The ideologue of the Sweden Democrats, Mattias Karlsson, has been exposed by TV 4’s “Cold facts” program for producing a manifesto that claims Sweden is experiencing a population exchange and is being governed by a so-called deep state. These conspiratorial thoughts surrounding the population exchange are not unexpected for those who have followed the Sweden Democrats and developments in the right-wing USA. Richard Jomshof, a member of the SD and chairman of the justice committee, tweeted that “the Swedes are about to become a minority in their own country” and “these are not conspiracy theories but facts”. Such thoughts have a background in anti-Semitic and racist environments.
Louise Meijer, a member of the justice committee and part of the Moderates, does not think this is a problem, stating that “The Sweden Democrats’ stance is already known and we have been able to agree on a new direction for Swedish politics in many important areas.”
Over fifteen years of culture warfare has borne fruit. The Sweden Democrats have gone from toning down their xenophobic and anti-democratic rhetoric to turning it up a notch. The other bourgeois parties have either caught on or remained silent. The conspiracy theory about a population exchange has also eaten into the established media in recent years, going under the name “demography”. We have repeatedly seen a bourgeois rhetoric about a social-democratic white-collar government – a kind of left-wing state in the state – which slowly but surely confirms the same “deep state” conspiracy ideas that have taken hold in the USA.
All of this has slowly but surely undermined trust in democracy, not through a violent revolution, but through a withering of trust in institutions. The financial interests that profit from plundering Swedish schools and welfare have encouraged this development. According to the SOM institute’s latest survey, an increasing proportion of Swedes think it is worth “pausing democracy” in the event of major social events, such as crime.
It should not come as a surprise to anyone that the Sweden Democrats’ ideology is based on conspiratorial and anti-democratic thinking. They were founded by the BSS movement, and they have not calmed down after being given power over Sweden. What is truly tragic is that everyone else has become increasingly authoritarian, or cynical, as humanist values are slowly but surely undermined by the sidekick government. The Liberal party leader Johan Pehrson’s evasive response to Karlsson’s conspiratorial manifesto is not unexpected since he himself helped put this boat in the lake. Everyone involved should be ashamed, including DN liberals.
COMMENT. The Sweden Democrats’ ideologue, Mattias Karlsson, has been exposed by TV 4’s Cold facts with having produced a manifesto in which it is claimed that Sweden is exposed to a population exchange and is governed by a so-called deep state.
The conspiratorial thoughts about the population exchange are, for those of us who have followed both the Sweden Democrats and developments in the right-wing USA, not particularly unexpected.
Shortly after Karlsson was discovered, SD’s Richard Jomshof tweeted that “the Swedes are about to become a minority in their own country” and “these are not conspiracy theories but facts”.
Thoughts that have their background in anti-Semitic and racist environments. Jomshof, part of the government background, is chairman of the justice committee.
However, the Moderates’ Louise Meijer, a member of the justice committee, does not think this is a problem. To Dagens ETC, she says that: “The Sweden Democrats’ stance is already known and we have been able to agree on a new direction for Swedish politics in many important areas”.
Bourgeois parties have caught on
Over fifteen years of culture warfare has borne fruit. It is not just that SD has gone from toning down its xenophobic and anti-democratic rhetoric to turning it up a notch. The other bourgeois parties have caught on.
Or they are silent. As when the Liberals’ party leader Johan Pehrson in yet another of his boomer tweets – similar to when Homer Simpson puts on his glasses – answers a little evasively that Karlsson’s conspiracy theory is “strange” and that: “Conspiracy theories should suit everyone. In all directions. Every day of the week”.
Remember that kids.
This was the bourgeoisie’s only way to power – and for power it is apparently worth demolishing just about everything, including one’s dignity.
The Sweden Democrats’ Björn Söder has on at least one occasion tweeted that the other parties in the government constellation should remember who their power rests on if they even cautiously dared to mope against SD.
That we are where we are now should not come as a surprise, unless you have experienced that the curtain has been opened so slowly that you have not noticed the change.
Conspiracy theory has taken hold
The conspiracy theory about a population exchange has, somewhat masked, also eaten into our established media in recent years. In the right’s leading pages, it has instead gone under the name “demography”.
In 2019, Ivar Arpi wrote an editorial in SvD with all the classic signal words. Silent majority who are not listened to, places that no longer feel Swedish.
At the same time, we have seen, repeatedly, a bourgeois rhetoric about a social-democratic white-collar government – a kind of left-wing state in the state, if you will – which slowly but surely confirms the same “deep state” conspiracy ideas that have taken hold in the USA.
Trust in our universities is eroded by painting them with so-called wokeness ideology and cancel culture. Raises everything from individual extreme cases to pure crap and lets them represent the academy as a whole.
In Sweden, this kind of thinking apparatus has slowly but surely begun to be seen as “intellectual”. Education Minister Mats Persson has promised to investigate the cancellation culture at universities. As if that would be a real problem.
At the same time, we have a minister of education plucked directly from the boardroom of the school groups. Something everyone involved sees as completely problem-free.
Investigate cancel culture
Arpi’s response to the criticism in 2019 stopped at “the demographics are stupid” and that the majority are not true DN liberals. The same Arpi also tried to downplay the storming of the Capitol, carried out by a witchy mixture of Trump supporters and Quanon conspirators, to a couple of guys in sweatpants.
Because when the anti-democratic actions come from the right – then it’s just, as SD would say, the will of the people.
This is how you slowly but surely undermine trust in democracy. This is how democracies die.
Not through a violent revolution, but through a withering of trust in our institutions – encouraged by financial interests that can continue their profit-making plundering of Swedish schools and welfare.
According to the SOM institute’s latest survey, an increasing proportion of Swedes think it is worth “pausing democracy” in the event of major social events, such as crime.
There we are now. You brought us here.
SD’s ideology no surprise
That the Sweden Democrats’ ideology is based on conspiratorial and anti-democratic thinking should not be a surprise to anyone. They were founded by the BSS movement. The top of the party agreed then.
They have not calmed down after being given power over Sweden. They have become exactly what they always were.
It is what everyone else became that is the real tragedy. Cowardly, evasive, increasingly authoritarian – or, as many of us have warned against the development for years, wearily cynical – as humanist values are slowly but surely undermined by our sidekick government.
That the Liberal party leader Johan Pehrson cannot answer with more than a measured “strange” when he is asked what he thinks of Mattias Karlsson’s conspiratorial manifesto is therefore not unexpected either. He himself has helped put this boat in the lake.
Everyone involved should be ashamed. Also a lot of DN liberals.