Perhaps the most powerful signal Denmark’s Social Democrats gave of their shift to the right on immigration five years ago came when their leader, Mette Frederiksen, gave a series of joint interviews with Kristian Thulesen Dahl, the then-leader of the far-right Danish People’s Party. 

Sweden’s Social Democrats have clearly been studying Denmark’s example — particularly in their plan to combat segregation in so-called ‘vulnerable areas’. 

But there’s been no similar peace offering to the far-right. If anything, the Swedish Social Democrats have moved in the opposite direction.

So it was interesting to see the leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson, take the initiative on Saturday. 

“I want to, today… reach out a hand,” he said during his annual summer speech in his home town of Sölvesborg. “Please, Magdalena Andersson, can’t we just shake hands and promise to stop this toxic debate?” 

“Let’s put policy at the centre, let’s acknowledge our differences, but cooperate where we think alike. For Sweden – and for the people who live here. I think that would be a good first step in jointly taking responsibility for our country.”

What was he doing? 

This is the party that has long accused the Social Democrats of destroying Sweden by driving an open-door immigration policy. The party which campaigns under the slogan Stoppa sosseriet, (roughly translating as “Stop Social Democracy”), and which was discovered earlier this year to be running a network of fake and anonymous social media accounts – accounts which, among other things, edited speeches of Andersson to make her say “we can crush the whole country, together we can destroy Sweden”.

But according to Åkesson’s speech on Saturday, it was the Social Democrats creating all the rancour. 

“After Magdalena Andersson’s study tour of the USA last year, we have seen how the debate climate in Sweden has changed, been Americanised. The rhetoric has beome sharper, the tone more confrontational,” he said. “No party is completely innocent of this, not even us… but it’s clear that some bear more responsiblity than others.” 

“It is not worthy of our proud country that those of us who are elected stoop so low, insulting or labelling other elected officials or parties. Let’s raise the bar a few notches.” 

It’s hard to know exactly what was behind Åkesson’s more conciliatory tone.

It may be simply an attempt to counter the revelations by TV4 about his party’s use of anonymous troll accounts by claiming to be calling for a less toxic debate climate, or an attempt to stop the Social Democrats referring to his party as “brown” (a reference to the uniforms worn by Hitler’s Brownshirts) and the government as blåbrun, a blue-brown coalition.  

Jonas Hinnfors, a politics professor from Gothenburg University said that the Sweden Democrats are still trying to be fully accepted as a normal political party.

“I think Jimmie Åkesson is trying to achieve two things: Achieve non-pariah status from the Social Democrats as well, not only from the current government parties, as well as diverting the focus on toxic and abusive speech and actions – including the ‘Troll Factory’ – away from the Sweden Democrats, claiming that ‘others are as bad – and let’s all try and improve.'” 

“The party’s long-term ambition is to become a fully accepted party. So far the Social Democrats is a big obstacle in that respect,” he added. 

Nicholas Aylott, associate professor at Södertörn University, said that he suspected Åkesson was trying to counter the impact of his combative reaction after the Troll factory story. 

“He’s become convinced that his intemperate reaction to the troll-factory revelations in May was a bad mistake. He must repair the damage done to the party’s image and its relations with allies,” he speculated. 

But it could also be something more strategic. 

The speech came after the EU elections, which saw the Sweden Democrats’ vote lose ground for the first time in any election they have contested at the national or EU level.

It also came after a poll by Novus for TV4, which showed support for the party crashing by 2.6 percentage points to 17.5 percent. In the same poll, the Social Democrats gained 3.6 percentage points, taking them to 34.2 percent, and the opposition block pulled ahead of the government and the Sweden Democrats with 55 percent of the vote.

“It could be that the spring events following the TV4 revelations are beginning to feed through to the voters,” Hinnfors said. “Some recent polls have shown drops in support and the EU elections were a real disappointment.” 

Is Åkesson starting to hedge his bets and open up the possibility of cooperating with the Social Democrats should they win the next election in 2026? Is he hoping that the rethink of immigration and integration policy being led by the Social Democrats’ rising star Lawen Redar might push the party towards the Sweden Democrats, or at least towards policies where they can cooperate?

SEE ALSO: What’s in the Social Democrats’ plan to eradicate Sweden’s ‘vulnerable areas’? 

And if Åkesson is serious in his call to “cooperate where we think alike”, how will the Social Democrats respond? 

It’s worth remembering that in Denmark, the Social Democrats’ decision to embrace the Danish People Party started a long process that has ended with the former far-right kingmaker of Danish politics being literally decimated in coming elections.