Sweden Democrats caution members on Norway comments

According to daily Expressen, an internal letter penned by SD party secretary Björn Söder beseeched fellow party members to cease comment on events in Norway through social media outlets as it quickly propels and bolsters ill-conceived remarks.

”There is no reason to give the political and media establishments further fuel to hit the party through statements that are ambiguous in their purpose,” Söder wrote in the letter, reported Expressen newspaper.

The terrorist attacks in Oslo and Utøya have thrust the far-right party into an unwanted spotlight, while party member activity in the social media has inflamed the attention.

For example, party leader Jimmie Åkesson’s press secretary Linus Bylund reportedly tweeted after the blood-chilling attacks that ‘I will stop following [on Twitter] the next moron who gushes about how sad it is for all the nice Muslims when there is bleeding Norwegians in the streets,” according to Expressen.

Bylund later clarified that his tweet was to encourage others not to speculate.

A Varberg SD local politician Erik Hell Born wrote on his blog that the attack would not have taken place without multiculturalism and Islamisation, a statement that party leadership in Stockholm later rejected.

Parliament member Kent Ekeroth, who has been under fire for his online statements, wrote shortly after the bloodshed, ”Will someone venture to guess who is behind the bombs in Norway? No, I will not call you Islamophobes,” according to Expressen.

Some comments have forced the expulsion of other party members.

For example, SD-activist Thomas Karlsen of Trollhätte posted on Facebook that ”Anders Behring Breivik was a useful idiot used by the Masonic conspiracy. He was discharged from the party due to lack of judgement."

Party leader Åkesson used his Twitter account after the attacks to encourage members to exercise caution when speculating about possible perpetrators.