“These are outrageous lies. Not surprising coming from the man who is dismantling the rule of law in his own country. Orbán is desperate ahead of the upcoming Hungarian election. – Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X, responding to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's recent post, also published on X, in which the Hungarian PM wrote that Sweden is lecturing Hungary on the rule of law while there, criminality is reaching teenagers.
“The Swedish government lectures us about the rule of law. Meanwhile, according to an article by Die Welt, criminal networks are exploiting Swedish children as killers, knowing the system won’t convict. A country once known for order & safety is now collapsing: over 280 underage girls arrested for murder, families living in fear. It’s heartbreaking. The Swedish people deserve better! – Orbán wrote alongside a video excerpt recorded at the Fight Club's weekend training camp.
"It's not that they made a mistake – they have checked out of civilization. This is the end of what began—God only knows when," Orbán said in his speech, adding that this is “barbarism.”
The German paper Die Welt did indeed publish an article last week reporting that the Swedish governing coalition—including Kristersson—had announced in the Swedish paper Expressen that they would lower the age of criminal responsibility for certain crimes to 13. According to Die Welt, the reason for this is that more and more children are being hired to carry out murders and bombings, as organized crime groups in Sweden have been recruiting more and more young girls – even for contract killings.
In 2024, approximately 280 girls between the ages of 15 and 17 were prosecuted for murder, manslaughter, or other violent crimes in Sweden. It is unclear which of these crimes were linked to organized crime. According to the paper, there is some debate as to whether failed integration is to blame for the rise of organized crime and criminal gangs in Sweden.
In his annual State of the Nation address in late summer of 2024, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated, "Irresponsible immigration policy and a failed integration policy have led us here." Marginalisation and parallel societies provide a breeding ground for criminal gangs. "There, they can ruthlessly recruit children and groom future killers," the Prime Minister said at the time.
"Girls often seem to be victims," Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said in April. "But their involvement in criminal circles is much more widespread than we have long assumed," he added.
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