Swedish populist hands out 'Sweden is Full' flyers in Turkey

FPI / March 8, 2020

The populist leader of the Sweden Democrat (SD) party was referred to police after he handed out flyers in Turkey proclaiming "Sweden is Full."

Jimmie Åkesson was reported to police by Swedish attorney Behrang Eslami for allegedly inciting hate by distributing the flyers near Turkey’s border with Greece, where a large number of migrants from Syria have gathered in an attempt to gain access to Europe.

Along with saying "Sweden is full," the flyers also said: "Don’t come to us! We can’t give you more money or provide housing. Sorry about this message."

Eslami told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: “I believe that it is everyone’s right to seek asylum in Europe or in Sweden. To go down and try to persuade people, who are fleeing for their lives and in need, not to go to Europe. It is in principle wrong and it violates human rights.”

In response to the police report, Åkesson told TV4 that he considered himself a voice for many Swedes, pointing to recent opinion polls that have shown his party as the most popular in the country.

“I think it is pretty clear when you look at opinion polls and other things that the Swedish people want a more restrictive immigration policy than the one we have had so far,” he said.

Lawyer Anton Strand, who was hired by Åkesson, also dismissed the police complaint, telling Nyheter Idag: “It seems to me that people have sought attention rather than wanted to make a serious complaint. Notifying a person without basis can in itself constitute a criminal act and my client is also considering reporting the lawyer to the Law Society.”

Åkesson's action was not the first time a country or politicians tried to dissuade migrants from coming to Europe.

In 2018, Belgium launched a social media campaign directed at migrants, stating that many of the promises made by people-traffickers about Europe were actually myths.

Prior to 2018, Belgium's Molenbeek no-go zone had become one of Europe’s major hubs for radical Islam.

Free Press International