(cont. from § 10) Minority issues (cont. KU22)

Jan Riise (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to begin by speaking about land use in Sápmi. The Sami's rights and opportunities to use land and water within the reindeer husbandry area have decreased in tandem with new demands for land for, for example, new mines or more intensive forestry. The transition to a renewable energy system and, likewise, increased tourism have also contributed to new challenges.

The samebys are entitled to use land and water within the reindeer husbandry area for reindeer grazing, hunting, and fishing. But this right must, as far as I can understand, be secured and strengthened further. There are therefore good reasons to consider and investigate how such cumulative and ongoing changes in land use affect the Sami right to maintain and develop their culture.

This means that new permit processes in traditional Sámi lands must be weighed in. In Miljöpartiet, we also believe that revenues from natural resources must contribute to local development to a greater extent. State-owned companies that derive their revenues from Sápmis natural resources should annually set aside a share of the revenues to finance the development of Sámi community life, language, and culture. Also, other companies whose activities heavily affect Sápmis natural resources should contribute. This, Mr. Speaker, needs to be investigated.

Mines are needed in the green transition, but in a balancing of opposing interests, Sami rights and the views of affected samebys must be protected and respected to a greater extent than today. Granting permission for the nickel mine in Rönnbäcken means, among other things, according to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, that Sweden has violated the right to property and judicial review and committed discrimination. The permit therefore needs to be revised and include a process with Sami free, prior and informed consent.

In March 2025, a number of strategic projects within the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act were presented, several of which are located within Sápmi and owned by companies including LKAB and Talga AB. The projects will receive support from the EU for, among other things, simplification and shortened timeframes for permit processing. It is important and necessary that the Sami's rights are not sidelined in these processes and that the requirements for consent and consultation are upheld.

According to the Mining Act, Sami representatives have the right to request consultation according to the Consultation Act when it concerns, for example, investigation permits in the prospecting phase.

I mean that it could be the reverse order, that the one seeking a permit for investigation is actually obliged to seek consultation and consultation with at least the Sami village(s) concerned and the one(s) who represent Sami in the area, for example through the authority Sametinget.

Mr. Speaker! Today, the Sámi are the only ethnic group in Sweden that is formally recognized as an indigenous people. It is, however, well-documented that the national minority of Tornevalidators, which also includes Kvens and Lantalaiset, has lived and operated in the northernmost parts of Sweden for a very long time.

It is a group that differs from the Swedish majority population through language, culture, and a clear geographical anchoring both historically and in the present. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Torneviens, Kvens, and Lantalaiset published its report at the end of 2023, and there it is recommended that an inquiry be appointed to investigate the minority's status as an indigenous people. This is important for the reconciliation process to be able to be completed at all. From our side, we agree with this.

According to the report, which is otherwise titled As if we never existed, the Swedishification policy has meant that the minority's language, culture, and identity have been devalued, stigmatized, and rendered invisible. The commission submits several important proposals so that Sweden can realize and expand the special rights that apply to Torneviens, Kvens, and Lantalaiset.

We need to develop an action plan for the implementation and follow-up of the commission's proposed measures. Furthermore, the government should promptly recognize the state's responsibility for the violations that have been committed against the Tornedalians, Kvens, and Lantalaiset and initiate a dialogue on the conditions and forms for a public apology.

Mr. Speaker! Minority policy is based on two independent and equal European Council conventions – the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. They were ratified individually by Sweden in 2000 following a parliamentary decision in December 1999. At that time, five historical minority languages and five national minorities were also recognized, respectively.

It is a bit important to remember that. It is not necessarily the case that Sami and Sámi are connected, or Tornevians and Meänkieli. There can be gaps. Likewise, it is with the Jewish minority. Far from everyone has Yiddish as a primary language, but it can be a great cultural interest. We are therefore talking about two different conventions.

When Sweden in 2000 recognized Jews as one of Sweden's five national minorities and Yiddish as a national minority language – each individually – it simultaneously meant a recognition of the Jewish contribution to our common Swedish cultural heritage.

Nevertheless, there are several obstacles that limit the possibilities of living as a Jew in Sweden. It is important that these obstacles can be overcome. More must be done to make visible and promote the special culture that belongs to Jews and to strengthen these groups' own empowerment and freedom from discrimination.

Unfortunately, it is the case that the widespread antisemitism in society, together with the lack of safety and security surrounding Jewish institutions, constitutes the greatest obstacle to Jewish life in Sweden. Hate and threats limit many Jews' opportunities to live a Jewish everyday life and to live openly with their Jewish identity.

Unfortunately, today the public's knowledge of Jewish culture, traditions and history is low, which affects the minority's experience of being able to be included in society and the possibility of living openly with their Jewish identity.

