12 September 2018

Sweden Democrat leader's visit causes disquiet among Malmö's Muslims

When Jimmie Åkesson, the 39-year-old leader of the populist Sweden Democrats, starts railing against "giant mosque complexes, with huge minarets everywhere" Adam and Mohammed begin to protest.

"It's you who want to build that!" Mohammed, 25, shouts out when Åkesson accuses Muslims like him of trying to create a parallel society.

The leader of the Sweden Democrats is speaking in Sweden's third-largest city as part of an election tour which has seen protesters attempt to pelt him with eggs in Falkenberg, and a rapturous reception in the party stronghold of Landskrona.

In Malmö, the mood is somewhere in between, with a big crowd of supporters and a small but energetic group of protesters.

"Jimmie, you think we have so many problems in Malmö," reads one sign. "Well, go away and we'll have one less."

Opposition to an anti-immigration party should be no surprise in a city where more than half the people have at least one parent born abroad, and an estimated 20 percent are Muslim. [The Local] Read more