“What has the woman done to make a man beat a woman?”
The words come from Sweden Democrat Håkan Lerstorp during Monday’s council meeting in Trelleborg.
He received direct backlash from both party friends and politicians from other parties.
During Monday’s municipal council meeting in Trelleborg.
One item on the agenda was a debate on the women’s shelter.
One of those who spoke was the Sweden Democrat Håkan Lerstorp. Before the election, he was the sixteenth name on the Sweden Democrats’ list in Trelleborg.
He began by saying that the point to be discussed, that of women’s shelters, was important.
– But I have a thought, and it is something like this, I will understand for two minutes, says Håkan Lerstorp and continues:
– Of course it is sad that women are abused, but, my thought is, and I want you to think so sometimes too. What has the woman done to make a man beat the woman? That is an important thought.
“Have made some strange statements”
Party colleague Helmut Petersén is chairman of the Sweden Democrats in Trelleborg. When Aftonbladet reaches Petersén, he has just returned home from what he describes as “a stormy meeting”.
– Håkan Lerstorp has made some strange statements before, he has always been a little strange, but never in this dimension, he says.
He says that neither he nor his other colleagues had any idea what Håkan Lerstorp intended to say before he took a seat in the podium.
– Of course we suspected a little trouble, at a municipal council meeting not so long ago he said that the environmental changes are due to volcanoes but that since there are no volcanoes in Trelleborg it is not a problem, says Helmut Petersén and continues:
– But that he said this about women, it was almost like I got a tear in my eye afterwards. Many women find it very difficult and to defend the men who expose them to violence, that is under all criticism. Especially as women are often weaker than men.
Requires departure
Will you demand Håkan Lerstorp’s resignation?
– It is already underway, both locally and nationally. No one in our party stands for what he stands for.
Helmut Petersén is careful to emphasize that Håkan Lerstorp does not have a prominent role within the Sweden Democrats in Trelleborg.
– He has been with us for a long time but has always been far down on our lists. The only reason he was elected is that several of our politicians have not been able to take their seats, one has for example moved to Kiruna.
Do you think that Håkan Lerstorp’s statements will damage SD in Trelleborg?
– No I do not think so. We have been quick to condemn him and everyone who knows who we in the party are knows that we really do not have the same opinions as that special figure, says Helmut Petersén who adds that he wants to apologize to everyone for his party comrade’s comments.
After the debate, Håkan Lerstorp was asked from Trelleborgs Allehanda if he regrets his words. But Lerstorp stands by them and says that “you have to ask yourself a small question”.
– What has happened the moment before? Five minutes before? It is not certain that it is always the man’s fault, says Håkan Lerstorp to the newspaper.
Lööf: Do not think like Håkan
The Center Party’s Annie Lööf also reacted to the statement. On Twitter, she has shared a video of Håkan Lerstorp with the comment:
“Do not think like Håkan (SD) does about why men abuse women”.
Jimmie Åkesson was quick to respond to the center manager.
“No, I agree. Think more like Mathias Andersson (SD) “, writes Jimmie Åkesson in his response on Twitter and shares a clip of Mathias Andersson’s statement.
Party colleague Mathias Andersson (SD) in Trelleborg also spoke after the debate.
– That is the worst I have heard, he says to Trelleborgs Allehanda.
Aftonbladet has searched for Håkan Lerstorp without success.