Swedish migration minister ‘shocked and horrified' by teenage son's far-right links
The revelation comes after the Swedish security service, Säpo, contacted Forssell several weeks ago to alert him to the activities of his 16-year-old son.
Forssell, a member of the centre-right Moderate Party who formerly served as foreign trade minister, is part of a governing coalition that relies on support from the far-right Sweden Democrats.
The minister went public following an exposé by the anti-racism magazine Expo, which revealed that a 'close relative of a Swedish minister' had ties to the extremist far-right.
According to the magazine, the son is reported to have attempted to recruit individuals to a white supremacist organisation and taken part in activities with the neo-Nazi and violence-prone group Aktivklubb Sverige.
Speaking to TV4, Forssell said: 'As a father you are shocked, you are horrified. I have a deeply remorseful 15-year-old, who just turned 16. These activities are over but our conversations will, of course, continue.'
Although Forssell followed his son on social media, where the teenager had been engaging with far-right activists and influencers, he said he was unaware of the extent of his involvement until Expo contacted him. He emphasised that his son is not suspected of any criminal wrongdoing.
Taking to social media, Forssell described the incident as a potential 'eye-opener' for parents. 'It highlights a bigger societal issue,' he wrote. 'How much do we actually know about what our children do on social media, and how can we protect them from being dragged into something we don't want?'
Far-right extremists have maintained a presence in Sweden for years and often recruit teenage boys and young men online, reaching out first on mainstream platforms before shifting to private channels.
The Sweden Democrats, who hold considerable sway in the coalition government, have historic links to neo-Nazi movements and became Sweden's second-largest party in the last general election.
Although Forssell intends to remain migration minister, he assured that he will 'continue to take responsibility" and be 'focused on implementing the policies we have received support from the Swedish people for.'
Nonetheless, the issue is already prompting political fallout. According to local media, the Left Party has demanded that Forssell be summoned to the Riksdag and 'lay the cards on the table'.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has offered his backing to Forssell since the information on his son's involvement became public.
'He has acted as a responsible parent should when you learn that your child is doing wrong and is in bad company," Kristersson said. — Euronews
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Swedish migration minister ‘shocked and horrified' by teenage son's far-right links
STOCKHOLM — Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell has said he is 'shocked and horrified' after learning that his teenage son had been involved with violent far-right extremist groups, according to domestic media reports. The revelation comes after the Swedish security service, Säpo, contacted Forssell several weeks ago to alert him to the activities of his 16-year-old son. Forssell, a member of the centre-right Moderate Party who formerly served as foreign trade minister, is part of a governing coalition that relies on support from the far-right Sweden Democrats. The minister went public following an exposé by the anti-racism magazine Expo, which revealed that a 'close relative of a Swedish minister' had ties to the extremist far-right. According to the magazine, the son is reported to have attempted to recruit individuals to a white supremacist organisation and taken part in activities with the neo-Nazi and violence-prone group Aktivklubb Sverige. Speaking to TV4, Forssell said: 'As a father you are shocked, you are horrified. I have a deeply remorseful 15-year-old, who just turned 16. These activities are over but our conversations will, of course, continue.' Although Forssell followed his son on social media, where the teenager had been engaging with far-right activists and influencers, he said he was unaware of the extent of his involvement until Expo contacted him. He emphasised that his son is not suspected of any criminal wrongdoing. Taking to social media, Forssell described the incident as a potential 'eye-opener' for parents. 'It highlights a bigger societal issue,' he wrote. 'How much do we actually know about what our children do on social media, and how can we protect them from being dragged into something we don't want?' Far-right extremists have maintained a presence in Sweden for years and often recruit teenage boys and young men online, reaching out first on mainstream platforms before shifting to private channels. The Sweden Democrats, who hold considerable sway in the coalition government, have historic links to neo-Nazi movements and became Sweden's second-largest party in the last general election. Although Forssell intends to remain migration minister, he assured that he will 'continue to take responsibility" and be 'focused on implementing the policies we have received support from the Swedish people for.' Nonetheless, the issue is already prompting political fallout. According to local media, the Left Party has demanded that Forssell be summoned to the Riksdag and 'lay the cards on the table'. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has offered his backing to Forssell since the information on his son's involvement became public. 'He has acted as a responsible parent should when you learn that your child is doing wrong and is in bad company," Kristersson said. — Euronews
Saudi Gazette
02-07-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Kanye West blocked from entering Australia over Hitler song
