Swedish racists smear Turkish politician in bid to suppress votes

The Turkish-origin chairman of Sweden’s Nuance Party has become the target of a smear campaign launched by racists in the country aiming to intimidate voters ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Speaking to Yeni Şafak daily, party founder and chairman Mikail Yüksel said letters full of “nonsensical claims” were sent to voters in a bid to create an “atmosphere of fear” and secure votes for racist parties.

The letters begin with the question: “Did you know that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has founded a party in Sweden?”

They go on to falsely claim that Yüksel’s Nuance Party (Partiet Nyans), is being run by President Erdoğan’s mosque-attending men “on the local and national level,” in addition to making outrageous claims such as that the party aims to enforce an Islamic dress code for girls at Swedish schools and make Turkish and Arabic official languages in the country.

“All these claims are nonsense. People reached out to us asking if they are true. It is obvious that whoever wrote and distributed these letters is someone who suffers from a mental disorder,” said Yüksel.

Yüksel said the letters are a part of a tactic aimed at persuading voters to cast their ballots for racist parties through intimidation by claiming that “Muslims are coming, they’re going to Islamize Sweden.”

“There’s no longer a distinction between racist and non-racist parties in Europe. Even the most trusted ones are promoting notions that smear Muslims. There is not a Muslim organization or leader in Sweden that hasn’t been smeared. It’s almost impossible to be an outspoken Muslim.”

Yüksel pointed that the recent smear campaigns are evidence that certain groups fear the rise of a “more educated and informed group of migrants.”

“When immigrants, anti-racist groups and particularly Muslims come together in Sweden, there is no power that can stand in their way. This party we have founded could have entered Parliament and municipalities if we wanted to do so. It is impossible to intimidate and stop us, no matter what they do. We may not be able to enter parliament now, but we have laid the foundation,” pointed Yüksel.

The Turkish-origin politician struck a more hopeful tone as he assessed the future of immigrant and Muslim-friendly parties in Europe.

“In 20 years, the next generation will definitely enter Parliament. A new political power has begun to emerge in Europe. Immigrant and Muslim-friendly parties like ours have and will continue to be founded. This shows that in 5-10 years a new group will emerge in the EU Parliament and the balance will be altered,” Yüksel concluded.

"We want Islamophobia to be declared a crime. We want Muslims to be recognized as a minority in the constitution," Yüksel had previously said, while outlining the agenda of his party, the first of its kind in Sweden.

Many Muslim politicians, academics and activists have joined his party, which came under racial attacks soon after its formation.