Socialdemokraterna (S) and Sverigedemokraterna (SD) are locked in a sharp political dispute after a weekend text message campaign claimed the two parties agreed to close all Muslim independent schools, according to reports by Expressen and TV4. The text message, distributed on Saturday morning, triggered accusations of unlawful data use from the Social Democrats and counter-charges of political opportunism from the Sweden Democrats.
SMS Campaign Triggers GDPR Scrutiny and S Accusations
The morning text message stated that “Socialdemokraterna and Sverigedemokraterna are in agreement that all Muslim independent schools shall be closed,” according to Expressen. The Social Democrats immediately condemned the outreach as a legal violation. In a statement to Expressen, the party’s press service called the move an example of the “dirty election campaign that Sverigedemokraterna is running.”
According to the Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten (IMY), political parties have limited legal avenues to distribute political advertising via text message. Last year, IMY examined SMS and email campaigns from both Moderaterna (M) and the Sweden Democrats. Expressen reported that the authority concluded those previous distributions breached the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Jimmie Åkesson Defends the Outreach as Reasonable
Sverigedemokraterna leader Jimmie Åkesson rejected the criticism during an appearance on TV4, arguing that the Social Democrats’ entire campaign strategy amounts to foul play. “Their entire election campaign is one big foul game. It’s quite reasonable. They mobilize among Muslim voters, and then it is quite reasonable that someone informs these voters of what the Social Democrats think about Muslim religious independent schools,” Åkesson told TV4.
SD Press Chief Oskar Cavalli-Björkman added that the party believes S shares their view on Muslim independent schools. Cavalli-Björkman described the outreach as “an important signal to send from the parliament’s two largest parties,” noting that the text messages reached a broad recipient group alongside a handful of journalists for transparency, according to Aftonbladet.
Did you know? Under Swedish data protection oversight, political parties face strict regulatory limits when utilizing voter registries for direct SMS marketing, a practice previously flagged by IMY for GDPR compliance issues.
Social Democrats Clarify Stance on All Religious Schools
The Social Democrats firmly rejected the claim of an inter-party consensus. On its official website, the party stated that SD aims specifically to target Muslim schools and “make it a question about Muslims.” S maintains that it wants “the same rules to apply regardless of religion” and opposes having any “religious independent schools whatsoever, neither Muslim, Christian, nor others.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the controversial text message claim?
The SMS claimed that the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats agreed on shutting down all Muslim independent schools, a statement S denies.
Which parties were involved in the IMY data privacy review?
The Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten previously reviewed text and email campaigns from Moderaterna and Sverigedemokraterna, concluding those instances violated GDPR rules, according to Expressen.
What is the official Social Democrat position on religious schools?
According to the party’s website, S opposes all religious independent schools—including Christian, Muslim, and other faiths—rather than singling out a specific religious group.
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