Sweden
Decades-long cover-up continues of assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme
By Jordan Shilton, 13 June 2020
The announcement settles none of the many unanswered questions about the first assassination of a European head of government in the post-war era.
Swedish health officials admit “herd immunity” policy led to “too many” deaths
By Jordan Shilton, 5 June 2020
Sweden’s policy has been lauded internationally by mouthpieces for the financial elite and big business, who were determined to force working people back to their jobs as soon as multi-billion bailouts for the financial oligarchy were completed.
Sweden’s “herd immunity” policy produces one of world’s highest fatality rates
By Jordan Shilton, 27 May 2020
Sweden’s policy has been praised by reactionary political forces and the corporate media internationally to bolster their criminal back-to-work campaigns.
Failure to halt COVID-19 spread leads to mass deaths in Swedish elder care homes
By Jordan Shilton, 13 May 2020
Sweden’s high fatality rate is due to official opposition to a lockdown and mass testing, and to decades-long austerity policies that devastated health care and other key services.
Sweden forced to admit significant under-counting of coronavirus deaths
By Jordan Shilton, 30 April 2020
Sweden did not impose a lock-down and even delayed issuing social distancing guidelines, leading to more deaths and pushing the health system to the limit.
Experts criticise Swedish government for failing to prevent COVID-19 spread
By Jordan Shilton, 3 April 2020
As the government refuses to issue shelter-at-home orders, medical personnel are asking how many lives it intends to sacrifice to keep up production and profits.
Scandinavian Airlines lays off 10,000 airline workers as coronavirus triggers global jobs massacre
By Jordan Shilton, 17 March 2020
The devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on workers in the travel industry and related sectors is not confined to Scandinavia, but is unfolding on a global scale.
Collapse of Swedish “sexual misconduct” frame-up exposes political conspiracy against Assange
By Oscar Grenfell, 20 November 2019
The discrediting of the Swedish investigation, which played a linchpin role in the US-led pursuit of Assange, exposes the lawless character of the entire operation against the WikiLeaks founder.
Sweden drops investigation into bogus sexual misconduct allegations against Julian Assange
By Patrick Martin, 19 November 2019
The action confirms that the incessant media claims of “rape” and “sexual assault” by the WikiLeaks founder are a politically motivated fraud.
US, Sweden and Britain dismiss UN finding that they tortured Assange
By Oscar Grenfell, 29 July 2019
The responses to the detailed indictment issued by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer are the latest demonstration of the illegal character of the campaign against the WikiLeaks founder.
In legal victory for Assange, Swedish court rules against extradition
By Oscar Grenfell, 4 June 2019
Despite Swedish prosecutors having investigated Julian Assange on bogus allegations of sexual misconduct for eight years, they have never charged him.
Swedish hearing to extradite Julian Assange delayed until June 3
By Mike Head, 22 May 2019
The Swedish allegations, first issued in 2010, are aimed at blackening the WikiLeaks founder’s name and devising a mechanism to have him dragged off to the US.
Sweden reopens “preliminary investigation” and seeks extradition of Julian Assange
By Chris Marsden, 14 May 2019
No new evidence has been cited by Sweden’s deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson.
Strike by 1,400 pilots grounds hundreds of flights at Scandinavian Airlines
By Jordan Shilton, 29 April 2019
While pilots, cabin crew, and ground staff have suffered wage cuts since 2012, SAS chief executive Rickard Gustafson’s total compensation has shot up by 38 percent over the past three years.
Swedish election results in gridlock and growth of the far-right
By Gabriel Black, 11 September 2018
The neo-fascist Swedish Democrats won a hearing only because of the bankruptcy of the ruling parties, which have overseen decades of cuts and social decay.
Far-right Sweden Democrats poised to make gains in general election
By Jordan Shilton, 8 September 2018
Chief responsibility for the rise of the right-wing extremists lies with the Social Democrats, who have gutted public spending and whipped up anti-immigrant chauvinism.
#MeToo turns deadly
Opera singer Anne Sofie von Otter blames #MeToo witch-hunt for her husband’s suicide
By David Walsh, 3 August 2018
Anne Sofie von Otter, the famed Swedish mezzo-soprano, is speaking out to the press for the first time about the March 2018 suicide of her husband, Benny Fredriksson.
Swedish student protest halts deportation of Afghan man
By Paul Bond, 28 July 2018
Elin Ersson’s actions, defying the anti-immigrant policies adopted throughout the European Union, have struck a popular chord.
Swiss whistleblower Falciani arrested in Spain on order from Switzerland
By Marianne Arens, 11 April 2018
Hervé Falciani, who exposed thousands of cases of tax evasion, now faces extradition to Switzerland, in a deal that could include the extradition of two Catalonian politicians.
