As pointed out in the publication, the country experienced a period of great tension, with the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister Stefan Leven, the rise of Magdalena Andersson, the country’s first female leader, and threats from Putin.
Sweden is on high alert fearing the possibility of external forces interfering in its upcoming elections, amid tensions with Russia, notes in his publication the Guardian.
The Scandinavian country, the newspaper points out, recently reactivated the Psychological Defense Agency, an organization whose mission is to protect democracy and ensure the country’s independence. The organization was originally established during the Cold War. It is noted that lately it has noticed increased activity by foreign powers. This happened following its decision to apply for NATO membership.
As pointed out in the publication, the country experienced a period of great tension, with the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister Stefan Leveneher rise Magdalena Anderssonthe country’s first female leader, but also the threats from Putin.
In fact, according to the polls, it seems that their party is very likely Swedish Democrats (a far-right populist party with Nazi roots) to replace the Moderate Party as the country’s second largest force.
In the run-up to the election, the battle is between left-wing parties led by Andersson’s Social Democrats and a centre-right coalition led by the Moderate Party, but even the Moderates within a few years have completely changed their stance on immigration, and while some years ago they called on the Swedes to “open their hearts” to refugees, now they have reached the point of welcoming Jimmie Åkesson into their coalition who wants to see the asylum rates reach zero levels.
According to Mats Engströman International Relations analyst and former adviser to the Social Democrats’ Foreign Minister, it is indeed no surprise that the issue of violence has returned and is back in the spotlight, but the fact that violence is linked to immigration is a rhetoric “that for years boosted by Russian and other troll networks”.
O Mikael Östlunda representative of the psychological defense agency underlines that “we are constantly on the alert, but we know that this is a moment in time that will be an opportunity for those who want to harm Sweden, to interfere in its democratic processes”.
Among all, and in the context of the “increased activity” observed by external forces, Östlund points out that there are ongoing campaigns aimed at disinformation of public opinion, which are probably the product of Russian activity, while rumors are being spread about Sweden’s weakness and the rhetoric that Sweden is not a safe country for refugees is being reinforced.
“This is something that has happened in the past from Russia. We know that foreign powers and countries may want to harm Sweden and interfere in the election process or that they may try to increase the divide between ethnic groups. As we get closer to the elections, we are preparing for such an eventuality more intensively”.
It is indicative that in the context of awakening public opinion, the organization Psychological Defense Agency recently launched a campaign with the title “bli inte lurad” (Don’t be fooled) with which he encourages the public to always refer to the source of the news before entering into the process of being convinced or “sharing” what they read. In addition to the media campaign, it is indicative that the organization also offers a lesson on how citizens can protect themselves from misinformation and fake news.
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