Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Racist politicians, tributes to Queen Elizabeth II and Malmö school killer gets life. Here's Sweden's news on Friday.
Local politicians spread racist propaganda
Five local politicians from the Sweden Democrats and one from the Christian Democrats have open links to right-wing extremism and have spread right-wing extremist and racist propaganda in social media, newspaper Expressen reports.
One of the Sweden Democrat candidates wrote, among other things, "isn't it about time we wipe out those bloody Muslims" on Facebook in 2015. After the investigation, the politician has pulled out of the election and been removed from the municipality's ballot paper.
Another candidate encouraged their followers to take part in a demonstration with the nazi Nordic Resistance Movement, sharing conspiracy theories that a number of Jewish families control the world.
A number of those identified have also been members in the right-wing extremist race-ideological organisation Det fria Sverige (Free Sweden).
The Sweden Democrat press secretary told TT newswire that the party have "opened up membership cases with all of the the candidates, and have frozen their memberships while the investigation is in progress. This means that they will not be up for election on Sunday."
In a party leader debate on TV4 yesterday, leader Jimmie Åkesson seemed to attempt to play down the investigation, stating that "some of them had been at a party in the 90s, I don't know how important that is today".
Over ten years ago, Åkesson declared a "no-tolerance" policy against racism in the party, although it seems some candidates are not aware of the policy.
"We're following our no-tolerance policy by taking them off our ballot lists," Åkesson said.
Swedish vocab: nolltolerans - no-tolerance
‘There’s never been anyone like her’: Sweden pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth
Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson held a press conference on Thursday evening to express her condolences after the announcement that Queen Elizabeth II, who was Europe's longest reigning monarch, had died.
“There has never been another person like Queen Elizabeth and her passing away deserves a moment of consideration,” Andersson said. “We have all been party to drastic events which have changed the world, but few have been party to so many as Elizabeth. Both I, myself, and the Swedish people want to express our condolences.”
Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral, her beloved country house in Scotland, aged 96, after 70 years on the throne.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, who was Elizabeth II’s fourth cousin, issued a statement praising Queen Elizabeth’s “sense of duty” and “outstanding dedication”.
“My family and I have with great sorrow received the notice that my dear relative, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, has passed away,” he said in a statement.
“The Queen served her Nations and Commonwealth with an outstanding dedication and sense of duty,” he said. “She has been a continuous presence, not only in British society, but internationally. Throughout this time, she has been a good friend to my family and a link to our common family histories.”
“We would like to convey our condolences to the Queen’s family and to her people.”
Swedish vocab: vi vill uttrycka vårt deltagande - we would like to convey our condolences
Malmö student jailed for life for ‘reckless’ school murders
The student who murdered two teachers at a school in Malmö in March has become the first 18-year-old to receive a life sentence since the minimum age was dropped.
A court in Malmö said that the attack on two teachers at Malmö Latinskola was “particularly reckless”, and that the youth was guilty of murder despite the ruling of court psychiatrists that he was seriously mentally disturbed at the time of the attack.
“The reason for this is that this is about two murders, and the district court has judged that the acts were particularly reckless,” Johan Kvart, the judge in the case, said at a press conference on Thursday.
The student was also ordered to pay a million kronor in damages to the two murdered teachers’ loved ones.
The court found that he had been sufficiently sane to understand what he was doing, and judged that neither his autism, nor his young age were enough to counteract that judgement.
The court also found that the murder had taken place after a period of careful planning, with the young man arming himself with two knives, an axe and a hammer in the school toilets, putting on a mask, scarf and ear protectors, and then waiting outside another toilet door for the two female teachers inside to emerge.
Swedish vocab: hänsynslöst - reckless
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Local politicians spread racist propaganda
Five local politicians from the Sweden Democrats and one from the Christian Democrats have open links to right-wing extremism and have spread right-wing extremist and racist propaganda in social media, newspaper Expressen reports.
One of the Sweden Democrat candidates wrote, among other things, "isn't it about time we wipe out those bloody Muslims" on Facebook in 2015. After the investigation, the politician has pulled out of the election and been removed from the municipality's ballot paper.
Another candidate encouraged their followers to take part in a demonstration with the nazi Nordic Resistance Movement, sharing conspiracy theories that a number of Jewish families control the world.
A number of those identified have also been members in the right-wing extremist race-ideological organisation Det fria Sverige (Free Sweden).
The Sweden Democrat press secretary told TT newswire that the party have "opened up membership cases with all of the the candidates, and have frozen their memberships while the investigation is in progress. This means that they will not be up for election on Sunday."
In a party leader debate on TV4 yesterday, leader Jimmie Åkesson seemed to attempt to play down the investigation, stating that "some of them had been at a party in the 90s, I don't know how important that is today".
Over ten years ago, Åkesson declared a "no-tolerance" policy against racism in the party, although it seems some candidates are not aware of the policy.
"We're following our no-tolerance policy by taking them off our ballot lists," Åkesson said.
Swedish vocab: nolltolerans - no-tolerance
‘There’s never been anyone like her’: Sweden pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth
Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson held a press conference on Thursday evening to express her condolences after the announcement that Queen Elizabeth II, who was Europe's longest reigning monarch, had died.
“There has never been another person like Queen Elizabeth and her passing away deserves a moment of consideration,” Andersson said. “We have all been party to drastic events which have changed the world, but few have been party to so many as Elizabeth. Both I, myself, and the Swedish people want to express our condolences.”
Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral, her beloved country house in Scotland, aged 96, after 70 years on the throne.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, who was Elizabeth II’s fourth cousin, issued a statement praising Queen Elizabeth’s “sense of duty” and “outstanding dedication”.
“My family and I have with great sorrow received the notice that my dear relative, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, has passed away,” he said in a statement.
“The Queen served her Nations and Commonwealth with an outstanding dedication and sense of duty,” he said. “She has been a continuous presence, not only in British society, but internationally. Throughout this time, she has been a good friend to my family and a link to our common family histories.”
“We would like to convey our condolences to the Queen’s family and to her people.”
Swedish vocab: vi vill uttrycka vårt deltagande - we would like to convey our condolences
Malmö student jailed for life for ‘reckless’ school murders
The student who murdered two teachers at a school in Malmö in March has become the first 18-year-old to receive a life sentence since the minimum age was dropped.
A court in Malmö said that the attack on two teachers at Malmö Latinskola was “particularly reckless”, and that the youth was guilty of murder despite the ruling of court psychiatrists that he was seriously mentally disturbed at the time of the attack.
The student was also ordered to pay a million kronor in damages to the two murdered teachers’ loved ones.
The court found that he had been sufficiently sane to understand what he was doing, and judged that neither his autism, nor his young age were enough to counteract that judgement.
The court also found that the murder had taken place after a period of careful planning, with the young man arming himself with two knives, an axe and a hammer in the school toilets, putting on a mask, scarf and ear protectors, and then waiting outside another toilet door for the two female teachers inside to emerge.
Swedish vocab: hänsynslöst - reckless
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