EDITORIAL • “I think it is presumptuous to move here, not even be born here, and say that it’s liberal values that determine whether Sweden is Sweden or not.” That’s what Jimmie Åkesson said in an interview with DN. And that’s exactly how it is, as I have written several times in this newspaper. The most fascinating thing is how shameless one must be to immigrate to a country and then behave in that way.

Few things annoy me more than when people who have come here from the other side of the globe start explaining to Swedes what Sweden actually is and what it should be. It is shameless and deeply disrespectful.

Imagine if I moved to Japan, Turkey, or Morocco. Would I, after a year—or maybe just a few months—start telling people there what their country actually means? That their history is wrong, their traditions are problematic, and that they need to swap their values for something more “modern”? Something “liberal” perhaps? That would be arrogant, ignorant, and very rude. Everyone would think so.

But in Sweden, it happens all the time. Simona Mohamsson is just one example, but by no means the worst. Newly arrived or people who have lived here for a few years pop up in the media, in debates, or on social media and explain to Swedes what Sweden “really” is. Often, it’s done in a moralizing tone. Swedes are supposed to learn that their history is wrong, their culture is exclusive, and that national identity is basically something suspicious.

How has it come to this?

The Establishment Encouraged It

The answer is simple: because the Swedish establishment encourages it. Politicians, authorities, the media, the church, and large parts of civil society have said the same thing over and over again: Sweden belongs to everyone. Whoever comes here is just as Swedish as someone who has lived here for generations. The country is mostly an administrative area where people just happen to be.

In practice, this means that Swedes do not have any special ownership of their own country.

When a society hammers on about this for 30 or 40 years, it’s no wonder some immigrants start to believe it. They are encouraged to act as if Sweden is already theirs—fully and without reservation.

Then there’s another part too. Some cultures are characterized by a clear dominance behavior. Whoever comes in, shouts the loudest, or is the most forward gets to set the tone. You move in, set the agenda, and expect the others to adapt. It is the occupation mentality I have previously described.

READ ALSO: An Occupation Mentality

When this meets a country where the majority population has basically been told to step back, apologize, and question their own existence—then you get a skewed dynamic. One side pushes forward. The other backs down.

And suddenly, people with hardly any connection to the country are sitting and explaining what Sweden’s soul really is.

If you move to a country, you should show some humility toward those who have lived there a long time, their history, and their way of life. You can like the country, contribute to it, and become a part of it—but you don’t start by rewriting what the country is.

It’s not rocket science. It’s just common sense and basic decency.

READ ALSO: Ekeroth: “Difference between immigrants and immigrants”

P.S.: Yes, authorities are working against SD and sound policies. It’s not a new phenomenon, but it’s nonetheless a serious problem that must be addressed.