SWEDEN
Business leaders call: Introduce martial law against gang violence
Published 2023-10-21

More and more people in the business world are warning that the escalating immigration-related gang violence has serious consequences for the business world and thus Sweden's economic prosperity. Now the finance chief Christer Gardell is directing a call to the politicians to take a significantly tougher approach and if necessary resort to martial law to stop the violent progress of the gangs.

Investigations show that the gang-criminal shootings and explosions have far-reaching consequences for the private business world. This applies on the ground where traders are directly affected by the gangs and cannot or dare not continue to operate.

But it also applies on a more general level of business life, where both domestic and international investors have now begun to shy away from investing their money in Swedish companies. The export industry alone accounts for half of Sweden's economic prosperity and other large companies for additional shares.

Sweden as a welfare state under threat
Even competent labor is now choosing Sweden more and more often. This applies both to highly educated Swedes who look abroad, as well as highly educated people in other countries who would rather choose to seek happiness elsewhere than in the record country of shooting deaths and explosions.

The entire welfare society is endangered if the business world is affected, so business leaders like Christer Gardell do not only speak for themselves and protect not only their own money when he now goes out, but a warning and a call to the politicians to take the real hard gloves to eradicate gang crime.

More optimistic than police chiefs
Senior police chiefs such as Jale Poljarevius have communicated disappointing news and believe that immigration-related gang crime is here to stay. Even if you cage the gang criminals who are now criminally active and dissolve one or another gang structure, new gangs will quickly form, is his assessment.

Christer Gardell is more optimistic. But to get rid of the gangs, a much tougher approach is required than what has been discussed so far, he believes.

- It is probably almost martial law that needs to be introduced in the country, he says in an interview with TT.

Few who "saw it coming"
Gardell describes the development of crime in Sweden as "terrible" and that not many people thought 15 years ago that it would go as fast as it has. Statistics show that you have to go to countries at war or states on the verge of collapse like Mexico to find places where there are more shootings and explosions than in Sweden.

- That Sweden would become the most gang-criminal country in Europe, we did not think that 15 years ago, says Gardell.

There are of course those who early on "saw it coming" and tried to warn of how the gang criminal development is intimately connected with an extremely high immigration of people who have not been able to integrate into Swedish society. But such warnings were dismissed as racism for a long time, and such voices still occur today, despite the fact that with hindsight those who raised the alarm have proven to be right.

Systemic threat to business
When violent gang crime and other immigration-related problems have been discussed, it has rarely been about business life on a macro level. If the negative effects for traders have been mentioned, it has usually been about things like the ICA trader who suffers from shoplifting, threats and robberies.

But Christer Gardell and other business leaders have now begun to warn that gang crime can also be a systemic threat to business in Sweden. The violence scares away foreign competence from the labor market and causes talented Swedes to move abroad.

The same applies to investors and their capital. Being the international record holder in gang criminal shootings and explosions is not good advertising for Sweden if you want to attract foreign investors.

- They might choose a country that has less crime and that people actually want to move to, notes Gardell.

Does not depend on "socio-economic factors"
He further says that too few have realized how serious the gang criminal development is from a Swedish economic perspective - the effects are considerably more far-reaching than many realise.

The talk of "socio-economic factors" and financial gaps as the root of rampant gang crime does not give Gardell much credit. but if Sweden becomes a poorer country due to this development, of course the gaps can increase and more people will become poor, which is why it is important, even from a more leftist perspective, to get rid of crime so that business can continue to generate wealth.

SWEDEN

Confirmation trip to Stockholm is canceled by the Church - considered too dangerous
Published 2023-10-22

The rampant immigrant violence in Sweden means that the Church of Sweden in Arvika is canceling trips to major Swedish cities.

Even the traditional confirmation trip to Stockholm is affected by the wave of violence.

- It would feel far too dangerous, says Charlotte Mackenrott, parish priest in Arvika Pastorate, to state radio .

Instead, the church chooses Oslo as a destination for both staff and confirmands.

Preparing for terrorist attacks
At the same time, a survey conducted by P4 Värmland shows that many pastorates within the Church of Sweden in Värmland have taken measures due to the increased risk of terrorist attacks.

- Right now it feels important that we regularly bring it up in staff meetings, says Charlotte Mackenrott.