1. Source of the legal provision
Chapter 16, Section 8 Criminal Code (Brottsbalk), as amended by the law 2024:340 (“Lag om ändring i brottsbalken”[1])
Chapter 29, Section 2 Criminal Code
The Criminal Code available in the original language via: <https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/brottsbalk-1962700_sfs-1962-700/#K16>
2. Legal provisions in English
Chapter 16 (On offences against public order), Section 8 Criminal Code:
“Anyone who, in a statement or in another message that is disseminated, calls for violence against, threatens or expresses contempt for an ethnic group, another such group of persons or an individual in one of these groups with reference to race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, creed, sexual orientation or transgender identity or expression, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a maximum of two years for incitement to racial hatred. A person shall also be convicted of incitement to racial hatred who, in a statement or in another message that is disseminated, denies, excuses or manifestly belittles a crime that constitutes or corresponds to genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or the crime of aggression in accordance with a decision issued by a Swedish court or by a recognised international court for violations of international law and which has become final. If the act is likely to incite violence against, threaten or express contempt for a group or individual referred to in the first paragraph. If the offence is minor, a fine is imposed on minor incitement to racial hatred. If the offence is serious, the sentence for aggravated incitement to racial hatred is imprisonment for a minimum of six months and a maximum of four years. When assessing whether the crime is serious, particular consideration must be given to whether the message had a particularly threatening or offensive content and was disseminated to a large number of people in a way that was likely to attract significant attention.”[2]
Chapter 29 (On determination of penalties and remission of sanctions), Section 2 Criminal Code:
“As aggravating circumstances when assessing the value of the penalty, in addition to what applies to each particular type of crime, particular consideration must be given to:
[…]
“No. 7. if a motive for the crime was to offend a person, a group of people or another such group of persons due to race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or other similar circumstance;
[…]”[3]
3. Legal provisions in the original language
Kapitel 16 (Om brott mot allmän ordning), 8 § Brottsbalk:
“Den som i ett uttalande eller i ett annat meddelande som sprids uppmanar till våld mot, hotar eller uttrycker missaktning för en folkgrupp, en annan sådan grupp av personer eller en enskild i någon av dessa grupper med anspelning på ras, hudfärg, nationellt eller etniskt ursprung, trosbekännelse, sexuell läggning eller könsöverskridande identitet eller uttryck, döms för hets mot folkgrupp till fängelse i högst två år. För hets mot folkgrupp döms också den som i ett uttalande eller i ett annat meddelande som sprids förnekar, ursäktar eller uppenbart förringar ett brott som utgör eller motsvarar folkmord, brott mot mänskligheten, krigsförbrytelse eller aggressionsbrott enligt ett avgörande som har meddelats av en svensk domstol eller av en erkänd internationell domstol för brott mot folkrätten och som fått laga kraft, om gärningen är ägnad att uppmana till våld mot, hota eller uttrycka missaktning för en sådan grupp eller enskild som avses i första stycket. Om brottet är ringa döms för ringa hets mot folkgrupp till böter. Om brottet är grovt döms för grov hets mot folkgrupp till fängelse i lägst sex månader och högst fyra år. Vid bedömningen av om brottet är grovt ska det särskilt beaktas om meddelandet haft ett särskilt hotfullt eller kränkande innehåll och spritts till ett stort antal personer på ett sätt som varit ägnat att väcka betydande uppmärksamhet.”[4]
Kapitel 29 (Om straffmätning och påföljdseftergift), 2 § Brottsbalk:
“Som försvårande omständigheter vid bedömningen av straffvärdet ska det, vid sidan av vad som gäller för varje särskild brottstyp, särskilt beaktas
[…]
- om ett motiv för brottet varit att kränka en person, en folkgrupp eller en annan sådan grupp av personer på grund av ras, hudfärg, nationellt eller etniskt ursprung, trosbekännelse, sexuell läggning, könsöverskridande identitet eller uttryck eller annan liknande omständighet,
[…]”
4. Key points
- Sweden does not have an explicit Holocaust denial ban. Instead, it criminalizes denial of genocides, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression, provided that the conduct is likely to incite violence against, threaten or express contempt for a group or individual referred to in the provision.
