Editing Sweden Democrats (section)

===Political analysis===
The SD's ideology and political identity has evolved significantly in the decades since its founding and entrance into the Riksdag. Labels for the party have consequently been a source of debate by outside observers. Nordic Studies scholar [[Benjamin R. Teitelbaum]] called the SD radical nationalist in 2013 and by 2018 said the party has since moved to the "softer side" of European populist parties.<ref name="Teitelbaum 2013" /><ref name="auto7"/> The party has been described by sociologist [[Jens Rydgren]] and political scientist [[Cas Mudde]] variously as xenophobic, [[far-right]], racist or right-wing populist.<ref name="autogenerated10"/><ref>Rydgren, Jens (2005). ''Från skattemissnöje till etnisk nationalism: Högerpopulism och parlamentarisk högerextremism i Sverige''. [[Studentlitteratur]], Lund. |sid=124</ref><ref>[[Nationalencyklopedin]]: [http://ne.se/lang/sverigedemokraterna Sverigedemokraterna] (27 October 2009).</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/sweden.html|title=Parties and Elections in Europe|author=Wolfram Nordsieck|website=Parties-and-elections.eu|access-date=24 February 2015|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226040526/http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/sweden.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Mudde, Cas (2007). ''Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe''. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://theglobepost.com/2018/09/18/mudde-far-right-europe/ |title=Cas Mudde: No Western Democracy Naturally Immune to Far-Right |date=18 September 2018 |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123002334/https://theglobepost.com/2018/09/18/mudde-far-right-europe/ |url-status=live }}</ref> French newspaper ''[[Le Monde]]'' profiled the SD as far-right and "a nationalist party with fascist roots".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2022/10/12/the-sweden-democrats-a-nationalist-party-with-fascist-roots_6000008_4.html |title=The Sweden Democrats, a nationalist party with fascist roots |website=[[Le Monde]] |date=12 October 2022 |access-date=2025-02-03}}</ref> In 2013, a [[Sveriges Radio]] journalist called the SD "xenophobic", which resulted in a complaint lodged to the broadcasting regulator by the party. The [[Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority|Swedish Broadcasting Commission]] determined that this description was acceptable to use.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/okej-kalla-sd-framlingsfientligt_8260682.svd|title=Granskningsnämnden: Tillåtet att kalla SD främlingsfientligt|work=SvD.se|date=12 June 2013|access-date=24 February 2015|last1=Mellgren|first1=Fredrik}}</ref> According to Sveriges Radio in 2017, a European research agency classed the party as "extreme" using the Swedish {{interlanguage link|GAL-TAN|sv}} political scale, arguing that the SD is more traditionalist, socially authoritarian and nationalist and less progressive compared to other Swedish parliamentary parties and described the SD as similar to the [[National Rally|French National Rally]] in some of its policies.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6924173 |title=Graphics: This is the GAL-TAN scale |newspaper=Sveriges Radio |date=5 April 2018 |access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref> In 2019, the polling company Novus said that their opinion polls show that SD is no-longer a [[Single-issue politics|"one-issue" party]] in regards to immigration, having won trust in other political questions too.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nyheter |first=S. V. T. |date=2019-09-22 |title=Novus: SD inte längre ett enfrågeparti |url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/sd-inte-langre-enfrageparti |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=SVT Nyheter |language=sv}}</ref> In 2022, University of Gothenburg political scientist Johan Martinsson described the SD as "anti-immigration, anti-multicultural, nationalist" while stopping short of labelling the SD as a far-right party.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62913356 |title=Sweden election: How an ex neo-Nazi movement became kingmakers |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=2025-02-03}}</ref>

However, the characterization of the SD as radical or extreme far-right has come under dispute in recent years by scholars and political observers. Commentator Kateřina Lišaníková observed that the SD had hardline origins through its founders and initial support network, and notes the SD's leadership openly acknowledges its history, but argues the present version of the SD does not match the description of a radical far-right party but is mistakenly labelled as such by media or opponents who focus on the party's early rather than current beliefs. She stated that the SD is now a [[National conservatism|national conservative]]<ref name="Rydgren">{{cite book |last=Rydgren |first=Jens |author-link=Jens Rydgren |title=From Tax Populism to Ethnic Nationalism: Radical Right-wing Populism in Sweden |publisher=Berghahn Books |year=2006 |isbn=1-84545-218-6 |location=Oxford |pages=108–113}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Szumski |first1=Charles |title=Right-of-centre bloc, dominated by the far-right, set to win Swedish elections |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/right-of-centre-bloc-dominated-by-the-far-right-set-to-win-swedish-elections/ |work=www.euractiv.com |date=12 September 2022 |access-date=25 November 2022 |archive-date=25 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125171324/https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/right-of-centre-bloc-dominated-by-the-far-right-set-to-win-swedish-elections/ |url-status=live }}</ref> party with populist elements but does not contradict democratic or Swedish constitutional principles.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=https://www.securityoutlines.cz/a-year-after-swedish-electionsi-how-has-the-country-changed/|title=A Year After Swedish Elections: How Has the Country Changed?|first=Kateřina|last=Lišaníková|date=14 April 2016|website=securityoutlines.cz|access-date=1 August 2022|archive-date=28 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828222148/https://www.securityoutlines.cz/a-year-after-swedish-electionsi-how-has-the-country-changed/|url-status=live}}</ref> Similar observations were made in 2021 by Swedish political scientist Sören Holmberg that "extreme right" was not a good description for the SD when placed within the traditional left-right scale, since the party contains centre-left and centrist policies on some issues compared to the other centre-right parties in Sweden. Holmberg furthermore argued that while SD can be considered a [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] party, the label "populist" has become unstable due to some of the other parties in the Riksdag adopting populist ideas of their own. He concluded national-conservative was a better term for the SD.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kvartal.se/artiklar/nej-polariseringen-har-inte-okat/ |title=The Friday interview |access-date=30 January 2024 |archive-date=10 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210204419/https://kvartal.se/artiklar/nej-polariseringen-har-inte-okat/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Swedish sociologist Göran Adamson has also argued some political opposition conflate the SD's national conservative image as being right-wing extremist, and argued the SD today is not comparable to European extreme-right or neo-fascist parties since the SD has a more liberal direction in several areas, and there is no evidence to suggest that the current incarnation of the party's policies are fascist or anti-democratic.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kvartal.se/artiklar/ar-sverigedemokraterna-demokrater/ |title=Are the Sweden Democrats democrats? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422233832/https://kvartal.se/artiklar/ar-sverigedemokraterna-demokrater/ |access-date=30 January 2024|archive-date=22 April 2021 }}</ref> 

