Response to interpellation 2022/23:220 on Sweden's preparedness against right-wing extremism and threats to national security
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
M emphasizes that the government prioritizes measures against terrorism and constitution-threatening activities to protect the open society 1. M argues that it is important that both Islamist extremism and right-wing extremism are combated 2 and that resources are added without it occurring at the expense of the work against the right-wing extremist threat 2. M underlines the importance of a clear line between terrorism and political debate to protect freedom of speech 2 and that full force is directed against all threats to democracy and the constitution 3. S argues that authorities need to expand their knowledge of the multifaceted right-wing extremist threat. S wants to see more resources for schools and preventive work.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! Mattias Vepsä has asked me what I and the government intend to do to increase our preparedness against domestic terrorism, as well as whether I will take further initiatives to expedite, for example, support measures so that schools and municipalities can better detect and counter extremism. Finally, he has asked me how the government, in its chairmanship role, will move the issues of meeting this threat from discussion to action.
The questions raised in the interpellation are central to our free and open society. The Swedish Security Service describes that actors within violent extremism react to events in the world around them and use them as evidence of an alleged negative societal development and as a motive to do something about it. The authority believes that the traditional threat of attacks persists, but that the broader threat to democracy is becoming increasingly prominent.
Such a development is something that our entire society should take most seriously, and it is against that background that the government prioritizes measures to counter terrorism and constitution-threatening activities. One example is the work on a new national strategy against terrorism, which shall create a clear structure and increased power in the work against terrorist crime. Another example is the bill that the government recently submitted, which means that, among other things, it shall become punishable to participate in and finance participation in a terrorist organization.
The primary goal of counter-terrorism is, of course, that attacks and other terrorist crimes are never carried out. It is, in other words, central to prevent and preclude such criminality. This involves measures to counter radicalization and recruitment to terrorist and extremist groups. Here, the school is an important actor, not least. Last year, an inquiry into school safety was commissioned, and the government has recently decided on a supplementary directive which means that the investigator shall clarify the schools' crime-prevention role. Within the framework of the work on the school's democracy mandate, the National Agency for Education also offers the schools support in the work against intolerance and extremism.
Combating all forms of terrorism and violent extremism is also a priority for the Swedish EU Presidency. On March 13-14 this year, the Swedish presidency conference Violent extremism and terrorism - challenges and responses was held. Among other things, the threat from violent right-wing extremism and Islamism, the threat from lone actors, as well as the online dimension of radicalization and recruitment to violent extremism and terrorism were highlighted.
Countering the security and constitutional threats facing Sweden is crucial for defending the open and free society. It is a mission that this government takes with the utmost seriousness and which we will fulfill with the strength and determination that our time demands.
Mattias Vepsä (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Justice for the answer.
In February, Säpo revealed that Säpo had struck against a group suspected of engaging in illegal paramilitary activity. It concerns high-ranking individuals with links to extremist movements, but also to authorities and political parties. It was revealed, among other things, that one of the individuals suspected had sought employment as a security manager at the parliamentary party Sverigedemokraterna here in the Riksdag, in the heart of democracy. It also appears to be the case that among these figures, there is a military background.
In Germany in 2022, but also again in March, just a few months ago, the police struck and arrested several leaders in the so-called Reichsbürger movement, whose ideology involves denying the democratic state and which succeeded in recruiting more people to these ideas during the pandemic. It is based on conspiracy theories. One spreads incorrect ideas about vaccines. One is driven by an idea that the state has been taken over by an elite that oppresses the people and wants to carry out a people's exchange. These are conspiracy theories that are marketed in everyday life by the extreme right and right-wing nationalist movements, globally but also here in Sweden.
