Sweden: RKP Congress 2025 – we are ready for the next step!

“We are not like other parties. We are not respectable politicians. We do not stand for class collaboration and horse-trading. We stand for class struggle and to fight fire with fire.”

These words from Ylva Vinberg’s closing remarks summarise our attitude. At the Second Congress of the RKP, we showed more clearly than ever what we are made of.

138 enthusiastic communists attended the congress in Stockholm, held between 29 May to 1 June, to take the next step in the building of the revolutionary party.

Sweden has by no means been spared by the crisis of capitalism. This was emphasised during the opening of the congress by Francesco Merli from the Revolutionary Communist International:

“A few years ago, you would have considered Germany and Scandinavia as the last standing hubs of stability of capitalism. Now, Germany is at the centre of the capitalist crisis in Europe, and Scandinavia is not far behind.”

Sweden has by no means been spared by the crisis of capitalism / Image: RKP

Sweden is the Nordic country where inequality is increasing the most. The richest part of the population lives more than 10 years longer than the poor, and five Swedes own more than 60 percent of the population combined.

At the beginning of the year, a survey showed that almost one in three single parents with low incomes struggle to get enough to eat, as Ylva Vinberg explained during the discussion on perspectives for the Swedish revolution. 44 percent have had to borrow money to meet their expenses and 60 percent are worried about their livelihood in the coming six months.

Anger is building up against capitalism. Living conditions like these are what create revolutions. Times like these are what the RKP is built for.

Anger is building up against capitalism. Living conditions like these are what create revolutions. Times like these are what the RKP is built for / Image: RKP

Crisis and class struggle

Just as the crisis of capitalism is global, so is the struggle of the working class and youth.

In Greece, a train crash in Tempi triggered the largest protest movement in modern Greek history. In Serbia, the masses are fighting against poverty, austerity, and political corruption.

Just as the crisis of capitalism is global, so is the struggle of the working class and youth / Image: RKP

“Embryos of workers' councils have been established in the largest mass movement in Serbia's history. Capitalism strikes with full brutality across the world, in the Balkans, and Serbia,” comrade Nina explained during the discussion on perspectives for the world revolution.

It is only a matter of time before similar movements reach Sweden. For a long time, Swedish workers and youth have fought against austerity and inequality, only to be ignored or actively undermined by the leadership of the unions and the labour parties.

Healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, midwives and assistant nurses have tried to fight the crisis in healthcare for over a decade through so-called ‘healthcare uprisings’: mass resignations, overtime blockades, and strikes.

Swedish workers and youth have fought against austerity and inequality, only to be ignored or actively undermined by the leadership of the unions and the labour parties / Image: RKP

As Jennifer Österman explained during the discussion on perspectives for the Swedish revolution, those involved in the healthcare uprisings began by saying: “Management, the bosses, politicians – they need to understand how bad it is. We have to make them see, we have to make them understand”.

But they have shifted to: “Everyone knows, including the regional leadership. The managers have heard. The politicians are aware. They don’t care. We have to make them care.” 

Jennifer continued to explain that the situation is preparing the ground for more struggle in healthcare than we’ve seen so far – more militant and more clear-sighted.

Building the Revolutionary Communist Party

The power of Marxism is that it’s not just a collection of good ideas. It is a guide to action.

The second half of the congress was centred around party building, with sessions on building the Revolutionary Communist Party, the history of our movement and the Fourth International, democratic centralism, party finances, and an inspiring report from the work of the International over the past year.

The power of Marxism is that it’s not just a collection of good ideas. It is a guide to action / Image: RKP

During the session on building the Revolutionary Communist Party, Fredrik Albin Svensson explained:

“We are building a tool for the international working class to take power. We say ‘the working class’ because only the working class has the strength to challenge and defeat the ruling class.

“It is the working class that keeps everything running, that creates all new value in society, and therefore, as a collective, has the capacity to replace the ruling class and lead society themselves.

“Our next task is to win the revolutionary youth and turn them into Marxists – and with them, we can win the working class.”

Demonstration at the Pakistani Embassy

On the morning before the opening of the congress, over 50 comrades went to the Pakistani Embassy in Stockholm to protest against the arrest of Ehsan Ali and the other comrades of Awami Action Committee.

The protest attracted attention from the embassy. They called the police, who came with four cars. In the end, four comrades were allowed to talk to the ambassador and present our demands.

During the conversation in the embassy, the comrades shouting slogans outside could be heard inside the building and several blocks away. In the ambassador's own words, we “caused quite a stir”.

We will continue our solidarity campaign with the rest of the International until all prisoners are released.

We will continue our solidarity campaign with the rest of the International until all prisoners are released / Image: RKP

The next step

In a great show of strength, we raised 809,000 SEK (€74,000/$84,350) in the collection, doubling our original target of 400,000 SEK!

On top of that, we sold a total of 49,000 SEK (€4,500/$5,100) in books and merch – a testament to comrades' thirst for communist ideas. That is 15,000 SEK more than during the autumn school and twice what we sold for during the congress two years ago.

We sold a total of 49,000 SEK (€4,500/$5,100) in books and merch – a testament to comrades' thirst for communist ideas / Image: RKP

Armed with lessons, inspiration and new ideas from this congress, we are now aiming for our autumn offensive, where we will launch a new recruitment campaign, aimed mainly at the universities.

We will hold bookstalls and paper sales, open meetings, presentations in classrooms, and go door-knocking and postering to reconquer our presence on the campuses.

Fredrik concluded by raising our sights to what we are truly fighting for.

“When you sell the paper, study, have meetings and so on, you are not just building a party in general.

“You are building a tool for struggle, so that the development of humanity will not stop here, and that this crisis of capitalism will not be the best thing we ever achieve. So that humanity can rise to new heights.”

This is what communists are fighting for – the complete liberation of humanity.

We in the Revolutionary Communist Party will now set out to organise every person who wants to fight against capitalism, and take the next step to become the party that the Swedish working class and youth deserve!