SYDNEY — American rapper Kanye West has been blocked from entering Australia over a song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Australia's home affairs minister Tony Burke revealed that his department had cancelled West's valid visa after the song Heil Hitler was released in early May. West's song has been widely condemned and has been banned on most platforms. The highly controversial rapper, also known as Ye, identifies as a Nazi and is known for his anti-Semitic comments. He is married to Australian designer Bianca Censori. Burke revealed the visa cancellation in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, during a discussion about the visa cancellation of another person over their Islamophobic comments. "If someone argued that anti-Semitism was rational, I would not let them come here," Mr Burke said, while bringing up West's case. "[West] has been coming to Australia for a long time... and he's made a lot of offensive comments. "But my officials looked at it again once he released the Heil Hitler song, and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia." It is not clear if West has been permanently banned from Australia. Mr Burke said that visa applications would be reassessed each time they are made, in accordance with Australian law. But when asked if any visa ban on West would be sustainable, Mr Burke said: "I think that what's not sustainable is to import hatred... We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry." It is not the first time Australia considered blocking West. In 2023, Australia's education minister Jason Clare had also condemned West's "awful" comments on Hitler and the Holocaust, and suggested he could be denied entry. Amid the current backlash, Heil Hitler raked up millions of views within a day of its release in May. The song is part of the Grammy-winning artist's new album WW3, which also contains other tracks with controversial lyrics. The music video for Heil Hitler, released on 8 May, shows a group of men wearing animal skins and chanting the song's title. It has been banned on streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. But shortly after its release, West said he was "done with anti-Semitism" and released a new version of Heil Hitler - titled Hallelujah. The new song replaced earlier references to Nazism with lyrics relating to Christianity. West has in recent years sparked controversy for his anti-Semitic remarks. Earlier this year, he declared himself a Nazi and retracted an apology for earlier comments. In 2022, sportswear giant Adidas announced it was ending its partnership with West over his anti-Semitism. Late last year, the company said it had reached a settlement with him to end all legal proceedings between them. — BBC
Argaam
24-06-2025
- Argaam
Understanding ‘Neo-Orientalist' Narratives in Western Media
This is just one example of how our region has been portrayed in countless of articles in Western media, entrenching stereotypical and ignorant (perhaps on purpose) views of our region. Let's take another one. 'Saudi Arabia needs to bring in foreign capital to continue spending." Such a statement, again in a recent article published by a prominent Western media outlet that helps shape the Western investors' perception of the world not just our region, encourages critical thinking on how seemingly straightforward economic statements in a supposedly 'impartial' journalistic outlet may carry subtle ideological and politically-motivated meanings. These two portrayals of Saudi economy and the Arabian Gulf reflect a systematic and common narrative found in Western discourse regarding, which I refer to in this article as 'neo-orientalism.' This concept builds upon Edward Said's seminal theory of Orientalism, which critiques how Western representations have historically constructed and perpetuated stereotypical and often reductive images of the 'Orient' to serve certain interests in the West. By largely ignoring in their 'analytical' pieces strong and factual economic indicators like the expansion in Saudi non-oil sectors over the past years, especially manufacturing, mining and renewable energy, these narratives perpetuate outdated assumptions that fail to reflect the selfdependent modernity in Saudi Arabia and its evolving economy. This selective reporting thus reveals a tendency to understate or sideline substantive economic achievements that do not fit their preconceived frames. Factual data speaks louder than words. The Saudi real GDP growth from non-oil activities reached 3.9% in 2024, driven by continued investment expansion in the non-oil sectors. These sectors contributed last year with 51% to Saudi Arabia's economy, marking a literally historic achievement in the Kingdom's e_orts to develop the non-oil sector since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016. Non-oil GDP remained resilient at 4.2% y/y growth in Q1 this year. Non-oil activities expanding robustly by 4.3%, while non-oil exports surged 13.4% y/y. In March, manufacturing output surged by 5.1% y/y. This pattern highlights both the sector's growing importance to non-oil GDP. Oil income accounted for just 56% of total government revenues in Q1 2025 (before the eruption of large-scale military confrontation between Israel and Iran on June 12), down from 62% a year earlier. An objective analysis of these data suggests that such genuine economic progress in the kingdom challenges the prevalent neo-orientalist discourse often found in some Western media narratives. Neo-orientalism tends to emphasize dependency, dysfunction and mismanagement in our region while minimizing or overlooking positive developments. With mineral reserves now estimated at SR9.37 trillion ($2.5 trillion), a 90 percent increase since 2016 due to new discoveries of rare earth elements and other valuable resources, Saudi Arabia exhibits clear potential to expand beyond oil dependence. Additionally, the construction of the world's largest single-site solar power plant in the kingdom, anticipated to generate 2,060 megawatts by 2025, signifies a strategic commitment to renewable energy and the strategic planning to become a hub of electricity exporter to the region and Europe. The proactive push to integrate global tech companies (like the recent Chinese Lenovo) into local manufacturing further reflects a forward-looking economic vision. I argue that Western media coverage in their 'analysis' and 'in-depth reporting' is rooted in a neoorientalist framework, which overlook these multifaceted advances, while instead emphasizing government budget deficit related to declining oil revenues. Such emphasis on fiscal challenges, without equal attention to diversification e_orts and resource development, limits the depth of economic analysis and reflect political motivations in shaping a simplified narrative to their readers. A more comprehensive perspective would consider both the challenges and the substantive initiatives underway, thus providing a balanced understanding of our region. Today, old Orientalism has been dressed up and made to look new, like a smart business suit hiding the same old stereotypes and oversimplification.
