Sweden: Far-right groups spew anti-Muslim hate online

STOCKHOLM

Far-right groups in Sweden are spewing hatred online by asking people to set mosques on fire and slaughter Muslims, according to a report by Expo magazine.

The magazine managed to document the correspondence of 11 different closed groups used by far right groups which were followed by 44,000 people -- and even included comments by members of the Sweden Democrats party known for its anti-migration rhetoric.

According to the report, the main target of the group was Muslims followed by migrants, black people and some Swedish leftists politicians.

The posts in these groups mostly called for killing Muslims in Sweden, torching mosques and spraying worshippers inside with bullets.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, head of Sweden’s Social Democratic Party, was addressed in the groups as a traitor who should be killed.

Psychologist Katie Cohen said the language used in these groups resembled the rhetoric used by the Nazis during World War II and perpetrators of the Rwanda Genocide.

Cohen said such comments could radicalize some people into committing acts of violence, however, it did not necessarily mean that all members of these groups would turn violent.

Mikail Yuksel, a Turkish-born politician who founded the Party of Different Colors in Sweden, said the report was concerning and said racists have started to be more organized through internet.

Referring to the Christchurch attacks in New Zealand where over 50 Muslims were shot dead by a white-supremacist and mosque attacks in the Norwegian capital Oslo, Yuksel said assailants were influenced by the provocative social media posts and started to view Muslims as a target that must be eliminated.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas