US designates largest neo-Nazi group in Sweden, its three leaders as terrorist

The United States on Friday (Jun 14) designated Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM), the largest neo-Nazi group in Sweden, and its three leaders as terrorist, citing its long history of violent attacks and posing a threat to Americans. This is only the second time that Washington has designated a foreign White supremacist organisation and its leaders as terrorists.

The leaders designated as terrorists areTor Fredrik Vejdeland and senior members of the group Pär Öberg and Leif Robert Eklund.

NRM, three leaders designated as terrorists

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The NRM and three of its top leadershave been placed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list, said the US State Department in a statement.

This is the first time that US President Joe Biden’s administration has made such a designation of a White supremacist group. The designation is part of a broader effort to crack down on White extremists, the Biden administration had previously said.

Former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2020 added the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) and its leaders to the list after years of largely targeting Islamist and far-left movements overseas.

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The NRM’s terror designation was based on its history of violent activity rooted in an “openly racist, anti-immigrant, antisemitic, anti-LGBTQI+ platform,” said the officials in Washington.

“The group’s members and leaders have carried out violent attacks against political opponents, protestors, journalists, and other perceived adversaries,” the US State Department said.

The US also alleged that members of the movement have collected and prepared weapons and explosive materials, as well as organised training in violent tacticson behalf of the group, in a bid to further their goals.

“The United States remains deeply concerned about the racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist threat worldwide and is committed to countering the transnational components of violent white supremacy,” said the US State Department.

It added that the group is being designated for having committed or attempted to commit “acts of terrorism that threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.”

The designation would freeze any US-based assets that the group or its three leaders have and they would also be blocked from using the American financial system.

About the NRM or Nordic Resistance Movement

NRM is the largest neo-Nazi group in Sweden with branches in Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland. The movement was banned by Finland’s Supreme Court in 2020.

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The group was founded in 1997 and was originally known as the Swedish Resistance movement but rebranded itself around eight years ago under its former leader, Simon Lindberg.

According to NRM, its goal is to replace the Nordic democracies with a “united ethnic Nordic nation,” said a fact sheet by the State Department.

(With inputs from agencies)