Sweden Democrats' Stockholm Central Station campaign stirs fear among immigrants

September 1, 2026 at 01:43 PM2 min

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The far-right Sweden Democrats spent about $100,000 on a week-long campaign at Stockholm Central Station in mid-August, filling the station with posters declaring that those who commit crimes, live off benefits, or don't learn Swedish are 'not welcome'. The campaign, which ran weeks before Sweden's September 13 general election, drew fear and anger from immigrants like Neira Tokalija, a 39-year-old therapist who fled Bosnia as a child. The party also ran bus advertisements in western Sweden asking 'Do you miss Mogadishu?' and promoting a repatriation grant, leading about 20 bus drivers with Somali roots to call in sick in protest.

Key Facts

The Sweden Democrats spent about $100,000 on a one-week campaign at Stockholm Central Station in mid-August.
The campaign posters read: 'If you commit crimes, live off benefits, don't learn Swedish or misbehave, you're not welcome'.
In western Sweden, the party ran bus advertisements asking 'Do you miss Mogadishu?' and promoting a repatriation grant.
About 20 bus drivers with roots in Somalia called in sick in protest, and the public transport operator Vasttrafik removed the posters.
The repatriation grant was increased this year by the centre-right coalition government working with the Sweden Democrats to approximately $36,000 per adult.

Stockholm Central Station Campaign

The Sweden Democrats spent about $100,000 on a one-week campaign at Stockholm Central Station in mid-August. The posters read: 'If you commit crimes, live off benefits, don't learn Swedish or misbehave, you're not welcome'. Neira Tokalija, a 39-year-old therapist who fled Bosnia and Herzegovina as a child, said the campaign 'made me feel like it doesn't matter how much I try as a second-generation immigrant; I'll never be Swedish enough'. The campaign came weeks before Sweden's general election on September 13, with the Sweden Democrats polling second and potentially entering government for the first time if the right-wing bloc wins.

Bus Advertisements and Repatriation Grant

In western Sweden, the party ran bus advertisements reading: 'Do you miss Mogadishu? The repatriation grant will help you get home.' The repatriation grant, introduced by a Social Democratic government in the 1980s, offered refugees about $1,000 to resettle in their country of origin. This year, the centre-right coalition government working with the Sweden Democrats increased the grant to approximately $36,000 per adult. About 20 bus drivers with roots in Somalia called in sick in protest, and the public transport operator Vasttrafik removed the posters, citing fear of harassment, risk to the working environment, and vandalism. After the removal, Sweden Democrats MP Tobias Andersson issued a statement calling the decision censorship and 'election sabotage'.

Normalisation of the Sweden Democrats

For decades, Sweden's political establishment treated the Sweden Democrats as a political pariah. After the 2018 general election, a political deadlock prompted right-wing parties to rethink their alliances. Zina al-Dewany, a political commentator and editorial writer for Aftonbladet, said the party often runs campaigns designed to 'provoke a bit too much', but when forced to take them down, the party claims to be the 'victim'.