On Sunday 9th September, the people of Sweden went to the polls in order to elect a new government in a highly anticipated election for people across the political spectrum. The establishment and alternative media have gone head to head for the past few weeks. While the elite alarmed with stories of “fake news” and “Neo Nazis”, they also greatly downplayed the effects that mass immigration has had on Sweden in recent years. Alternative news sites, on the other hand, did our best to counter this, creating article, after meme, after podcast, after video; in a bid to convince the people of Sweden that it’s time to start putting themselves first. All of this was done while keeping one eye on the prize: that magical, yet elusive, 4% for the newly formed Alternativ för Sverige.

Conversations that were had backstage before votes were cast did not paint a picture of optimism. The AfS are too new to make any ground, it was said, and the Sweden Democrats, who have a chance to do well, will not do anything to tackle Sweden’s demographic issues. It is widely accepted amongst nationalist circles that The Great Replacement cannot be reversed at at the ballot box, but nonetheless, we held out, hoping that we would win a new voice in parliament, and looking for a sign from the people of Sweden that they too had had enough.

The mainstream media, over in Britain at least, are running with reports that the “far right” have made huge gains. Commentators from the right are also celebrating on social media, advertising that Sweden is beginning to reach out towards a party with anti-immigration sentiments. In actual fact, the Sweden Democrats have increased their share of the vote from 12.9% in 2014, to just under 18% this time around; an increase of around 5%. We will have to wait and see how many votes the AfS received.

The native percentage of your population dropping below 70%, facing being a minority within your own country within 2 decades, accepting 600,000 “refugees” in the last 5 years, an increase from 55 to 61 “vulnerable areas” in the space of 12 months, 5 terror-related murders and numerous injuries, the rise in overall crime, rape (92% of violent rapes being carried out by people with a migrant background and 43% of all rapes in Sweden being carried out on children) and terrorism leads, the returning ISIS fighters, the lost asylum seekers, over a quarter of the population feeling unsafe while being out at night (38% of people in “vulnerable areas”) and the economic cost of all this for the Swedes results in an increase in votes towards nationalistic parties of a mere 5%, it would seem.

Sweden… What are you thinking? How can anybody, let alone your men, vote for more of this? But then, how can I judge? I am in Britain and our biggest “right wing” party are UKIP who are currently polling at around 5%. We don’t even have an equivalent to the AfS. And we have up to 1 million girls in our country who have suffered abuse at the hands of Pakistani Muslim men. It is easy to become frustrated when there is a clear solution in sight yet your own people are refusing to reach for it. However, sulking, giving up and sharing nothing but admittance of your own impending sense of doom contributes nothing.

The Sweden Democrats may have only received 1 in 5-6 votes, but amongst actual Swedish people that figure is much higher. We will have to wait for the full results to come in but we can make an educated guess that most of those who voted for the Sweden Democrats will have been native Swedes and not those with a migratory background. If native Swedes currently make up around 70% of the population, that 18% figure increases to over 25% when we assess the votes this way.

Let’s also remember that migrants from Africa and a lot of Asia are more likely to vote for left leaning parties when they are in a host country. In Britain for example, 85% of Muslims voted for Labour at our last General Election. For Sweden’s native population to drop, and their non-native population to rise, for the Sweden Democrats to make gains, this is definitely worth a small celebration.

The AfS, who weren’t officially launched until March this year, have had a huge impact on nationalists across Sweden in the few months since their official formation. We can only expect to hear more from them in the coming years. Though not quite at the level of the Sweden Democrats, they have received great publicity on alternative news sites in recent months and this will only be amplified as we move forward. It is their job, and subsequently our job, to shift public opinion and get people on side.

A poll was done in Sweden a few months ago which revealed that 60% of voters want fewer refugees. This figure is up from 36% in 2015, before Europe’s migrant crisis was at its peak. This of course begs the question why the Swedes aren’t voting in favour of anti-immigration parties, especially seeing as though they voted immigration and terrorism as their two most pressing issues in a poll carried out the following month.

At least this gives us something to work with and something to analyse going forward. Our friends over at Red Ice carried out a live stream last night as the results rolled in. Their Swedish guest Marcus Follin, also known as ‘The Golden One’, explained that Swedes have a desire to be the best, or the top of their game, in whatever they do. Could it be that in their desire to be the most tolerant and inclusive nation on the planet that the Swedes are putting the needs of others before their own? If so, at what point will they say enough is enough, and how can we help their everyday citizens realise that this is a fight for survival?

Against all odds, and against a well-oiled and highly funded establishment, nationalism is certainly rising across Europe. Marine Le Pen came second in the French Presidential Election. In Germany, the AfD entered parliament as the third-largest party. This year, it hasn’t been uncommon to see the AfD polling in second place. A conservative-led government returned to power in Norway. “Populist leader and Foe of Migrants“, Molis Zemen, was re-elected in the Czech Republic. Our parties took power in Italy, returned to power in Hungary, and polled strongly in Slovenia and the Netherlands. We’re also making progress in Sweden and Britain, no matter how frustrated the speed may make us.

What happened in Sweden yesterday is only just the beginning. Share your frustrations in private, celebrate the small wins, and let’s continue doing what we have been: shifting public opinion and growing nationalism across the continent.