Björn Söder
Björn Söder Second Deputy Speaker of the Riksdag | |
---|---|
In office 29 September 2014 – 24 September 2018 | |
Monarch | Carl XVI Gustaf |
Preceded by | Ulf Holm |
Succeeded by | Lotta Johnsson Fornarve |
Leader of the Sweden Democrats in the Riksdag | |
In office 4 October 2010 – 29 September 2014 | |
Leader | Jimmie Åkesson |
Preceded by | New office |
Succeeded by | Mattias Karlsson |
Secretary of the Sweden Democrats | |
In office 7 May 2005 – 14 February 2015 | |
Leader | Jimmie Åkesson |
Preceded by | David Lång |
Succeeded by | Richard Jomshof |
Personal details | |
Born | Björn Olof Söder 3 January 1976 Lund Institute of Technology |
Awards | Mkhitar Gosh Medal |
Website | bjornsoder.net |
Björn Olof Söder (born 3 January 1976) is a Swedish
Background and education
Söder was born in
Political career
Early political career
Söder first joined the Swedish
At the Sweden Democrats' national meeting in 2003, Söder was elected as deputy party chairman.
Member of the Riksdag (2010 - present)
In the
On 19 July 2021 Söder was awarded the
Controversies
2012 comments about Eurovision
After Sweden's victory in the
2014 allegations of antisemitism
The Jerusalem Post reported in 2014 that Björn Söder declared in an interview that most people of Jewish origin, who have become Swedes, leave their Jewish identity and that it is important to distinguish between citizenship and nationhood. Lena Posner Körösi, of the Official Council of Jewish Communities in Sweden told The Guardian that Söder’s statements were “exactly like in 1930s Germany” and that they constitute “good old right-wing anti-Semitism". The statement of the Sweden Democrat politician about Jews was listed as one of the ten worst anti-Semitic incidents in the world in 2014 by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, according to Dagens Nyheter.[9][10][11]
Söder responded to these claims of anti-Semitism with a column of his own that appeared in The Jerusalem Post on January 5, 2015, writing in part, "In a biased article in one of Sweden’s largest newspapers, Dagens Nyheter (DN: Daily News), some of my statements were dramatically taken out of context to erroneously credit me with opinions that do not correspond with reality. Politically biased journalists and political opponents have further distorted the statements, resulting in a presentation virtually the complete opposite of my actual statements and opinions. This is now distributed in the international press, such as in the Post, which therefore necessitates a clarification on my part."[12]
Comments about LGBT people
In 2007, Söder was criticised after writing a blog post in which he claimed that the normalisation of LGBT people would lead to the normalisation of "bestiality and pedophilia," saying that "these sexual deviants are not normal and will never be normal."[13]
In August 2023, Söder faced criticism after tweeting that LGBT pride had "close - and now legitimate - links to pedophilia and the involvement of children in the sexual world of adults,"[14] as well as accusing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of "legitimising pedophilia" for raising a pride flag at his official residence.[15] His comments garnered criticism from several government ministers, who depend on the Sweden Democrats for support under the Tidö Agreement. Linda Lindberg, the Sweden Democrat house leader in the Riksdag, stated that the tone of his comments was "problematic," but that it was understandable that he disliked "an organisation that repeatedly criticises and excludes our party for no reason."[16]
Distinctions
- Mkhitar Gosh Medal, (Armenia).
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Om Björn Söder" (in Swedish). Björn Söder. Archived from the original on 2006-09-02. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ Parliament of Sweden. Archived from the originalon 27 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ ""Jimmie Åkesson håller så låg profil här"".
- ^ Larsson, Mats J. (24 September 2010). "Söder SD-gruppledare i riksdagen". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ "Ստոկհոլմում..." facebook.com (in Armenian and Swedish). Stockholm: Embassy of Armenia in Stockholm. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Björn Söder's speech at the reception of the awarding of the Mkhitar Gosh Medal" (blog). bjornsoder.net. Stockholm. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Björn Söder (SD) och andra svenska riksdagsledamöter får medalj av Armeniens president" (video). youtube.com (in Swedish). Stockholm: Riks. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ Björn Söder (SD) är besviken att Loreen vann, Aftonbladet, 27 May 2012
- ^ Swedish politician calls for Jews to abandon their faith, The Jerusalem Post, 18 December 2014
- ^ Björn Söder på internationell antisemitlista, Aftonbladet, 27 May 2012
- ^ Deputy speaker to Jews: abandon your religious identity
- ^ Sweden Democrats reject anti-Semitism, The Jerusalem Post, January 5, 2015
- ^ Edström, Dan (29 September 2014). "9 saker vi inte ska glömma att Sveriges andre vice talman sagt och gjort". Expressen. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ Björn Söder [@bjornsoder] (August 2, 2023). "Jag står upp för att försvara homo- och bisexuellas rättigheter. Men jag kommer aldrig försvara Pride och dess nära - och numera legitima - kopplingar till pedofili och barns involvering i vuxnas sexuella värld" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 August 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Sweden Democrat MP under fire after claiming Pride is linked to pedophilia". The Local Sweden. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ Ögren, Annica (3 August 2023). "Björn Söder anklagar Pride: "Kopplingar till pedofili"". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 3 August 2023.