The Sweden Democrats have been working to allow their youth association, Ungsvenskarna, to become independent in order to access public support in the amount of millions. This strategic decision comes after a difficult battle with the party’s former youth association in 2015, which resulted in exclusions.
The party’s secretary, Mattias Johansson Bäckström, emphasized the importance of having more financial resources to build a stronger youth movement. However, the decision to allow the youth association to become independent is being approached cautiously due to the far-reaching problems the party has had with party-active young representatives in the past.
In 2015, the Sweden Democrats went through a bitter battle when the youth union SDU split from the parent party after disputes with the party leadership. This battle led to exclusions, and several former SDU members went on to found the far-right Alternative for Sweden.
The scars from this battle still remain, and the party is proceeding cautiously in allowing the youth association to become independent. However, they are moving forward with the decision, and a motion was recently voted through at SD’s country days in Västerås, giving the party board the task of appointing a working group to transform Ungsvenskarna into an independent youth association by 2025.
Emil Eneblad, the national spokesperson for the youth association, emphasized that the youth association should continue to be part of the party’s activities and work together with the party. He also stressed the importance of having more financial resources to build a stronger movement. The youth association has pushed for more EU-critical and liberal alcohol policy positions, as well as reduced fuel prices.
The decision to allow Ungsvenskarna to become independent is also driven by the potential for public support. In some cases, a youth association is required to be its own organization in order for public support to be distributed, and the Sweden Democrats anticipate receiving a substantial amount in public support.
The party sees this as an opportunity to strengthen their youth movement and develop a youth association that more closely resembles the party organizationally. Mattias Johansson Bäckström believes that the extra financial resources will help build a stronger youth movement for the Sweden Democrats.