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Swedish Social Democrat staff admit social media trolling

TT/The Local
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Swedish Social Democrat staff admit social media trolling
File photo: Isabell Höjman/TT

Two members of staff with Sweden's governing Social Democrat party have admitted to being behind an account used for 'trolling' on social media.

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Both individuals will face disciplinary action within the party, reports TT.

The online activity of the two was investigated by the Social Democrats, after which they were confirmed to be behind a Twitter accounts under a false name, according to the report.

"One staff member who had a coordinating role will be relieved of that duty, while the other will be relocated," the party's head of communications Helena Samuelsson told TT.

"I am very disappointed and infuriated. This is not how we want to conduct our election campaign. We want things to be fair and to win with good arguments and good communication, and this has been the opposite of that," she added.

Both individuals will receive official employment reprimands from the Social Democrats.

Samuelsson declined to give further detail as to the nature of the investigation or specifics regarding the relocation of the relevant staff member.

"That is between me and my colleagues," she said.

Earlier this week, SVT Nyheter reported that the Social Democrats had initiated an investigation of the two employees relating to a Twitter account that shared a picture including satirical criticism, particularly of the right-wing Sweden Democrats.

"I very much regret the posting of this picture, it is very disappointing," Samuelsson said.

A third person was also a subject of the investigation, the communications manager told Aftonbladet.

The third individual is thought to have assisted in producing the image without knowing its purpose, and will therefore escape further consequences.

"This is an isolated event, there is no bigger picture and nothing else has been found. This is not the start to the election year I was hoping for," Samuelsson said to TT.

READ ALSO: Excessive social media use harms self-esteem in kids: Swedish survey

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