Jan Jönsson leaves Liberals' Pride parade, joins RFSL over party's Sweden‑Democrats drift

Former Stockholm opposition city commissioner Jan Jönsson announced he will not march with the Liberals in this year’s Stockholm Pride parade. Instead he will walk with the Swedish LGBT organization RFSL after receiving its 2026 Rainbow award. He said the Liberals’ openness to a post‑election coalition with the Sweden Democrats “conflicts with liberal values” and makes participation with the party untenable.

Jönsson, who stepped down from his municipal leadership role earlier this year, criticised the party’s shift toward the right‑wing Sweden Democrats and described a split within the Liberals between “social liberals” and those willing to align with the nationalist party. His move underscores internal dissent in the Liberals over potential cooperation with the Sweden Democrats and highlights ongoing debates about LGBTQ rights and political alliances in Sweden.