Response to interpellations 2023/24:719 and 730 on anti-Swedish sentiment
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns anti-Swedish sentiment and the government's actions. L states that the government shall not develop an action program against anti-Swedish sentiment 1 because the work against racism and hate crimes covers all individuals 1. L argues that the solution is to ramp up integration 2 and that the government is already taking powerful measures against honor-based oppression and lack of integration 3 4. SD argues that there is a widespread anti-Swedish sentiment that primarily affects young people 5 and that a clear strategy is needed 6. SD considers that the hate crime legislation is not utilized against anti-Swedish motives 7, that the government is cautious with word choices 8 and that one must strengthen the Swedish 8.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! Tobias Andersson has asked me if I and the government intend to acknowledge the anti-Swedish sentiment and produce an action program against it. Pontus Andersson Garpvall has asked me if I and the government are prepared to produce an action program against anti-Swedish sentiment. I answer the questions collectively.
Not being subjected to racism is a human right, and Sweden shall be a country free from racism and hate crimes. The Government has recently indicated that an important step in the fight against racism will be taken by developing a new action plan against racism and hate crimes. As I recently stated in my response to a parliamentary question on the same theme from MP Andersson Garpvall, the Government's efforts against racism and hate crimes encompass everyone, regardless of whom such expressions or crimes are directed against. The same applies to the Discrimination Act (2008:567) and the criminal law regulation of hate crimes. This general approach constitutes an important starting point in the development of the new action plan. There is no intention to develop an action program against anti-Swedish sentiment.
Tobias Andersson (SD)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.
The Sweden Democrats have rarely been accused of being naive. Nor is that the case in the issue of anti-Swedish sentiment, and we are convinced that the Sweden Democrats will unfortunately be proven right here as well.
I have been politically active for over a decade and, through my political engagement, have had the privilege of meeting young people all over Sweden. Countless are the examples and stories I have heard of how young people, both boys and girls, have suffered mentally or physically due to anti-Swedish sentiment. It has involved harassment, bullying, threats, robberies, assaults, sexual abuse and so on, with the common denominator being that there was an anti-Swedish motive.
Against that background, I have personally never doubted that there is a widespread anti-Swedish sentiment in society, which primarily affects young people. After the Sverigedemokraterna have for a long time been alone in highlighting this, more voices are now being raised. But why has it not received enough media space earlier, despite the horrific examples that have been known for a long time? Probably, Madam Speaker, because the Swedish media and political establishment have been fully occupied with discussing whether there is anything that is even Swedish.
The anti-Swedish sentiment has emerged in the wake of the establishment asserting that Sweden has no distinct culture, no history worth the name, no traditions to uphold, and nothing to even be proud of or unite around. If this were true, of course, there would be nothing worth the name to not be hostile towards. But that is not the case. We have every reason to be proud of Sweden, the Swedes, and our history.
More recently, there have been pure political motives from leading politicians to neglect and pretend as if Swedish hostility does not exist - this because it has arisen as a direct consequence of their degradation of everything Swedish, in symbiosis with the mass immigration they have welcomed.
However, it is now time for at least the government base to acknowledge the problem so that we can ever be able to combat the development. For this reason, I asked in my interpellation whether the minister intends to recognize anti-Swedish sentiment and produce an action program against it. In his answer, the minister highlights that racism is always wrong, regardless of who it is directed against, and that an action plan against racism and hate crimes etc. shall be produced. The minister concludes by stating that no action program specifically regarding anti-Swedish sentiment shall be produced.
Madam Speaker! I can also condemn all racism. It is very simple, in fact. What the Minister seems to have more difficulty with is admitting that anti-Swedish sentiment exists. I can understand if one wants to handle racism with a unified grip and that the action plan can then include a chapter on anti-Swedish sentiment. If this is the intention, the Minister is welcome to clarify it. The Minister has said in the media that during her time as a prosecutor, she witnessed that anti-Swedish sentiment was a motive for youth robberies. This admission is a good start from the Minister, I think. My question in this exchange is simply whether the Minister can admit that anti-Swedish sentiment exists in a broader sense than that and, in such a case, to what extent.
Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)
Madam Speaker! A few weeks ago, I submitted a written question to Minister Paulina Brandberg. In the response, the Minister writes that Sweden shall be a country free from racism and hate crimes. Furthermore, the Minister writes that it must be combated with full force, that it is never acceptable, regardless of who it is directed against, and that the work the government is doing is important in order to be able to continue with a high level of ambition.
The Minister also mentions that an important part of the work against racism, other xenophobia, and discrimination moving forward involves producing knowledge and creating conditions so that it can be used by the actors concerned. The national plan against racism was decided in 2016. Based on the plan and dialogues with civil society, specific action programs against afrophobia, antisemitism, antiziganism, Islamophobia, and racism against Sami have been developed.
Given the answer in the written question, that racism is never acceptable regardless of who it is directed towards and that an important part of the work moving forward involves producing knowledge and creating conditions for the affected actors, it would in my opinion be reasonable if an action plan against anti-Swedish sentiment were also developed. Anti-Swedish sentiment does not only affect persons with a Swedish background but also persons with a foreign background who have chosen to adapt to a Swedish identity, culture, or lifestyle. The problem has become increasingly extensive as Swedes have become a minority in more and more municipalities, districts, and schools.
What is often highlighted in the debate as the coarser form of anti-Swedish sentiment is the many robberies involving humiliation that have taken place recently, where many of the perpetrators have expressed strongly anti-Swedish motives towards the victim. But we also have everyday examples such as those highlighted in the police report Area Document Tjärna Ängar 2019. There it states, among other things: "The area police describe that Somali young girls are not allowed to socialize with Swedish girls. The reason for this is that the Swedish girls are described as 'horrors' based on their lifestyle, including their clothing style." Similar formulations are found in later area reports.
Another example from 2019 concerned a man from Tjärna Ängar, who was treated so poorly because of his Swedish origin that he chose to move away from there.
For me, it is quite obvious that a clear strategy is needed from the government regarding how to deal with the anti-Swedish attitudes and the anti-Swedish crimes that Swedes are forced to face in the multicultural Sweden. If one wants to solve integration, which the minister and the Liberals want, anti-Swedish attitudes must cease and Swedishness must be something that people who have come to our country should strive for rather than despise.
The government is already highlighting action programs against afrophobia, antisemitism, antiziganism, Islamophobia, and racism against the Sámi. The Minister is clear that she does not want an action program against Swedish-hostility. But when the government now presents a new action plan against racism and hate crimes, is the Minister and the government then prepared to include Swedish-hostility in this action plan?
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! I will begin by answering the questions regarding my and the government's view on the occurrence of hate crimes against Swedes. This is something that has been addressed in Brå's hate crime statistics, where the statistics are reported based on who the victim is. In Brå's statistics, we can observe that hate crimes against specifically Swedes have been captured, but that the figures are so small that it is difficult to draw closer conclusions from them or to look at them more closely. Here, I believe it is important to see that there is a risk of a large dark figure when it comes to this type of statistics.
Just as the interpellator Andersson said in his post just now, I have previously told about my experiences as a prosecutor. I have absolutely seen crimes that have been directed at Swedes precisely because they are Swedes. One such example is the youth robberies, where I have seen hatred against Swedes as a motive. Another example is the honor issue, where young people are subjected to hatred because they, against the family's will, have adopted a more Western or Swedish lifestyle.
The occurrence of anti-Swedish sentiment is not questioned by me or the government. What is the crucial issue, however, is: What do we do about it – how do we handle this in the best possible way? As I explained in my response, the government's work against racism and hate crimes covers every individual who, due to origin, ethnicity, or any other of the grounds for discrimination, is subjected to crimes.
