Swedish Far-Right Expels Youth Leader for Racism

Sweden's far-right Sweden Democrats party on Monday said it had expelled seven members, including the head of the party's youth wing, for having contacts with openly racist or anti-Semitic movements.

The anti-immigration party, which came in third in Sweden's legislative elections in September, investigated 24 members suspected of straying from the party's "zero tolerance" policy toward racist actions and affiliations.

Some of the 24 chose to resign and some were cleared in the investigation, but "we decided to expel seven people," party secretary Richard Jomshof told reporters.

The members were accused of having contacts with parties such as the neo-Nazi movement Nordisk Ungdom (Nordic Youth), among others.

Some of the expelled members expressed "anti-Semitic opinions" or spoke in support of "a former dictator in Germany, namely Adolf Hitler," Jomshof said.

The Sweden Democrats have been through several similar crises in recent years, as leaders struggle to bring the party's strong xenophobic faction towards the mainstream.