In a report that Center against violent extremism has written, one of the conclusions is that right-wing extremist terrorists operate globally. They feed off crises and spread conspiracy theories and disinformation, just as during the corona pandemic and in connection with the 2022 American election. The increased activity online provides increased opportunities to contact young people, who spend more and more time on gaming and communication platforms, to spread their ideas and radicalize more. Here, it is well the most important that authorities and other actors who want to counter violent extremism need to expand their knowledge about this multifaceted right-wing extremist threat. The emphasis within the violence prevention work has tended to lie on Islamist actors; even though violent right-wing extremism has been noticed more and more in recent years, this is the case.
In both my question and in the Minister's answer, we are somewhat into what the Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen) does for assessments. The assessment we can access and take part of is the annual report. There, it is stated for the previous year that the traditional threat of attacks persists, but the broader threat against democracy is becoming increasingly prominent.
Violence-promoting extremists use the same methods as foreign powers in the form of subversive activities such as infiltration and influence to increase division in society. This is said by Fredrik Hallström, head of counter-terrorism and constitutional protection.
The important thing is that the traditional attack threat primarily consists of lone actors motivated by violent Islamism, extremism, and violent right-wing extremism. The threat can change rapidly, as the developments during demonstrations such as the Quran burnings at the Turkish embassy in early 2023 show.
We also know that during recent years we have had several high-profile incidents in Sweden in schools and most recently in Almedalen with the tragic murder of Ing-Marie Wieselgren. In all cases, the perpetrator has held far-right values and drawn inspiration from the dark parts of the internet.
In the government's spring budget amendment, 50 million is proposed just to address and combat violence-promoting Islamism. Does the minister see a need to broaden the mandate in light of the knowledge from our expert agencies, which I have just presented, and the experience we have?
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! Once again, thanks to Mattias Vepsä for both the interpellation and the opportunity to discuss it today.
Let me comment on some of the things that Mattias Vepsä raises. When it comes to the description of the threat to internal security in Sweden, I would first like to broaden that description by highlighting three different aspects of that threat.
The first is the threat that comes from states that have very offensive motives to act in Sweden in various ways with influence operations, cyberattacks, and whatever it may be. We are thinking primarily of states such as Russia, China, and Iran.
The second threat to internal security comes largely from terrorists and violent extremists. I will return to that in just a moment, as that is what the interpellation is primarily about.
I would also like to highlight in this context the third aspect one must keep in mind to have a clear understanding of the entire threat to internal security. It is the systemic threat that comes from serious organized crime.
Serious organized crime often has links to various violence-oriented extremist movements, perhaps especially of an Islamist nature. In that case, we have the whole picture clear for us.
If we then zoom in on what the interpellation concerns, the question of terrorism and violent extremism, I would still like to say that over time it is primarily three different movements that have been described as threats to internal security.
It is about partly autonomous left-wing, partly Islamist extremism and partly right-wing extremism. Over time, in recent years, the Swedish Security Service has primarily emphasized the threat from the latter two, violent Islamism and right-wing extremism.
I perceive that Säpo's annual report expresses that holistic understanding of the security threat. I also perceive that operations and other interventions, known and unknown, confirm that that entire perspective is indeed included. This applies to both the counter-terrorism work and the work against threats to the constitution of Sweden.
Regarding the 50 million that Mattias Vepsä mentions, it is entirely correct that the government is adding an additional 50 million to the Security Service in the supplementary budget. We are doing this as an acknowledgment of a request from Säpo for 50 million kronor regarding precisely that violent Islamism.
The background to that is what has been described recently. We still remain at three on the five-point scale with the elevated terror threat against Sweden. But we are a more prioritized target today than we were one or two quarters ago.
The 50 million kronor are specifically intended to meet the fact that we are a more prioritized target for that type of violence-seeking terrorist motive. They are also added so that everything that is required can be done to meet it without compromising other essential parts of the counter-terrorism work and the protection of the constitution, which, of course, includes the threat coming from various right-wing extremist forces.
Mattias Vepsä (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the detailed answer.