The government is taking a large number of measures to address this. If we look at hate crimes against Swedes specifically, I mean that one of the key measures in this is to ramp up the work with integration. We live today in a Sweden where we see parallel social structures. This constitutes a breeding ground for different types of hate crimes, including against Swedes, and we really need to address that.
The government is stepping up on several fronts here. Among other things, we have recently appointed a national coordinator for the work against vulnerability, and we are looking at different ways to manage integration.
Then it is of course important that our justice system works with these issues so that even this motive profile is captured. My former agency, the Prosecution Authority, works with hate crimes. They have, among other things, a specially appointed subject specialist who works to raise the knowledge level among the operational prosecutors. They have an annual conference in the field to exchange experiences, and they also have a digital network that has recently been established so that they can also discuss issues that arise within this area.
I want to be clear on behalf of the government that we believe it is important to capture it every time an individual is subjected to a crime due to, among other things, their ethnicity or their origin.
Tobias Andersson (SD)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer from Paulina Brandberg. I appreciate that the Minister is clear about her own experiences of how young people are exposed to crime not only because they have a Swedish background but also that she emphasizes that one will also review anti-Swedish sentiment in the work against racism in a broader sense moving forward.
I would first like to address some other parts of the answer. When it comes to the statistics on hate crimes, it is, at least in my opinion, well known that one does not prosecute for hate crimes when they are directed against Swedes. I will not go into any individual court case, but I have read several investigation protocols where it is clear and obvious that one of several motives for the perpetrator committing their act was that the victim was Swedish.
It may involve robbery, pure humiliation and harassment, or sexual crimes where, considering what the perpetrator expresses at the time of the assault or in dialogue with others, it is obvious that the person was chosen based on their Swedish background or that it was chosen to act in such a way because the person is Swedish.
Despite this, prosecutors in such cases choose not to bring charges specifically in the hate crime section. It is, at least for me, a known fact that I discuss with both prosecutors and individuals at the Ministry of Justice that the hate crime legislation is not utilized in practice against those who act criminally due to anti-Swedish motives. A change needs to occur there.
It is possible that this debate is better suited for the Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, but I still want to highlight that the statistics from Brå in this area, specifically regarding hate crimes, which can be read in the current situation, in no way reflect the extent to which anti-Swedish sentiment exists in Sweden. This is at least my strict opinion, and the Minister may be welcome to comment on that.
With this said, Madam Speaker, Sweden is the only place on earth where Swedes shall be able to feel fully at home. It is the only place on earth where Swedes shall feel that this is a country, this is a culture, and these are traditions and community that I have not only inherited, but which by definition have been created by my ancestors for hundreds of years, and now I have the opportunity to live and work in the social community that has been built up during this time.
If there is anywhere on earth where one must be able to be proud of being Swedish and where one must be able to feel a sense of security in expressing oneself in different ways as a Swede, engaging in Swedish things, or having Swedish values, it is in Sweden. But unfortunately, that is not the case, neither for Swedes with two Swedish-born parents nor for persons who have immigrated to Sweden and who want to become a part of the Swedish, who want to be assimilated in Sweden and who want to constitute that part in the integration policy that Sverigedemokraterna has.
Those who have come to Sweden, who like Sweden and who want to become a part of our society are also affected by Swedish-hostility. Honor culture could have been called Swedish-hostility, because it is the same thing. It is about people from other countries who become too Swedish, according to their cousins, parents or partners, and who therefore have to suffer. In some cases, it goes so far that they are murdered.
There has been a major debate surrounding Saga, who was pregnant and who was murdered because her boyfriend was influenced by his mother that his pregnant girlfriend was too white. It is anti-Swedish sentiment. We can call it honor culture or anti-Swedish sentiment, but if one is to measure the extent of anti-Swedish sentiment, honor culture should be included.
Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)
Madam Speaker! To provide a clearer picture of what anti-Swedishness is, one can mention what Tobias Andersson just mentioned, namely racism and hostility directed towards Swedes or people who want to become part of the Swedish community. One can compare this with, for example, Islamophobia, which is hostility directed towards an ideology, religion, or religious view, while Swedishness is often innate or part of a strong cultural identity.
I would like us to stop briefly and look a little at the crime statistics and who are the perpetrators and who are the crime victims. When we look at the serious crimes linked to gang crime, such as explosions and shootings, we see a clear picture that both perpetrators and victims are often people who are either born in Sweden with foreign parents or have immigrated to Sweden.
If we look at other serious crimes against persons, such as youth robberies, we see that two out of three who commit robberies have some form of foreign background. Four out of five who are subjected to them have a Swedish background. When it comes to rape, foreign men are overrepresented as perpetrators. The victims are most often Swedish women and girls. When it comes to elderly robberies, older persons with a Swedish background are most often victims, and persons with a foreign background are most often perpetrators.
This does not have to be a sign that foreign criminals are engaging in some form of ethnic profiling in relation to crime, but I still think it points to a debate that has become very skewed. If we break down the figures, we see in black and white that many Swedes are subjected to crimes by different immigrant groups in their home country.
Madam Speaker! I have previously debated the issues of anti-Swedish sentiment and hate crimes against Swedes with the former Minister of Justice Morgan Johansson and the current Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer and now also with Minister Paulina Brandberg. All three have been clear that all types of racism and hostility shall be combated. On that, we are in complete agreement.
In other debates, where the issue is antisemitism, afrophobia or Islamophobia, the ministers can without problem point out that, for example, afrophobia should be combated, but when it comes to the debate on Swedish-hostility, one speaks more in general terms about that all forms of hostility should be combated.
I understand that it becomes a bit of a semantic discussion, but when it is a pattern that other parties do not want to implement measures against anti-Swedish sentiment, the question becomes relevant, not least when the government in the next moment says it wants to have a high level of ambition, gather knowledge and create conditions.
Madam Speaker! My question to the Minister is: Does the Minister see anti-Swedishness as a problem, and is the Minister prepared to take any measures against anti-Swedishness? Now, I am not talking about hostility in general terms, but about that which is directed at persons because they are Swedish.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! I thought I would start by addressing what the interpellator Andersson said about Brås statistics and that there may be a large underreporting. That was exactly what I emphasized in my previous contribution – that I believe one must be aware that there is a great risk that the statistics do not reflect how reality actually looks.
I want to be clear that the government's position is that this is, of course, completely unacceptable. I am a liberal, and my starting point is that every individual should, of course, be able to feel secure that one will never be subjected to hate crimes or discrimination because of who they are.
When it comes to the government's work against different forms of racism, racism takes different expressions, and there are also different historical contexts for different forms of racism. We can, for example, look at antisemitism, which we know is often motivated by different elements in conspiracy theories, which characterizes how it takes expression. In a similar way, there are other characteristics in racism that targets other groups.
Even when it concerns racism or hate crimes specifically directed at Swedes, there are specific characteristics. As has just been mentioned, the honor context is a context that we must pay attention to in this issue, and here the government has stepped up the work in several different ways. It is indeed very important that no one in Sweden should have to be punished by their family or relatives for choosing to live a life where they socialize with whom they want, dress as they want, or get the boyfriend they want. For example, one decides over their own sexuality.
The government has stepped up the work against honor oppression on several different fronts. In the same way, we have stepped up the work to increase integration, as it is a very important key when we talk about these issues.
As I show here, the government is taking a large number of powerful measures to address the underlying root causes of the issues we are talking about here today. When it comes to a specific action program regarding hate crimes against Swedes, I mean that one has to ask what it is one wants to achieve with it. What do the Sverigedemokraterna want to achieve with an action program aimed at precisely this, which is not captured by the other measures the government is taking in this issue?