Sweden drops bogus investigation, but Julian Assange threatened with extradition to US
By Robert Stevens, 20 May 2017
The case against the WikiLeaks founder was concocted from the beginning so he could be sent from Sweden to the US.
Four killed, a dozen injured in Stockholm attack
By Kumaran Ira, 8 April 2017
A man drove a stolen lorry into a crowd outside a Stockholm department store, killing at least four people and injuring more than 12.
Sweden brings back the draft
By Johannes Stern, 4 March 2017
The reintroduction of forced military conscription in Sweden is taking place as the major imperialist powers are militarizing in preparation for a new world war.
Julian Assange statement exposes bogus rape allegation
By Steve James, 13 December 2016
Assange not only exposes the bogus rape allegations made against him, but presents a devastating review of the US-led campaign to ensure his arrest pending deportation.
Swedish authorities finally question Julian Assange after six years
By Robert Stevens, 15 November 2016
The Swedish authorities are blatantly flouting international law in their vindictive pursuit of Assange.
Swedish prosecutors to question Julian Assange in Ecuador’s London embassy
By Paul Mitchell, 15 August 2016
Assange remains fearful that attempts will be made to railroad him to the United States, where a sealed Grand Jury indictment involving espionage charges is awaiting him.
Stock market panic risks new financial crisis
By Andre Damon, 12 February 2016
The global sell-off expresses growing fears that the trillions pumped into the financial system since 2008 have done nothing to improve its underlying health, and may have sown the seeds for a crash on an even greater scale.
Sweden announces plans to deport up to 80,000 refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 29 January 2016
Sweden’s announcement came the same day as Human Rights Watch published a scathing indictment of the curtailment of democratic rights in Europe in response to the refugee crisis.
Danish and Swedish governments step up attacks on refugees
By Jordan Shilton, 20 January 2016
Measures once associated with fascist regimes are again being employed against refugees fleeing war in the Middle East.
UK pressured Sweden not to question Julian Assange in London
By Paul Mitchell, 24 October 2015
Nearly five years after Assange’s arrest without charge, and in breach of a Swedish law, the prosecutor has still not taken a statement from the WikiLeaks editor.
Swedish deal to avert early elections
By Jordan Shilton, 13 January 2015
All of the establishment parties have united around an openly right-wing programme that cannot be challenged by the electorate over the course of the next eight years.
Sweden mounts military operation to find alleged Russian submarine
By Jordan Shilton, 22 October 2014
The alleged underwater threat is being exploited to justify the militarization of the region.
Swedish elections: Support declines for establishment parties
By Jordan Shilton, 16 September 2014
Support for the far-right Sweden Democrats has grown as the country’s leading parties intensified their attacks on the social state and democratic rights.
Sweden strengthens military in response to Ukraine crisis
By Jordan Shilton, 15 May 2014
Sweden’s government has revealed plans to boost military spending by more than 10 percent over the next ten years.
Swedish intelligence service spying on Russia for US National Security Agency
By Jordan Shilton, 30 December 2013
The deepening connections of Swedish intelligence services with the US and Britain over the past decade have coincided with the country’s formal abandonment of its posture of neutrality.
Swedish police collect illegal database of Roma
By Jordan Shilton, 23 October 2013
Swedish police have created a in illegal database of over 4,000 Roma people based solely on ethnicity.
Trade unions urge anti-immigrant measures following Swedish riots
By Jordan Shilton, 10 June 2013
The Swedish trade unions are utilising the riots, which erupted last month in Stockholm and Malmo, to demand restrictions on immigration levels.
Rioting hits Stockholm after police shoot Portuguese immigrant
By Marcus Day, 25 May 2013
Rioting has occurred nightly in the suburbs of Stockholm, the Swedish capital, after police shot and killed a 69-year-old immigrant man on Sunday.
Former owner GM blocks Saab takeover
By Jordan Shilton, 28 November 2011
The future of Swedish automaker Saab remains undecided following a decision by former owner General Motors to block a proposed takeover by two Chinese firms.
Sweden’s Social Democrats in freefall
By Jordan Shilton, 10 November 2011
In recent weeks, support for Sweden’s Social Democrats has fallen to historic lows, with polls indicating little more than 25 percent of voters support the party.
Saab nears bankruptcy as restructuring plan collapses
By Jordan Shilton, 26 October 2011
Saab faces the prospect of bankruptcy after its plans to restructure fell apart last week.
Finance minister proposes “Swedish model” to solve European debt crisis
By Jordan Shilton, 24 October 2011
Sweden’s finance minister Anders Borg has spoken out in favour of a “Swedish solution” to resolve the deepening debt crisis gripping the European continent.
