and second-generation immigrants, and
problems are rampant in what police euphe-
mistically refer to as ‘vulnerable areas’. Thus
the gang wars serve as a constant reminder
of Sweden’s failed migration and integration
policies. This is a problem for the govern-
ment (and even the opposition) in a country
that prides itself on being a ‘humanitarian
superpower’. And yet politicians, in govern-ment and opposition, seem particularly con-
cerned that violence in immigrant suburbs is
a PR problem, a threat to the image of Swe-
den, and that the remedy is spin.
To that end, the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs has launched a page on its official
website, purporting to address claims that
no one is making, such as ‘the high level of
immigration means that the system in Swe-
den is on the verge of collapse’. No one
says collapse; but charges of trouble or vio-lence are hard to deny if you pick up
a newspaper. Another official cam-
paign says the ‘no-go zones’ are in fact
‘go-go zones’. Try telling that to Gor-
don Grattidge, head of the paramed-
ics union Alarm/Ambulansförbundet.
He once told me that members are not
allowed to enter some Swedish neigh-
bourhoods without police protection.
Firefighters face the same real-
ity. In November, some 50 cars were
torched in a garage in a mainly immi-
grant suburb in Uppsala. Despite citi-
zens repeatedly calling the emergency
services, it took three hours before the
fire department showed up — protect-
ed by police equipped with riot gear
and machine-guns.
Paramedics and firefighters are not
the only ones who have to take pre-
cautions before entering ‘vulnerable
areas’. The Stockholm suburb of Tens-
ta had free parking for months, after the area
was deemed too dangerous for traffic war-
dens to enter. The Swedish Postal Service
has for periods of time not been delivering
packages to a crime-ridden neighbourhood
in central Malmö. A number of public librar-
ies have had to reduce their opening hours
or even close temporarily in response to har-
assment by gangs of youths.
After the latest explosions and shoot-
ings, Isabella Lövin, Deputy Prime Minister
and leader of the Green party, turned her ire
towards those who express alarm over vio-
lent crime in Sweden. How can anyone talk
about chaos in Sweden, she asked. ‘The truth
is that we are a country that gives the rest of
the democratic world hope.’ She takes pride
in running the ‘world’s first feminist govern-
ment’ but she has made it a political prior-
ity to play down growing numbers of violent
crime, rapes included. It’s a form of denial
usually associated with non-democratic
states or nations in decline.
When it comes to dealing with the surge
in violent crime, the government’s strat-
egy seems less clear. There is currently anJ
anuary was a particularly violent
month in Sweden. A 63-year-old
man was killed in Stockholm
by a hand grenade lying in the
street. A Dutch exchange student
was hit by a stray bullet during an
execution-style killing at a pizza
restaurant in Uppsala. In Gothen-
burg, a hand grenade was thrown
into a flat and exploded in the
kitchen — the same predominantly
immigrant-populated suburb where
an eight-year-old British boy was
killed in a grenade attack less than
two years ago. In Malmö, a grenade
was tossed at a police station and
exploded outside. So it has not, so
far, been a very happy new year.
For Swedes, this has become
a familiar theme. Gun violence is
on the rise, with daylight shootings
and without regard for bystanders.
In the past nine years, reported and attempt-
ed murders involving guns have almost
doubled. According to Swedish police,
hand-grenade attacks (which were virtually
unknown until a few years ago) are without
parallel in countries not at war.
The grenades — dubbed ‘apples’ by crim-
inals — are smuggled into the country from
former Yugoslavia. They are plentiful in the
black market for weapons after the wars in
the Balkans and are sold cheaply, or even
handed out as freebies upon purchase of
assault rifles. Stockholm police recently put
a figure on it: less than £890 can buy you five
automatic weapons and ammunition with
64 hand grenades as a sweetener. The gre-
nades can, of course, be sold on. The street
price in Sweden is about £100.
Since explosives are not weapons to keep
at home, criminals are likely to use them
once they are in possession of them. Thus
police describe hand-grenade attacks as
‘a trend’ among gangs in Sweden.
Yet it’s still hard for Swedish authorities
to be frank about what’s going on. It’s widely
known that gang members are mainly first-
Living in fear
Violent crime in Sweden is soaring. When will politicians act?
PAULINA NEUDINGOn the black market, £890 can buy
you fi ve automatic weapons, with
64 hand grenades as a sweetener