A Swedish political leader has said the Islamism is the “Nazism and Communism of our time”. The Local reports that Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats party, told a crowd of supporters that all organisations related to Islamism should be shut down and criticised Swedish citizens who are believed to be fighting for jihadist organisations in Iraq and Syria.
“You guys can stay there. Sweden is no longer your home, this country built on Christian principles,” Åkesson said.
The Sweden Democrats, who have been branded far-right for their populist, anti-immigration stance, have been trying broaden their support in recent years by expelling more extreme members and appealing to new groups.
Åkesson used his speech to reach out to female voters, although he made clear that he does not subscribe to left-wing gender theories: “I’m not a feminist! I am a Sweden Democrat, social conservative and nationalist. But I believe in equality,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
In the run up to the European Elections, he promised that his party would talk less about immigration in the hope of working with other parties. Although his party has shot up in the polls recently, achieving 9.7 percent of the vote in May’s elections – their best ever performance – their influence remains minimal as the main parties continue to shut them out of debate.
Despite this, Åkesson urged as many voters as possible to turn out and support the party.
“A vote for us is never wasted, it sends a clear signal to the other parties that they want change, for example regarding immigration policy,” he said.