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Jullietta Stoencheva, Helsingborg, May 28, 2024

 

Party flags and pyrotechnics as SD leader Jimmie Åkesson enters the stage.

The Sweden Democrats (SD), Sweden’s largest far-right party, is not stopping by Malmö on their ‘EU election tour’ this year. But they are rallying in the nearby city of Helsingborg, I hear, so I decide to catch a train and attend. I brace myself to listen and observe attentively once I arrive, but my observations begin already on the bus to Malmö’s central station. In the seat in front of me, four teenage boys, by the look of it of immigrant origin, are discussing the upcoming elections. “I hope Charlie Weimers wins,” one of them says. Charlie Weimers is SD’s top candidate for the European Parliament. “Why, so they send your father back?!”, another one questions in disbelief. The first boy replies calmly: “My father has a Swedish citizenship.” A few teasing remarks later, their conversation drifts in another direction.

A bit later, on the train, three passengers in their early sixties sit across the aisle from me. At one point, their conversation turns to politics. One woman remarks: “I’m not going to vote. I’ve voted for the Green Party for 16 years, but now politicians have become too strange.” It strikes me how disillusionment with politics seems to cut across demographics.

When I arrive to Helsingborg’s main square, the SD rally is already in preparation. The party has set up a large stage, complete with pyrotechnics, light effects, and music. Swedish schlagers alternate with SD’s own politically-themed songs, creating an atmosphere both festive and unsettling. SD-branded flags are being handed out to the crowd, though not everyone welcomes them. While I politely decline the one offered to me, I see some attendees taking the flags only to tear them apart in protest.

When SD party leader Jimmie Åkesson takes the stage, I stand at the back of the crowd as supporters usher forward, cheering and waving flags. About 100 meters behind me, a pro-Palestine demonstration is underway. The tension is palpable even before Åkesson starts speaking. He kicks off his speech by displaying videos of presumed immigrants committing acts of destruction, accompanied by the slogan “My Europe builds walls.” The imagery and rhetoric seem designed to stir emotions, and they do. Soon, the pro-Palestine demonstrators begin moving closer and chanting louder, in an effort to disrupt Åkesson’s speech. As they gradually intercept the crowd, I suddenly find myself caught between the two groups, which are growing increasingly confrontational. At this point, Åkesson declares he will not continue speaking until the police silences the counter-protesters. The police complies, pushing the demonstrators back, but the tension lingers. One silent protester stands out in the crowd: a woman wearing a Pride-flag-colored outfit walks back and forth, carrying a large handmade bag with the words “Don’t deport my friend” embroidered on it. Unlike the vocal demonstrators, she is not moved by the police, her quiet presence speaking volumes. As the rally progresses, Åkesson introduces a local European Parliament candidate. He does so with a jab: “She… I think it’s a she anyway, you can’t be too sure these days…” The crowd erupts in laughter.

Toward the end of the rally, I accidentally overhear two elderly women as their conversation veers into deeply disturbing territory. Gesturing toward the protesters, one says, “Someone should take a weapon and shoot them all. They’re people who don’t know anything. They come here, get food, money, clothes, housing, and then stand here screaming like this. If only we could throw a bomb among them…” The other woman murmurs, visibly uncomfortable, as the first one continues her rant. “I want the old, traditional Sweden,” she goes on to say. “Small shops, markets, and nice people on the streets. Not these…” She finishes her tirade with a racial slur, the spite in her words creating a heavy silence between them. I find myself ready to leave.

As the train carries me back to Malmö that evening, I can’t help but feel the weight of the day – a potent mix of politics, prejudice, and the growing urgency of the coming elections.

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