It causes difficulties for Jewish organizations to operate and develop in Sweden and makes it harder to practice the culture. The security arrangements that the Jewish institutions themselves need to arrange are costly and take resources from other activities.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden is obligated, through both national law and international law, to take measures to preserve, protect, and develop the specific rights belonging to the Roma minority. Nevertheless, the Swedish state is repeatedly criticized for not living up to its international law obligations towards the minority.

Sweden has also received criticism from the UN because Roma people are still subjected to discrimination in public places today, and we have been urged to take powerful measures to address the widespread discrimination of Roma.

The government needs to do more to make visible and promote the specific culture belonging to Roma, strengthen their empowerment, and revitalize the Romani Chib language. As part of this work, the strategy for Roma inclusion must be given long-term and sufficient funding, among other things to promote Roma association life.

In Sweden, there are a large number of organizations and associations that in different ways represent Roma and the interests of Roma, for example to counter anti-Gypsyism and strengthen Roma's social and political rights. At the same time, a central structure is lacking, and the lack of resources is great.

Antiziganism affects many Roma's opportunities to be part of existing structures, and discrimination affects Roma's access to housing, education, the labor market, social services, and health and medical care. The situation highlights that the measures taken so far have not been sufficient to address the discrimination and the violations that constantly affect Roma.

The government needs to do more to combat anti-Gypsyism and discrimination. One part of this could be to make Romani history more visible, that reports of discrimination and hate crimes are investigated and tried in court to a greater extent, and that there are trainings and information on rights issues. The government should act in line with what has been stated.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden is in the same way obligated through both national law and international law to take measures to preserve, protect and develop the specific rights belonging to the minority of the Swedish-speaking Finns. Despite this, the Swedish state has in the same way repeatedly been criticized for not living up to its obligations according to minority rights. A recurring criticism concerns the invisibility and diminishment of the minority's culture and history as well as the state's exclusion of the minority in matters that concern them.

The language issue is also important. Today, there is a lack of work within school, education, and elderly care to ensure that Finnish has the conditions to survive. We need to make further investments to make visible and promote the specific culture that belongs to the Swedish-speaking Finns, strengthen the minority's empowerment, and revitalise the Finnish language.

Finally, Mr. Speaker: Älvdalska has a long history in Sweden and bears ancient characteristics that can almost no longer be found in any other part of the Nordic linguistic area. That Älvdalska bears traces from Old Norse makes it a living part of our linguistic history, and it is an important part of Sweden's linguistic and cultural diversity.

Despite this, Älvdalska is classified as a dialect. Älvdalska is spoken today by up to 3,000 people, primarily in Älvdalen parish in northern Dalarna. Representatives for Ulum Dalska and Älvdalen Municipality have for a long time argued that Älvdalska should be recognized as a minority or regional language in Sweden.

Several experts have stated that Älvdalska is to be considered a separate language, and the Council of Europe's expert committee has urged the Swedish government to review the status of Älvdalska. The government should therefore be tasked with investigating the status of Älvdalska and reviewing the possibility of recognizing Älvdalska as a minority or regional language in Sweden.

With that, I shall attempt to finally move for approval of reservation 25, which concerns precisely the Älvdalen dialect. We naturally also invite parties that do not belong to the opposition to vote with us when the matter comes up for voting in two weeks, we can assume.

I would also like to move for approval of reservation 6. I naturally stand behind all of the Miljöpartiets reservations. It should not be seen as a prioritization in any case. But in the choice between them all, it becomes number 6.

(Applause)

In this speech, Janine Alm Ericson, Katarina Luhr and Nils Seye Larsen (all MP) concurred.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gulan Avci (L)

Mr. Speaker! Now, perhaps one or another is asking why I, who normally engage in defense matters and am in the chamber to debate defense matters, suddenly appear in the Constitutional Committee's chamber debate which concerns minority policy.

The answer is simple. Jewish life is under severe pressure. It is a national minority group that can no longer feel that they can live openly, safely, and freely in Sweden. That requires more voices in the debate, not fewer. When many feel this way, we must acknowledge that it is a broad societal problem. It is a failure for the rule of law.

In a liberal and democratic society, Mr. Speaker, every human being shall have the right to live their life without fear. That right also applies to Jews. It is about rights that should never have to be negotiated away, relativized, or conditioned by threats, hate, or violence.

Jewish life has existed in Sweden for over 250 years. It is neither something foreign nor something temporary, but it is a self-evident part of our society. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we see how Jews are forced to weigh their freedom against their safety, hide their identity and take off the Star of David. It is more families who have begun to ask the question: Is there a future for us in Sweden?

