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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-government-replaces-us-aid-with-millions-for-soros-funded-media/

Sweden

Swedish government replaces US aid with millions for Soros-funded media

Published 6 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson together with Minister for International Development Cooperation Benjamin Dousa (M).
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Swedish taxpayers will now have to cover the funding shortfall that arose when the US withdrew its aid to the international journalism group OCCRP – Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

The government has announced that it will provide SEK 70 million (€6.4 million) in new support to the network, which was previously funded largely by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and has also received millions from George Soros’ notorious Open Society Foundations and the CIA-linked National Endowment for Democracy.

The Swedish aid is officially justified by the desire to “strengthen freedom of expression and democracy” in repressive environments. Critics, however, argue that the initiative is completely irrelevant to Swedish taxpayers and that the support is rather an expression of the Swedish government’s ideological and geopolitical loyalties

– Strengthening freedom of expression and democracy is an important part of the government’s reform agenda for aid. Support for OCCRP is part of this work, asserts Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Benjamin Dousa (M) in a press release.

The OCCRP, which describes itself as a network for investigative journalism, is particularly active in Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the organization’s work has contributed to the development of analysis and background information for Western sanctions against Russia. When US aid via USAID was suspended – according to previous information, amounting to over a third of the OCCRP’s total budget—the organization’s activities were hit hard.

Now Sweden is stepping in to cover a large part of the shortfall. The government’s press release states that it wants to “continue to support human rights and democratic forces such as independent media in vulnerable environments as a central part of Sweden’s long-term democracy support”, especially in countries that are “constantly exposed to Russian disinformation campaigns and other attempts to influence”.

Destabilization and propaganda

However, the fact that Swedish tax money is now replacing US cuts in support for a globally active NGO with clear links to George Soros and American influence campaigns has led to criticism and questions about the priorities of Swedish aid policy – and has been highlighted by establishment-critical media.

The criticism is not just about the amount. OCCRP’s close ties to both the US propaganda apparatus and Soros’ Open Society Foundations have led several observers to question its impartiality. The organization has received significant sums from, among others, USAID, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and other US government agencies with stated foreign policy ambitions.

Both the Soros networks and the US intelligence services have also been accused of systematically using propaganda media to destabilize countries, reduce public confidence in political leaders they want to remove, and try to lobby for systemic change in a more globalist and US-friendly direction.

Billions for “democracy and human rights”

Support for the OCCRP is no exception, but part of a larger trend. According to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ own figures, Sweden is currently the world’s third largest donor of aid to foreign “free and independent media”. In total, support for “democracy and human rights” amounted to SEK 6.6 billion (€600 million) in 2024 – equivalent to a quarter of Sweden’s entire foreign aid budget. In addition, there is further Swedish tax money distributed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs – often to organizations with links to the UN

In the same year, the government also decided to increase funding for other related organizations, such as the European Endowment for Democracy and the Prague Civil Society Center. The former’s support increased from SEK 20 million (€1.8 million) to SEK 35 million (€3.2 million), while the latter’s was doubled.

Although politicians are keen to point out the importance of promoting press freedom in allegedly authoritarian states, critics argue that it is highly questionable whether Swedish taxpayers’ money should be used to finance this type of politically charged activity far beyond Sweden’s borders – and further question how it will be possible to determine in retrospect whether the initiative has produced the desired results.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-to-introduce-four-year-prison-sentence-for-psychological-abuse/

Sweden

Sweden to introduce four-year prison sentence for psychological abuse

Published yesterday 14:29
– By Editorial Staff
"Psychological violence is a widespread problem and part of men's violence against women, domestic violence or honor-related violence and oppression", says the Swedish government.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Psychological violence in close relationships – such as verbal abuse, coercion or controlling behavior – could lead to multi-year prison sentences under new proposals from the Swedish Government.

The Swedish government wants to introduce a new crime in the criminal code that specifically targets psychological violence in close relationships. This is according to representatives of the governing parties in a debate article in the tabloid Aftonbladet.

According to the proposal, repeated acts in the form of insults, threats, coercion or surveillance could lead to up to four years in prison. The aim is said to be to give the judiciary a clearer tool to deal with psychological violence, which today is often considered to fall between the cracks in the justice system.

The proposal also includes attempts to influence someone’s sexual orientation, which according to them can be considered a form of psychological abuse. The bill is now out for consultation and the plan is for the new law to enter into force on June 1, 2026.

In the debate article, it is clear that the party leaders believe that it is primarily women who are the victims of psychological violence in relationships and that men are the perpetrators, and they declare that “men’s violence against women is a serious social problem, and should be fought with the same force as gang crime“.

