Sweden Democrats using troll factory
According to a report by the Swedish television channel TV4, the Sweden Democrats (SD) are using anonymous social media accounts to stir up anger against the government and political opponents. In a pact known as the Tidö Agreement, the SD had pledged to cooperate with the governing parties. The SD is not part of the minority government but tolerates it.
A big headache for the governing alliance
Dagens Nyheter is outraged by SD chairman Jimmie Åkesson's lack of remorse:
“There were certainly no apologies from Jimmie Åkesson. Instead he opted for escalation and confrontation in a 'speech to the nation' on YouTube in which he described the investigation into Kalla Fakta as 'influence peddling by the left-liberal clique'. It's worth noting that he made no comment whatsoever on the specifics of the investigation into anonymous accounts. What is unfolding here is the most serious crisis to date between the SD and the governing parties. The legitimacy of the Tidö Agreement is at stake. But once the dust has settled, cooperation will continue.”
They should have known better
It was an illusion to think that binding the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats to the government would make them more moderate, Aftonbladet notes:
“All governing parties knew that the SD were working with a troll factory when they entered into this cooperation. Many of their politicians were exposed to organised hate tirades via the Sweden Democrats' digital channels and social media. They had hoped that the party's desire for power and influence would eliminate these negative aspects. That the SD would be a party that abides by rules and tacit agreements. ... They were wrong, of course.”