Mr. Speaker! Last autumn, an acquaintance was supposed to come and have lunch with me here in the Riksdag. The evening before, she contacted me and canceled our lunch, not because she was afraid of the Riksdag, but because she is Jewish and because the aggression that had followed the Palestine movement's recurring demonstrations outside the Riksdag's entrances had frightened her.

That a Jewish woman who has lived her entire life in Sweden does not dare to come to the Riksdag is not only a betrayal of our Jewish citizens. It is, in fact, a frontal attack on democracy.

Antisemitism is not just history. It is present. It is tangible and, in some parts, growing. We see it in threats, in hate crimes, in attacks against synagogues and in a hateful rhetoric on our streets and squares. The threat comes from several sides – from far-right environments, from Islamist movements and – yes – from certain parts of the left-wing movement.

Antisemitism today has new expressions and new sources. It is modern. It is transboundary and often imported from regions in parts of the world where hatred of Jews is a part of the social norm and embedded in the culture, in social life, in religious life, and in politics. We must be able to speak clearly about this.

We must also be able to speak plainly about how, with the large-scale immigration, international conflicts have moved into Sweden. But let me be clear: It is not the conflicts themselves that are the problem. The problem is when they are used as an excuse for hatred against Jews.

After Hamas's barbaric terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, we have seen demonstrations where anti-Semitism has been allowed to flourish openly. Jews have been collectively blamed. Jewish symbols have been attacked. And criticism of Israel has often slipped into hatred toward Jews in Sweden, which unfortunately all too often has been met with silence, excuses, and sometimes also applause from parts of the left-wing movement but above all from large parts of the Palestinian movement.

At the same time, it has been strangely quiet, Mr. Speaker, when people have demonstrated against the Islamist regime in Tehran. It has been quiet when Kurds in Rojava in the Kurdish parts of Syria for several years have ensured that Swedish IS terrorists cannot return to Swedish soil and carry out terrorist acts here in Sweden. It is quiet when the worst humanitarian catastrophe is taking place in South Sudan.

For me, it becomes clear that it is not always about standing up for justice, but about a selective indignation, where Israel and Jews always end up in the line of fire and Islamist regimes and terror sects unfortunately all too often are met with silence. This is not solidarity, Mr. Speaker. It is ideological blindness, and in its wake, antisemitism grows in Sweden.

Let me be crystal clear, because now one or another will probably think: One should be able to criticize Israel. Of course, one should be able to criticize the government that rules in Israel and its policies. I do that too. But when criticism turns into demonization and Jews are held responsible for a conflict in the Middle East over 78 years old, we have left the democratic debate behind us.

Mr. Speaker! I want to highlight a meeting I had with Jewish youth this summer. I visited a youth camp. I was there to talk about politics. But above all, I was there to listen. What I heard, I have carried with me until today. Young people told me about fear, about exclusion, about no longer daring to wear their Magen David-star, about insults in school, about losing friends, and about being held responsible for a war simply because they are Jews. The camp could take place thanks to, or because of, a strong police presence to protect and create security for these young people.

Mr. Speaker! Many have said that last year we celebrated 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden. It is a history filled with pride. Yet, young Jews today live in fear. As a Swedish politician, I am ashamed that we have let it go this far. To protect Jewish life is not just about safety. It is about our constitution. Jews are one of our five national minority groups. That does not only mean rights. It also means obligations for the state. Therefore, I want to speak about the school and what important role the school has.

My party colleague Mauricio Rojas has already very well accounted for all the important initiatives that this government has pushed through and is pushing through to strengthen Jewish life and forcefully counter antisemitism and create safety for the Jewish community.

But I want to talk about the school. Of course, the school must continue to teach about the Holocaust, so that Europe's dark history never falls into oblivion. But it is not enough to only speak about antisemitism as something that happened then. We must also speak about antisemitism as something that is happening now and that affects living Jews in our country today. That is why we liberals want knowledge about antisemitism to be written into the curriculum. If there is something that is important, it is to ensure that young people take part in history but also gain an insight into how important it is that we uphold Jewish life in Sweden, and that is done by spreading knowledge.

Mr. Speaker! I was in Stockholm's Great Synagogue last Tuesday on Holocaust Remembrance Day. The chairman, Richard Mühlrad, sent a very clear message to all of us who were present there. He said: Now action is required – now action is required.

There must be an end to excuses and justifications. Antisemitism can never be excused, and democracy can never be compromised away. A Sweden where Jews cannot live openly, safely, and freely is not a Sweden that we can accept. Therefore, action is required now – against the hatred of Jews – so that Jewish life can flourish during the next, at least, 250 years.

(Applause)

In this speech, Mauricio Rojas (L) concurred.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 17 February.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)