Sweden should confiscate and demolish “all” mosques.
That quote is attributed to Jimmie Åkesson (SD) in a debate article by Magdalena Andersson (S) in a German social democratic newspaper. Completely incorrect, says the SD party leader The Express.
– Magdalena Andersson’s incompetence, desperation and pure carelessness are starting to become a real security risk for Sweden, says Åkesson.
The S-leader published an opinion text in the German Social Democratic party newspaper Vorwärts during Monday. There she harshly criticizes the Swedish government’s choice to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats – something she believes shows that they have moved closer to right-wing populism.
But when she mentions Jimmie Åkesson’s statements about Muslims, it goes wrong.
“Sweden should confiscate and demolish all mosques, he said,” the article reads.
Magdalena Andersson refers to the SD leader’s speech at the party’s country days in November last year. But Jimmie Åkesson never said that all mosques should be demolished – but only those that spread “anti-democratic, anti-Swedish, homophobic, anti-Semitic propaganda”.
In the speech, he also addressed that minarets, domes, crescents or other attributes that serve as Islamic monuments in the cityscape should be completely removed
“Disgusting, cowardly and dangerous for Sweden”
In an interview with Expressen, Åkesson reacts strongly to the misquotation:
– Nasty, cowardly and dangerous for Sweden. I am beginning to think seriously about how long she can be allowed to remain as party leader, he says.
– Just when it was revealed that she and the Social Democrats have allowed a person with Islamist connections into the corridors of power, she has the guts to spread misleading lies about other parties’ policies, naturally with the aim of whipping up hatred against her political opponents.
“In touch with the translator”
Expressen has contacted Magdalena Andersson for a comment. In an SMS, her press secretary Ebba Thörn-Kock writes that it is a mistranslation.
“We are in contact with the translator to correct the article,” she writes.
She has also sent over the piece in question to the newspaper – which according to her should have been formulated in Swedish.
“As recently as November last year, Sweden Democrats’ party leader Jimmie Åkesson gave a speech to his party: Sweden needs to start confiscating and demolishing mosques, he said. New mosques must not be built, and existing mosques must be secretly tapped. Minarets, crescents or other Muslim attributes in the cityscape must be removed. If all this requires changes to the constitution, then we can change the constitution, said Åkesson. The speech was met with a standing ovation,” reads the paragraph according to the newspaper.