If one adds up some of the reports that CVE and also the Security Service have presented in recent years, we know that one gives the other. If we get increased pressure from violent Islamism, the threat from violent right-wing extremism also increases. It thrives primarily in isolated circles. One draws nourishment from the internet, and then is ready to commit violent crimes. Just as the minister says, that threat has grown in recent years. We have in Sweden a number of proofs that just right-wing extremist forces have moved from thought to action in a quite appalling way.
Legislative changes are required, as you mentioned in the answer, regarding terrorism, which we have supported in the parliamentary work and which the previous government did. But we must also work long-term and preventatively. I believe, above all, that we must keep both one and two balls in the air at the same time.
I thought I would link it a bit to the situation we have in Swedish politics. We have a party with roots in Nazism that has itself released a white paper. It is still, to say the least, difficult to keep clean from extremists. It has a decisive vote here in the chamber.
I intended to bring up some issues and examples from this spring that worry me in any case and which, as a representative for the parliamentary party, I have devoted great effort and energy to.
Proposals are being submitted to reduce state funds for the work against racism. We do not have such large problems with discrimination and racism in Sweden, says the representative and the migration policy spokesperson for Sverigedemokraterna.
Speaking of violence-promoting Islamism, the chairman of the Committee on Justice devoted great effort to saying: Why burn one Quran? Burn a hundred more. That was during the situation we had with Quran burnings and demonstrations outside the Turkish embassy.
It contributed, to say the least, to ramping up the atmosphere both here in Sweden and around the world. Furthermore, it turned out in hindsight that persons with clear links to Sverigedemokratiska organizations or media had organized it directly or indirectly, one might reason about that. In any case, they had financed the permit for the meeting outside the Turkish embassy.
Kalla Fakta on TV4 revealed just a few weeks ago how the Sweden Democrats' chief ideologue during the spring has been a co-author and also the poster boy for a manifesto with conspiracy theories and lies. They were lies that also were directed at this chamber and political parties here.
In the election last autumn, it was noted that 289 candidates who had expressed views of Nazism or racism were included on various parliamentary parties' lists, which is terrible. Of these, 214 were on one party's list, namely the Sweden Democrats'.
Then we are back to seeing that we must work broadly. We must, as democrats, stand up against the violence-seeking extremism and not back down, but continue to ensure that we make broad investments to stand up for democracy and the equal value of all people. We shall not push to reduce state grants or undermine our authorities' security work.
It is against that background that I pose the question. Does the Minister see the whole picture? Is it equally important? Now Gunnar Strömmer says that the Swedish Security Service shall be able to maintain the fight against right-wing extremism as well.
I wonder: How does the minister view the coalition partner? We know that the flow of intelligence and the threats of attacks abroad are increasing. We also know we must continue to see the whole picture and invest in the fight against the far-right extremism that has grown strong.
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! Let me first establish what is the government's primary responsibility: to stand up for Swedish democracy and for the Swedish constitution in every situation and to protect democracy and our constitution against both external and internal security threats.
The government takes this mission very seriously, and this is confirmed both through the government's political direction, through the assignments we give to our law enforcement agencies and other relevant agencies in the field, and through the growing resources that we constantly add to the work.
I am also thinking about the description of the security threat that the authorities under the government express when they cover the threats that are relevant for the Swedish part at any given time. At an earlier stage, it was the autonomous left, but it is now less tangible and more focus is on the violence-oriented terrorism and extremism that comes from both the Islamist side and from the right-wing extremist side.
The resource supplement, which we just mentioned, is intended precisely to meet the fact that we are a more prioritized target for Islamist actions. It should also be seen as an expression of our desire to ensure that the mobilization that must now take place to meet this threat does not occur at the expense of other ongoing important activities to meet other threats, including the threat that comes from the far-right.
Mattias Vepsä himself mentioned the action taken against the suspected illegal association. It is now a preliminary investigation, and for easily understood reasons, we cannot go into more detail regarding either what it concerns or what it will conclude. But so much can still be said that it is an expression that the authorities take all the security threats against Sweden with equal seriousness.
