108 109 IS GOD A POPULIST? POPULISM AS EXISTENTIALISM: THE SWEDEN DEMOCRATS AND THE LONGING FOR CONNECTION CHAPTER SIX POPULISM AS EXISTENTIALISM: THE SWEDEN DEMOCRATS AND THE LONGING FOR CONNECTION Joel Halldorf Voters with a secularised Christian identity respond well to the populists’ message. Populist movements address a deep human longing for something that neither individualism nor the anon- ymous, unified state can provide: the longing for fellowship and belonging. “I have committed myself to change society, and I have not done it yet” 118 . Jimmie Åkesson is the leader of the Sweden’s largest radical right-wing movement, the Sweden Democrats, which today is the country’s third largest party. Their logo of a blue and yellow flower makes it look as if they belong to a hippie peace rally; their messages do not share this love. As Åkesson has made clear, the party’s love has boundaries: “Stay away, refugees, Sweden is full.” 119 Although these self-proclaimed democrats and national- ists often and willingly talk about the importance of Christi- anity for the Swedish nation, they have strikingly little sup- port amongst voters who regularly attend church services. One of the reasons is that people in this group are generally more open towards diversity and immigration. Criticising im- migration may be an essential part of the Sweden Democrats’ policies, but it does not provide a complete answer as to why so many Swedes vote for the party. Indeed, voters seem to be drawn to the party based on socio-economic factors, but also their ability to address existential topics more clearly than any other party. The Sweden democrats capture the anxiety and rootlessness in late modern societies—the longing for a place, a home and a community. But the answer the party of- fers is insufficient: a nation cannot truly fulfil a human’s basic need for community and meaning. By highlighting the existential aspects of populism, I hope to make clear that these movements are not only driven by eco- nomic issues or racism. They are also expressions of deeper long- ings—an existential or a spiritual longing in the contemporary world. Populism is also a reaction to the secularisation of soci- ety—the profound secularisation that leaves people stripped of their traditions, a spiritual horizon and close-knit communities. THE GROWTH AND BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE SWEDEN DEMOCRATS When the Sweden Democrats were established in 1988, several founders came from the neo-Nazi movement. The first party leader, Anders Klarström (born in 1965), was a former member of the Nazi party Nordiska rikspartiet. One of the party’s pio- neers Gustaf Ekström, who at the time was 80 years old, was a proud member of the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. Because of these roots, the Sweden Democrats differ from other radical right-wing populist parties. Since the mid-1990s the party has worked actively and determinedly to get rid of its label as a racist and Nazi party. Today, the party presents itself as a social conservative, right-wing populist party.