Several ministers from the liberal Tidö government are sharply criticizing the Sweden Democrats following a statement from the party’s migration spokesperson Ludvig Aspling regarding the ethnically Swedish population. Among the most critical is Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa (M), who says he himself feels excluded by the reasoning.
The background is a statement from Ludvig Aspling in connection with the Sweden Democrats’ proposal that even Swedish citizens with immigrant backgrounds should be eligible for the increased remigration grant.
In an interview with Dagens ETC, the SD representative stated that a large proportion of the population has a foreign background and, according to him, that many are not part of Swedish society.
– We have far too many people who are not part of the ethnically Swedish population and this has caused very big problems, Aspling told ETC.
ALSO READ: SD wants to use the remigration grant also for Swedish citizens
The statement has caused outrage among the liberal parties in the Tidö coalition. With 58 days left until the election, representatives from the Moderates, Christian Democrats, and Liberals are strongly attacking SD’s description of Sweden’s problems.
– The Sweden Democrats do not have the right to define who is Swedish or not, says Minister Benjamin Dousa (M) to ETC.
The Moderate top further explains that he feels “pretty much pushed out” by SD’s view. Dousa says he has roots from many parts of the world and that ethnically there is very little Swedish about him, but he feels “100 percent Swedish.”
At the same time, the same parties—who were involved in driving the extensive immigration policy during Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s government—maintain that anyone who works, is integrated, and becomes part of society can be Swedish.
Minister Benjamin Dousa (M), who has a long background within the Moderates and the market-liberal think tank Timbro, argues that the debate should focus on integration instead of ethnicity.
– Once again, the focus is on ethnicity, hair color, skin color, and not on what is essential, says Dousa to ETC.
@dagensetc Benjamin Dousa (M) criticizes Ludvig Aspling’s (SD) statement that Sweden “has far too many people who are not part of the ethnically Swedish population.” Read more at etc.se
“Nothing to do with ethnicity”
Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner (KD) partially agrees with Aspling’s reasoning and believes that cultural differences can complicate integration. At the same time, he thinks it is wrong to divide people into ethnic Swedes and non-ethnic Swedes.
Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) also distances herself from the statement, while Minister for Elderly Affairs and Social Security Anna Tenje (M) criticizes SD.
Tenje points out that unemployment and reliance on financial support are more common among people born outside Europe, but emphasizes that this still has nothing to do with ethnicity.
ALSO READ: Europe is undergoing a population shift – but politicians are still talking about integration