What’s going on in Sweden?

Hardly any other European country has changed as much as Sweden in recent years. Decades ago, the Scandinavian country was the world of the cheerful Pippi Longstocking, glamorous pop group Abba and tough Swedish steel.

How the idyll has changed. Conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (58), who has been in power for two months, spoke alarming words in his first Christmas speech on Wednesday: “Sweden is in a very serious situation.” His predecessor, the Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson (55), had said shortly before her election defeat because of the mass violence: “You don’t even recognize Sweden.”

What’s going on in Sweden? Blick lists the six biggest problems Scandinavians face.

For decades, Sweden had the most liberal immigration policy in Europe. Since the 1960s, the country has been recruiting foreign workers, who continued to come when the upswing ended. In 1975, immigrants were granted the same rights as Sweden, including full access to the social security system. They were even allowed to choose between adapting to Swedish culture or continuing to practice their own culture. From 1984, refugees had an unlimited right of residence.

However, the doors were opened so wide that integration failed in many places and parallel societies – often Muslim – emerged in the suburbs of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. In the documentary “The Eternal Anti-Semite” (2017) by Henryk M. Broder (76), the rabbi of Malmö says that for most Jews raising their children here is no longer an option due to threats and violence.

The government has since tightened the migration screw. She wants to reduce the refugee quota from 6,400 people per year to 900. Moreover, refugees are only allowed to stay in the country for a limited time.

Sweden has a sad record for murders. From January 1 to December 15, 2022, 378 shootings left 60 dead and 104 injured. During the same period, four people were killed each in Denmark and Norway, and two in Finland. In the city of Södertälje (population 70,000), as many people were shot dead this year as in the whole of London (population 9 million).

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: “It is also very young people who kill and injure. Almost always linked to organized criminal gangs. Almost always with a foreign background.” He promises more police, more prisons and tougher sentences.

During the pandemic, Sweden followed a liberal, special path. A committee of inquiry expressed a lot of criticism of the corona policy in a balance sheet because Sweden often reacted too late and too little. Even King Charles XVI. Gustaf (76) spoke of a “failure”.

The government did not allow criticism. Anyone who dared, like Keith Begg (48), a two-time Swedish-Irish citizen, was seen by the authorities and the media as a “threat to democracy” and was inundated with hate speech and threats.

Right-wing extremists have taken off in recent years. Again and again there are attacks by neo-Nazis on leftists and migrants.

The right-wing party ‘Sweden Democrats’ led by chairman Jimmie Åkesson (43) has scored points with voters in view of the sharp increase in violence in the suburbs and the failed integration policy with its xenophobic slogans. The party, founded in 1988, came second behind the Social Democrats in September’s elections with 20.5 percent of the vote. Although they refrained from participating in government, they still enjoy great influence.

Energy prices are also rising in Sweden, with an inflation rate of 11.5 percent in November compared to the previous month, the highest level in years. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also takes into account an increase in unemployment, which is currently above seven percent.

The new cabinet has announced that new nuclear power plants will be built with new technology after the decommissioning of several nuclear power plants. Renewable energy should also be used. Even climate activist Greta Thunberg (19) is not against such plans.

Peacebuilding has always been a top priority in Sweden. But after times of demilitarization, the country is now rearming again and affiliation with NATO is being sought. “We are significantly expanding our own defense capabilities to meet NATO’s target of 2% of GDP by 2026,” said Kristersson.

Fear of Russia grew after the invasion of Ukraine. Kristersson: “We have an external security crisis with the Russian offensive war against Ukraine as an imminent threat.”