The Swedish government on Friday again sought to discredit claims that Swedish social services agencies had kidnapped Muslim children, saying Sweden was once again witnessing a “systematized” and “extensive” disinformation campaign.
“This campaign has regained momentum,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
“This is false. This is not true. Sweden doesn’t kidnap children. Social services don’t kidnap children,” Kristersson said at a news conference. “Neither Muslims nor other children.”
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He said social workers and other employees are being “exposed on social media and threatened”.
He said the government would send guards inside social services offices and allocate more funds to the Swedish Psychological Defense Agency, which was set up to counter disinformation, to help it deal with the “systematized” campaign against Sweden.” the money would be given to the agency.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said his social services agencies do not kidnap Muslim children and that claims suggesting otherwise are false.
(Chesnot/Getty Images)
The statement came amid tensions with predominantly Muslim Turkey over applications by Sweden and Finland to become NATO members.
Turkey is angry that Sweden has allowed anti-Turkish protests to take place, and specifically for failing to stop an anti-Muslim activist from repeatedly burning the Koran, the Muslim holy book. She also believes that Sweden is not doing enough to counter Kurdish activists it considers terrorists. Unless her demands are met, she says she will not approve Sweden’s application to NATO, which must be accepted by all 30 members of the military alliance.
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Kristersson said the disinformation campaign surrounding child abductions began in 2021. The Psychological Defense Agency said last year the allegations could be traced to an Arabic-language site whose creator has expressed support for the group Islamic state.
In February 2022, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said that “all children in Sweden are protected and cared for equally under Swedish legislation” and that social workers need a court order to remove children from their parents without consent.
