Anti-terrorism bill risks threatening freedom of association

Association

Anti-terrorism bill risks threatening freedom of association

On 28th October 2021 the Swedish government presented a bill titled “Freedom of association and terrorist organisations” (prop. 2021/22:42). The aim of this legislative proposal is to tackle terrorism by criminalising organisations that support terrorist ideas. This bill is a further step forward in the government's endeavour to combat terrorism in Sweden and builds on a previous law, the “association with terrorist organisations” (passed in March 2020).

Many CSOs fear that, if approved, the bill will not achieve its main objective. Instead, it risks making it easier for the government to interfere with the work of civil society organisations that may be wrongly classified as terrorist, as reported by the European Civic Forum. This is particularly dangerous if the concept of terrorism is redefined potentially by future governments in a way that is anti-democratic.