Freedom of association
In early 2024, Sida, the Swedish International Development Agency, announced that it would end agreements with its strategic partners in civil society by the end of the year. Traditionally, Sida aid has focused on poverty reduction through development cooperation. One way to achieve this has been through partnerships with 17 civil society organisations tasked with undertaking humanitarian initiatives in a range of thematic and geographic areas as part of a multi-year strategy. However, a new strategy published in February 2024 limited this to a single year, with minimal consultation — a significant departure from previous practice. On 29th February, the government asked Sida to evaluate the impact of its partners, but soon announced it would end all agreements by December 2024, putting a strain on long-term partnerships.
Sida subsequently announced plans to open applications for new partnerships later this year, but there are concerns about the rushed and opaque process. The restructuring is in line with the government’s reform agenda, which nominally emphasises civil society and localisation, although actual funding for local partners has been cut and the budget for development aid is set to fall in 2025. In addition, the reform agenda stipulates that development aid funds should be used to curb and control migration to Europe, and to Sweden in particular. Critics argue that this shift undermines rights-based development, citing frustration at the government’s approach.
Freedom of peaceful assembly
On 11th March 2024, dozens of climate activists, including Greta Thunberg, began blocking the main entrances to the Swedish parliament, staging a sit-down protest to highlight the climate crisis and protest political inaction. Although the group left in the afternoon on the 11th, they returned the next day to continue the demonstration. During this second day of protest, police forcibly removed Thunberg and others who were blocking the entrance. Two officers lifted Thunberg, moving her about 20 metres away from the door before setting her down. The activists were eventually cleared from the area by law enforcement.
In early May 2024, thousands gathered outside Malmö Arena in Sweden, where the Eurovision Song Contest took place, to protest Israel’s participation, accusing the contest of double standards, as Russia had been banned from the competition following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. During the multi-day event, attended by 100,000 people, video footage captured police using pepper spray and forcibly removing peaceful protesters who had staged a sit-in near the venue. According to police, one person was arrested and 20 others were detained and later released ahead of the competition final on 13th May.
On 30th May, Swedish police dismantled a tent encampment set up by students at Lund University on 16th May in solidarity with Palestinians and to protest Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Dozens of students, who resisted police orders to vacate, were forcibly removed from the site. Police spokesperson Thomas Johansson told SVT that some protesters would be allowed to collect their belongings under police escort before the tents were confiscated. One protester in his 30s required medical assessment after the encounter intensified, reporting to SVT that he was non-violent and only holding a Palestinian flag. Another protester, identified as Aseel, expressed disappointment over the early-morning police action, explaining that they had believed in a positive dialogue with the authorities.
In June 2024, Swedish police arrested 20 pro-Palestinian activists who had barricaded themselves inside Stockholm’s Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), as reported by local media. The activists used chairs and tables to block off part of the student union building, displaying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans such as “Palestine, Palestine” and “Free Palestine” from the windows. Outside, a crowd gathered to support them, while police, including officers with dogs, secured the area around the building. Police eventually forced entry, carrying out the masked activists. According to public broadcaster SVT, the individuals are expected to face charges of serious trespassing and disobeying police orders. Police officer Anders Bryngelsson confirmed that approximately 20 people were detained on these grounds.
On 9th September 2024, Greta Thunberg, participating in a pro-Palestinian protest, was removed by police from Stockholm University’s library. Thunberg and fellow demonstrators had set up tents inside the library, urging the university to sever ties with Israeli institutions. In an Instagram post with footage of the removal, Thunberg criticised the actions of Swedish police: “We will not accept the repression from Swedish police against students peacefully protesting against a genocide.” The protest drew police attention after library staff, finding the demonstration disruptive, requested that protesters relocate outside. In the afternoon, officers began removing those who refused to leave voluntarily. Police spokesperson Mats Eriksson reported that nine individuals faced charges for disobedience, and one person was detained for withholding their identity.
Freedom of expression
On 23rd May 2024, Fredrick Malmberg, editor-in-chief of TV4 News, announced that the channel had received threats. According to the Swedish trade magazine journalisten.se, the threats began after the TV4 documentary programme Kalla Fakta revealed that members of the right-wing Sweden Democrats' communications team are allegedly behind a “troll army” that uses anonymous profiles to spread fake content against political opponents on social media. The leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson, denied the allegations and labelled the TV4 report as “disinformation” aimed at influencing national opinion. Malmberg confirmed to journalisten.se that threats had been reported to the police, but gave no details. Following the incident, security at TV4 was tightened and guards were tasked with patrolling outside the building.
On the night of 30th September 2024 in Stockholm, the building of Sweden’s public broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) was vandalised with red paint, resembling blood, splattered across its entrance and side windows. An SVT employee working an early shift reported seeing individuals spray the paint before quickly fleeing the scene. SVT press officer Johan Klefbom added that this was not the first time SVT’s offices have been targeted with paint attacks. Camilla Josephsson, SVT’s head of security, announced that the incident would be reported to the police.
On 16th October 2024, the news site journalisten.se disclosed a series of threatening emails directed at Expressen editor-in-chief Klas Granström, two of the paper’s journalists, former Aftonbladet editor-in-chief Lena Samuelsson Silow, and a reporter. The alleged sender, a woman in her 30s, issued these threats in response to their reporting. A complaint has been lodged with the Värmland District Court, and the woman is currently in custody.