Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

BONO

U2’s Bono takes shots at Swedish and Danish politics at Copenhagen gig

It’s safe to say that Bono does not like Jimmie Åkesson. For the second time this month, the U2 frontman compared the Sweden Democrats’ leader to a Nazi during a concert.

Published: 30 September 2018 13:57 CEST
U2’s Bono takes shots at Swedish and Danish politics at Copenhagen gig
Screenshot: U2Gigs.com/YouTube
Using a photo filter to perform under the guise of Macphisto, a sort of Irish version of the Faustian devil Mephisto, the rockstar introduced the band’s 1991 song ‘Acrobat’ by mockingly congratulating some of Europe’s best-known populists, starting with those in Denmark. 
 
“Denmark, I had forgotten about your splendid colonial ways, but I see you’re finding your own form. Forget Borgen [the popular Danish TV show, ed.]. You’re banning burqas and confiscating jewellery from those awful asylum seekers. Bravo!”
 
 
After calling Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban a “lovely man”, he performed a Nazi salute as he barked out “Jimmie Åkesson, next door in Sweden“, a move he first debuted at a Paris concert on September 9th. He then insulted France’s Marine Le Pen as “Daddy’s litte girl”, and a “little girl with big ideas”. 
 
Macphisto was one of three characters Bono conceived for the band's Zoo TV tour back in 1992, and then used to make satirical statements and prank shows to local politicians, employing an exaggerated upper-class English accent. 
 
Saturday’s concert at Copenhagen’s Royal Arena was sold out, as is Sunday night’s show in the same venue. 

POLITICS

Sweden Democrat leader calls for ‘reevaluation’ of Swedish EU membership

The leader of the Sweden Democrats reawakened the spectre of Swexit – Sweden leaving the European Union – on Tuesday penning a debate article which called for a reevaluation of membership.

Published: 2 May 2023 15:36 CEST
Sweden Democrat leader calls for 'reevaluation' of Swedish EU membership

“With ever increasing instances of far-reaching gesture politics, EU membership is starting to become dangerous like a straitjacket which we have no choice but to simply accept and adapt to,” Åkesson wrote in an opinion piece in the Aftonbladet newspaper. 

“This means that German, Polish or French politicians can in practice decide over which car you are going to be allowed to buy, how expensive your petrol should be, or which tree you should be allowed to cut down on your own land.” 

As a result, he said there are “good reasons to properly reevaluate our membership of the union”.  

In the run-up to the UK’s Brexit referendum in 2016, the Sweden Democrats called frequently for Sweden to follow the British example and hold a renegotiation of its relationship with the EU followed by an in-out referendum. 

But in 2019, as the UK struggled to negotiate a satisfactory departure agreement, Åkesson changed his position saying that he now hoped to change the European Union from within. 

In his article on Tuesday, Åkesson said that power was continually being ceded from Sweden to Brussels. 

“The more that happens, the more the will of the people as reflected in parliamentary results is going to be less and less relevant,” her said. “Our Swedish elections are going to soon become irrelevant to Sweden’s development, and of course, we can’t let that happen.”

SHOW COMMENTS