Maria Rosander (SD) is currently elected to the labor market committee in Uppsala municipality but is aiming for a seat in the EU parliament.
In the election campaign, the Sweden Democrats published a video from a police intervention in 2018 where Maria Rosander draws her service weapon and points at a suspect after a car chase. In the election film, the perpetrator has not been anonymised.
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The video with the title “Maria Rosander (SD) arrests a criminal”, which ends with the SD’s slogan “My Europe is building walls”, was published on Wednesday and on Friday had over half a million views on the Sweden Democrats’ official Youtube and Facebook accounts.
“Wonder how the police are perceived”
The matter is now handled by the Police Authority. Police Region Mitt’s press spokesperson Tobias Ahlén Svalbro tells SVT Uppsala that the police authority is restrictive when it comes to combining different roles.
– We are keen that the police should be perceived as independent and impartial. The police authority wants you to be restrictive with the authority’s symbols and uniforms outside the exercise of authority.
Rosander: Shows what I worked on
Maria Rosander (SD ) herself sees nothing strange about using such a clip in her EU election campaign.
– There are many police officers who post pictures and photos of themselves. I am free and post whatever I want on my social media. This is a public document that clarifies what I have been working on for many years, she says.
Has been debated before
The issue of using the police profession as part of campaign material is not new. Before the parliamentary elections, it flared up when Fredrik Kärrholm (M) posed in uniform even though he had quit as a police officer.
– We don’t like individuals using police symbols in their role as politicians, said Irene Sokolow, press spokesperson at the police’s national media center, to Aftonbladet then.
“Nothing strange” – hear SVT’s interview Maria Rosander (SD) about her campaign film in the video above