“Must be met with force”

“All violence against women and children must be met with force and precision in legislation. This applies regardless of whether the violence is physical, psychological, sexual, or economic. Psychological violence can take the form of repeated, often verbal abuse of a person with the aim of breaking down their self-confidence, or various forms of controlling behavior”, they write, continuing:

“It is significantly more common to be subjected to psychological violence than physical violence in a close relationship, especially among young people. Studies also show that psychological violence is often the first form of violence to occur. Criminalizing psychological violence can increase the chances of early intervention in systematic violence, thereby preventing continued and more serious violent crime”.

According to the proposal, psychological violence witnessed by a child who is close to the perpetrator should constitute a child welfare offense. In addition, both psychological violence and insults should be included as elements of aggravated violation of integrity, aggravated violation of a woman’s integrity, unlawful persecution, and honor-based oppression.

“Our four parties will continue to fight tirelessly against men’s violence against women, violence in close relationships, and honor-related violence and oppression – and we will do so with measures that actually make a difference. This is about security, freedom, integrity, and gender equality”, the party leaders affirm.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-national-audit-office-reduced-admission-requirements-can-increase-diversity-in-the-police/

Sweden

Swedish National Audit Office: Reduced admission requirements can increase “diversity” in the police

Published yesterday 10:28
– By Editorial Staff
Police training requirements have already been lowered several times - but this has not been enough to meet politicians' ambitions.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish National Audit Office has reviewed admissions to police training and concluded that major changes must be implemented if the Swedish police are to meet the requirements for diversity and representation set by politicians.

Despite the fact that police training has already been simplified in several rounds, there is still considerable disapproval of the fact that women and people with immigrant backgrounds are more often rejected than Swedish men.

In the case of women, it has been noted that they have difficulty passing the strength tests – and although it is acknowledged that the tests are based on scientific principles, it is stated that it is not certain that they are actually “adapted to measure whether the candidates have the abilities required to succeed in the police profession”.

“It cannot be ruled out that the test disadvantages women. It may also be due to the fact that the thresholds are not clearly substantiated”, the report states.

For immigrants, it is not the physical fitness tests that are the main problem – instead, it is the fact that many police cadets with immigrant backgrounds fail the aptitude test.

According to the National Audit Office, this “cannot be attributed to differences in grades or scores on the university entrance exam” – instead, a likely explanation for why fewer people with a foreign background pass the aptitude test is that it “is old and contains archaic language” – for example, words that were used in the 1960s.

Suggests discrimination

Even when the results of the university entrance exam are taken into account and compared with the scores on the aptitude test, significant differences remain, and it is clear that people with immigrant backgrounds perform worse than Swedes.

According to the agency, the fact that both women and immigrants fail more often than Swedish men may indicate that the selection process itself is problematic and that the tests should be changed.

“The selection method used means that candidates must pass one stage to move on to the next. This is particularly problematic in combination with unclear thresholds, and means there is an increased risk that suitable candidates will drop out of the admission process at an early stage on unclear grounds. Overall, this constitutes a potential obstacle to achieving the government’s ambition of greater diversity in the police force”, it concludes.

It therefore recommends that the Police Authority “review the admission process”, including “ensuring that the requirements profile, tests, and thresholds are based on the job analysis and do not discriminate against any group”.

“The government has long expressed a desire for greater diversity in the police force, with more women and people with foreign backgrounds. Despite this, the composition has not changed significantly over time”, it states bitterly.

Lowered requirements may affect police safety and ability

However, the police themselves are very skeptical about some of the criticism – especially the parts about women being disadvantaged by the physical tests – and that these therefore need to be changed.

– We believe that the strength test reflects the physical requirements of the profession and that a more in-depth analysis is needed before changing something that could ultimately affect both the safety of individual police officers and the overall operational capability, argues Marie Andersson at the Police Education Unit.

It should be noted that the requirements for police training have already been significantly lowered over the past 13 years. In 2012, the language test was removed, which required candidates to read a text and answer questions about it – something that many applicants with immigrant backgrounds found difficult.

In 2016, the requirements for passing the aptitude test were lowered, again with the justification that it would make it easier to fill places on police training courses.

In 2022, the requirement for passing grades in history in upper secondary school was also removed for applicants to the police training program. This was justified by the fact that history is not a compulsory subject and that the requirement for passing grades was considered to prevent suitable applicants from getting through the admission process. In the same year, the requirements for passing the aptitude test were further lowered.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/climate-alarmists-charged-with-vandalism-at-swedens-national-museum/

Sweden

Climate alarmists charged with vandalism at Sweden’s National Museum

Published 22 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The vandalism risks leading to the National Museum not being allowed to borrow art in the future.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

In June 2023, the climate alarmist group Återställa Våtmarker (Restore Wetlands) carried out an “action” in which they smeared red paint on a painting by the impressionist artist Claude Monet at the National Museum in Stockholm and glued themselves to the protective glass covering the painting.

