The final day of the election campaign ended dramatically for the Sweden Democrats’ district chairman in Blekinge, Fredrik Thomasson. During a campaign event in Karlshamn, he was called a Nazi and threatened with being stabbed to death. An elderly man was apprehended after the turmoil, and police later found several sharp weapons in his car.

It was just after noon on election day when police were alerted to a disturbance at Stortorget. Fredrik Thomasson was by the Sweden Democrats’ campaign booth when the man suddenly approached him. The incident played out in front of many voters on site, including families with children.

– A man comes up and starts yelling things—saying he is going to stab me with his knife. He was so close that our bodies touched. I asked him to step back, but he came closer several times. Eventually, he shouted across the entire square that he was going to stab me and kill me, Thomasson told BLT.

Seeing how many people—including children—were nearby, Thomasson decided he needed to intervene. He attempted a citizen’s arrest, but chose to stop when he couldn’t be sure if the man actually had a knife.

– After some commotion, he pulled down his zip hoodie, so I stepped back because I didn’t know what he had under there. There was a major police response, he told Expressen, and continued:

– In the end, he shouted in front of countless witnesses that he would stab me or kill me with a knife.

Sang in German

The Sweden Democrats leader also recounted that the man called him a Nazi and sang something in German. In interviews with Expressen, he said the man had called him a Nazi and made other political statements.

– It was because I am a Sweden Democrat that he acted that way toward me. He called me a Nazi and sang something in German or gibberish German and said he would stab me for it.

Reportedly also caused trouble at the Social Democrats’ booth

According to Social Democratic politician Ulf Gustavsson, who was at the Social Democrats’ campaign booth, the man had been there before moving on to the Sweden Democrats’ booth.

Gustavsson told the media the man had issued threats toward several politicians, including that he wanted to stab certain members of parliament.

– He also talked about how, among others, the police and Social Democrats were to blame for one thing or another. He was living in his own world, Gustavsson told BLT.

After about ten minutes, the man left the area and proceeded toward the Sweden Democrats’ booth.