Herslow, Carl

Born in a family of a farmer from Malmöhus ( Skåne ). He studied chemistry at the Chalmers University of Technology ^[1] and law at Lund University . In 1968 he received the specialty of business administrator.

Since 1969, Karl Herslow worked at Trelleborg AB . In 1971 - 1975 he was the financial director of the rubber products factory in the Dutch city ​​of Groningen . He returned to his homeland in 1977 .

Politically, Karl Herslow adhered to right-wing conservative - populist and regionalist views. He was a supporter of the libertarian ideas of the Danish politician Mogens Glistrup - the refusal of taxation of individuals, the comprehensive reduction of the public sector in the economy and state intervention in social life. A native of Skane, Herslow was positioned as a carrier of South Swedish social and political culture. He advocated wide autonomy and self-government of Skane ^[2] .

In 1977, Karl Herslow became one of the founders of the autonomous Skånerörelsen - the Skåne Movement . On March 24, 1979 the movement was transformed into the Skåne Party - Skånepartiet ^[3] . The main party installations were the expansion of Skane’s autonomy - primarily in the media sphere (the party created its own radio station as an alternative source of information) and the demonopolization of the alcohol market (Herslow personally engaged in the symbolic distribution of free vodka) ^[2] .

Since the mid-1980s, the Skåne Party has put forward in its program a demand for Skåne’s independence - separation from Sweden and the creation of a sovereign republic. Under the leadership of Herslow, the party acted under the slogans of social conservatism , economic liberalism, and anti-communism . Foreign policy was dominated by anti-Sovietism - independent Skane was thought of as a member of NATO , the party advocated the deployment of American missiles ^[4] . From 1985 to 2006, the Skåne Party had several deputies in the representative bodies of Malmö and some other Skåne municipalities ^[3] .

The principle of independence of Skane, the priority of self-government and economic liberalism remain the foundations of the doctrine of the party and Karl Herslow. However, after the collapse of the USSR, the anti-communist and anti-Soviet elements of the party program deactivated. Anti-Islamism came to the fore.

Karl Herslow calls Islam “terrible superstition”, speaks of its “incompatibility with democracy, gender equality, science and economic development”, puts forward the slogan: “I believe in Skon, not in Islam!” ^[5] A major scandal caused a poster in March 2011 at a meeting of the Skåne Party with pictures of a naked man and a little girl: “He’s 53, and she’s nine. Is this really the kind of wedding we want to see in Skon? ” (Allusion related to the legend of the marriage of Muhammad to Aisha). The situation was the subject of legal proceedings to insult the religious feelings of Muslims. The party was also accused of distributing child pornography - due to the characteristics of the drawing. However, the court found the publication not to go beyond the freedom of the press ^[6] . For its part, the Muslim Association of Sweden accused the Skane Party of using the hate language and demanded an apology from Herslow ^[7] .

In 2013 , Karl Herslow's house was ransacked by the police ^[8] , he himself was brought to trial and sentenced to a fine for copyright infringement. In his anti-Islamic book Om islam - till all världens 9-åringar, he used information from another author without reference to the source ^[9] .

Despite the weakening position of his party, Karl Herslow remains convinced of the future independence of Skane ^[10] . He goes to pickets, makes public statements, participates in party events ^[11] . The main topics of Herslow's speeches are the independence of Skane, the opposition to Islamization, the liberalization of the economy, primarily in terms of freedom of trade in liquors ^[12] .

To overcome the financial difficulties of the party in 2011, Karl Herslow was forced to sell an apartment in Malmö and move to a residence in the Svedaly countryside ^[13] .

In expounding her views, Karl Herslow emphasizes individualism and, on this basis, rejects allegations of racism . He regrets the political passivity of the majority of the population of Sweden. Fundamentally positioned as a populist , while criticizing the "very unsympathetic" Donald Trump ^[12] .

Karl Herslow is described as an extremely purposeful person, “manically committed” to his convictions, capable of continuing the struggle after any defeat.