- The basic sanction for breach of the denial ban includes imprisonment for a maximum of two years.
- For a long time, Sweden did not have a specific a denial ban or similar laws. However, hate speech, including antisemitically motivated crimes, was illegal under the Criminal Code, Chapters 16, Section 8 and 29, Section 2.
- In 2021, infringements Proceedings were launched against Sweden for not having fully or accurately transposed the EU Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia 2008/913/JHA (hereafter ‘EU FD 2008’).[5] These proceedings have now been closed following the amendment of Chapter 16, Section 8 of the Criminal Code in 2024.
5. Background
Holocaust denial was not banned in Sweden for many years, though discussions about banning Holocaust denial in Sweden were active for a while. For instance, in 2021, Sweden’s then Minister of Justice Morgan Johansson revealed to the press his firm belief that Holocaust denial ought to be made illegal. In his comments to Sweden’s national broadcaster, he indicated that the government had established a parliamentary committee to look into the issue in greater detail.[6]
In explaining his thoughts on the matter, the minister cited three particularly strong reasons why he viewed the law as necessary: the growing threat of right-wing extremism, the ease at which false propaganda can spread on social media, and the declining number of Holocaust survivors left alive to make others bare witness to the reality of the Holocaust via their personal stories.[7]
The current war in Gaza and the Hamas terrorist attack of 7 October 2023 further stimulated Sweden’s legislative change. It was supported by various actors, including the World Jewish Congress’ Nordic Office. The primary goal of these efforts was to ensure security for local Jewish communities.[8] Since 7 October 2023, hate crime incidents, Holocaust denial and distortion rhetoric have risen dramatically in Sweden.
Amendments were proposed by the Swedish government on 16 February 2024 in regard to the laws on agitation against ethnic groups, commonly referred to as hate speech legislation. These amendments aimed to: specifically criminalise the denial of the Holocaust and other recognized international crimes; clarify the inclusion of incitement to violence within the legislation; provide individuals within protected groups with recognized victim status and a right to compensation. The Parliament of Sweden voted in favour of these amendments in May 2024. The amending Law 2024:340 is based on the parliamentary decision (“riksdagens beslut”) of 22 May 2024.[9] Furthermore, changes to the Freedom of the Press Ordinance are proposed to enter into force on 1 January 2027.[10]
6. Application
There have been a series of criminal cases related to Holocaust denial, hate speech, and hate crimes in Sweden in general. For example, in 2009, Swedish street artist Dan Park was tried for placing swastikas and boxes labelled “Zyklon B” in front of a Jewish community centre.[11]
In another case involving the same artist, A Malmö court, in 2014, sentenced Park to six months imprisonment for incitement to racial agitation and defamation.[12] This time he was sentenced for works which – according to the judgement – depicted Roma and black people in a racist way. Park was convicted for defamation and inciting to hatred against an ethnic group. The case focused on nine framed posters by Park that were seized from an art gallery in Malmö. One depicted three black men with nooses around their necks. Another showed Roma community leaders with text suggesting they condoned crime.[13]
7. Controversies
The reemergence of pro-Nazi views, antisemitism and Holocaust denial has a long history in Sweden – as do civic attempts to combat such views. For instance, the Anti-Jewish Action League of Sweden [Sveriges Antijudiska Kampförbund] was an antisemitic political organisation, founded in 1941, by veteran antisemite Einar Åberg. The organisation was small, often consisting only of Åberg himself. Åberg’s propagandistic activities eventually provoked legislation, sometimes referred to as Lex Åberg, which added the crime of agitation against a population group to the Swedish Criminal Code. Sweden also had a national socialist party, created and led by Birger Furugård, which was however, dismantled in 1936.[14]
A “Report on Global Antisemitism” conducted by the U.S. State Department in 2005 indicated that Sweden had the third highest rate of antisemitic incidents in Europe, following Germany and Austria. According to the “Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism”, antisemitism in Sweden nowadays focuses on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. A survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights found that in 2012, 40–50% of Swedish Jews had frequently heard the accusation that “Israelis behave to the Palestinians like the Nazis to the Jews”.[15] More than 100 antisemitic hate crimes were reported in Sweden between October 7 and the end of 2023, almost five times the number of the same period a year earlier.[16]
8. Further reading
- Henrik Bachner, “Political Cultures of Denial? Antisemitism in Sweden and Scandinavia”, in: Politics and Resentment: Antisemitism and Counter-Cosmopolitanism in the European Union, Brill, 2010.
