Swedish Jewish leaders warn of deep antisemitism in Left Party

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, September 9, 2026

The Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities has raised renewed concerns about ongoing antisemitism in Sweden’s Left Party following the expulsion of eight candidates linked to antisemitic and extremist statements, bringing the total removed to 33. The council warns that the issue reflects systemic problems within the party and criticizes its leadership for failing to conduct thorough internal investigations despite repeated controversies.

The Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities has renewed concerns over persistent antisemitism within Sweden’s Left Party (Vänsterpartiet), following the recent expulsion of eight local electoral candidates. These removals come amid ongoing disciplinary actions against party members accused of sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories, expressing support for Hamas, and praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to reports from Swedish media outlets, including Expressen and regional sources, these candidates faced internal investigations after journalistic inquiries brought their controversial statements to light. Sveriges Radio reported that with the latest expulsions, the total number of candidates removed from the party over issues such as antisemitism, Holocaust denial, support for terrorism, homophobia, and admiration for authoritarian regimes has reached 33.

Aron Verständnis, chairman of the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, addressed the issue on social media, noting that his organization had previously criticized the Left Party in autumn 2024 for not adequately distancing itself from antisemitic remarks made by senior party figures during the preceding summer. He highlighted the resistance within the party’s ranks to efforts aimed at addressing the problem, suggesting that the manifestations of antisemitism extend beyond isolated individuals to systemic issues within the party structure.

Verständnis also criticized the Left Party leadership for what he described as insufficient self-scrutiny, observing that while the party has acted against individual members when exposed by the media, it has not initiated comprehensive internal investigations into its representatives. He expressed concern over the repeated emergence of apologetic defenses from party supporters whenever new revelations appear and called the situation “simply frightening,” especially in light of other political groups contemplating cooperation with the Left Party despite these ongoing allegations.

At the time of publication, the Left Party had not responded to requests for comment regarding these developments.

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