Swedish court grants Saab bankruptcy protection
By Jordan Shilton, 26 September 2011
If Saab is able to survive beyond the end of the year, it will be on the basis of a cost-cutting offensive against the workforce by management and the state, facilitated by the unions.
Swedish Left Party leader announces resignation
By Jordan Shilton, 8 September 2011
Lars Ohly, the leader of Sweden’s Left Party since 2004, revealed August 9 that he will step down as head of the party at its next congress in January 2012.
Swedish Saab workers go unpaid for second month
By Jordan Shilton, 3 August 2011
Crisis-hit automaker Saab announced last Tuesday for the second month in a row that part of its workforce would not receive their wages on time. The failure to pay employees confirms that the company is essentially bankrupt.
Saab deal with Chinese automaker paves way for job cuts, outsourcing
By Jordan Shilton, 9 May 2011
The deal provides no long-term security for Saab workers, and opens the door to a vast cost-cutting drive through the outsourcing of jobs to cheap labour locations in China.
Swedish automaker Saab nears collapse
By Jordan Shilton, 30 April 2011
Barely a year after being taken over by Dutch firm Spyker, Swedish automaker Saab is again in danger of shutdown, with the loss of thousands of jobs.
Scandinavian and other “neutral” states support assault on Libya
By Steve James, 12 April 2011
Eight Swedish fighter aircraft joined the NATO operation against Libyan government forces last week.
Unanswered questions over Stockholm suicide bomb attack
By Steve James, 17 March 2011
Ezedden Khalid Ahmed al-Khaledi, a 30-year-old nursing student claiming to be from Kuwait, has been charged with helping fund the Stockholm suicide bomb attack.
Julian Assange legal team makes devastating critique of Swedish extradition attempt
By Robert Stevens, 8 February 2011
The attempt to extradite WikiLeaks founder and editor Julian Assange to Sweden on trumped-up sex charges was stepped up yesterday in the Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court in London.
Obama administration steps up vendetta against WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange
By Patrick O’Connor, 10 December 2010
The British Independent newspaper reported Wednesday that US and Swedish officials were engaged in closed door discussions aimed at delivering WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange into American custody.
Sweden issues international arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Assange
By David Walsh, 19 November 2010
Swedish authorities, stepping up their campaign of persecution against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, have issued an international arrest warrant for his detention.
Shootings of immigrants in Sweden
By Jordan Shilton, 10 November 2010
A man was arrested in Malmö on Saturday in connection with a spate of shootings targeting immigrants.
Minority government formed in Sweden
By Jordan Shilton, 26 October 2010
The right-wing Alliance led by Frederick Reinfeldt is attempting to continue in government despite failing to achieve an outright majority in last month’s parliamentary elections.
The rise of the Sweden Democrats and the Swedish far right
By I.K. Karlsson and Jordan Shilton, 30 September 2010
In the September 19 election, the nationalist Sweden Democrats increased their support to nearly 6 percent of the vote and claimed 20 seats in parliament for the first time.
Ballot irregularities fuel uncertainty over Sweden’s election result
By Jordan Shilton, 27 September 2010
Although the final result from Sweden’s 6,063 electoral districts was declared on Thursday, the outcome of the September 19 vote remains in dispute.
Right-wing Alliance inflicts defeat on Sweden’s social democrats
By Jordan Shilton, 22 September 2010
Swedish parliamentary elections saw the right-wing Alliance achieve victory, the first time a rightwing group has secured a second term in office in over 80 years. The Social Democrats dropped to an historic low, with just over 30 percent of the vote.
Swedish Greens offer support to right-wing Alliance
By Jordan Shilton, 16 September 2010
The Swedish Greens have indicated that they will back a right-wing Alliance government to keep out the far-right Sweden Democrats, a further illustration of the lack of any principled political difference between the two main electoral blocs in the September 19 vote.
Opposition in Sweden presents election program
By Jordan Shilton, 10 September 2010
The centre-left opposition in Sweden has presented a joint election manifesto ahead of the September 19 vote.
Swedish prosecutor re-opens “rape” case against WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange
By David Walsh, 2 September 2010
The decision by a senior Swedish prosecutor to reopen the rape charges against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange is a transparently political decision. There is every reason to believe this is part of a “dirty tricks” operation.
Swedish election dominated by economy and unemployment
By Jordan Shilton, 17 August 2010
Campaigning in Sweden’s parliamentary elections has been under way for several weeks, with the vote set for September 19. The supposed success of the governing Alliance has come at the expense of the working class over the past four years.
