Good morning!
It’s Friday, February 6.
February in Sweden is not about grand events or turning points in history. It’s about getting through the darkest stretch of winter, one day at a time. The light is slowly returning, the days are getting longer – even if it doesn’t always feel like it yet.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Phil
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Word of the week
TILLFÄLLIG [TILL-feh-lig]
temporary.
New Epstein Files Put Sweden and Nordic Royalty Back in the Spotlight
Attribution: SVT Nyheter
Freshly released documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein are rippling through Scandinavia, revealing a previously unknown Swedish recruiter, deeper financial links to elite institutions, and renewed scrutiny of contacts between Epstein and Nordic royalty.
Newly uncovered emails and records suggest that a Swedish man, now in his 70s, acted for years as a recruiter for Jeffrey Epstein, scouting young women in Sweden and abroad and introducing them to the convicted sex offender. The documents show frequent contact between the two as late as 2019, when Epstein was arrested on trafficking charges. In several exchanges, the Swede describes having access to “interesting women,” discusses scouting during Stockholm Week in Visby and at universities, and appears to receive payments—sometimes around SEK 100,000 at a time—from Epstein and his close associate, French model agent Jean-Luc Brunel. Brunel, later accused of rape and trafficking in France, reportedly referred to the Swede as a “recruiter” and transferred thousands of euros for “scouting.”
The files also shed new light on Epstein’s ties to Sweden’s elite. Stockholm School of Economics is now reported to have received the equivalent of roughly SEK 5 million from Epstein—millions more than previously disclosed—with funds linked to initiatives such as the “Female Economist of the Year” award. The school has said it is deeply distressed that young women may have been exposed to Epstein through trusted intermediaries.
Meanwhile, Nordic royal connections are again under scrutiny. Sweden’s royal court has firmly denied that Princess Sofia attended a private Broadway screening as Epstein’s guest in 2012, despite her name appearing on a guest list, insisting she was in Sweden at the time. In Norway, newly released emails suggest Crown Princess Mette-Marit maintained a close, years-long correspondence with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, with messages that read as personal and familiar rather than formal.
Taken together, the documents paint a broader picture of how Epstein cultivated networks of influence, money, and access across borders—raising uncomfortable questions for institutions and public figures long after his death.
Postcard from the North
Åre
In other news
🪖 Sweden and Denmark are jointly ordering air defense systems for Ukraine worth SEK 2.6 billion to help protect critical infrastructure from drone attacks. The Tridon Mk2 system, developed by BAE Systems, can shoot down drones, cruise missiles, and helicopters, and is tailored to counter Russia’s intensified air strikes. The systems are already in production and are expected to be delivered to Ukraine within a few months.
👩⚖️ A Swedish activist linked to the Rojava Committees has been charged with making unlawful and aggravated threats against two government ministers after symbolic objects were placed outside their homes. The acts included a basket of apples painted with Adolf Hitler’s face outside Migration Minister Johan Forssell’s residence and a lifelike doll with a fake knife and severed head outside Aid Minister Benjamin Dousa’s home, actions prosecutors say were intended as threats. The man denies any wrongdoing, claiming the actions were political protest against government policy on Syria, and says he looks forward to being acquitted at trial.
🚨 A Swedish appeals court has increased the prison sentences for four members of the neo-Nazi group Aktivklubb who assaulted three people in Stockholm on the same evening in summer 2025. The men were also convicted for an additional assault they had previously been acquitted of, bringing their total sentences to between three years and nine months and four years in prison. The court ruled the attacks were hate crimes targeting people of foreign background, which led to harsher penalties.
Sweden’s Vigilante Website Meets the Law as Dumpen Editor Convicted of Gross Defamation
Attribution: Omni
The editor behind Sweden’s controversial “pedo-hunter” site Dumpen has been convicted of gross defamation, reigniting a heated debate over free speech, vigilantism, and where journalism ends and the justice system begins.
Sara Nilsson, responsible editor of the website Dumpen, was on Friday convicted of gross defamation by Gothenburg District Court after publishing the name and photo of a man from Östergötland. The man had engaged in sexual chats with what he believed was a child but was never convicted of a sex crime. A jury earlier ruled that five published quotes constituted gross defamation, a finding the court upheld.
Nilsson received a suspended sentence and 60 day-fines totaling SEK 14,400 (about $1,300), and was ordered to pay SEK 43,100 in damages, far below the nearly half a million kronor initially sought. She must also cover the plaintiff’s legal costs. Speaking after the verdict, Nilsson said Dumpen would continue its work, arguing that Sweden fails to adequately protect children from sexual predators.
Dumpen’s model involves posing as children online, luring men into explicit conversations, and then confronting and publishing material about them. While supporters see the site as exposing a real societal problem, the court stressed that even important issues have legal limits. Judge Kristin Holgersson said it was not defensible to publish identifying details of a private individual, underscoring that freedom of expression does not override protections against defamation.
Nilsson’s lawyer called the ruling a scandal and confirmed plans to appeal, arguing that Sweden’s handling of press freedom cases falls short of European human rights standards. For now, the verdict marks a clear line: highlighting potential crimes does not grant media outlets a free pass to publicly shame unconvicted individuals.
Swede-ish Notes
Attribution: Omni News
The Fear That Lingers: One Year After Risbergska
One year after the mass shooting at Campus Risbergska in Örebro, Sweden gathered again—not to explain, but to remember.
At the memorial, there was no political thunder, no sweeping declarations. Candles were lit. Names were read. Silence did most of the work. Krister, whose wife Camilla was murdered in the attack, said he felt no hatred toward the shooter. He called him sick. It was a remark that felt almost uncomfortable in its refusal to simplify grief into anger.
Much has happened in the year since, though not always in ways that lend themselves to ceremony. Police now receive tips about suspected school threats almost daily. Most lead nowhere, but that is beside the point. The threshold for concern has shifted. Teachers report unease. Parents listen more closely to what their children say in passing. Fear has become quieter, but more present.
Authorities have also acknowledged uncomfortable lessons. Two victims died inside the school after being shot, when they might have been saved if life saving treatment had gotten to them sooner. This raises hard questions about emergency response and the ability to provide medical care under active threat. These are not failures easily fixed with new protocols or press conferences. They linger.
Even the aftermath has been uneven. Only about half of those eligible for compensation have applied. Trauma, it turns out, does not move in step with bureaucracy.
What was most striking at the memorial was not what was said, but what was avoided. There was little appetite for blame, and no clear narrative of closure. Instead, there was an insistence on carrying the light forward—an expression that risks becoming ceremonial, but still feels sincere.
A year on, Sweden has not “moved on.” It has absorbed something. The challenge now is learning how to live with it—without letting fear become the loudest voice in the room.
Do you have a story from the past that could be worth sharing? I bet you do! Or would you like to see something else in the newsletter and have suggestions for topics? If so, please reach out!
