When it became clear that Syria’s leader Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown and the country taken over by an alliance led by Islamist terrorists, many Syrian migrants in Sweden took to the streets to celebrate the development.
However, the leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson, is not impressed by the behavior and states bluntly that the jubilant Syrians “should instead see this as a good opportunity to go home”.
“Unfortunately, much suggests that Syria has now gone from the frying pan into the fire, as destructive Islamist forces are behind the power shift”, Åkesson writes on X, referring to the fact that the group that de facto took power in the country was founded as a branch of the terrorist sect Islamic State and later swore to another terrorist group – namely al-Qaeda.
“I note that there are groups that are happy about this here in Sweden. You should see this as a good opportunity to go home. New situations also require new assessments. That is why it is important that residence permits are reassessed for those individuals who have chosen to move from Syria to Sweden. I will also raise the issue of stricter ID checks with the government to strengthen the Swedish border in the event of a potential wave of refugees”, the SD leader continues.
Tyvärr talar mycket för att Syrien nu tagit sig ur askan i elden eftersom destruktiva islamistiska krafter ligger bakom maktskiftet. Jag noterar att det finns grupper som gläds åt detta här i Sverige. Ni borde se det här som ett bra tillfälle att åka hem.
Nya situationer kräver…
— Jimmie Åkesson (@jimmieakesson) December 8, 2024
“Refugee status is temporary”
Ludvig Aspling, spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats on migration policy, also clarifies that Syrian migrants should now be deported back to their home country and that Swedish authorities should reconsider permanent residence permits for Syrians living in Sweden.
– Refugee status is by nature temporary. You are not automatically supposed to stay for the rest of your life…. There are a lot of people in Sweden who are destructive Islamists. This is also a political judgment. It is not enough to come from an Islamist regime to be allowed to move to Sweden. Refugee reasons are required.
– If the situation in Syria improves, especially with regard to people who have sought protection in Sweden because they felt threatened by the regime. Then there should be grounds to revoke the refugee status declaration now that the regime has fallen, he adds.
Joy of Syrian citizens living in Stockholm, Sweden, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. pic.twitter.com/5BJarE3ZTr
— S p r i n t e r (@SprinterFamily) December 8, 2024
The foreign minister advises against it
Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maria Malmer Stenergard (M), is of a different opinion and believes that no one should travel to Syria at all at this time.
– Our advisory is as strong as it can possibly be.
Nor can she answer whether it will be necessary to withdraw residence permits for Syrian migrants who claim to be fleeing the Assad regime.
– According to EU law, which we agree on, there has to be a lasting improvement and we don’t know that yet. Things are changing hour by hour, so it’s too early to say.