Tobias Andersson (SD)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the last time, for this time, for the Minister's answer.
I appreciate that the Minister is clear that she also assesses that there is a dark figure and that it is not possible to fixate on Brå's statistics on hate crimes and believe that one has captured the anti-Swedish sentiment that characterizes parts of society here in Sweden.
I also note the semantics that Pontus Andersson highlighted, namely that from the government's side, it is difficult to clearly admit that there is Swedish hostility. This is something we have also debated with other ministers. From the ministers' side, they say that this is something problematic, but they do not say that it is Swedish hostility. They are constantly trying to be a bit cautious with the word choices they make.
People are talking about an action plan against hate crimes against Swedes, even though both of our interpellations concern anti-Swedish sentiment, which I consider to be a significantly broader concept than hate crimes. It is about the view of what is Swedish and how it can affect both the immigrant who wants to become a part of the Swedish as well as me as a Swede in my everyday life, that there are those who genuinely hate our society.
Regarding what is requested beyond this program, I would say that one should give a clearer mandate to Brå to study this, not only based on hate crime statistics but also to get a better grasp of who the perpetrators are and who the victims are.
As Pontus Andersson highlighted, there are a number of examples that it is precisely persons with a foreign background who engage in crime against persons with a Swedish background. Is it an expression of anti-Swedishness? Yes, probably in many of the cases – but we don't really know that, because it has been incredibly sensitive for Brå and others to study this. One has even been reported if, as a researcher, one has chosen to include ethnic background in certain research studies.
So much more was needed here, but above all, we must dare to strengthen the Swedish. If we are to counter anti-Swedish sentiment, we must be proud of Sweden and what we have to offer.
Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)
Madam Speaker! A strange thing from bourgeois politicians in general and liberals in particular is that one can often be very nationalistic when it comes to nations other than Sweden. When it comes to, for example, Israel, Taiwan or Ukraine, one has very strong views on the people's right to their own country. I also have that, but what sets us apart is that we also look at Swedes' rights in Sweden.
Something that is very clear and that we have seen recently is the many Palestine demonstrations where anti-Semitic slogans have been shouted. There, liberals are quick to say that people should be deported due to lack of integrity and that greater measures against anti-Semitism are needed, for example. Let me be clear: I completely agree. But regarding the growing hostility towards Swedes because they are Swedes, one has not come forward with a single proposal for action.
In my simplicity, I believed that several of the things we have raised here – for example, that foreign men have robbed, stripped, and humiliated Swedish boys while calling them "jävla svennar" – would be enough to initiate measures. The same applies to the examples from Tjärna ängar where Somali girls are not allowed to associate with Swedish girls because of how the Swedish girls live. But then nothing happens.
I can imagine how people would have reacted if it were the other way around, that is, if young Swedish boys had sought out, robbed and humiliated foreign boys, or if Swedish girls had not been allowed to hang out with foreign friends by their families. How would the government have reacted then?
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! When it comes to the occurrence of this, I believe that discussion will continue. It is of course important that we turn the spotlight on this every time someone is subjected to some form of hate crime because of their origin or their ethnicity.
As I said before, I believe there is a large dark figure in Brås statistics. At the same time, of course, not every crime where a foreign perpetrator does something against someone of Swedish origin is a crime with a hate crime motive. I certainly welcome that we continue to shed light on this issue.
I turn to what the interpellator Andersson Garpvall says about nothing happening. I believe that statement indicates a lack of understanding of the breeding ground that creates this type of hate crime, namely the parallel structures that exist in our society and the lack of integration - and the lack of policy to address that lack of integration - that has long existed in Sweden.
Just as I have said, the government is taking extensive measures both regarding this and regarding honor-related oppression, and I mean that it is the most powerful thing we can do in this situation to try to address exactly this issue.
I would therefore like to thank you for today's debate.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.