Sweden planning raids on asylum seekers
Sweden's red-green governing coalition is planning to have the police raid workplaces in a bid to track down rejected asylum seekers who have gone underground. The step will strengthen people's trust in the legal system, some commentators believe. Others criticise the Green Party's change of stance as inhumane.
Strengthen trust in the rule of law
The measures planned by the Swedish government are correct and necessary to preserve respect for the rule of law, stresses Göteborgs-Posten:
“The Swedish police are currently trying to track down 12,350 rejected asylum seekers. … If immigration to Sweden is to be conducted in a controlled manner, refugees must fulfil certain criteria if they want to stay. Those who don't fulfil them must go, voluntarily or by force. … Trust in the legal system depends on how well these rules are adhered to. … The symbolic value of the measures should not be underestimated, also for the sake of all those who accept the decisions of the Swedish authorities and courts.”
The Green Party's inhumane turnaround
The Greens' disavowal of their former humanist positions is hard to understand, Upsala Nya Tidning comments:
“These plans are yet another sign of a dramatic turnaround in Swedish politics which is most clearly visible among the Greens. Three years ago the party was still loudly criticising the so-called Reva project, with which the police and the immigration authorities actively searched for rejected asylum seekers who had gone underground. In particular the Greens criticised the fact that everyone with dark skin was suddenly being viewed with suspicion. Now that they are part of the government they're helping to organise raids in companies. ... Such hunts for people are inhumane. Certainly a member of the Green Party must understand that.”