Freedom News in Almedalen – Day 1

Almedalen Week has officially begun, and as promised, Frihetsnytt is here. Even though not everything has gotten underway yet, we still managed to see and do quite a bit on the first day. The reporters on site got to experience interviews, seminars, and even a movie screening.

Anyone who watched Monday’s episode of *Frihetsmorgon* probably noticed that *Frihetsnytt* had moved its studio to Gotland so it could broadcast live during the week as well.

When we later drove into Visby to pick up our press credentials, it was clear that a major event was underway, but it was mostly tourists who were out and about. The politicians and the rest of the media didn’t seem to have gotten started yet.

With the events in Helsingborg still fresh in our minds, we were unsure how we would be received. This was due to the massive police presence and the fact that neither politicians nor the mainstream media appreciate critical voices in their midst.

However, we were treated professionally at the press center and received the same treatment as journalists from the mainstream media. So far, we have also been treated professionally by the police.

Ukrainian dominance

Once out in the city near Almedalen itself, several tents and portable structures had been set up. It was clear, however, that it was going to be a relatively quiet day. There were plenty of workers on the job at several of the structures, including Expressen’s headquarters.

We walked around the area to get a sense of what was there. It was a very mixed crowd, ranging from animal rights activists and children’s rights groups to the Chinese meditation movement Falun Gong. When we got down to the harbor, a small area had been set aside entirely for Ukraine. There were Ukrainian flags and various messages stating that Ukraine was a guarantor of democracy in both Sweden and the rest of the Western world.

Interview with MED, SD, and former Muslims

After walking through Almedalen and getting a sense of where everything was, we began focusing on setting up interviews with interesting people there. We split up, so Victor went to the Medborgerlig Samling tent and interviewed the party leader Daniel Sonesson, while Tor-Björn and Tyr interviewed representatives of former Muslims who had converted from Islam. Look for both interviews on Frihetsnytt.

After that, we headed to the parliamentary parties’ tent area, which hadn’t opened yet. We were told by the police that they weren’t allowed to open before 1:00 p.m. so as not to conflict with the party leaders’ speeches scheduled for 12:00 p.m. No speeches were held today, but the same rules applied to the opening ceremony, which took place from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

However, Tor-Björn caught sight of Lars Leijonborg, the former party leader of the Liberals (then known as the People’s Party). He seized the opportunity and conducted a brief interview with the politician who had made a comeback. You’ll hear exactly what was said in an upcoming interview, but the issue of the population exchange was brought up.

After that, we split up again. Tor-Björn and Tyr were going to attend a panel discussion on democracy, while Victor went to a panel discussion on the new cash law that goes into effect next week. The panel included, among others, Björn Eriksson, chairman of Kontantupproret; Aino Bunge, first deputy governor of the Riksbank; and Dennis Diukarev, a Sweden Democrat member of the Riksdag who had worked on the investigation leading up to the new law. Afterward, Victor interviewed Diukarev about the new law, the status of cash in Sweden, and the importance of cash for freedom. The interview is available to watch here.

A new day—a fresh start

Tomorrow will bring a new round of developments, and that’s when the real heavyweights of Swedish politics will start to make their appearances. Frihetsnytt will be back with the next text update tomorrow.

After that, we got back together and decided to wrap up the day so we could check out some of the films that had been shot.