Thursday, October 23, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Threats and harassment common at Swedish universities

Published 12 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Södertörn University in Stockholm.
2 minute read

Four out of ten researchers and teachers say they have been subjected to harassment, threats or violence during working hours, according to a report from the University of Gothenburg.

Most often, the perpetrator is a student at the university – but it is also common to be victimized by colleagues at the same department.

Experiences of threats and harassment are common at Swedish universities and it is a major challenge, says researcher David Brax, who wrote the report.

Brax is a senior investigator at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg and has produced the study together with SULF (Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers) and SUHF (Swedish Association of Universities and University Colleges), and it is based on survey responses from about researchers and teachers at Swedish universities and colleges.

Researchers and teachers in the humanities and social sciences report the greatest vulnerability. In these subject areas, 47% and 43% respectively say they have experienced threats and/or harassment”, it notes.

Threatening emails are the most common, followed by threatening statements in person and threats or attacks via social media. Violence, theft and vandalism also occur but to a much lesser extent.

“Often happens in teaching situations”

Students are identified as the most common group of perpetrators, and half of the researchers and teachers who have been subjected to threats or harassment in the past 12 months say that it was a student who was behind it. At the same time, it is also common for colleagues to threaten and harass each other.

A large proportion say they have been victimized by a student, or by someone else in their own department or unit, and that this often happens in teaching situations, Brax continues.

It can also be noted that female researchers and teachers are more often victimized by students, while male researchers and teachers are more victimized by their colleagues.

The report suggests that threats and harassment are largely an internal problem within the university”, it concludes.

Left-wing political activism

According to the responses, the threats and harassment have led many researchers and teachers to avoid engaging in certain topics, refrain from speaking out on certain issues, or consider leaving their positions.

When students attack teachers, it is primarily in the context of teaching and supervision it is less clear why staff members threaten and harass each other.

In this context, it should also be mentioned that the National Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg has been severely criticized on several occasions in the past, and accused of being an arena for left-wing political activists whose alleged gender equality work in practice sabotages the universities’ right to self-determination and restricts academic freedom.

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Denmark criticizes new nuclear power plans in southern Sweden

Published today 7:32
– By Editorial Staff
The Barsebäck nuclear power plant in southern Sweden shut down in 2005.
2 minute read

A new investigation shows that new nuclear power plants can be built in the Barsebäck area, Sweden, after a political majority in Kävlinge municipality expressed a desire to establish nuclear power there.

However, the plans are causing irritation among Denmark’s ruling Social Democrats, who consider this would be “unfortunate”.

The Barsebäck nuclear power plant in southern Sweden consisted of two reactors that were decommissioned in 1999 and 2005. Demolition began in 2016 and the plan is for the site to be leveled by 2030. Kävlinge municipality, where the decommissioned nuclear power plant is located, has agreed with the landowner that the site should accommodate development of fossil-free energy solutions such as solar power.

However, the new investigation commissioned by the municipality with support from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency shows that it is also possible to establish new nuclear power in the area. That said, it would require strong consideration for the nature in the area. The report primarily points to Barsebäck marsh, Ulakärr, Lödde stream and Salviken as having high natural values that need to be protected.

We’re not at the point of breaking ground. But they have concluded that in certain areas it works well, in other areas the investigation says that nature interests take precedence here, says Annsofie Thuresson from the Moderate Party to Sydsvenskan.

Proximity to Copenhagen causes concern

The Swedish government has recently presented a new legislative proposal for amendments to the Environmental Code that would allow the establishment of new nuclear power along the coast.

The Barsebäck area is located near Denmark, and the potential plans to build new nuclear power are meeting resistance from Danish Social Democrats.

It is unfortunate that Sweden continues on this path and plans to build new reactors near Copenhagen. Especially at a time when our security is under so much pressure“, writes the party’s political chairman Niels Bjerrum to Danish newspaper Berlingske.

At the same time, the Danish party Liberal Alliance, among others, is positive about establishing new nuclear power and wants to scrap wind power in Denmark to instead invest in more nuclear power facilities.

Save the Children: One in eight children in Sweden lives in poverty

Welfare collapse

Published yesterday 13:26
– By Editorial Staff
Single parents face particular difficulties making ends meet, the report shows.
2 minute read

One in eight children in Sweden currently lives in poverty, and the number is increasing in line with rising living costs, according to a new report from Save the Children Sweden.