Describing the party's political trajectory, Johan Martinsson wrote that culturally nationalist was the most appropriate label for the Sweden Democrats since the party has continued to change its ideological programs and manifestos since its founding and no longer refer to [[ethnic nationalism]] in party literature. Martinsson acknowledged that the SD had links to Nazi movements during its first years before transforming itself in a conventional political party during the 1990s and since the 2010s the term "radical right" is no longer accurate for the SD. Martinsson summarized that while the SD adopts populist and anti-immigration rhetoric, other parties had also adopted more restrictive stances on migration and the SD's support for welfare state policies contrasts it from other right-leaning parties while the term "right" can be used as a pejorative label as opposed to an accurate description.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fondapol.org/en/study/sweden-democrats-an-anti-immigration/ |title=“Sweden Democrats:" an anti-immigration vote |access-date=2025-02-25}}</ref> Sweden-based British journalist Richard Orange noted in 2018 that the SD stands out due to its neo-Nazi roots but in the present now endorses more inclusive "cultural nationalism" over ethnic homogeny while calling for stricter immigration policies.<ref name="dw.com"/> In 2022, British political scientist [[Matthew Goodwin]] described the SD as having transformed itself from an extreme past to becoming part of a broader European family of [[Right-wing populism|national-populist]] parties which combine social and cultural conservative nationalism and populism but are opposed to fascist, anti-democratic and revolutionary ideas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ivararpi.substack.com/p/are-we-seeing-the-return-of-fascism#details |title=Are we witnessing the return of fascism, Matt Goodwin? |date=9 October 2022 |access-date=22 January 2023}}</ref>

Within the party, the SD's leadership have rejected the extreme and "far-right" labels and argue they no longer represent the party. SD also states that its ideas are not racist and maintains that expressions of neo-fascism or Nazism among its membership are historical and no longer tolerated.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62913356 |title=Sweden election: How an ex neo-Nazi movement became kingmakers |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=2025-02-03}}</ref> [[Oscar Sjöstedt]], the SD's financial spokesperson, places the party around the centre on the [[left–right political spectrum]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Holmin|first=Maria|date=5 September 2018|title=Oscar Sjöstedt: SD – ett mittenparti|language=sv|work=SVT Nyheter|url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/debatt-i-aktuellt-om-lo-medlemmarna-och-sd|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref> while leader Jimmie Åkesson has stated that they are parallel with the [[Moderate Party]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mattsson|first=Pontus|date=2 September 2018|title=ANALYS: Åkesson placerade SD sida vid sida med M|language=sv|work=SVT Nyheter|url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/akesson-placerade-sd-vid-m|access-date=15 January 2021|archive-date=3 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203215333/https://www.svt.se/nyheter/akesson-placerade-sd-vid-m|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the party has in recent years increasingly distanced itself from other European ultra-nationalist or far-right parties.<ref name="Rydgren" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/world/europe/europe-far-right-political-parties-listy.html|title=Europe's Rising Far Right: A Guide to the Most Prominent Parties|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=13 June 2016|access-date=21 August 2019|language=en|archive-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821152921/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/world/europe/europe-far-right-political-parties-listy.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In spite of this, a 2022 report by Swedish researchers Acta Publica claimed to have found 289 Swedish politicians who expressed racist or neo-Nazi views, with 214 of them being members of the SD.<ref name="289nazis">{{Cite web |url=https://actapublica.se/en/nyheter/rapport-ur-mylla-brun/ |title=Rapport: Ur mylla brun |work=Acta Publica |date=22 August 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022 |language=sv-SE |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920065430/https://actapublica.se/en/nyheter/rapport-ur-mylla-brun/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nazis">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62913356 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=16 September 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022 |language=en-GB |title=Sweden election: How an ex neo-Nazi movement became kingmakers |last=Sands |first=Leo |quote=He points to a widely-reported study published last month by Swedish research group Acta Publica that claimed to have identified 289 politicians from the largest parties who had expressed views that could be deemed racist or even Nazi. |archive-date=15 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915220911/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62913356 |url-status=live }}</ref> The SD itself has argued that some of these controversies with members have been as a result of the party's rapid growth since the late 2000s rather than the party itself being extremist.<ref name="SD launches an internal glossbook"/>