Earlier on Wednesday, the Liberals announced that they will not vote to replace Richard Jomshof (SD) as chairman of the justice committee.
Liberal MP Carl B Hamilton was one of those who agreed with the decision, but at the same time warned that there is a limit to what the Liberals can tolerate.
– I think the limit is that they would start speaking the same way about Jews, and that is not impossible. But there is an absolute limit, he added TV4.
Criticism within the party
The statement has caused a storm of criticism that the Liberals distinguish between the vulnerability of Jews and Muslims.
Former Minister of Justice Morgan Johansson (S) calls Hamilton’s words “offensive”.
“The liberals are undergoing a total moral and intellectual collapse,” he writes on X.
“Wait now: L cannot accept anti-Semitism – but racism against Muslims is ok?!” writes the Green Party’s spokesperson Märta Stenevi on the same platform.
The reactions have also flared up internally. Liberal group leader Lina Nordquist in a comment:
“Of course, no one should speak disparagingly about Jews, Muslims or anyone else. It is not okay to value people differently based on their religious affiliation or origin”.
“Crunch and error by me”
Later in the evening, Hamilton himself responds to the criticism by apologizing.
– My intention has never been to rank different religions. This was sloppy and wrong on my part. I have expressed myself in a way that was perceived as offensive and to those who took offense I want to apologize, he says in a written comment to SVT Nyheter and continues:
– Derogatory comments are just as serious no matter who they affect, it is a self-evident principle for me as a liberal.