Swedish MEP files police complaint accusing Danish colleague of racist hate speech | European Union

A Swedish MP has filed a police complaint with the police, accusing a fellow MP who was targeted on social media for condemning far-right, anti-immigration chants in the European Parliament, of racist hate speech.

The complaint, lodged with the Swedish police last week, concerns what happened last month after some right-wing MPs decided to chant “send them back” following a vote aimed at increasing deportations across the EU.

Shortly afterwards, Abir Al-Sahlani, an Iraqi-born Swedish member of parliament from the Center party, addressed the semicircle and accused “fascists on the far right” of having “hit a new low” with their slogans.

“I have never felt more unsafe in this parliament,” he told parliament. “The cry of the far right was not against a political rival, it was ‘send them back’. It was about ordinary people who had committed no ‘crimes’ other than seeking a better life in Europe.”

As his comments circulated on social media, two MPs from right-wing populist parties took potshots at him online. “Cry more,” wrote Finnish lawmaker Sebastian Tynkkynen of the Finland party in response to a clip of Al-Sahlani’s speech in parliament, while Danish lawmaker Kristoffer Storm of the Denmark Democrats said he “should go home.”

On Wednesday, Al-Sahlani said he filed a police complaint against Storm, accusing Storm of using racist rhetoric and hate speech against him. He said his complaint focused solely on the Danish MP because Swedish police were unsure how to handle Tynkkynen’s social media post.

Both men denied the accusations against them.

The conflict points to deep divisions in the European Parliament, where far-right and right-wing populist MPs now make up a quarter of MPs; this is a record for the House, while people from minority ethnic backgrounds are grossly under-represented.

Speaking to the Guardian days after he was targeted online, Al-Sahlani said he was still unsure what to make of it all. “I don’t know if I’m disappointed or upset,” he said. “I feel bad for European democracy, like is this really the level of our politicians? But I’m also disappointed because really come on guys. I’m your colleague.”

The comments from right-wing MPs sparked an online outpouring of support for Al-Sahlani, punctuated by numerous rape and death threats. His parliamentary group, Renew Europe, also lined up behind him.

“Racism has no place in our institutions, and those who spread it must face the consequences of their actions,” the group’s president, Valérie Hayer, said in response to Storm’s “go home” comment on social media.

In a letter sent shortly afterwards, Hayer called on the president of the European parliament, Roberta Metsola, to take disciplinary action against Storm and Tynkkynen.

“I am particularly concerned that a member of my group, MP Al-Sahlani, has been targeted and threatened by other members on social media,” Hayer wrote. “A clear and consistent response would send an important message that intimidation, harassment and behavior that degrades our institution have no place in the European Parliament.”

In a statement, Metsola’s office called the events “regrettable” and added that there was zero tolerance for actions that undermine the respect of MPs or the reputation of the institution. The statement said parliamentary services are currently investigating what happened.

On Monday, Metsola addressed parliament, telling MPs that “shouting offensive slogans, mocking, finger-pointing and filming members” was unacceptable. “There is a line, and it was crossed last general assembly,” he said, adding that his office “will take the necessary measures to ensure that the scenes we witnessed last month never happen again.”

Al-Sahlani said he initially hesitated whether to speak after the chants. “There aren’t that many people with my skin color in that room,” he said. “I hesitated for a long time. Should I take the blame? What will they shout at me then?”

He pushed his concerns aside, considering the broader context. “They attacked people who had no power. And that should scare everyone in Europe because if you start attacking the weakest people, it’s a slippery slope to something much, much worse,” Al-Sahlani said.

Citing the deportation bill that triggered the chants as an example, he added that the situation was being made worse by those on the centre-right who “support the fascists”.

The law, which Amnesty International described as “absurd, cruel and discriminatory” and criticized by more than a dozen UN experts, was passed after much of the centre-right chose to join forces with the far right rather than work with pro-European, pro-democracy parties in parliament.

“We could have had better legislation,” Al-Sahlani said. “But they chose the most inhumane, most dishonorable context for this kind of law and followed it.”

Tynkkynen pushed back on Hayer’s allegations that he had threatened or made comments of a racist nature towards Al-Sahlani in an email, calling them “false accusations.”

He said he planned to file a complaint about these accusations but did not provide further details, saying only that “the complaint form is still being evaluated.”

Storm said in an email that his remarks were “neither intended to be racist nor could they reasonably be described as racist.”

He expressed his opinion immediately after the incident to Politico: “The phrase ‘go home’ meant that if he found the democratic decision and the reactions to it so distressing, he had better leave the chamber and take time to think rather than accuse the vast majority of political opponents of making him feel unsafe.”

Al-Sahlani ignored the statement. “People are smarter than that,” he said.