Youth leader quits after Billström death threat
A local Left Party youth leader has been forced to resign after issuing a death threat against Sweden's migration minister Tobias Billström on Twitter.
"I want to shoot Tobias Billström. I will be truly happy when he dies. From the depth of my heart, I really mean it," wrote Christoffer Hurtig, chairman of the Left Party youth league in Luleå, on Twitter on March 11th.
While Hurtig deleted the post, his comments emerged on Friday and the Left Party acted to remove the 26-year-old from his post.
"We have called on him to resign and to go out with a public apology. I have been in contact with him and he has accepted this," said Left Party youth league head Hanna Cederin to the Aftonbladet daily on Saturday.
Hurtig duly returned to Twitter on Saturday to express remorse for his actions.
"I apologize to Tobias Billström for my statement. Violence is unacceptable in all circumstances," he wrote.
According to several media reports, this is not the first time that Hurtig has courted controversy on Twitter, having previously expressed satisfaction at the death of Princess Lillian.
Tobias Billström has come in for criticism from both party colleagues and opponents after a couple of controversial interviews.
In an interview with Dagens Nyheter last week Billström unleashed a storm of outrage with comments that people who help illegal immigrants in Sweden are rarely "blonde and blue-eyed".
He has since issued an apology for his comments and has been on the receiving end of a stern reprimand from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
TT/Peter Vinthagen Simpson
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"I want to shoot Tobias Billström. I will be truly happy when he dies. From the depth of my heart, I really mean it," wrote Christoffer Hurtig, chairman of the Left Party youth league in Luleå, on Twitter on March 11th.
While Hurtig deleted the post, his comments emerged on Friday and the Left Party acted to remove the 26-year-old from his post.
"We have called on him to resign and to go out with a public apology. I have been in contact with him and he has accepted this," said Left Party youth league head Hanna Cederin to the Aftonbladet daily on Saturday.
Hurtig duly returned to Twitter on Saturday to express remorse for his actions.
"I apologize to Tobias Billström for my statement. Violence is unacceptable in all circumstances," he wrote.
According to several media reports, this is not the first time that Hurtig has courted controversy on Twitter, having previously expressed satisfaction at the death of Princess Lillian.
Tobias Billström has come in for criticism from both party colleagues and opponents after a couple of controversial interviews.
In an interview with Dagens Nyheter last week Billström unleashed a storm of outrage with comments that people who help illegal immigrants in Sweden are rarely "blonde and blue-eyed".
He has since issued an apology for his comments and has been on the receiving end of a stern reprimand from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
TT/Peter Vinthagen Simpson
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