If we are not to devalue the worth, the significance, or the sharp contours of this work, it is extraordinarily important to draw a very clear line between, on one hand, what Säpo and other authorities describe as terrorism or violence-oriented terrorism, and on the other hand, a political debate between parties who may think different things but who are encompassed by and protected by our freedom of speech, our freedom of association, and so on.
If the demarcation becomes too unclear, I believe there is an extraordinarily great risk that one undermines not only the strength of the work against terrorism and constitutional protection but perhaps also the democratic legitimacy of the work. That is what I want to say.
Last but not least: All parties, regardless of color and regardless of position on the political scale, have an extraordinarily great responsibility to ensure that one can, with a good margin, credibly demonstrate that one keeps extremism of various kinds at a proper distance. This applies to all parties.
For the Moderates, it was in one case a former Moderate Member of Parliament who was imprisoned for accounting crimes concerning a private school in Gothenburg that had links to violence-promoting Islamism. In the case of the Social Democrats, SSU in Skåne did not receive public grants for a number of years because it was not considered to live up to the democratic requirements, specifically regarding the stance towards Islamism. All parties have a responsibility to keep this stance crystal clear.
Mattias Vepsä (S)
Madam Speaker! I agree with Gunnar Strömmers description of the government's position: We all have an important responsibility to uphold democracy.
What I have tried to show in the debate here is my concern for the development. It is about the fact that as a politician, one also has a responsibility for which collaborations one enters into.
What I have presented here in the chamber is admittedly a contribution to a political debate and admittedly a contribution in the Swedish Riksdag, but it is not fabricated facts. It is open sources that can point out that there are representatives here in the Swedish Riksdag who use the same conspiracy-theoretical starting points in their reasoning to shape policy. And it is not just any party, but it is the government constellation's largest party.
I have tried to ask questions such as: Do we have the big picture? Do we see the whole threat? Or will these murky thoughts enter the various projects that make up the Tidö Agreement or in the collaborative projects that one has to keep the Government Offices running?
I think this is important, and I really appreciate the Minister's answer. We share the position of both the Moderates and the Social Democrats that we must have order and clarity and that we must stand up for democracy and take the threat from the extreme environment fully seriously.
It is important moving forward to see that we move from words to action and do not listen to those elements here in the Swedish Riksdag who want to reduce the funding for anti-racist work, who want to undermine the democratic system and who have over a hundred Nazis on their lists.
Let us instead find broad agreements and see the big picture, invest more resources in schools and preventive work, and sharpen the legislation so that we can combat the violence-oriented environment regardless of which ideology it leans towards!
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! I think it is extremely important to have as a starting point that the threat to Sweden's internal security comes from several different directions.
It is aggressive authoritarian states such as Russia, China and Iran that do not hesitate for a second to operate in Sweden, albeit not with military means, to achieve their various political and other strategic goals.
There is also a tangible threat from terrorists and violent extremists which over time has actually consisted of three constellations: the autonomous left, the far-right, and the violent Islamists. Recently, Säpo and other relevant authorities have argued that we have had good reason to emphasize, above all, the Islamist threat and the threat from various far-right groups.
The best way to find out what policy the government stands for is, in short, to look at all clear expressions of it. This applies to everything from the record-breaking mobilization of resources to our law enforcement agencies, including Säkerhetspolisen, to the description of the missions as they appear in regulatory letters and the description of the mission that is confirmed, not least in annual reports but also in other ways, from the agencies in question.
It is stated with all desired clarity that full force is being directed against all the threats that exist against Sweden, against our democracy and against our constitution - and this completely regardless of whether the motives behind the threats are Islamist or right-wing extremist.
I can assure both Mattias Vepsä, this House, and the Swedish people that the force of this work will remain undiminished as long as this government sits in Rosenbad.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.