The Social Democrats have been criticized for spreading political messages via accounts and websites where the sender is unclear and the party's media company AiP is behind the content.
The Moderates call it a “troll factory.” But S hits back and says that anyone can find out that AiP (Aktuellt i Politiken) is owned and financed by the Social Democrats.
It is a paper newspaper, but as we increasingly consume information via social media, it is natural that they work to spread information and political debate via social media, says party leader Magdalena Andersson.
Meeting with all parties
On Wednesday, the party secretaries held a meeting to try to agree on a code of conduct for digital political communication, something that is considered important ahead of the election year.
The work was initiated by the Liberals after the revelation of the Sweden Democrats' "troll factory" where anonymous accounts made fun of other parties.
But there was no agreement, according to L's party secretary Fredrik Brange.
We agree on the principle, but we need to clarify whether the Social Democrats intend to continue with the type of communication that has been revealed in recent days, he says.
Even if it is possible to click through, it is not clear who the sender is, according to Brange. He also wants to see an end to the use of anonymous accounts and believes the parties can come to an agreement later.
The Moderates' Karin Enström thinks that S is engaging in excuses and is critical of the "bogus scheme" being carried out through AiP.
There should be transparency and full openness, she says.
SD declines comment
The Social Democrats point out that it is possible to see who is behind AiP's accounts, unlike those run by the SD.
No one needs to go in and work undercover for six months to see who is behind it, says Magdalena Andersson.
S party secretary Tobias Baudin also believes in an agreement.
We want to support this, provided that the Sweden Democrats do not have a troll factory, anonymous accounts, or accounts that have been exposed continue to exist.
The Liberal Party leader Simona Mohamsson has said that L cannot allow SD into a government because a "government party does not stick with troll factories".
SD declines to comment on the meeting.
