Aren't Swedes allowed to discuss migration openly?
Speaking on a Czech TV channel Katerina Janouch, a Swedish author, said that rising crime and social benefit cuts in her country were due to the fact that it has taken in so many migrants. Some voices in Sweden are now accusing Janouch of depicting the country in a very negative light while others praise her openness and courage. Has she broken a Swedish taboo or fuelled racist sentiment?
Fear of bullying must not shape debate
The current debate shows that public opinion in Sweden is being steered, Göteborgs-Posten criticises, calling for more freedom of expression:
“Do we really want a society in which people with views that are currently seen as controversial are bullied, isolated and even lose their jobs? … If your answer is yes, do you think it would be okay that perhaps one day you yourself, in a different ideological context, could be seen as the one who is controversial? What is freedom of expression worth if everyone learns to think the same - out of fear of what could happen if they don't?”
Racism becoming more acceptable
Dagens Nyheter is among the media that have sided against Janouch, making it the target of criticism from other papers. The newspaper warns other media not to let themselves be drawn into a populist game:
“It seems that 'the media' themselves are gradually adopting the logic of hatred against the media and thus allowing themselves to be turned into useful idiots for these mortally dangerous mechanisms. … It may soon no longer matter what bizarre lies and distortions are dished up, as long as they can be used to put 'the media' (in this case Dagens Nyheter) in the dock. This aggressive energy is then directed against those labelled as 'politically correct' instead of against racism and populism.”