According to recent figures from the children’s rights organization Save the Children, approximately 276,000 children in Sweden live in poverty, representing nearly 13 percent of all children in the country. This is revealed in the report “Child Poverty in Sweden 2025” which was presented during the week.

The report is based on new metrics from the Swedish Consumer Agency’s calculations of families’ basic needs and includes the number of children in households receiving social assistance. The aim is to better reflect the reality for children in economically vulnerable households.

— The development has made it difficult for families with children who already lacked or had small margins to make ends meet. Save the Children has noticed increased vulnerability among families with children we meet in our operations, says the organization’s Secretary General Åsa Regnér in a press release.

Stock image. Photo: Pixabay

Rising living costs and declining real wages

Save the Children highlights several factors in the report that explain the increasing economic vulnerability among families with children. Among the primary causes are sharply rising living costs, particularly for food and housing, as well as unemployment and declining real wages.

Additionally, the report reveals clear differences between various groups in society. Children living with single parents or in households with foreign-born parents face a significantly higher risk of experiencing poverty.

The organization calls for several national reforms to reverse the trend. Among the proposals are previously suggested increases to child and housing benefits, as well as social assistance that is indexed to actual costs rather than just referring to general levels.

Social assistance must cover food, rent and children’s basic needs, and therefore it needs to be adapted to economic changes and the real costs of families with children, argues Åsa Regnér.

Save the Children's measurement method for child poverty

Save the Children Sweden has updated its method for measuring child poverty. The new measure takes into account the Swedish Consumer Agency's calculations of basic needs and the number of children in families receiving social assistance. Between 2019 and 2022, poverty decreased according to both measures, but during 2023, the new measure shows an increase.

Source: Save the Children Sweden

Swedish Liberals propose €200,000 for Pride crosswalks

The LGBT lobby

Published 21 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
LGBTQ+ issues are close to Jan Jönsson's heart, and to the general public he is perhaps best known for his habit of dressing up as a drag queen.
2 minute read

With less than a year until the election and polling around two percent voter support, the Liberal Party in Stockholm is proposing that the city paint more crosswalks in rainbow colors to show support for the LGBTQ movement.

Taxpayers are expected to cover the total cost of approximately €200,000.

Currently, there is only one rainbow-colored crosswalk in the Swedish capital, located outside Stockholm City Hall. According to the Liberals’ budget proposal, this number should be significantly increased through the project “Proud streets in rainbow colors”.

Opposition city councilor Jan Jönsson (L), who is driving the proposal, argues that the initiative would clearly signal that Stockholm is a city that stands for “love, openness and inclusion”, reports Samnytt.

The proposal comes as the Liberal Party faces the threat of being voted out of the Riksdag. With polling around two percent – far below the four percent threshold required for parliamentary representation – the party is now seeking attention through symbolic policy proposals ahead of next year’s elections.

Drag queens – a cause close to the heart

Jan Jönsson has previously attracted attention for a series of attention-seeking initiatives in recent years. He has called himself “the gangs’ worst enemy” in a campaign about gang crime, although his proposals in practice mainly involved sitting down and having serious conversations with criminal youth.

He has also advocated for men dressed as drag queens to be allowed to read stories to children at libraries. According to Jönsson, it is of utmost importance to protect drag queens’ rights, and he considers it an “art form” that must be defended.

— We want to defend drag queens and everyone else’s right to express themselves. No one should have to hesitate to exercise their right to freedom of expression out of fear of reprisals of any kind, he declared in connection with putting on makeup himself, dressing in women’s clothing and organizing his own drag queen story time in support of the group in question.

— It’s about how people try to restrict people’s right to express themselves and be who they want to be. Especially this art form. This applies to Sweden and not least other countries where increasingly cold winds are blowing, Jönsson warned, claiming that many European countries are moving in an “LGBTQ-hostile direction”.

Sharp increase in children suspected of murder plots in Sweden

organized crime

Published 20 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In 2022, 14 children under the age of 15 were suspected of involvement in murder plots. This year, that number has risen to 127.
3 minute read

The number of minors suspected of planning murders has skyrocketed in a short time, according to new figures from the Swedish Prosecution Authority. More than 120 children under 15 are currently under investigation for planning deadly violence.

