The clear-up at the site of the blast in Hasselby (Jakob Illeborg)
Swedish peculiarity
Gangs in Sweden used to be a regional problem, but it has turned into a national plague. Sweden used to be a very inclusive society, where almost everybody bought into the idea of togetherness in an egalitarian way.
The state still plays an unusually controlling role in, for instance, keeping checks on how much alcohol its citizens consume. In Stockholm, most people wait for a green light before crossing the road, even when there are no cars. Everybody is supposed to play their part in the Swedish puzzle.
But as more migrants came to Sweden, little was done to ensure they felt part of this society. In Hasselby, there is a part of town with big houses where the well-to-do, mostly white Swedish people, live and another that is much poorer. According to Lisbeth, who The Independent talks to on the train to Hasselby, the two rarely mix.
“Both the Conservatives and the Social Democrats who have governed Sweden for decades have been passive bystanders to an ever-evolving problem of segregation and lack of integration. Maybe it is not the migration, but the lack of planning for a new society that is the culprit,” said Mr Salihu, who himself has Albanian roots.
The Scandinavian model of a fair and progressive society has been exported to countries worldwide and was, for instance, a big inspiration behind Tony Blair’s New Labour movement. But the Swedish model is now under threat from within.
For Linda and her children in Hasselby, the only way is out.
“I don’t know where we will go”, she says, “but I can’t live like this. Before the bomb we had a murder in our highrise. This is no longer a good place to live.”
Source link : https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sweden-gang-violence-child-soldiers-bombs-b2420265.html
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Publish date : 2023-09-28 07:00:00
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