On Saturday, SD leader Jimmie Åkesson delivered his traditional spring speech at Långholmen. The introductory speech was held by the chairperson of Ungsvenskarna, Denice Westerberg, who focused on crime, elderly care, and Islamism. When Åkesson took over, he turned his attention to the :censored:6:cdd6bbaa89: situation, the Swedish economy, and the autumn election campaign—while making it clear he does not intend to prioritize debates with Magdalena Andersson.

Denice Westerberg began with a look back at Sweden four years ago, which she described as marked by shootings, riots, and insecurity under Social Democratic rule. She said that her generation has been deprived of security and trust, but that young voters have now had enough.

“We will clean up. We will rebuild our country Sweden again,” she said.

A large part was devoted to elderly care, where Westerberg brought up widely publicized abuses against the elderly and demanded stricter control of personnel. She said that those who built Sweden should be met with “warmth, respect and care.”

At the end, she sharply criticized the development of Islamism in Sweden and called it “the single greatest threat to Sweden.” She called for the closure of extremist mosques, a ban on prayer calls, and a prohibition of what she referred to as oppressive garments.

Åkesson: “We live in troubled times”

When Jimmie Åkesson took the stage, he began by describing a world characterized by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. He expressed his support for Ukraine and defended harsh measures against Iran.

“When it comes to Iran, it is absolutely right, absolutely morally correct to intervene forcefully. The world cannot afford an Islamist death cult in power,” he said.

Åkesson said that Sweden must become less dependent on foreign countries through stronger defense, secure energy supply, and lower taxes on fuel, food, and work.

“We can put Swedish interests first. And that is what I choose to do,” he said.

Attacked the Social Democrats – rejects Andersson

A large part of the speech was devoted to criticism of the Social Democrats, whom Åkesson accused of causing today’s social problems through migration, crime, and energy policy. He called Andersson an “original” and claimed her policies lack credibility.

When commenting on Andersson’s statement that she would prefer to debate him during the election campaign, he was dismissive.

“For the voters, it’s just as interesting for me to debate Sweden’s future with you as it would be to do it with a wall,” he said.

Instead, the SD leader said he would rather prioritize debates with representatives from the Green Party, the Left Party, and the Centre Party, since he believes those parties would in practice govern in the event of a change of government.

Election message about continuing course

Åkesson concluded by highlighting the Tidö parties’ work against crime and for stricter migration, and warned of the consequences of a red-green shift in government.

“Sweden should be safe, free, and Swedish. That is our Sweden,” he said to applause at Långholmen.

Watch and listen to Denice Westerberg’s and Jimmie Åkesson’s speeches in full below. Åkesson’s speech begins at about 19:00.