Party leader Magdalena Andersson (S) holds a press conference about Jamal El-Haj.
S leader Magdalena Andersson holds a press conference after the announcement that Riksdag member Jamal El-Haj is leaving the party and becoming a political savage.
– He should leave his seat in the Riksdag. I hope he will come to his senses, she says, but at the same time believes that due to the distribution of mandates, it will not affect any Riksdag decisions.
It has stormed around El-Haj since he participated in a Palestine conference in Malmö, despite the party’s advice. He has also tried to influence an asylum case for an Egyptian imam. The Social Democrats have called on El-Haj to leave both his seat in the Riksdag and the party.
Magdalena Andersson believes that he has damaged the party.
– You have had a Member of Parliament who put his own interest before the party’s, did not follow the advice and recommendations he received about not going to this conference. It is clear that it has hurt the party.
When asked if she herself should have acted differently in the matter, she says:
– There is certainly reason to evaluate it, but telling a Member of Parliament that you should leave your position is not something you do lightly. It is about the fact that he has repeatedly put his own interest before the interest of the party. You cannot do that as a Social Democratic Member of Parliament.
Andersson says he found out in December that El-Haj tried to influence an asylum case. When asked if she feels led behind the scenes, she replies:
– Information has come to light over time. I would rather say that on several repeated occasions he puts his own interest before the interest of the party. Obviously, it has disappointed me.
When asked if it shows poor judgment on her part, she replies:
– You look at people as if we are actually people and not perfect machines, but can make mistakes and can make bad decisions. My assessment is that people can do it, but you can’t do it on several occasions because then trust is eroded.
When asked if she regrets having previously defended El-Haj, she says.
– It is not that we have any information that he would harbor any sympathies or be a terrorist, as he has in practice been accused of. That is not what has caused Skåne to judge that they have lost confidence in him. It is because on several occasions he put his own interests ahead of the party’s.