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Swedes against church dabbling in politics

Most Swedes think that the church should look out for the vulnerable in society and join in the societal debate but not get involved politically, according to a new study carried out by the Church of Sweden and the church newspaper Kyrkans Tidning.

Published: 23 June 2011 08:03 CEST

Swedes against church dabbling in politics

“The church can speak out on issues that concern Swedish society, but not act politically, if it wants to follow the wishes of the people,” said Jonas Bromander, head of the analysis unit of the church office in Uppsala.

The study shows that Swedes think that the Church of Sweden and other religious organisations should voice their concern on irregularities in society publicly and get involved in helping those that need it.

“There’s support for the church getting involved in helping the homeless, drug users and the vulnerable in society. There is also support for the church having representatives present at hospitals, schools, prisons and as members of public crisis groups,“ said Bromander to Kyrkans tidning.

There is also a small majority who feel that he church should be more active in the societal debate, but according to Bromander this is not because they feel that the church could have special input into the discussion but rather that everyone’s voice should be heard.

According to the study, 60 percent of Swedes say they don’t want the church to get involved politically at all.

“Swedes don’t want the church to act on political issues, engage in lobbying, or enter into co-operations with other organisations or political parties,” said Bromander to the paper.

3,000 people took part in the survey, which was carried out over the internet. The full report will be presented by the church of Sweden during the Almedalen political week in July.

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'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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