Monday, September 8, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Swedish state media SVT cuts back – lays off 80 people

Published 5 October 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Hanna Stjärne has been CEO of Sveriges Television since 2014.
2 minute read

The tax-financed public broadcaster SVT has already been forced to make cuts amounting to 200 million kronor – and now needs to save an additional similar amount.

In practice, this means that 70 to 80 positions will be eliminated, with the majority of the staff reductions taking place in Stockholm.

The cuts are being driven by “increased cost pressures”. Previously, 200 million kronor were saved by “reducing office spaces in various locations around the country and decreasing management units by 10 percent”.

However, this hasn’t been sufficient, and an additional 200 million kronor needs to be saved, resulting in numerous employees being laid off.

– All media houses are pressured by large cost increases, and this naturally also applies to SVT, Hanna Stjärne tells the state channel.

– In total, we are looking at the disappearance of 70 – 80 positions, with the largest savings occurring in Stockholm. We have tried to spare news and programming. We will not be able to continue doing that. There will be cuts in editorial teams and editorial staff. We won’t get through this without layoffs, she continues.

“Heavy News”

The Chairperson of the Swedish Union of Journalists, Rebecka Mårtensson, describes the announcement as “heavy news”, stating that they did not expect so many positions to be cut.

For viewers, one noticeable change will be that live text captioning of TV programs will be fully automated in the future, with no human involvement. Hanna Stjärne also notes that the significant cuts are due to sharply increased production costs, “elevated readiness due to the security situation”, and inflation.

– SVT hasn’t received any compensation for these increased costs. The economic situation is tough in society, so we can’t count on that. We have to save, she says.

In 2022, SVT received 5.3 billion kronor (about $500 million) which is over half a billion more than what they received in 2020.

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The Church of Sweden organizes a “march of grief” for the climate

The exaggerated climate crisis

Published today 13:29
– By Editorial Staff
Swedish Bishop Andreas Holmberg is one of the key speakers at the left-wing political event.
3 minute read

The Stockholm diocese of the Church of Sweden will conduct a climate alarmist manifestation later this week where participants are encouraged to express their grief over the ongoing “climate emergency”.

For many, however, the event confirms the image of a church that has abandoned its Christian core and replaced it with left-wing radical activism.

The Church of Sweden in Stockholm is inviting the public to what they describe as a grief march on September 11.

“We invite you to a march where grief over what has been lost or is being lost through the climate emergency is given space. A public manifestation and an opportunity to grieve together with others”, write those responsible for the church in their press release.

The initiative comes at a time when the Church of Sweden has long been receiving harsh criticism from both conservatives and believers for becoming increasingly politicized and non-Christian.

Critics argue that the church has been infiltrated by left-wing radical forces that prioritize climate alarmism, LGBTQ issues, mass immigration and other “leftist issues” over Christian theology and faith in God.

Participants should come “dressed in mourning”

Bishop Andreas Holmberg will lead the march that goes from Nybroplan via Hötorget to St. Clara Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Participants are encouraged to come dressed in black or “mourning clothes” to manifest their climate grief.

“We walk in silence, with drums, without placards and shouts. The demands presented in the march: Listen to climate research, Live up to the Paris Agreement, Make decisions that secure peace and future for children, Act now”, states the invitation.

Among the co-organizers are a number of left-wing radical or climate alarmist groups such as Grand Panthers, Greta’s Elderly (Gretas Gamlingar), Grandparents For Future, Rebel Mothers (Rebellmammorna), Rebel Fathers (Rebellpapporna) and Climate Action – organizations that have previously conducted various forms of climate alarmist protests.

The Equmenia Church, PRO Stockholm County (a Swedish pensioners’ organization) and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation are also behind the event. Professor Nina Wormbs in history of technology will speak together with the bishop.

“Has nothing to do with Christianity”

For many Christians, the “climate march” confirms what they have long warned about: that the Church of Sweden has largely lost its Christian orientation and that the church’s high-ranking representatives today seem to be passionate about completely different issues.

On social media, many express grief and disappointment over the development and wonder how one should actually proceed to “take back” the national church from activists and lobbyists.

“Jesus himself emphasized the difference between politics and religion. What the Swedish Church is doing has nothing to do with Christianity”, states one user on X.

“Due to low voter turnout, politically extreme organizations have been able to take power in the Church of Sweden. The church’s gospels have been replaced with postmodernist and nihilistic messages. Go and vote next week! Banish the activists to the political arena where they belong”, argues another.

The church election takes place September 8–21 and all members of the Church of Sweden over 16 years old can vote in it.

Children tricked into sending nude photos – then extorted for money

Deteriorating safety

Published 6 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The police emphasize that parents must not blame the victimized children.
2 minute read

Last year, sexual extortion against children increased by 192 percent globally. Perpetrators manipulate children into sending nude photos of themselves and then demand money to prevent them from being distributed.

