It concerns posts on Twitter and the platform Blogspot, including photographs of swastikas painted at the entrances to the churches of St. Petri and St. Johannes in Malmö.
Another photo, posted online, shows a sticker with the text “Heil Pride” against a rainbow-colored background. Park also figures himself in a photograph where he makes the Hitler salute in front of the gate to the Jewish cemetery in Malmö.
Three questions to assess
The district court had three questions to decide: Is it Dan Park who created and spread the posts? Are the posts to be considered incitement against a group of people? Is the spread of freedom of speech covered?
The answer to the first question is yes, according to the Malmö district court. Both Twitter accounts have strong links to Park, including through the profile picture and email address they are linked to. The same applies to the posts published on Blogspot.
Dan Park denies responsibility for the publications. His explanation that someone else created the accounts in his name, the district court does not believe. Nor that the password to his old accounts was leaked.
Clear incitement against ethnic group
Even to the question of whether the posts can be classified as incitement against a ethnic group, the answer is yes, the district court believes. In all six cases, they “convey disrespect towards ethnic groups other than the Nordics”.
In various reasonings, Dan Park has explained how the posts and pictures should be interpreted. However, the district court describes the explanations as more or less difficult to understand, “without anchoring in a valid discussion.”
The District Court also does not consider that Dan Park’s posts on digital platforms are covered by freedom of expression. Park is sentenced to four months in prison for incitement against a group of people. The crime is not considered minor, and Park must also pay SEK 800 to the crime victim fund.
As recently as 2018, Dan Park was sentenced to prison for as many months for three counts of defamation and seven counts of incitement against a public group.
SVT Nyheter is looking for Dan Park for a comment.