Sven Olov Knutsson Lindholm was a SwedishNazi leader, active in several Swedish fascist and nazi organizations from the 1920s to the 1950s, most notably the infamous nazi partySvensk socialistisk samling In later years, during the 1970's and 1980's, he renounced his former belief and anti-semitism, and stated he believed the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany had happened and that it was a crime. He quit the nazi movement and joined the left-wing party and the peace movement.
Biography
Born in Jönköping Municipality, Lindholm joined the Swedish army at an early age, rising to the rank of Sergeant. Stationed in Stockholm, he was initially drawn to Elof Eriksson, a proto-fascist who emphasised anti-communism and anti-Semitism. He soon joined Konrad Hallgren in setting up the Sveriges Fascistiska Folkparti – which became known as Sveriges Fascistiska Kamporganisation – serving as organizer and then leader of the group. Lindholm visited Nuremberg in 1929 and as a consequence abandoned Italian fascism in favour of German National Socialism and as a result he played a leading role in both the National Socialist People's Party of Sweden and its successor the Swedish National Socialist Party. The 6% Lindholm captured in Gothenburg in the 1932 election represented a high point for the Swedish National Socialists. However Lindholm had grown tired of the leadership of Birger Furugård as he had grown more attracted to Strasserism than Furugård's straight National Socialism. In 1933 he formed the Nationalsocialistiska Arbetarpartiet to this end. The new group, which adopted the swastika, took, for propaganda reasons, a more anti-capitalist line and organized its own youth group, the Nordisk Ungdom. By 1938 Lindholm had become more critical of the government of Germany, and attempted to reorganise the group as a more Swedish version of National Socialism, reinventing them as the Svensk Socialistisk Samling. He returned to the army in 1941 as a Fanjunkare in the artillery. He maintained an ambiguous relationship with Germany during war-time, attacking Operation Weserübung, yet also helping to recruit men for Adolf Hitler. During the 40's war time Lindholm and his party was planning for, and in secret hoped for, a German invasion of Sweden that could lead to the creation of a Swedish puppet-state under Lindholm and the party as "swedish quislings". Secret plans to deport Jews and others, and plans to construct camps inside Sweden, was drawn up by the party. They gathered death-lists of hundreds of Jews which was later hidden well and some most likely destroyed. Such lists was discovered in the 70's but no documents has been found showing Lindholm was ever questioned about these plans and lists. Svensk Socialistisk Samling continued to be active until 1950, after which Lindholm went into semi-retirement, with only minor involvement in far right youth groups maintaining his activity. In the 1970's and 1980's he stated in public to Swedish media that he no longer was anti-semitic, saying that there's good and bad people in all races and that he didn't support his former ideology. He and Vera Oredsson, his then wife, seperated because of Lindholm's growing criticism against the nazi ideology. He quit the nazi movement, and instead became active in the left-wing peace movement and peaceful environmental left-wing politics.
