An advertisement placed by a Danish far-right party in a leading Swedish newspaper has caused an uproar in the neighbouring country, where the move has been seen as political meddling just two months ahead of general elections.
The liberal daily Dagens Nyheter has received widespread criticism following the publication of a full-page advertisement by the Danish People's Party. In the Sunday edition of the paper a smiling Ms Pia Kjaersgaard, leader of the anti-immigrant party, thanks "the Swedish people for their support" against a background of the Danish and Swedish flags side by side.
The message is clear, according to Ms Kjaersgaard. Swedes support Danish policy on immigration. She backs this claim up with half a page of comments, allegedly received by her party from dissatisfied Swedes, most of which congratulate the Danish People's Party on its policy while condemning the Swedish government's stance on immigration and integration.
Swedes immediately reacted by calling the newspaper, some demanding why it had to publish the ad. Others threatened to pull their subscriptions. However, most readers agreed - in line with the paper's liberal tradition - that it was good to publish, said editorial executive Ms Charlotta Friborg.
A survey conducted by the Swedish Integration Board appears to indicate there is wide support for the government's integration policies. Three-quarters of Swedes believe it is positive for different cultures to mix, while 80 per cent support the government's efforts to combat discrimination. Ninety per cent say the same rights should apply to both native- and foreign-born residents.
Mr Andreas Carlgren, the general director of the Swedish Integration Board, told The Irish Times the Danish People's Party and Pia Kjaersgaard were wrong in thinking Swedes shared their opinions.
"We expected our survey to be more negative, but in fact it is the opposite: people are very positive to immigration and integration," he said. But he warned that there was still a small group of some 8 per cent which was very negative, while one-third of Swedes "might" consider voting for an anti-immigration party.
Mr Carlgren said Swedish integration policy now needed to show results and urged the established parties to get a strong mandate for integration reforms as the survey showed that many people had concerns.
Those concerns centre on what has been described as Sweden's "integration failure" - the difficulties qualified immigrants have in securing employment despite a growing proportion of the country's population being of pensionable age and a consequent lack of personnel in many sectors.
Denmark has been heavily criticised for its anti-immigration legislation by Sweden and other EU countries. The Danish People's Party, although not in the government, holds the balance of power in parliament.
Meanwhile, the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet said the comments from Swedes quoted in the advertisement could be false as the vocabulary used seemed more Danish than Swedish.