Fredrik Reinfeldt was hailed as a guest of honor when the Moderates gathered for the Sweden Summit at the Stockholm Waterfront this weekend. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson publicly thanked his predecessor in front of thousands of Moderates, despite the fact that Reinfeldt has for many years been identified as the symbol of the migration policy that the Moderates today say they want to leave behind.
Around 2,500 moderates attended the meeting in Stockholm at the weekend, which also included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz participated. Fredrik Reinfeldt, who has long kept a low profile within the party after the 2014 election loss, attended both the dinner and on stage over the weekend. According to reports from the meeting, the former prime minister was very warmly received by party members, reports Svenska Dagbladet (SvD).
- He received more applause than anyone else, and said he hoped for Sweden's sake that the government would be re-elected, says a moderate who attended the dinner.
Kristersson's clear tribute
During his number chose Ulf Kristersson to highlight in particular Reinfeldt and the Alliance years as a model for today's government.
- We also have Fredrik Reinfeldt with us at the Sweden Summit. The last time Sweden had a government with such an intense reform agenda, it was under him and under the Alliance. And the work line lives on, said Kristersson, To make an effort, to go the extra mile, to do your best for yourself but also for Sweden. These are the values that have built our country. Thank you Fredrik.
The tribute has provoked reactions because in recent years the Moderates have tried to profile themselves as a party that distanced itself from previous migration policies. At the same time, it is Fredrik Reinfeldt who is most strongly associated with the period when Sweden pursued one of Europe's most open migration policies.
The man who opened Sweden's borders wide
During Reinfeldt's time as prime minister, immigration increased sharply and Sweden received more asylum seekers per capita than almost any other EU country. His infamous exhortation The 2014 call to Swedes to ”open your hearts” became symbolic of the extreme migration line that characterized the Alliance government and still haunts the Moderates politically.
Reinfeldt has not subsequently distanced himself from the policy, but rather defended it. He has said that he is ”ultimately responsible” for the migration policy and that he ”holds his head high” over the values that characterized the government during his time as prime minister.
Contempt for the Swedes
The former prime minister has also long been criticized for several statements about Swedishness and nationalism. Most infamous is the quote:
- Original Swedish is just barbarism. The rest of the development has come from outside.
Another controversial statement came when Reinfeldt denied that Sweden is the country of Swedes and instead described the country as something that is shaped by people moving here.
The criticism of the Moderates
Critics argue that this view formed the basis for a policy that contributed to today's segregation, growing parallel societies and the serious crime that now dominates the public debate. This is at the same time as the Conservatives today are pushing a much tougher rhetoric on migration and integration. The weekend's tributes also drew strong criticism from right-wing voters and immigration critics.
”Every time the Moderates dust off Fredrik Reinfeldt and lift him up on some stage, I wonder if the Moderates want to cease to exist as a party? Reinfeldt and Bildt are today two big sinks for M”, writes the user Daario Naharis on X.
”Reinfeldt is the man who, together with Löfven, destroyed Sweden, how the hell can you praise him”, writes another user.
The question many are asking is whether M, despite its tough rhetoric on deportations and limited asylum immigration (actually replaced by labor and family immigration), has really let go of the policies that made Reinfeldt one of Sweden's most notorious politicians.
The question is also how the Sweden Democrats (SD) will view this. Reinfeldt did not hide his disgust for the party and entered the fateful the migration agreement with the Green Party in 2011 to punish voters who voted for the SD in the 2010 elections. Meanwhile, the SD party leader Jimmie Åkesson has been clear that it wholeheartedly supports Kristersson as prime minister, even if the SD gets 30% and M 15%.
”SD's prime ministerial candidate praised Fredrik Reinfeldt yesterday. It's only a matter of time before Jimmie embraces him.”, writes the magazine The workpolitical editor Daniel Swedin acidic on X.
The facts: The 2011 migration deal
In 2011, Fredrik Reinfeldt's government reached a migration agreement with the Green Party that, among other things, gave more undocumented migrants the right to health care and schooling and made the rules for labor immigration and family immigration more generous. The deal was described by critics as another step towards a more open migration policy and became a symbol of the cooperation between the Alliance and the MPs on migration.
Shame on the Egghead and faggot bluff
The Moderate pigs have shown that they have not changed policy but that it is just a trick with words and here it is so clearly visible.It is well bögeri on a higher level when the vomit Fredrik and the dwarf Ulf meet.
Agreed!