Sexual extortion of children for financial gain, known as sextortion, is increasing dramatically both in Sweden and worldwide. According to the American organization National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), reports of adults seeking contact with children online increased by a full 192 percent last year.

It is particularly teenage boys who are affected by this type of crime, which differs from other sexual crimes through its clear financial motive.

Louise Åhlén, development officer at the Swedish police unit Isöb Noa, which works with internet-related sexual crimes against children, describes the perpetrators’ methods:

— A common approach is that the perpetrator pretends to be a peer and tricks them into sending nude photos or videos. Then they threaten to distribute the image to family and friends if the child doesn’t send money to the perpetrator, she says.

“The children have done nothing wrong”

The Swedish police emphasize that how parents react if their child is affected is crucial. Louise Åhlén warns against reacting with anger or punishment:

— The absolutely most important thing is that we as parents don’t get angry at our children for having sent a nude photo or paid to avoid having them distributed. When we at the police find a child we believe has been victimized, the affected children often don’t want to tell anyone because they feel so much guilt and shame. But the children have done nothing wrong, they must receive understanding and support from the adult world, Åhlén explains.

Because the subject is so guilt-ridden and frightening for children who are affected, the number of unreported cases is probably very large. The police urge adults to talk with children both to prevent and to help those who have already been victimized.

— Ask and be curious about what’s happening in the child’s life, both what occurs online and offline, and don’t punish the child by removing apps or the phone if they’ve been victimized.

The Swedish police emphasize that children and young people’s online lives are a natural part of their everyday life that cannot or should not be prohibited.

— Children and young people socialize online. They chat and play together, it’s an important part of children’s everyday life today. We can’t protect children by forbidding them from using specific apps or games – it’s knowledge, presence and understanding that’s needed, Åhlén concludes.

Swedish politicians refused to receive migrants – face prosecution

Migration crisis in Europe

Published 5 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The chairman of the municipal council, Christian Sonesson of the Moderate Party, is one of those charged.
2 minute read

Six municipal politicians in Staffanstorp, a town in southern Sweden’s Skåne region, are being prosecuted for gross misconduct in office after the municipal board decided in 2022 not to receive a Syrian family assigned there by the Swedish Migration Agency.

Among those prosecuted is Christian Sonesson (M), chairman of the municipal council from the Moderate Party, who has previously commented on Facebook about the interrogations in the case.

“From a purely legal standpoint, we currently know nothing more than that all members have the right to a public defender”.

In March 2022, the Swedish Migration Agency assigned four quota refugees – a Syrian family – to Staffanstorp municipality according to the Settlement Act. A few days later, the municipal board, following a proposal from the chairman, decided on an immediate halt to reception, reports Bonnier newspaper Expressen.

When the family arrived at Sturup airport on May 12, no one from the municipality was present to receive them, and the Migration Agency was forced to cancel the assignment at the last minute and instead place the family in another municipality.

“Uncharted territory”

Chief prosecutor Magdalena Petersson argues that the local politicians’ decision violates the law since Swedish municipalities are obligated to follow the Migration Agency’s assignments, which cannot be appealed.

— A municipality is obligated to receive a newly arrived person after assignment. The proposal from the chairman and the municipal board’s decision violates the Settlement Act. I have therefore brought charges against six people on the municipal board who participated in the vote without reserving themselves. The crime is to be assessed as gross because the defendants have seriously abused their position as municipal politicians. It has also had consequences for both individuals and the public, she argues in a press release.

All six defendants deny wrongdoing.

— This is uncharted territory, we need to establish precedent about what applies. As far as I know, there are no previous judgments in this area, the chief prosecutor notes.

Staffanstorp under Christian Sonesson has positioned itself as one of Sweden’s most restrictive municipalities on migration issues and has repeatedly attracted national attention for its decisions. The municipality’s stance has led to friction with the Moderate Party’s significantly more immigration-liberal party leadership, which has distanced itself from the southern Swedish local politicians on several occasions.

Malmö schools to block social media

Published 3 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
As mobile restrictions have been implemented, students have started browsing social media using school computers instead.
1 minute read

Social media will be blocked on all school computers in elementary schools in Malmö, Sweden. The implementation is a pilot project to see if it counteracts harassment in schools and provides increased study peace.

It began when a special education teacher raised alarm about students’ use of social media during class time, where she emailed some concrete suggestions to the city of Malmö. This then led to an investigation into students’ digital work environment with a focus on social media.

Now the city of Malmö has decided to block social media on students’ school computers. The platforms being blocked are Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Google Chat, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Roblox, Discord and Threads. The blocking applies both during and after school hours.

Most schools today have introduced some form of mobile phone restrictions. But young people are very resourceful and find new ways, so they have replaced phones with computer, says Malmö’s education commissioner Sara Wettergren from the Liberal Party to the Bonnier publication DN.

During the investigation, teachers were positive about the blocking, but not all students were completely satisfied. However, they now hope for more study peace in schools and also that it could lead to fewer instances of harassment.

The pilot project will run throughout the 2025/2026 school year and will then be evaluated.

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