New York Young Republican Club Teams Up With Swedish Youth Organization to Promote Populism

On September 18, 2020, the New York Young Republican Club announced a partnership with Konservativa Förbundet, a nonpartisan student organization with the mission of spreading conservative views among the Swedish youth.

The partnership between the two conservative organizations has plans of promoting cultural exchange by providing networking opportunities and offering members of each organization the chance to learn about the political and social context they operate in.

The NY Young Republican Club noted that Sweden became the first country to get rid of censorship and protect the freedom of the press in 1766. The Freedom of Act (Tryckfrihetsförordningen), which is descended from that Enlightenment-era law, forms an integral part of Sweden’s uncodified constitution. The U.S. followed in Sweden’s footsteps by embracing the freedom of the press through its ratification of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Although leftist Swedish governments passed laws banning “hate speech” over the past few years, free speech is still strong compared to other EU members with more draconian hate speech policies. The NY Young Republican Club and Konservativa Förbundet will hold discussions on the best practices to combat free speech infringements. They will use specific examples such as the case of Austin Tong to put free speech awareness on the map.

Swedish immigrants were one of the most important migrant groups that came to the U.S. at the end of the 19th century. 1.4 million first and second-generation Swedish immigrants lived in the U.S. by 1910. They left their mark on the frontier and prominent cities such as Chicago. Swedish Americans like John Nordstrom and Oscar Frederick founded corporations that are among the most respected in the country.

Although the use of the Swedish language decreased among Swedish migrants during World War I, Swedish Americans still maintain solid cultural institutions and the achievements of the early waves of Swedish migrants have laid the foundation for a successful migration story.

In the 21st century, Sweden and the U.S. still have strong economic ties. American companies have a strong presence in Sweden, while Swedish retailers such as H&M and IKEA have grown significantly in the U.S. market. As first world, service economies, both countries face similar challenges. Although Swedish migrants largely came to the U.S. legally in the 19th century and immediately made economic contributions, both Sweden and the U.S. are taking in large swaths of low-skilled workers who tend to be burdens on their respective countries’ welfare and social services.

The NY Young Republican Club and Konservativa Förbundet view this trend as “unsustainable.”

In its statement, the NY Young Republican Club concluded:

In addition, the New York Young Republican Club pledges to defend the rights of Swedish Americans and expatriate Swedes to exercise their cultural heritage in a proud and unabashed manner. While Midsummer New York 2020 was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic, we look forward to this annual event returning to Battery Park City in 2021.

The NY Young Republican Club has been active lately in forging alliances with different groups across the globe. BLP previously reported on one of their recent partnerships with Lega Giovani, the youth wing of the Lega party in Italy.

Populist movements across the world will need to band together and pool resources to ensure that they can fight back against their respective political establishments.

Groups like the NY Young Republican Club are leading the way in promoting such a model of international cooperation.

The partnership statement can be read here.

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