Measures against racism, similar forms of hostility and hate crime

Below are examples of measures:

Improved coordination and follow-up

The Living History Forum is responsible for coordination and follow-up of efforts under the plan against racism, similar forms of hostility and hate crime, and presents a comprehensive report to the Government annually.

The Swedish Agency for Public Management has been tasked with following up and analysing the national plan against racism, similar forms of hostility and hate crime. Based on the Agency’s analysis, the Government will consider how future efforts can be more accurate, measurable and long term.

The Government has appointed a task force for Jewish life in Sweden. In the task force, state secretaries from six ministries collaborate to promote dialogue on preventive measures and efforts to improve the conditions for Jewish life and which prevent and combat antisemitism in Sweden. In addition to the state secretaries and civil society organisations, the task force includes representatives of relevant government agencies and organisations and other experts. State Secretary to the Prime Minister Johan Stuart leads the task force.

More education, knowledge and research

Education and other awareness-raising measures

The Living History Forum carries out educational activities about various forms of historical and contemporary racism. For example, the Forum carries out educational courses intended for school staff and other public sector employees where focus is on ensuring the quality of public sector service to the public through work against racism.

The Swedish National Agency for Education and the Living History Forum have been tasked with further developing and following up the tool for systematic efforts to strengthen democracy in the school system, liberal adult education and other parts of adult education. The aim is to combat contemporary expressions of antisemitism and other forms of racism.

The Equality Ombudsman has been tasked with conducting targeted dialogue and special educational activities for right-holders on discrimination, protection against discrimination and efforts against discrimination, and equal rights and opportunities for all.

The National Board of Health and Welfare has been tasked with producing, developing and disseminating knowledge support materials to combat the prevalence of racism and promote equal rights and opportunities for all within the health care system, and so contribute to equitable care. 

The Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise has been tasked with collecting and compiling knowledge about the links between certain groups’ victimisation and work-related stress.

The Living History Forum has been tasked with ensuring that an educational initiative at higher education level is conducted to increase knowledge of the history and development of antisemitism and also contemporary antisemitism and its consequences. 

The University of Gothenburg has been tasked with spreading knowledge about working methods against antisemitism to actors that play an important role in combating antisemitism among children and young people, such as teachers and head teachers. These activities are organised by the Segerstedt Institute.

The Living History Forum has been tasked with developing and distributing a training methodology on work against racism to ensure the quality of public sector service to the public.

Within the framework of their duties, county administrative boards have been tasked with supporting municipalities and regions in their human rights activities and also with reporting on how work against various forms of racism, including antisemitism, can be included in these activities.

The Living History Forum has been tasked with carrying out awareness-raising initiatives against various forms of racism, including producing support material about racism against the Sami and Islamophobia directed at teachers.

The Living History Forum has been tasked with surveying awareness of and proposing measures on combating antigypsyism in compulsory and upper secondary school.

The Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society has been tasked with carrying out measures to help prevent and combat racism against the Sami. 

The Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society has been tasked with carrying out measures to prevent and combat antigypsyism. 

The Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society has been tasked with carrying out measures for an open and inclusive environment in schools for young LGBTIQ people.

New knowledge about various forms of racism

The Living History Forum has been tasked with conducting a study of the attitudes of Swedish school pupils towards intolerance.

The Swedish National Agency for Education has been tasked with conducting a national study on antisemitism in the school system. 

The Living History Forum has been tasked with conducting a study of antisemitic attitudes and beliefs among the Swedish population.

The Living History Forum has been tasked with producing a knowledge overview of the dissemination of antisemitism online, and measures to counteract it.

The Equality Ombudsman has been tasked with increasing knowledge of the prevalence of discrimination related to religion or other beliefs and how this interacts with discrimination related to ethnicity.

The Swedish Research Council issues calls for grant applications for research on racism.

In 2024–2026, the Government is allocating SEK 6 million annually to conduct memorial tours to Holocaust memorial sites and associated educational activities. In addition, the Government has decided to increase this funding by SEK 1 million in 2024, which is earmarked for memorial tours and educational activities for schools in areas with socioeconomic challenges. Memorial tours aim to increase knowledge of Nazi Germany’s crimes against Jews, Roma and other groups, and to increase knowledge and understanding of antisemitism and racism historically and today. 

The Swedish Research Council is conducting a special research initiative with several calls for grant applications, based on its previously reported task of mapping and developing recommendations regarding research on the Holocaust and antisemitism, and the victimisation of other groups in connection with the Holocaust, including Roma and antigypsyism, in order to strengthen this research field in the long term.

The national plan against racism, similar forms of hostility and hate crime was adopted in November 2016. Based on the action plan and dialogue with civil society, specific action programmes against various forms of racism (Afrophobia, antisemitism, antigypsyism, Islamophobia, and racism against the Sami) have been developed. 

Strengthened preventive efforts online

As of 2022, the Swedish Defence Research Agency has a permanent remit to survey and analyse violent extremism and racism in digital environments.

More active judicial system

The Swedish Police Authority has high ambitions when it comes to fighting hate crime. Capacity to fight hate crimes and other crimes that threaten democracy has been built up throughout the country, with a national coordinator and specially designated investigators.

Together with other government agencies, the Swedish Police Authority has been tasked to take measures to incorporate the national strategy against violent extremism (Govt Communication 2023/24:56). As per the direction outlined in the strategy, the Swedish Police Authority must continue to develop its work to investigate hate crimes and other crimes that threaten democracy, and combat IT-related hate crimes and other crimes that threaten democracy.  

The Swedish Prosecution Authority continuously takes measures to improve the quality of its action against hate crimes, including through the work of a specially appointed expert on hate crime to raise the level of knowledge among operative prosecutors, through an annual conference in the field to exchange experiences, and through a new digital network to give more prosecutors an opportunity to discuss issues in this area.

The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has previously conducted in-depth studies on antisemitic, Islamophobic and Afrophobic hate crimes in Sweden.

The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has been tasked with conducting an in-depth study of hate crime against the Sami in order to increase knowledge about, and strengthen preventive efforts against, racism targeting the Sami.

The Swedish Crime Victim Authority has been tasked with producing and disseminating information to those who are at risk of, or have been subjected to, hate crimes.

The Swedish Centre for Preventing Violent Extremism, which is under the auspices of the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, is tasked with providing needs-based support to local actors, serving as a knowledge hub and contributing to increasing effectiveness and coordination in preventive measures against violent extremism.

Proposals which aim to further clarify the provisions on ‘’agitation against a population group’’ in the Swedish Criminal Code and in the Freedom of the Press Act was recently submitted to the Swedish Parliament. The Government proposes, inter alia, that denying, condoning or grossly trivialising the Holocaust, and other serious international crimes, should be specifically criminalized. The Government also proposes that individuals within a certain population group may be victims of ‘’agitation against a population group’’ and hence entitled compensation. The proposed amendments in the Swedish Criminal Code are expected to enter into force on 1 July 2024. The proposed amendments in the Freedom of the Press Act are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2027.

Increased support to and deepened dialogue with civil society

The Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society distributes annual funding in accordance with the Ordinance on government grants to activities combating racism and similar forms of intolerance.

The Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities has been tasked with carrying out initiatives to strengthen the security and safety of faith communities and increase knowledge about their security situation and vulnerability to various forms of racism and hate crimes. 

The state subsidy for security-enhancing measures for civil society organisations will be increased by SEK 30 million, totalling SEK 74 million annually from 2024.