Sweden: Spyker announces last-minute purchase of Saab
By Jordan Shilton, 2 February 2010
Spyker and General Motors announced a “binding agreement” at a Stockholm press conference Tuesday, January 28, for the sale of Saab.
Sweden: Saab workers protest as GM begins winding down operations
By Jordan Shilton, 15 January 2010
More than 3,000 workers gathered outside Saab’s main facilities in Trollhättan on Tuesday to oppose the shutdown of Saab and denounce the actions of its owner, General Motors.
GM confirms closure of Saab
By Jordan Shilton, 30 December 2009
Despite last-minute talks with Dutch sports car maker Spyker on a potential sale, General Motors has confirmed that it will push ahead with its plans to wind down operations at Saab.
Sweden: GM threatens Saab shutdown by year’s end
By Jordan Shilton, 18 December 2009
Following the collapse of the attempted sale of Saab to the Koenigsegg Group, General Motors has announced it will close down operations at Saab at the end of the month if no new buyer is found.
Sweden: Koenigsegg pulls out of Saab deal
By Jordan Shilton, 28 November 2009
After months of uncertainty, the Koenigsegg Group announced November 24 that it was no longer interested in purchasing Saab Automobile.
Sweden: Further delays in Koenigsegg takeover of Saab
By Jordan Shilton, 19 November 2009
In spite of the decision of the European Investment Bank (EIB) on October 21 to grant Saab Automobile a €400 million loan, the deal to sell the GM unit to Koenigsegg Group remains in the balance.
Swedish government to provide backing to Saab sale
By Jordan Shilton, 15 October 2009
Sweden’s right-wing Alliance government announced on October 7 that it would provide support to the bid of the Koenigsegg Group to take over automaker Saab.
UN climate change meeting
No agreement between major powers on carbon emissions
By Tom Eley, 23 September 2009
Tuesday’s global warming summit failed to ease differences among the major powers in advance of a December treaty conference in Copenhagen.
Sweden: Koenigsegg bid to buy Saab under threat
By Jordan Shilton, 27 August 2009
Having announced in June that it was set to purchase Saab, there is a strong possibility that the consortium Koenigsegg Group AB may be unable to finance its bid.
Sweden: Luxury automaker Koenigsegg announces purchase of Saab
By Jordan Shilton, 29 June 2009
The struggling automaker Saab will be sold to Koenigsegg, a Swedish company that manufactures luxury sports cars.
Baltic economic instability threatens to spread to Sweden
By Jordan Shilton, 15 June 2009
Deepening economic problems in Latvia are threatening to spread throughout the region.
Sweden: Saab granted three-month extension in bankruptcy protection
By Jordan Shilton, 5 June 2009
A local judge has given Swedish automaker Saab a further three months protection from creditors, as it seeks to find a buyer.
Sweden: Uncertainty over future of Saab
By Jordan Shilton, 15 May 2009
Two months after filing for bankruptcy protection, the future for Swedish automaker Saab remains unclear.
Sweden: Over half a million face unemployment
By Jordan Shilton, 14 April 2009
Over half a million people will be out of work in Sweden next year, according to the latest predictions.
Sweden: Saab announces more layoffs as unions agree to wage cuts
By Jordan Shilton, 25 March 2009
Saab announced 750 job cuts at its main plant in Trollhätten on March 12.
Sweden: Unions promote nationalism over Saab
By Jordan Shilton, 3 March 2009
Sweden’s trade unions have organised a campaign for state aid to rescue the ailing carmaker Saab.
Swedish automaker Saab seeks bankruptcy protection
By Jordan Shilton, 25 February 2009
The automaker Saab is to be given temporary bankruptcy protection to enable it to carry out a “restructuring” programme.
Sweden: Left Party seeks coalition with Social Democrats
By Jordan Shilton, 26 November 2008
Recent months have seen stepped-up efforts by the Swedish Social Democrats to negotiate terms for a potential coalition after the next general election, due in 2010.
Sweden bails out banks as economy enters recession
By Jordan Shilton, 8 November 2008
Sweden’s Alliance government has announced that 1.5 trillion kronor (approx. $200 billion) has been made available to bail out the banking sector.
Scandinavian countries respond to Russia-Georgia conflict
By Jordan Shilton, 6 October 2008
The war between Russia and Georgia has greatly increased tensions, not only in the immediate region but throughout the world. Scandinavia is no exception.
Social Democratic government in Sweden pressed to adopt euro
By Robert Stevens, 11 October 1999
The ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Sweden is being pressed by key political figures and institutions to hasten the country's entry into the European Monetary Union (EMU). Sweden had opted out of joining the first wave of countries to adopt the euro in January 1999.
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