SD politician got swastika spray-painted on his home

During the night leading into Friday, SD politician Anders Rosén in Malung was subjected to vandalism at his home. One or more individuals entered his property and spray-painted swastikas on his garage. However, it seems they did not have much knowledge of the symbol as the crosses were painted backwards. The incident has been reported to the police.

The vandalism was discovered early Friday morning. Anders Rosén, who represents the Sweden Democrats in Malung, had himself been away from home during the night.

The garage that was targeted had just been repainted two years ago after Rosén renovated and cleaned up previous graffiti that was there when he bought the house. Now another costly cleanup awaits.

READ ALSO: SD office vandalized with graffiti

Rosén has reported the incident to the police via the special contact channel that municipal council members have been given access to before the election, for reporting threats and other incidents related to their political role.

“It feels a bit more personal when it’s at home”

Samnytt has spoken to Anders Rosén about the incident.

When did this happen?

– It happened during the night. People saw it at around six, half past six this morning.

Have you reported the incident to the police?

– Yes, I have reported it. We have a special number for election candidates to the police, for reporting hate and threats.

Is this something you received because of previous incidents?

– No, everyone elected to the municipal council gets it before the elections. It was the same last election. You have a number so you get to the right place and avoid calling the general 114 14. You get to the right place immediately because it’s a political crime.

Have you or the Sweden Democrats in Malung experienced anything like this before?

– No, nothing like this before. We lost a sign last election, just like all other parties. We haven’t put up any signs yet, but the Social Democrats have had signs smashed here, so they reported that too.

What is the difference between this incident and, for example, having an election sign destroyed?

– That sort of thing happens. But when someone comes onto your property and destroys… They sprayed the garage. I repainted it two years ago. When we bought the house, we renovated everything and I cleaned the graffiti and repainted it two years ago.

How do you feel about being subjected to something like this during an election campaign?

– It’s sad. People are allowed to have different opinions, but you don’t need to break things. It feels a bit more personal when it’s at home too, I think.

So it feels different when it happens at your own home?

– It feels more unpleasant. If you find a stolen sign, sure, but this feels much more intrusive.

Especially because someone came to your private residence?

– Yes, and then it’s a different thing.

Aiming for more seats in the election

The Sweden Democrats currently have six seats in the municipal council in Malung. Ahead of the upcoming election, Rosén hopes the party can strengthen its position.

What are you aiming for in the election?

– We have six seats at the moment, but we are aiming higher. Seven, eight seats at least.

Does it feel like you have the wind at your back?

– It feels good when you talk to people around the municipality. So we’ll see. I think we’ve had a lot of good proposals, and people feel that they are good. It feels good, I think.