Harsh exchanges between Magdalena Andersson (S) and the party leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson in Aktuellt – after Kalla fakta’s revelation about SD’s troll factory and anonymous accounts.
– If Jimmie Åkesson thinks this is legitimate, why have they hidden the work?, says Anderson (S) during the debate.
It was a fierce atmosphere in SVT’s Aktuellt when the S leader, Magdalena Andersson, and the Sweden Democrats’ party leader, Jimmie Åkesson clashed on Thursday evening to debate Kalla fakta’s revelation about SD’s troll factory.
The party leaders ended up in several heated exchanges during the debate.
– It is clear that it is something that is very serious, and the aim is of course to manipulate the political conversation. It shows that this is an extreme party, says Magdalena Andersson during the debate.
The S leader also questions why the Sweden Democrats tried to hide their work with anonymous accounts.
– If Jimmie Åkesson thinks this is legitimate, why have they hidden the work?, says Anderson (S).
“A gigantic influence operation”
Åkesson, for his part, believes that Kalla fakta’s review is part of “a gigantic influence operation” before the EU elections, something that Magdalena Andersson believes is a “full-scale attack on the entire Swedish journalist corps”.
– Magdalena Andersson is lying, there are no examples of us harassing political opponents, says Åkesson.
– Stop lying!, he continues.
However, the SD leader says that he is open to a discussion regarding anonymous accounts, but he maintains that these were satirical posts and that it cannot be considered “a threat to democracy” as it has been claimed.
– I am happy to have a serious discussion about the moral aspect of having this type of account. Because in all honesty, most parties have this in some way. Everyone is in a gray area, he says in Aktuellt.
Today 19:36
Hermanrud: “It’s certainly not over”
Revealed with hidden camera
TV4’s Kalla fakta has in two programs, and a number of different news items and articles, revealed how the Sweden Democrats use anonymous accounts on the internet to denigrate political opponents.
Facts: The review
In two programs, TV4’s Kalla fakta has examined how the Sweden Democrats use anonymous accounts on the internet.
Kalla fakta’s reporter has worked for several months on the YouTube channel Riks and later as a communicator at SD’s communications department.
With the help of a hidden camera, it is revealed how Riks and the party are closely connected, how employees of the communications department run a large number of anonymous accounts online to denigrate political opponents and how they spread content that benefits their own party. Internally, the business is called the “troll factory,” according to the review.