The Sweden Democrats: – Profile is accused of being a Nazi figure

The Sweden Democrats (SD) look set to be the election’s big winner in Sweden, and the country’s second largest party.

The anti-immigration party has previously been criticized for its neo-Nazi and right-wing radical roots, from which the party has now distanced itself. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson told Dagbladet this weekend that the party has zero tolerance for extremism.

But on election night it could sound like it was precisely a Hitler salute SD profile Rebecka Fallenkvist served during an interview with the alternative news website Samnytt, writes SVT.

Noticeably drunk, she is asked at the election vigil how it feels that her party has done so well, and replies “weekend victory” and raises one arm. Not unlike “hell seger” used by, among others, the Nazi Nordic resistance movement, and the Swedish version of the German “sieg heil” – an official Nazi salute in Germany during Hitler’s rule.

– So, what a bloody wonderful time this is. Holy victory, says Fallenkvist.

However, Fallenkvist quickly follows up with the word “victory weekend”:

– It is a victory weekend for SD, she says.

In Norwegian, “segerhelg” can be translated as “victory weekend”.

– Drunk too much

On Monday, SVT asked Fallenkvist what she meant by “victory weekend” and the subsequent “victory weekend”.

– I do not take responsibility for what people interpret, but exclusively for what I say. I was “överförfriskad” and should not have done the interview. I corrected to victory weekend because it is grammatically correct.

She insists that what she intended to say was “helg seger” – meaning “helg seier” in Norwegian.

– But afterwards I realized that journalists can overinterpret it. So I corrected it to “segerhelg” (victory weekend journ. note..), she says to SVT.

When asked by SVT about what “victory weekend” is in this case, Fallenkvist replies that she understands what they are asking.

– Not everyone is used to winning like we Sweden Democrats are. But as you can see from the election results, it is a “victory weekend” (victory weekend journ. note..).

– Unnecessary

To Expressen, Fallenkvist writes that Helg Seger was something she said in an attempt to play on “the media’s customary overinterpretations”.

– But in hindsight I realize that it was unnecessary, she writes in a comment to the newspaper.

The phrase victory weekend was also used by Fallenkvist in a Twitter message on Sunday afternoon, on election day:

– Serious coupling

The Sweden Democrats’ press chief, Oskar Cavalli-Björkman, has also commented on the statement to SVT. He says that Fallenkvist wanted to play on the victory procession – a controversial advertisement used by SD in the run-up to the election, and that she was too drunk.

– There is a serious connection, and it is a connection that is primarily made by the media, of course. But I can understand that one does it. When you hear it, it sounds like that. But really have no reason to believe that it was anything other than that she was too drunk and that it was a mistake, says Cavalli-Björkman to SVT.

The victory train refers to when an entire subway train ahead of the Swedish parliamentary elections was dressed in the Sweden Democrats’ logo, as well as the texts “Welcome aboard the victory train” and “SD 22” on the doors, according to Aftonbladet.

Among other things, the local trade union Seko Tunnelbanan was critical of the political advertising. They believed it posed a security risk, because opponents of the SD could attack the train, the head of the trade union told Sekotidningen, according to Aftonbladet.

It also caused a furore when Tobias Andersson, the Sweden Democrats’ justice policy spokesperson, posted a picture of the train on his Twitter account and wrote: “Welcome to the emigration train. You have a single ticket. Next stop, Kabul!”.