On Sunday, 50,000 people gathered in Stockholm for a climate march calling on politicians to do more to combat climate change.
When the Sweden Democrats' Jimmie Åkesson was questioned on SVT, he gave no support to the protesters but rather seemed to dismiss them.
"That says absolutely nothing," he said about the number gathered.
He was also asked how he views the fires that have ravaged France, Spain, Greece and Italy during the summer and whether they have raised any concerns for him.
No, I think it mostly seems to have created concern among the establishment and the media elite. I don't think ordinary people are particularly worried about it as such, Åkesson said and continued:
It burns in periods. Right now it seems to be burning more than it has in other periods. This could very well be because the climate is changing, and according to research, it is because humans have been doing things that affect emissions and other things.
Positive to remigration
The SD would rather contribute to reducing emissions in other parts of the world where "it really does benefit" and we should not do ourselves a disservice by sticking to the EU's climate goals until 2030, according to the SD leader.
It is not emissions in Sweden that affect how the climate develops globally.
Åkesson also received questions about the repatriation grant, which was increased to 350,000 kronor per person on January 1. Since then, 171 people have been granted it, which he thinks is positive.
The crucial thing is that we get the demographics of our country in order.
He calls the grant a "win-win" for Sweden, but he is open to changing the regulations if it turns out to be wrong.
Tearing up residence permit
Åkesson also wants to dismantle permanent residence permits and convert them into temporary residence permits in the next term. This should be combined with a deadline during which people have a chance to meet the new residency requirement in the Citizenship Act.
I think you need to look primarily at those who have had these permanent residence permits for a very long time, he says.
One group that he thinks should be included is the 5,000 unaccompanied young people who have received permanent residence permits under the so-called Upper Secondary Education Act 2018.
