The Swedish minister for immigration admitted that his teenager son had links with white supremacy groups. Johan Ferssel said he was “shocked and horrified”, for the thing, of which he learned after being informed by the Säpo security services. The confirmation came after an investigation by the anti -racist magazine Expo, who had revealed that a “close relative of a minister” was involved in activities of the violent extreme right.
Neo -nazis and social media
According to Expo, the boy would have collaborated with an activist of the Nordic resistance movement, an active neo -Nazi movement in Scandinavia, participating in the recruitment for a far -right organization and inserting himself in a violent network. All this without the father having learned about it, despite following him on social media. “Many parents can identify with this situation. Sometimes we don’t have a complete view of what our children do online,” said Forssell.
Interviewed by TV4, the minister, a member of the moderate party of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, explained that he had chosen not to intervene immediately to protect his son, a minor. “It was not a question of protecting me as a politician, but he as a boy.” The son, he assured, stopped every activity, and showed himself “deeply repentant”. But the public debate has exploded.
Double standards and controversy
The opposition accused Forssell and the executive of two -standard doubles. The minister is a supporter of the lowering of the age of criminal liability from 15 to 14 years and has often expressed himself firmly against the families of minors involved in crime.
“Johan Forssel and the government had a very high tone when it was responsibility for the links of their relatives with, for example, group crime, now seem to have a very different approach,” said the left party spokesperson for migratory policies, Tony Haddou. “You cannot have two weights and two measures. It is not credible,” he attacked “parental responsibility is the cornerstone of a good society”, but “it doesn’t mean you are always right. Sometimes we are wrong,” he tried to defend Forssell.
Prime Minister Kristersson took sides with his minister, saying he had “full confidence” in him and praising his reaction: “He acted as a responsible parent”. But the government, which is based on the support of the Swedish Democratic Party (DS), a radical right formation, is accused of closing a eye on the actions of extremists in order not to lose the support of the partners.
The case risks weighing politically in view of the 2026 elections. “These revelations are embarrassing for a government that wants to expel migrants who do not lead an ‘honest life’. I don’t think they can simply make this story disappear,” said Politologist Marja Lemne.
A right right that recruits young people
According to experts, the extreme right in Sweden is experiencing an evolution with the birth of smaller groups, often linked to the culture of fitness, which aim to recruit young boys and men through social media, and then move the conversations to more reserved channels. The number of active groups has been at the highest level since 2008, and minors are increasingly exposed to radical content without parents realizing it.
Forssell at the moment has excluded the resignation, ensuring that he is “fully focused on the implementation of the program for which we received the support of the Swedish people”. But the opposition does not give up: all the main parties (left, green and social democrats) want to convene the minister to Parliament for an audition as soon as the summer break will end.
