Wednesday, July 9, 2025
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Polaris of Enlightenment

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/public-outrage-as-climate-alarmists-scale-swedens-vasa-ship/

Sweden

Public outrage as climate alarmists scale Sweden’s Vasa ship

Published 17 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The fact that climate activists are targeting one of the country's most important cultural heritages provokes many.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

On Wednesday morning, police were alerted that two activists from the group Återställ Våtmarker (Restore Wetlands) had climbed onto the 400-year-old national treasure, the Vasa ship, and tied themselves to its mast.

On social media, many have grown tired of the climate alarmists’ constant provocations and attention-seeking, and there are now calls for prison sentences – and even more old-fashioned forms of punishment.

The police confirm that around 10 a.m., two individuals jumped over an alarmed gate and climbed onto the restored ship inside the museum. They also put up a banner with the message “ban peat extraction” and delivered loud monologues on the same theme. A third activist reportedly filmed and photographed the incident but later left the scene.

The two men who were still on the ship when the police arrived have been arrested and are currently suspected of trespassing – but more criminal charges may be added in the future.

It is currently unclear whether the Vasa ship was damaged by the group’s approach, and staff will carry out a more thorough inspection during the day.

Helen Wahlgren, press officer for Restore Wetlands, says the Vasa Museum is an “excellent place to demonstrate” and likens the ship to a bog “which also needs to be soaked in order to be preserved”.

Calls for tougher penalties

However, most people are not as impressed and the Conservative Minister for Culture, Parisa Liljestrand, describes the Vasa ship as “one of the most important and beloved cultural heritages we have in Sweden”.

“It is also a very sensitive environment that is important for research and risks being damaged. I get downright angry at people who take the right to practice activism at the expense of our common cultural heritage”, she wrote in a comment to the tabloid Aftonbladet.

On social media, the tone is even harsher, with many users demanding that the activists be sentenced to prison – or even forced into penal labor for their actions.

“Now it’s time to bring out the heavy-handed response”, writes one of the many outraged voices, and another believes that it would be an appropriate punishment for the activists themselves to be forced to dig peat for a few years.

What almost everyone who commented on the incident has in common is that they are noticeably tired of the recurring actions of this kind and how the activists attack the artistic and cultural heritage of Swedes for their political purposes.

Many also express anger that the media and authorities “coddle” the culprits – and that their actions never seem to lead to any tangible or deterrent consequences.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/almost-total-halt-for-imported-berry-pickers-in-sweden/

Sweden

Almost total halt for imported berry pickers in Sweden

Published yesterday 15:21
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish Migration Agency has rejected almost all applications for berry pickers for 2025. As recently as 2023, 5,000 permits were granted.

Citing years of indications that employment conditions in the berry industry are not being upheld, the Migration Agency has granted only 89 permits for berry picking this year. A total of 2,397 applications for berry pickers have been received for 2025.

Last year, the Migration Agency rejected all applications for berry pickers, but 1,272 applications were subsequently approved after court review.

– The Migration Agency has also this year assessed that workers in the berry industry risk not having their employment conditions met. Therefore, the agency has decided to reject most of the applications for Thai berry pickers, says Hanna Geurtsen, Deputy Project Manager for Work Permits at the Migration Agency, in a press release.

This year, the Migration Agency explains, all employers active in berry picking have chosen to apply for permits via the EU’s Seasonal Workers Directive. The difference when applying for a work permit as a seasonal worker, compared with the national main track for work permits, is among other things that the berry pickers this year are directly employed by a company in Sweden and not via a foreign staffing agency.

– It’s partly about having an employment contract signed by both parties and that the employment conditions must be in line with Swedish collective agreements. For the majority of the applications received this year, these requirements have not been met, says Hanna Geurtsen.

The berry companies that have been rejected have the possibility to appeal these decisions in court, the agency adds in its press release.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Number of berry picking permits granted by the Migration Agency in recent years:

2025: 89
2024: 0 (1,272 were approved after court review)
2023: 5,372
2022: 6,594
2021: 5,175

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-government-to-map-immigrants-opinions/

Sweden

Swedish government to map immigrants’ opinions

Published 7 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The Liberals' new integration minister Simona Mohamsson on the left, on the right migrants who have landed in Europe (archive image).
1 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish government is now launching a project to examine immigrants’ opinions compared to native Swedes.

– The results will serve as guidance for future integration efforts, says the Liberal Party’s new integration minister Simona Mohamsson about the project.

World Values Survey, WVS, is an international research program that examines people’s values in everything from social, political, economic, religious and cultural aspects.

The Swedish government is now paying WVS €450,000 to examine how values differ between non-Western immigrants and those with entirely Swedish backgrounds. During the autumn, around 3,000 people will be interviewed.

“We are an extreme country”

According to surveys that World Values Survey has previously conducted, the differences between immigrants and native Swedes are very large regarding views on things like divorce, premarital sex, abortion and homosexuality, where Sweden overall stands out as an exceptionally liberal-oriented country.