- Lars Dencik, Marosi Karl, “Different antisemitisms: On three distinct forms of antisemitism in contemporary Europe. With special focus on Sweden”, Nordisk Judaistik/Scandinavian Jewish Studies, 27.2 (2016): 61-81.
- Gerald Tishler, ‘Freedom of Speech and Holocaust Denial’ [1986] Cardozo L. Rev. 8, p. 559.
[1] Law 2024:340 (“Lag om ändring i brottsbalken”). Accessible online: <https://svenskforfattningssamling.se/sites/default/files/sfs/2024-05/SFS2024-340.pdf>
[2] The Swedish Criminal Code in Swedish, translated. Accessible online: <https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/brottsbalk-1962700_sfs-1962-700/#K16>
[3] Ibid.
[4] The Swedish Criminal Code in Swedish, translated. Accessible online: <https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/brottsbalk-1962700_sfs-1962-700/#K16>
[5] T. Wahl, ‘Commission Launches/Continues Infringements Proceedings in Several JHA Matters’ (Eurocrim, 20 March 2021) < https://eucrim.eu/news/commission-launchescontinues-infringements-proceedings-in-several-jha-matters/>
[6] ‘Sweden’s Minister of Justice announces support for ban on Holocaust denial’ (World Jewish Congress, 14 Apr 2021) <https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/swedens-minister-of-justice-announces-support-for-ban-on-holocaust-denial>
[7] Ibid.
[8] ‘Sweden’s Parliament Approves Proposal to Outlaw Holocaust Denial and Distortion’ (World Jewish Congress, 22 May 2024) <https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/swedish-parliament-proposes-resolutions-to-outlaw-holocaust-denial-and-distortion>
[9] Clearer provisions concerning agitation against a population group, 22 May 2024. Accessible online: <https://www.riksdagen.se/en/news/articles/2024/may/22/clearer-provisions-concerning-agitation-against-a_cms49e364d6-e36d-4f22-900d-2ed65bad2716en/>
[10] Proposition 2023/24:93, En tydligare bestämmelse om hets mot folkgrupp, <https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/proposition/en-tydligare-bestammelse-om-hets-mot-folkgrupp_hb0393/html/>
[11] M. Enge, ‘Dan Park-debatt brer seg i Norden’ (Kunstkritikk, 23 October 2014), <https://kunstkritikk.no/dan-park-debatt-brer-seg-i-norden/>.
[12] ‘Swedish artist jailed for ‘race hate’ pictures’ (The Local, 21 August, 2014) <https://www.thelocal.se/20140821/swedish-artist-jailed-for-race-hate-pictures>;
- H. Jensen, Sentenced: ‘Swedish Artist Dan Park “Incited Against an Ethnic Group’ (Hyperallergic, 12 October 2014), <https://hyperallergic.com/154676/sentenced-swedish-artist-dan-park-incited-against-an-ethnic-group/>.
[13] ‘Swedish artist sentenced for “racist” art’ (The Guardian, 22 August 2014) <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/22/swedish-artist-sentenced-racist-art-dan-park>.
[14] ‘Görel Granström: Den antisemitiske bokhandlaren och kriminaliseringen av hets mot folkgrupp’ (Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism, 20 June 2017), < https://skma.se/2017/06/gorel-granstrom-den-antisemitiske-bokhandlaren-och-kriminaliseringen-av-hets-mot-folkgrupp/>
[15] Daniel Schwammenthal, ‘The new face of European antisemitism’ (Accessible via AJC Transatlantic Institute, 13 November 2013) <https://transatlanticinstitute.org/the-new-face-of-european-anti-semitism>.
[16] ‘Sweden reports sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes since Hamas attack on Israel’ (The Times of Israel, 2 May 2024) < https://www.timesofisrael.com/sweden-reports-sharp-rise-in-antisemitic-hate-crimes-since-hamas-attack-on-israel/>.