Richard Jomshof
Richard Jomshof | |
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Secretary of the Sweden Democrats | |
Assumed office 11 January 2015 | |
Leader | Jimmie Åkesson |
Preceded by | Björn Söder |
Member of the Riksdag | |
Assumed office 11 September 2014 | |
Constituency | Blekinge County |
In office 19 September 2010 – 11 September 2014 | |
Constituency | Gävleborg County |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard Johannes Lohikoski 6 July 1969 Helsingborg, Sweden |
Political party | Sweden Democrats |
Spouse | Linda Jomshof |
Alma mater | Malmö University Lund University |
Richard Johannes Jomshof, né Lohikoski, (born 6 July 1969) is a Swedish politician affiliated with the Sweden Democrats (SD) party and former pop musician. He has been a Member of the Riksdag since September 2010. He is known for being a vocal opponent of mass migration to Sweden, particularly from Muslim countries.
Early life
Jomshof was born in 1969 in Helsingborg to a Swedish mother and a Finnish father.[1] He studied history at Malmö University before attending a teacher training college.[2]
After leaving university, Jomshof became a professional musician, co-founding and playing in the Swedish synthpop band Elegant Machinery. In an interview with Side-Line, he spoke about his involvement in SD and what effect it has had on Elegant Machinery.[3] When asked what he thought had improved in Sweden the latest 20 years, he said it was the music.[4]
As a teacher, Jomshof was dismissed from two jobs for being part of Sweden Democrats.[5]
Political career
Jomshof's original political background was in the Moderate Youth League and he had also previously voted for the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He first became active in SD in the late 1990s.[2]
Since the 2010 Swedish general election, Jomshof represents the Gävleborg constituency in the Riksdag.[6]
In 2012, he succeeded Kent Ekeroth as SD's spokesman on legal affairs, and in January 2015 he was elected as party secretary, succeeding Björn Söder.[7]
Following the 2022 Swedish general election, Jomshof was appointed chairman of the Justice Committee in the Riksdag.[8]
Stands on Islam
Jomshof has been accused of islamophobia. He has on numerous occasions received media attention for his statements about Islam.[9][10][11]
During a speech in the Swedish parliament in 2013, Jomshof said that Islam, unlike Christianity, is immoral and violent. During the same speech he compared Islam to Nazism and claimed that they both have no place in a western society.[12]
In 2021, Jomshof appeared on a Swedish TV show Sverige möts, where he called Islam a "disgusting religion". His remarks drew a lot of media attention and he was subsequently criticized by Ulf Kristersson and former Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven. Jomshof claims that he has been misinterpreted.[13]
References
- ^ "SD:n Richard Jomshof uskoo äänimäärän kaksinkertaistuvan". Sisuradio (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ a b Orrenius, Niklas (16 October 2005). "Sparkad för sina åsikter". Sydsvenskan. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ "Elegant Machinery's Richard Jomshof speaks out on being a member of the Sverigedemokraterna". Side-Line. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013.
- ^ Liljestrand, Jens (8 April 2015). "En udda fågel bland Sverigedemokraterna". No. 8 Apr 2015. Expressen. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "SD-lärare tar plats i riksdagen". Skolvärlden. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Val till riksdagen - Valda - Gävleborgs län". val.se. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ Taylor, Adam (27 January 2015). "Swedish far-right leader says Islamism is a bigger threat than Nazism". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Sweden: Right-wing party get 4 chairmanships in parliament". Associated Press. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "10 islamofobiska uttalanden från Richard Jomshof (SD)". Dagens ETC (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ SKMA (16 May 2022). "Hatet mot muslimer speglar kärnan i det sverigedemokratiska projektet". Svenska kommittén mot antisemitism (SKMA) (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ Nilsson, Erik (13 May 2022). ""Varför skulle det vara islamofobiskt?"". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ "Allmänpolitisk debatt 16 oktober 2013"". Riksdagen. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Jomshof står fast vid uttalandet: "Ja, islam är en avskyvärd religion"". TV4. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
Sources
- Living people
- 1969 births
- People from Helsingborg
- Swedish anti-communists
- Members of the Riksdag from the Sweden Democrats
- Swedish people of Finnish descent
- Swedish male musicians
- Synth-pop musicians
- Members of the Riksdag 2010–2014
- Members of the Riksdag 2014–2018
- Members of the Riksdag 2018–2022
- Members of the Riksdag 2022–2026
- 21st-century Swedish politicians