Four members expelled from Sweden’s Left Party amid antisemitism allegations

Over the past year, four prominent members have either left or been expelled from Sweden’s Left Party due to allegations of antisemitism, with three of these incidents occurring in the last two months. The expelled and departing members have criticized the party leadership’s handling of the Israel-Palestine issue. However, responses from the party’s district chairpersons reveal a unified stance.

All 23 district chairpersons who responded to a survey reported that their trust in Nooshi Dadgostar, the party leader, has not diminished due to her actions regarding Israel-Palestine. Instead, many emphasized that her standing has strengthened. One district chairperson noted, “Nooshi has upheld our values in a challenging situation where many have differing agendas, demonstrating both courage and integrity.”

The party leadership recently faced internal criticism following the expulsion of Kristofer Lundberg, whose removal was tied to his support for the Palestinian group PFLP, classified as a terrorist organization. Orwa Kadoura, the party’s vice chairman in Malmö, resigned shortly before Lundberg’s expulsion, with internal criticism from his local party branch expressing discontent with the central party’s support.

Despite two chairpersons declining to comment, the majority expressed overall satisfaction with the handling of the cases involving expelled and departed members. They emphasized the need for those involved in antisemitic expressions to retract their statements and apologize, reiterating the party’s clear stance against all forms of terrorism, whether from Hamas, PFLP, or the Israeli state.