A man in his 50s from Gothenburg, who previously served as a substitute in Parliament and Gothenburg City Council for the Moderate Party, is now being prosecuted in the Gothenburg District Court on suspicion of incitement against an ethnic group. The charges concern a Facebook post where the man linked increased non-Western immigration to the rise in the number of rapes in Sweden. At the same time, research shows a significant overrepresentation of people with such backgrounds as perpetrators of rapes.
According to the indictment, the following text was published on the man’s public Facebook page in October 2025: “It is expected that 31 percent of Sweden’s population will be Muslims by 2050. Thank you, Fredrik Reinfeldt, for your ‘open your hearts’ policy. Now rapes are ten times more common than before that policy. It turned out exactly as they planned it would.”
The prosecutor, who decided to bring charges against the former Moderate politician, argues that the wording expresses “contempt for an ethnic group based on religion, in this case Muslims.”
Reported to Police by Facebook Friend
The report was made by a woman who stated that she only knew the man through Facebook and not personally. In her report, she described that the man had published several posts about politics, immigration, and various social issues, expressing anti-immigration opinions that she disliked.
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In the police’s preliminary investigation protocol, it is revealed that the man had about 4,500 followers on Facebook and that the post in question had received several reactions. The reach of written content is a factor courts consider when assessing whether an opinion crime has been committed.
The investigation was handled by the West Police Region’s unit for crimes threatening democracy. A police officer who secured the man’s Facebook account wrote in a memorandum that the page contained “a lot of political content and conspiracy theories.”
At the same time, police noted that later posts were not considered to qualify as incitement against an ethnic group. It is unclear why these posts were nonetheless included in the investigation. The head of the investigation reportedly has a non-Western immigrant background.
Interrogated About His Views on Immigration
During police questioning, the man denied any crime and claimed he could not be sure he had written the post in question. He speculated, among other things, that someone else might have had access to his phone or that content might have been posted in his name without his knowledge.
During the interview, the investigating officer also asked about the man’s political views and opinions on immigration.
– Do you think Sweden has taken in too many immigrants? the interviewer asked.
– I have no opinion on that, the man replied.
He was also asked about his attitude towards Fredrik Reinfeldt’s immigration policy and whether he believed Muslims were more likely to commit rape than other groups. The man repeatedly stated that he did not wish to discuss his opinions during the police interview.
The preliminary investigation also contains screenshots from the man’s Facebook page after the interview. There he expresses concern about developments in the UK and writes that, according to him, people are imprisoned for expressing anti-immigrant views, and that “similar tendencies are happening in Sweden.”
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This material was also attached to the preliminary investigation, even though it is not part of the alleged criminal act.
Now, the Moderate politician is being prosecuted himself for that which he expressed concern about and risks being sentenced to prison for – what is classified in the investigation as “conspiracy theories”.
Research on Rape Offenders Noted
The Facebook post in question addresses the issue of immigration and sexual offences – a topic that has previously received attention in Swedish research and in statistics from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå).
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In 2021, researchers at Lund University published the study Swedish rape offenders – a latent class analysis, where over 3,000 rape convictions from 2000 to 2015 were analyzed. The researchers found that about 60 percent of convicted perpetrators had a foreign background and that about 40 percent were foreign-born.
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Associate Professor Ardavan Khoshnood described the results as surprising and said the researchers did not expect the overrepresentation to be so great. Professor Kristina Sundquist meanwhile stated that the finding was a “side finding” and not the study’s main purpose.
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The study sparked extensive debate, including in Parliament where the then Minister of Justice Morgan Johansson (S) answered questions from the Sweden Democrats.
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After reports to the Appeals Board for Ethical Review, the researchers were subjected to a legal process regarding whether the research had correct ethical approval. The researchers themselves claimed they followed the rules and expressed concern over reprisals linked to the subject’s political sensitivity.
Constitutionally Protected Political Debate
In Sweden, there is strong constitutional protection for statements in public debate through the Freedom of the Press Act (TF) and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (YGL). Swedish legal practice has long emphasized that there should be broad freedom in political and societal discussions, even when statements are perceived as provocative or offensive.
The accused man was previously politically active, with much of his Facebook content concerning social issues, immigration, crime, and politics. Where the line falls between lawful political advocacy and incitement against an ethnic group is therefore expected to become central as the case is tried in court.
The Prosecutor: “It Very Quickly Becomes Incitement Against an Ethnic Group”
Samnytt spoke to the case’s prosecutor, Maria Thorell, about why she believes the Facebook post should be tried as incitement against an ethnic group – despite being published in a clearly political context by a former Moderate politician.
The former politician has held posts both in Parliament and in the Gothenburg City Council, as Nya Tider first reported.
In the interview with Samnytt, the prosecutor said, among other things, that the “bar” for what constitutes incitement against an ethnic group is “very low” and that “it very quickly becomes incitement against an ethnic group.”
How do you reason about this post being published in a political context and that the constitutional laws TF and YGL state that there should be broad leeway in the public debate?
– I think this is a case that should be tried in district court.
But you have still assessed that there are prerequisites for a conviction?
– Yes. The bar, if you will, is really low. It becomes incitement against an ethnic group very quickly. One can have opinions about that, but that’s how it is.
At the same time, there is research and statistics showing an overrepresentation within certain groups regarding this type of crime. How do you see that in relation to the statement?
– I can’t comment further, other than to say I expect it could result in a conviction here.
So you’re saying there is rather little leeway for this type of statement?
– There is quite a lot that is punishable if you look at prosecutions and verdicts concerning incitement against an ethnic group.
Do you think today’s threshold is reasonable for where the line is drawn?
– I personally have no opinion, I must abide by the legislation and legal practice as they stand.
But you still believe that this statement – despite being made in a political context by a former elected politician – falls within the scope of incitement against an ethnic group?
– That is the assessment I made in bringing charges. Then it’s up to the district court to make a ruling.
When asked about the parts of the investigation where police, among other things, describe the suspect’s other Facebook posts as “conspiracy theories” and ask about his views on immigration policy, Thorell said she couldn’t specifically recall them.
She did stress again that she had made the decision to press charges because she believes there are prerequisites for a conviction.
No Charges Brought Against Left Party Politician’s Assault on Lamotte
However, Maria Thorell has not always been as eager to prosecute. During a Gaza demonstration in 2024, citizen journalist Joakim Lamotte was subjected to a robbery assault.
In connection with the incident, Left Party politician Kristofer Lundberg was pointed out as one of those who participated and disapproved of the media presence at the demonstration – something Samnytt has previously reported on in several articles.
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The crime was reported to the police, but prosecutor Maria Thorell deemed there was no reason to file charges. In an interview with Samnytt at the time, she justified the decision by saying it was one person’s word against another about what happened.
– There are different claims from the suspects; that they acted in self-defense, or that it was a citizen’s arrest of Lamotte, she said.
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– In my assessment, one cannot rule out that things happened as they said. Then I cannot proceed with the case; I must drop it. Because then I cannot count on a conviction, the prosecutor continued.
Kristofer Lundberg was later suspended from his political appointments and after a while expelled from the party, partly for having expressed support for Palestinian terrorism.
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