The Sweden Democrats (SD) are the largest right-wing party in Sweden and the second-largest party overall. Known for their strong stance on national security, immigration control, and prioritizing Swedish interests over the liberal-globalist agenda, the party continues to play a major role in shaping policy as supporters of the center-right government. Their surge in the polls of recent years is attributed to their tough stance on immigration. Now the party is experiencing support from a demographic that might seem surprising: immigrants.
Iranian-Jewish journalist Negar Josephi reported on one of her most recent conversations with a taxi driver she met in Sweden. The driver shared with Josephi how people from immigrant backgrounds in Sweden are turning to the Sweden Democrats in hopes of a change.
Sweden has become increasingly violent and rampant with crime. Most notoriously, gang activities have reached heights never seen before. Recounting how he witnessed suspected gang members mourning one of their own killed in a recent triple homicide in Uppsala, the taxi driver said, “I’ve never seen so many of them. They were gang members, upwards of 70 of them. They all looked the same.”
The driver had drawn one conclusion, Josephi said: establishment politicians aren’t capable of turning the ship around. Formerly a voter for PM Kristersson’s Moderate Party, the driver said in the next election, he would vote for the Sweden Democrats:
Only the Sweden Democrats will dare to take the hard line.
SD’s rising popularity is partly attributed to the voices of those living closest to the problems—immigrants who arrived in Sweden decades ago, often fleeing from radical Islam or poverty in search of a better, honest life. People who sought genuine asylum to escape war and oppressive religious regimes are now among those expressing concern about the direction of Swedish immigration policy and the country’s thoroughly failed integration efforts.
These immigrants are usually living in poorer areas of the cities, where the new wave of immigrants is moving in. People who once fled Muslim radicalization now have criminal gangs and Islamist extremists as neighbors.
More and more first-generation immigrants are casting their votes on SD in hopes of making a change. Many, like Negar Josephi’s taxi driver, have lost faith in the current establishment and believe SD is the only party willing to address these problems and defend the country against gangs and Islamization.
