Summoning the media for a press conference is part of everyday political life and normally requires no special permits. But when Peter Sörensen, a recently resigned city council member in Karlstad, gathered journalists outside the much-discussed Oskarslund care home, the local police made a different assessment. The press event was seen as a public gathering – and now Sörensen is being prosecuted for violating the Public Order Act. He himself did not believe a permit was needed.

It was on August 19 that the Karlstad Party for Quality of Life (KPL) called the media to Oskarslund in Karlstad. The care home had become the center of intense local debate over the summer following reports of serious misconduct and several Lex Sarah investigations. Already in June, Sörensen had held a press conference about the conditions at the facility.

Samnytt has previously reported on how demented pensioners at Oskarslund care home were allegedly subjected to severe abuses. Among other things, their hands were tied together and their mouths were taped shut to silence them.

READ ALSO: The horror at the care home: Pensioners tied up and gagged

This time, however, the meeting with the media ended in a police investigation. A police patrol with two officers was on the scene. The police report describes what the patrol saw as “a public gathering in the form of a press meeting.” When it was established that the organizer had not applied for a permit, the suspicion arose, according to the report, of a violation of the Public Order Act. The press event is said to have lasted from 11:00 to 11:45.

“No, do I need one?”

The preliminary investigation obtained by Samnytt shows that the police waited until the press event was over before contacting Sörensen. The conversation was short and to the point. The police asked if he had a permit for the gathering. Sörensen replied:

– No, do I need one?

He also stated that he was responsible for the event.

Nine days later, on August 28, the politician was summoned to a 37-minute phone interrogation as a suspect for violating the Public Order Act. Sörensen denied any wrongdoing.

His account of what actually happened differs from the traditional public gathering the criminal charge might suggest.

According to Sörensen, present at first were himself, two journalists from Värmlands Folkblad, two freelance journalists, and the party’s own cameraman at the building. At the journalists’ request, the group then moved 10–20 meters onto a grassy area for a better view. Party officials were nearby but, according to Sörensen, kept back so as not to disturb the press conference.

Police: Why didn’t you seek a permit?

During the interrogation, the police wanted to know who had actually organized the gathering. Sörensen replied that the Karlstad Party organized it and that the purpose was to present the party’s view on the recent media reports about Oskarslund. Asked if he personally organized it, he replied:

– It was me, acting on behalf of the party, who organized this. It is not private individuals who arrange press conferences, but the party.

Then came the central question in the criminal investigation – why he had not applied for a permit.

– I did not perceive that a permit was required for the event. I did not perceive that a permit was required for a press conference.

Sörensen admitted that he had not actively investigated the permit issue. He also explained that the party had repeatedly held press conferences and met the media in parks and squares, among other places, over the past eight years without considering such meetings public gatherings in need of a permit.

– I did not perceive this as a public gathering, but as a press conference.

According to him, the group eventually consisted of about ten people. At that point, there were also two care home managers and a relative present, among others.

Police asked about “public press conferences”

The interrogator then asked whether Sörensen was aware that “public press conferences held in a public place are considered public gatherings.” Sörensen insisted that he had not understood it that way.

– I did not perceive that a press conference at this location required a permit. Had I thought a permit was needed, I would of course have applied for one.

He also questioned the police’s premise about the location and said he thought they were standing on private property and not public land.

Sörensen also noted in the interrogation that the police had shown up “exactly at 11:00”, when the press conference was set to begin. According to him, the officers remained in their cars, after which he himself approached them to ask if their presence was related to the press conference.

The police evidence includes a screenshot from the Karlstad Party’s website where the press conference was advertised in advance, as well as a photograph taken from a police car. The picture shows a small number of people gathered on the walkway and lawn outside Oskarslund. The police marked Sörensen with a red arrow.

Prosecutor Takes the Case to Court

The police assessment is now supported by a prosecutor. Deputy chief prosecutor Magnus Feldth Håpnes at the Karlstad District Prosecutor’s Office filed charges at Värmland District Court on September 23.

The charge is a violation of the Public Order Act. According to the description of the act, Sörensen “organized a public gathering without having a permit for it” on August 19 at Gruvgången 130 in Karlstad. The prosecutor claims that the act was committed intentionally or through negligence, referring to Chapter 2, Section 29 of the Public Order Act.

Evidence includes the interrogation with Sörensen himself and witness testimony from police officer Daniel Claesson regarding his observations. In addition, the photographs from the preliminary investigation will be used to support that it was a public gathering and that it was planned. Sörensen denies the charge.

The district court expects the main hearing to take about 30 minutes. There will, however, be additional costs to taxpayers beyond the resources required to investigate the crime and consider the prosecution.

“A Storm in a Teacup”

Sörensen himself finds it hard to see the seriousness or criminality in the now-prosecuted press conference.

– I think it’s a storm in a teacup. But the police have to do their investigations and I understand that. But I do not see it as a criminal act, he says to Nya Wermlands-Tidningen.

The Karlstad Party had two seats in the Karlstad city council during the last term but lost both in the 2026 election after winning 1.6 percent of the votes. Sörensen’s political work with elderly care has, however, continued even after the election.