Six members of the group are now being prosecuted for criminal damage.

The Nordic Times reported on the damage at the time and how Restore Wetlands defended their heavily criticized action by saying that they wanted to “draw attention to the fact that the climate crisis is also a health crisis, and that heat-related illnesses are becoming a bigger and bigger problem.”

– I understand that people are upset, but I don’t understand why politicians are not asked, ‘why are you deliberately pursuing policies that will lead to more deaths, lack of drinking water and decreased harvests?’ It is a reality that the climate catastrophe is killing people, argued press spokesperson Roxy Farhat.

Per Hedström, acting director of the National Museum, was not particularly amused by the vandalism and stated bluntly that the museum consistently distances itself from any actions “where art and cultural heritage are at risk of being damaged”.

– Cultural heritage has great symbolic value and it is unacceptable to attack or destroy it, regardless of the purpose.

“The only case in Sweden”

It is now also clear that a lawsuit has been filed with the Stockholm District Court against the two women who vandalized the artwork, as well as four other individuals. All are considered to have participated in some way in the planning or documentation of the incident.

Prosecutor Lucas Ericsson states that he is seeking different penalties for the defendants and that these “will be determined individually based on their previous records”.

– This is, of course, an unusual incident; that’s what makes it stand out. It’s probably the only case I know of in Sweden, he told Magasin K.

Damages of just over SEK 180,000 (€16,500) are also being sought, pointing out that this type of vandalism risks making it more difficult to borrow art from other museums or private individuals in the future.

As the painting itself was protected by special glass, it escaped without permanent damage.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/arla-pushes-for-more-gmo-use-despite-criticism/

Sweden

Arla pushes for more GMO use despite criticism

Published 22 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Arla's popular "household cheese" already contains the GMO-produced cheese enzyme.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Despite persistent criticism from environmental organizations, activists, and concerned consumers, dairy giant Arla wants to further increase its use of GMO-produced rennet in its cheese production. The stated aim is to make production more cost-effective – something the company itself describes as absolutely necessary in order to remain competitive.

– This production is important for us to achieve cost-effective cheese production, Magnus Larsson of Arla Foods told the tax-funded Radio Sweden.

The enzyme in question is chymosin, which is produced using genetically modified microorganisms – a biotechnological method that is now common in industrial cheese production. The enzyme itself is not genetically modified, but it is produced by organisms that have been developed using genetic engineering. Arla already uses the technology in several of its most popular cheeses and now wants to scale up its use.

“The enzyme that we are gradually switching to using in some of our cheeses is not genetically modified; it is identical to that produced in rennet and is produced using microorganisms. It is these microorganisms that have been developed using genetic engineering; the enzyme added to the cheese is therefore not genetically modified, and there are no traces of the microorganisms left in the cheese. Arla never allows GMOs in its products, regardless of where they are produced, and we do not use any genetically modified ingredients in our products, Magnus Larsson continues.

Proud of GMO-free feed

But the criticism remains. According to several surveys, many consumers have very low confidence in GMO technology in food – even when it comes to indirect manufacturing steps such as enzyme production. Critics also argue that the distinction between what is GMO-free and what is not is difficult to explain to consumers, especially when the labeling is unclear.

Arla, for its part, maintains that the end product – the cheese itself – is free from genetically modified substances and sees no problem with using the technology as long as it is approved under current regulations.

At the same time, the company is maintaining its policy of GMO-free feed for Swedish dairy cows, despite the fact that the industry organization LRF last year dropped its previous opposition to GMO feed. In April, Arla’s CEO Henri de Sauvage commented on the decision as follows:

“It is natural that each dairy company should decide for itself how it wants to proceed, and Arla’s assessment is that we will continue to maintain our position on GMO-free feed for Swedish cows. Sweden is a very important market for the group, and we believe that this is currently good for Arla’s brand and our business.”

Mixed messages cause confusion

It should be noted that several of Arla’s best-selling cheeses already contain GMO-produced rennet, including the popular household cheese. At the same time, Arla is trying to present the change as something positive, highlighting, among other things, that the industrially produced enzyme provides a more consistent quality than traditional rennet and that their cheeses can now be eaten by those who “prefer a vegetarian diet”.

Arla’s double stance, opposing the use of genetically modified organisms in animal feed while seeking to increase the use of GMO-produced rennet in its production, has provoked strong reactions on social media, where many question the company’s credibility on the GMO issue.

Critics argue that Arla is trying to maintain a GMO-free image to the outside world, while in practice increasing its dependence on genetic engineering in the manufacturing process – something they believe risks undermining trust in the brand and misleading consumers.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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