At the same time, the Swedish government reports that the fight against gang crime shows some progress – but the development raises concerns.

The government’s initiative against gangs has been a central part of the Tidö Agreement between the governing parties and the Sweden Democrats. Three years after the cooperation began, several sentences have been toughened, the justice system has received increased resources, and police have gained access to new tools.

Despite this, it remains unclear whether organized crime is actually decreasing. However, one clearly positive trend is that the number of shootings has decreased sharply in recent years.

According to police statistics, 314 shootings occurred through September 2022. During the same period this year, the number has dropped to 113. The number of fatal shootings has decreased from 49 to 26 during the corresponding period – excluding the ten people killed in the attack at Risbergska School in Örebro, central Sweden.

Police assess that more violent crimes are being stopped in time thanks to expanded possibilities for secret surveillance and other intelligence methods. More murder investigations are also being solved, according to the authority.

Bombings and arson increase

At the same time, the trend points in the opposite direction regarding bombings and arson attacks. These have increased but rarely lead to fatalities. Recently, many of the bombings have been carried out with powerful pyrotechnics instead of military explosives.

Police also see successes on the international front. So far this year, 183 gang-connected individuals have been arrested abroad – a record figure – of which 35 are classified as so-called priority actors. Despite this, the total circle of gang criminals is not assessed to be decreasing.

According to police’s latest situation report from autumn 2024, around 14,000 people are actively involved in the gang environment and an additional 48,000 have connections to it. When the next report is presented in November, the numbers are expected to rise.

Directing crime from abroad

Police also estimate that approximately 700 gang criminals now operate from abroad – an increase of 100 people since previous calculations.

The most concerning trend, however, involves children and young people. In 2022, 14 children under 15 were suspected of involvement in murder plots. This year, the figure has risen to 127, according to new data from the Swedish Prosecution Authority.

The suspicions mainly concern attempted murder, preparation, conspiracy and aiding and abetting murder, but also nine completed murders and a couple of cases of incitement.

Sprängdåd Uppsala september 2023
Bombings are increasing alarmingly in Sweden (archive image Uppsala, Sep. 2023). Photo: Facsimile/Aftonbladet Play/YT

Children recruiting children

According to the Swedish Ministry of Justice, children are often recruited via social media, where gang criminals post orders for violent acts. A growing trend is also that children themselves recruit other children. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (Moderate Party) believes that crime has not worsened, but that it has changed character.

Criminologist Manne Gerell assesses that the development is largely moving in the right direction: – The best indicator for me is how many people die or are seriously injured, and there we have seen a massive decrease in shootings.

Gerell believes the decrease is mainly due to increased resources for police rather than individual reforms in the Tidö Agreement: – Everything else is small puzzle pieces that individually could hardly have played any role, he says.

Among the measures that have had the least effect, he mentions the visitation zones, which have been used less than expected and have not produced any clear results.

Police simultaneously warn that the level of violence within gangs remains high and that new spirals of violence may arise: – One concern is that hundreds of children and young people who were taken for involvement in these crimes a few years ago will, to a large extent, be back on the streets soon if they aren’t already, says Manne Gerell.

The Tidö Agreement and the fight against gang violence – what's coming in 2025/26

  • Legislative proposal on expanded criminal liability for attempted, preparatory, and conspiracy to commit crimes
  • Legislative proposal on new indeterminate prison sentence, security sentence
  • Legislative proposal allowing police to use AI for real-time facial recognition with cameras
  • Legislative proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years for serious crimes
  • Legislative proposal to completely abolish sentence reductions for young people between 18 and 21 years
  • Legislative proposal on reduced sentence reductions for young people aged 15–17 years
  • Stricter rules for conditional release enter into force on January 1
  • Investigation proposal on allowing police to use entrapment
  • Legislative proposal on being able to deport foreign nationals with gang connections
  • Investigation proposal on reversed burden of proof in asset forfeiture cases
  • Investigation on new possibilities for police to intervene in the cyber environment


Examples of legislative proposals from the criminal law review

  • multiple offenses to be assessed more severely
  • sentencing scales for approximately fifty crimes to be tightened
  • less consideration given to mitigating circumstances
  • up to double sentences for crimes linked to gang criminality

Source: Ministry of Justice (Sweden)

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