According to Lars Henriksson, a member of the party's district board in Gothenburg, Kristofer Lundberg has been made a scapegoat for his high-profile stance on the Palestine issue.
The Left Party has not resisted, but has gone along with the right-wing narrative. I don't think this witch-hunt will end now, but instead, you're giving the wolves a taste of blood, he says.
On social media, Elise Norberg Pilhem, a member of the municipal council on Orust and a former member of the party's national executive committee, has also supported Lundberg before his expulsion.
Pressured Party
The Left Party has been under pressure from several directions this autumn, and the question of Lundberg's future within the party has attracted great attention.
Among other things, after he expressed support for the terrorist-listed PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine).
On Wednesday, Lundberg - who was previously chairman of the party's local association in Angered - was expelled by the party board.
Party Secretary Maria Forsberg referred to a comprehensive assessment where Lundberg, through his actions, "created great uncertainty about what the Left Party stands for on fundamental issues".
Several local party representatives who TT has spoken to express that they experience a witch-hunt from the party board, where people who express uncomfortable opinions are being purged.
This won't end here. There has been a bloody hunt for Kristofer, and now they'll be looking for new people to snipe at, says Ante Bränholm, a former party colleague of Lundberg's in Angered.
Recently, 31 associations involved in the Palestine movement also appealed to the party leadership to let Kristofer Lundberg remain in the party.
Looking Forward to Dialogue
Håkan Svenneling, a member of parliament and the Left Party's foreign policy spokesperson, tells TT that it's natural that there are strong emotions within the party "after a year of war and devastation in both Gaza and Lebanon".
How do you view the emergence of anti-Semitic opinions within the party in connection with the conflict?
We are very clear from the Left Party's side that anti-Semitism is not allowed and that we work against anti-Semitism.
Regarding Lundberg, Svenneling says that the party board has made its decision, and that "it now means the end of the process in this individual case".
Now we look forward to a dialogue with the Jewish Central Council, and then it will be an ongoing effort forward, he says.
