018 after a conflict with the Swedish Democrats’ then youth union. AFS describes itself as nationalist with a strong anti-immigration profile. In 2022, AFS received 0.26 percent of the votes in the parliamentary election and became the second-largest party outside the Riksdag, after the Party Nyans.
A slightly edited version of the video of the confrontation was used in the AFS election campaign in 2022. The video was used to argue that those who did not fit in Sweden should go back to their home country, which sparked controversy.
In court, the man claimed that he said things he didn’t mean in a panic when he saw that Kasselstrand was filming because he knew that similar material had been published before. Kasselstrand stated that he often receives threats and wanted to document the situation. The district court found the man’s threats to be serious and capable of inducing serious fear.
Overall, the situation led to the man being sentenced to daily fines, however, the court rejected Kasselstrand’s claim for damages, citing the verbal provocation leading to the confrontation.