That threats and hatred caused Anna-Karin Hatt (C) to resign can be seen as a threat to democracy.
This is what several experts believe.
– Everyone is a loser, says political scientist Mikael Sundström – who also believes that the Center Party stands out in one way.
The article in brief
■ The resignation of C-leader Anna-Karin Hatt can be seen as a threat to democracy, according to experts.
■ Particularly prominent women in politics are hit hard.
■ Even the Center Party can be seen as vulnerable, with hatred from several different groups.
Anna-Karin Hatt resigns as party leader for the Center Party, after being subjected to hate and threats.
– I also feel that in the social climate we have, I will not want and be able to feel secure in being a political leader in the long term, she said during a press conference on Wednesday morning.
After the announcement, she has received enormous support, not least from other party leaders, and several people have spoken out to condemn today’s political climate.
And to express concerns for democracy.
LRF requirements: Alarm clock
For example, Hatt’s former employer LRF, where she was president and CEO, writes in a press release that it is a “gloomy day for democracy”.
– It is deeply tragic that hatred and threats force a leader like Anna-Karin Hatt away. She has been a strong voice for agriculture, the countryside and for an open discussion climate. This is a loss for the entire democratic conversation, says the association’s chairman Palle Borgström in a comment.
He now wants society to mark against “the hardened climate”.
– Anna-Karin Hatt’s resignation should be a wake-up call for politics and civil society to act against threats and hatred directed at public figures.
“Only Teflon people”
Mikael Sundström, political scientist at Lund University and who particularly follows the Center Party, believes that this is a decision that Hatt has not made lightly.
– She has been involved in things that obviously not even a hard-skinned type could stand.
And no one should have to endure that, according to Sundström.
Not at all.
– The basis for our democracy is that people want to stand up and represent us. If you’re going to hate and threaten to remove people from positions because you don’t like their opinions, the first thing that happens is that it becomes a very special type of people who still take on these roles. Should we only have Teflon people as party leaders? While all others, who are more like us ordinary citizens, fall away. Democratically, hatred and threats are completely unacceptable, says the political scientist.
The center party exposed from several sides
According to him, the Center Party is also a bit special, compared to other parties.
– You can hate and threaten them from different directions. From the right, they can be seen as traitors to the bourgeoisie. From the left you can hate them because they have their ideas about profits and free schools and the market. You can hate them because they like green conversion, and because they are perceived as woke. There are simply more groups that can be involved when it comes to certain parties.
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According to the politicians’ security survey that Brå released in 2023, the Center Party, together with the Liberals, is the third most vulnerable party to threats, harassment, violence, vandalism and theft, after the Environmental Party and the Sweden Democrats.
Women especially vulnerable
In addition, women in prominent positions in politics are particularly vulnerable, compared to men.
– They are exposed more to another type of threat, for example threats of sexual violence and sexualizing derogatory comments, says political scientist Sandra Håkansson, who researches threats and hatred against politicians at Uppsala University, to TT.
According to her, however, it is unusual for politicians to resign.
It is more common that they remain silent in the debate and opt out of certain topics.
– That politicians withdraw from it is very serious, says Sandra Håkansson in Sveriges Radio’s Studio Ett.
“Sad day for democracy”
She states that politicians are exposed to hatred and threats that are often “much worse than we can imagine” – and that the extent has increased since the 2010s. Largely due to the rise of social media.
But regardless of whether it is Anna-Karin Hatt or another party leader who resigns, “all are losers”, says Mikael Sundström.
– It is a sad day for democracy. Those who think they have won something now, it is a pyrrhic victory. The entire basis of our democratic governance is threatened when this happens.
