- Right-wing extremist ideology among Swedish youth is significantly strengthening its influence.
- Social networks have accelerated the spread of hateful and racist content since 2022.
- Young people in Sweden increasingly reject democracy and minority tolerance.
- Loosely structured right-wing extremist networks and so-called Active Clubs are growing in Sweden.
Right-wing extremist ideology is becoming increasingly popular among young people in Sweden, partly through social networks and their algorithms, the Expo organization, which deals with issues of racism, said in its annual report on Tuesday. The AFP agency drew attention to it, reports TASR.
According to the organization, social networks have facilitated the massive spread of hateful, racist and extremist content since 2022. That’s when Elon Musk acquired Platform X and Donald Trump was re-elected as US president in 2024. Expo adds that this has had a direct impact on young people.
“Companies like Meta and X have made it easier for right-wing extremist influencers to be more visible and reach a wider audience,” Expo said in its report. According to her on the Internet primarily boys and young men openly spread anti-Semitic posts and hatred.
“The proportion of young people who reject democracy has increased in recent years,” stated on the basis of a survey by the organization Ungdomsbarometern. “Schoolchildren (also) became less tolerant of minorities,” added Expo on the basis of a report by the Swedish public agency Living History Forum. The organization draws attention to the rise of so-called “Active Clubs” in Sweden. AFP explains that ide an international movement of loosely structured groups to promote a white, nationalist, misogynistic and hypermasculine ideology.
“Right-wing extremism in Sweden is undergoing a transformation. Traditional organizations are having trouble attracting new activists, while new, loosely organized networks are emerging that attract young people.” Expo director Daniel Poohl said in the report. “It creates a more fragmented, harder to grasp and potentially more dangerous environment,” he added. AFP adds that the Swedish intelligence service Sapo has repeatedly warned against the risk of radicalization of young people on the Internet.
