Sweden has quickly shifted from being one of Europe's most ethnically homogenous nations to one of its most diverse, which has resulted in negative societal consequences, according to a report by the Social Democrats
Peter Caddle
28 November 2023
Sweden’s left-wing Social Democrats party has turned against open borders in a newly published report, warning that the levels of immigration into the country have led to a segregated society.
The document has been warmly welcomed by those on the Scandinavian nation’s Right, with one MEP for the populist Sweden Democrats saying it was “great” that the Left was U-turning on the position.
In the document titled The Emergence of Parallel Societies, the report’s authors describe how mass migration has led to a significant shift in Swedish society that has left many people in vulnerable situations.
“The biggest social change during the 21st Century in Sweden has been the change in demography due to immigration,” the report says.
It adds that the country has quickly shifted from being one of Europe’s most ethnically homogenous nations to one of its most diverse, which has resulted in negative societal consequences.
Segregation has been the main result of the influx of foreign arrivals, it says. The document describes what it calls the “ghettoisation” of many people of foreign descent in areas such as Rinkeby in Stockholm and the city of Malmö.
This has left many people of foreign backgrounds exposed to violent practices previously unseen in Sweden, such as female genital mutilation, the report claims.
Many also have a poor command of the Swedish language, further entrenching feelings of isolation and a lack of belonging, it says.
Speaking to the Swedish media regarding the report’s findings, the Social Democrats’ cultural policy spokesperson Lawen Redar admitted her party had got many things wrong on immigration while in power.
“I think we should be deeply self-critical,” she said, agreeing that the party had put too much pressure on certain poorer areas of the country through mass migration, leading to serious societal problems.
Redar insisted that the change in attitudes did not mean her party now aligned with the Sweden Democrats, which she had accused of being willing to break international law to curb immigration.
Such a slight does not seem to have bothered those within the Sweden Democrats, with Charlie Weimers MEP welcoming the shift in thinking.
“This is great news for Europe, one of the most pro-migration parties in Europe has finally come to their senses,” he told Brussels Signal, describing the party’s previous policies while in government as a “warning to politicians all around the world as what not to do”.
He added that he now expected his Social Democrats opponents to be “loyal” to the document and to consistently vote “in favour of limiting migration and for physical border barriers”.
Seemingly less enthusiastic about the change was the Social Democrats’ own press office. When asked, it said it did not want to comment on the report.
Danish Socialists have also supported restrictive migration policy.
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