Then and Now: Sweden

Then:

• "In A Small Swedish Town, Residents Welcome Migrants"--NPR (2016).

    In the past three years, her town of 30,000 people has taken in nearly 2,500 migrants — including 200 unaccompanied minors. Refugees now make up nearly 12 percent of the population of this 18th century spa town, known for its mineral waters and baths. It also has a university and strong IT sector.

    Per capita, Sweden has taken in more migrants than any other country in Europe. It accepted 160,000 refugees in 2015. With a population of only 10 million, that's the equivalent of the U.S. taking in around 5 million migrants. Because of this, the Parliament recently enacted a law mandating that all municipalities take in their share of migrants.

• "Police video welcomes refugees to Sweden"--The Guardian.

    A group of Swedish police officers have posted a video on Facebook welcoming newly arrived refugees to Sweden and wishing them luck in their new country.

    The video features nine police officers speaking to the camera in separate clips, offering kind words of support.

    “Welcome to our beautiful country. We hope that Sweden can help you with whatever help you need. We hope everything turns out alright for you with school, work, housing, or maybe reuniting with your family,” one police officer says in Swedish, kneeling on grass as he pets his service dog.

 Now:

• "The moment terror hit the terraces: Horror spreads among Swedish football fans as they learn two supporters have been killed in terror attack and they are now locked in the stadium"--Daily Mail. Although this incident was in Belgium, the two killed were both Swedish. The terrorist was one Abdesalem Lassoued, an illegal immigrant and ISIS supporter hailing from Tunisia.
• "The 'terrorist-like' gangland violence gripping Sweden: How feud between druglords Kurdish Fox and Strawberry has spiralled into executions and bomb attacks... as military wades in and PM blames 'parallel societies'"--Daily Mail.
• "Sweden’s PM calls in army chief as gang violence surges"--POLITICO.

    Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson summoned the head of Sweden’s armed forces and the state’s police chief to a meeting to be held Friday, as a wave of gang violence grips the country.

    “We’re going to hunt down the gangs and we’re going to defeat them,” Kristersson said during a televised address on Thursday evening.

    A surge in gang-related violence has shaken Sweden over the past few weeks, leaving 11 people dead this month alone. On Thursday, two men were shot in separate incidents close to Stockholm, while a 25-year-old woman was killed in a bomb attack near Uppsala.

    “It is a difficult time for Sweden,” Kristersson said, adding that the violence is affecting “more and more children and completely innocent people.”

    “I cannot stress enough how serious the situation is,” he said. “Sweden has never seen anything like this before. No other country in Europe sees anything like it.”

    Kristersson blamed an “irresponsible immigration policy” and “failed integration,” along with “political naivety,” for the rise of gang violence, but said Sweden will now take a different approach to tackle the issue.

    On Friday, the prime minister will meet with the armed forces’ commander-in-chief and the country’s police commissioner to discuss how the army and the police can work together.