Swedish youth politician defends anti-Zionist chant

The chant was sung during the Social Democrats' Labour Day procession in Malmö. Photo: Jonas Nilsson/TT

The local chair of a youth branch of Sweden's ruling Social Democrats has defended the anti-zionist song chanted by its members during this week's Labour Day march.

"You can't take anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism and stick an equal sign between them," Electra Ververidis, the new chair of the local district of the Social Democrat youth wing SSU, told Sweden's state broadcaster SVT.

"This song has been sung within the labour movement for ages past. It is about taking a political position against the occupation of the Palestine, and is not about being against Israel or the Jewish people."

The performance of the chant-like song, which is repeats the words 'Long Live Palestine, Crush Zionism" was condemned on Wednesday by Svante Weyler, Chair of the Swedish Committee against Anti-Semitism.

"The idea that you want to abolish the state of Israel is an antisemitic idea," he told SVT.

READ ALSO:

Ververidis's defence of the song reversed a rapid apology given earlier in the week by the youth movement's national chair Philip Botström.

"I understand and take seriously all the criticism against our local unit in Malmö," he wrote on Twitter after a recording of the song being sung was circulated on Wednesday.

"There should be no doubt over where SSU stands on this question. We distance ourselves from all forms of antisemitism."

He asserted that the youth movement would not sing the song in future.

But VerveridisRead More – Source