Nigel Farage to speak at Swedish nationalists’ gala

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage will make a speech at an ‘alternative Nobel Prize’ ceremony organized by the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) in Stockholm this November.

Published: 23 September 2016 08:51 CEST

Nigel Farage to speak at Swedish nationalists' gala

Nigel Farage pictured in London earlier this year. Photo: Frank Augstein/AP/TT

The Swedish nationalists revealed to newspaper Expressen that they have hired out Stockholm’s Grand Hotel for what the party is calling the “European Freedom Awards”, where SD leader Jimmie Åkesson will speak in addition to Farage, and a prize will be given out.

“It will be a former head of state in Europe,” SD’s group leader in the Riksdag Mattias Karlsson said about the prize winner.

Karlsson added that the prize will go to someone who has done something extraordinary for the “political pursuit of increased national self-determination, democracy and influence for citizens in Europe”.

Around 400 guests will be invited to the event, including what SD describes as “our friend parties in Europe” and other parties “like us”. Nato representatives and several US politicians have also been invited.

SD even tried to hire out the Blue Hall at Stockholm’s City Hall for their gala – the location of the real Nobel Banquet every year – but the request was rejected for security reasons.

According to Expressen, the bill for the evening will be footed by European think thank IDDE (Institute for Direct Democracy in Europe) and pan-European party ADDE (Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe), which both SD and UKIP are members of.