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In pictures: 15 times Stefan Löfven looked incredibly Swedish

From The Local's archives: Sweden's prime minister isn't afraid of a silly photo-op: put a can of fermented herring in front of him, and he'll smell it. The Local rounds up the best images of Stefan Löfven looking like the stereotypical Swede.

Published: 27 February 2017 11:52 CET
Updated: 3 July 2017 14:46 CEST
In pictures: 15 times Stefan Löfven looked incredibly Swedish
Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven trying to look relaxed in a hammock. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Article originally published in 2017.

Last winter Löfven posed for pictures while riding a snowmobile. But it is not the first time the Swedish prime minister has been in very Swedish situations. We went through the archives and found this:

1. That time he smelled (and ate) fermented fish… and enjoyed it


Only a real Swede gets that close to a newly opened can of surströmming. Photo: Susanne Lindholm/TT

2. That time he showed India how to tackle an Ikea box


Löfven unpacking a model of an Ikea store in India. Photo: Tobias Osterberg/TT

3. That time he cruised on a snowmobile in freezing cold Jämtland


Löfven, Stefan Löfven. Photo: Robert Henriksson/TT

4. That time he took workplace safety seriously in Tidaholm


Löfven making sure everyone has their hi-vis vests on at a factory in Tidaholm. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

5. That time he sat as far from everybody as possible in parliament


Löfven likes to sit by himself, even in parliament. It’s the Swedish way. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

6. That time he got into Sweden colours for Euro 2016


“We only lost 1-0! High five!” Photo: Marcus Ericsson/TT

7. All those times he went in for the traditional Swedish hug


Löfven isn’t afraid of a good old-fashioned Swedish hug. Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT

8. That time he ate liquorice flavoured ice cream (and enjoyed that, too)


Only a Swede would think combining liquorice and ice cream is a good thing. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

9. That time he left his car at home and took the train to work


Löfven stepping off the train to Uppsala from Stockholm. Photo: Magnus Hjalmarson Neideman/SvD/TT

10. That time he unashamedly attacked fika


Buns, you say? Don’t mind if I do… Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

This list was first published in February 2017 as a top-ten list. But then the pictures kept coming, so we just kept adding…

11. That time he took fitness seriously in Hofors


Löfven during a visit to a medical practice in Hofors. Swedes are nuts for exercise. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

12. That time he fell out of the hammock


Totally relatable though. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

13. That time he carried his food on a tray


Wondering what he had for lunch? Falukorv, bostongurka and mashed potato. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

14. That time he went sailing with an enormous Swedish flag


Löfven on a ferry between Oskarshamn and Öland. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

15. Another time he took workplace safety seriously


Will these protect me against the opposition? Photo: Thomas Johansson/TT

For members

POLITICS

‘Very little debate’ on consequences of Sweden’s crime and migration clampdown

Sweden’s political leaders are putting the population’s well-being at risk by moving the country in a more authoritarian direction, according to a recent report.

Published: 29 April 2024 08:56 CEST
'Very little debate' on consequences of Sweden's crime and migration clampdown

The Liberties Rule of Law report shows Sweden backsliding across more areas than any other of the 19 European Union member states monitored, fuelling concerns that the country risks breaching its international human rights obligations, the report says.

“We’ve seen this regression in other countries for a number of years, such as Poland and Hungary, but now we see it also in countries like Sweden,” says John Stauffer, legal director of the human rights organisation Civil Rights Defenders, which co-authored the Swedish section of the report.

The report, compiled by independent civil liberties groups, examines six common challenges facing European Union member states.

Sweden is shown to be regressing in five of these areas: the justice system, media environment, checks and balances, enabling framework for civil society and systemic human rights issues.

The only area where Sweden has not regressed since 2022 is in its anti-corruption framework, where there has been no movement in either a positive or negative direction.

Source: Liberties Rule of Law report

As politicians scramble to combat an escalation in gang crime, laws are being rushed through with too little consideration for basic rights, according to Civil Rights Defenders.

Stauffer cites Sweden’s new stop-and-search zones as a case in point. From April 25th, police in Sweden can temporarily declare any area a “security zone” if there is deemed to be a risk of shootings or explosive attacks stemming from gang conflicts.

Once an area has received this designation, police will be able to search people and cars in the area without any concrete suspicion.

“This is definitely a piece of legislation where we see that it’s problematic from a human rights perspective,” says Stauffer, adding that it “will result in ethnic profiling and discrimination”.

Civil Rights Defenders sought to prevent the new law and will try to challenge it in the courts once it comes into force, Stauffer tells The Local in an interview for the Sweden in Focus Extra podcast. 

He also notes that victims of racial discrimination at the hands of the Swedish authorities had very little chance of getting a fair hearing as actions by the police or judiciary are “not even covered by the Discrimination Act”.

READ ALSO: ‘Civil rights groups in Sweden can fight this government’s repressive proposals’

Stauffer also expresses concerns that an ongoing migration clampdown risks splitting Sweden into a sort of A and B team, where “the government limits access to rights based on your legal basis for being in the country”.

The report says the government’s migration policies take a “divisive ‘us vs them’ approach, which threatens to increase rather than reduce existing social inequalities and exclude certain groups from becoming part of society”.

Proposals such as the introduction of a requirement for civil servants to report undocumented migrants to the authorities would increase societal mistrust and ultimately weaken the rule of law in Sweden, the report says.

The lack of opposition to the kind of surveillance measures that might previously have sparked an outcry is a major concern, says Stauffer.

Politicians’ consistent depiction of Sweden as a country in crisis “affects the public and creates support for these harsh measures”, says Stauffer. “And there is very little talk and debate about the negative consequences.”

Hear John Stauffer from Civil Rights Defender discuss the Liberties Rule of Law report in the The Local’s Sweden in Focus Extra podcast for Membership+ subscribers.

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