Swedish politician sentenced, expelled from party for belittling South Sudanese

STOCKHOLM – A Swedish regional politician identified as a Bertil Malmberg was convicted today by a local court for incitement against ethnic groups.

This is after a statement at a regional council in which the politician belittled South Sudanese as having one of the lowest IQ [Intelligence quotient].

Malmberg is a member of the council in Sörmland Region and group leader for the Sweden Democrats in Trosa.

The statement in question was made on April 27 this year and Malmberg has always denied any wrongdoing.

During the trial, Malmberg said that he has “the greatest sympathy for South Sudan, as they had a difficult situation there.”

He further said that people from the said country, however, find it difficult to get a job in Sweden and that the cape in the statement was rather aimed at Swedish politicians and not at the ethnic group.

However, the district court makes the assessment that Malmberg’s statement is “derogatory”.

In the judgment, the district court writes that he points out a specific ethnic group and that “it is difficult to interpret in any other way than that the designated ethnic group would be less valuable than others”.

Malmberg is now sentenced to a suspended sentence and to pay a 40-day fine of SEK 600.