– We are an extreme country in a good way. For people who become part of our society, it becomes somewhat difficult to navigate that map, says Mohamsson about the project to the Bonnier-owned newspaper DN, which among other things highlights that immigrants are more skeptical toward homosexual relationships.

– There’s a whole generation of girls who don’t get to choose who they want to love or boys who can’t come out of the closet, she says.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/fewer-shootings-in-sweden-but-bomb-attacks-have-doubled/

Sweden

Fewer shootings in Sweden — but bomb attacks have doubled

organized crime

Published 3 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to Swedish police, the purpose of the bomb attacks is often to extort, intimidate, or threaten the victims.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The number of shootings in Sweden has almost halved compared to last year – but at the same time, bombings have increased dramatically. According to new statistics from the Swedish Police Authority, over 100 bombing incidents have occurred so far this year, representing a doubling compared to the same period in 2024.

During the first six months of this year, police have recorded 84 shootings. This marks a significant decrease compared to the first half of 2022, when 205 shootings occurred, resulting in 34 deaths and 49 injuries. The number of people injured in shooting incidents has also gradually decreased since then. However, the 2025 statistics include the school attack in Örebro, central Sweden, where ten people lost their lives.

This development comes against the backdrop of Sweden’s long-standing struggles with organized crime, where violent gangs, often with immigrant backgrounds, have spread fear in both major cities and smaller towns. For several years, authorities have struggled to effectively address the escalating violence – but according to police, certain measures are now showing results.

– In both physical and digital environments, as well as in investigations, we are now faster and more efficient, which has enabled us to prevent impending crimes and increase the clearance rate of deadly gang-related violence from about 20-30 percent to about 60 percent in recent years. This partly explains why we’re seeing fewer shootings, says August Knutsson, operational coordinator at the Swedish Police’s National Operations Center.

More bombings during winter months

While shootings have decreased, another form of violence has increased significantly. So far this year, 104 explosions have occurred – double the number compared to the same period in 2024, when 52 bomb attacks were recorded.

– This is obviously serious, and we’ve noticed that criminal groups have shifted their methods and carried out more bombings during winter and spring. Often for extortion purposes, to intimidate or threaten. However, since the beginning of the year, when we saw a sharp increase in completed bombings, they have decreased. We’re arresting more perpetrators during the preparation stage than before, explains Knutsson.

He emphasizes that the situation is still considered very serious and that gang violence could soon escalate again:

– At the same time, the conflict level remains high, and we know from experience that the situation can change rapidly. We’re doing everything we can to keep violence levels down.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/floating-pentagon-makes-its-presence-known-in-stockholm/

Sweden

“Floating Pentagon” makes its presence known in Stockholm

Sweden-NATO-relationship

Published 3 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The USS Mount Whitney has a crew of approximately 500 personnel and is normally based in Naples, Italy.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The US command ship USS Mount Whitney, often referred to as a “floating Pentagon” due to its advanced command systems, has docked at Frihamnen port in Stockholm, Sweden.

The visit marks the conclusion of a month-long mission in the Baltic Sea where the vessel played a leading role in the extensive NATO exercise Baltops, working alongside Swedish personnel among others.

The vessel serves as the flagship of the US Sixth Fleet and is designed to command complex and extensive military operations. At 200 meters in length, it is equipped with advanced communication and command systems that make it a hub for US naval operations.

– We usually call it a floating Pentagon because our main strength lies in communication and command systems, says Jonathan Desimone, Command Systems Officer aboard, to Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

During the recently concluded Baltops, an annual NATO-led exercise in the Baltic Sea, USS Mount Whitney played a key role. The Swedish Navy participated with a submarine, among other assets, and several Swedish liaison officers were aboard as part of the NATO staffing.

– We had several Swedish liaison officers aboard throughout the exercise as part of the NATO staffing, says Commander and Captain Colin Price.

– We are here to participate in Baltops 2025 and to demonstrate US presence. Our goal as a naval force is freedom of navigation and regional stability, he further states.

No plans to leave Europe

Price emphasizes the value of the exercise and multinational NATO cooperation – but critics suggest the ship’s visible presence in Stockholm could also be interpreted as a show of force directed at Russia, rather than a purely diplomatic visit.

Meanwhile, the Baltic Sea has been characterized by increased military activity, with both NATO and Russia conducting parallel exercises. During Baltops, Russian fighter aircraft were observed flying near USS Mount Whitney in international airspace.

– I wouldn’t call them incidents, but yes, we had interactions with aircraft flying near Mount Whitney, Price comments and explains:

– During Baltops, we’re in the middle of the Baltic Sea and it’s international airspace where aircraft can fly wherever they want.

During Donald Trump’s presidency, there have been reports and signals suggesting that the US plans to significantly reduce its military presence in Europe. However, according to the commander, there are no such plans for USS Mount Whitney.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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