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The Old Country Newsletter – Röda Linjer & Rättegång
Your Weekly Newsletter from Sweden!
Philip Hannes
October 10, 2025
Good morning!
It’s Friday, October 10.
Today in 1471, swords clashed just north of Stockholm in what became known as the Battle of Brunkeberg.
While later retellings painted it as a heroic Swedish victory over the Danes, the truth was a bit messier. The battle was fought mostly between Swedes on both sides — one group loyal to the Danish king, another led by Sten Sture the Elder, who saw an opportunity to strengthen his own power (and Sweden’s independence along the way).
Sture’s army triumphed after fierce fighting near what’s now Hötorget, forcing King Christian I to retreat after being struck in the face by a bullet — losing several teeth in the process. The aftermath reshaped Swedish urban politics and, thanks to some skillful propaganda, cemented Sten Sture’s image as the nation’s dragon-slaying hero.
If you’ve ever passed the Saint George and the Dragon statue in Stockholm’s Old Town, that’s Sten Sture’s way of saying: “Remember Brunkeberg.”
Have a wonderful weekend!
Philip & Hannes
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Word of the week
LÖSGODIS [luhs-go-dees]
pick-and-mix candy.
13-Year-Old Suspect in Gävle Shooting — Police Say Victims Likely Not the Intended Targets
Attribution: SVT Nyheter
What began as a chaotic night outside a Gävle bar has turned into one of Sweden’s most shocking criminal cases this year — a mass shooting allegedly carried out by a 13-year-old boy.
Just before 2 a.m. on Saturday, multiple gunshots rang out along Södra Kungsgatan in central Gävle, injuring six people — all hit in the lower body. The victims, mostly young adults from the region, were rushed to hospital but none sustained life-threatening wounds. Police later arrested a boy, only 13 at the time, near the scene. According to SVT sources, he has ties to a local gang. Investigators say they have strong evidence connecting him to the shooting, though it remains unclear if others were involved.
Reports have since revealed that the boy’s school, parents, police, and social services were all alerted earlier that day to concerns he might commit an act of violence — but failed to stop him. Authorities now believe the attack occurred in a gang context but that the six injured were not the intended targets. Prosecutors call it a likely “mistaken shooting.”
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer visited Gävle on Monday, calling the attack “dark and ruthless.” The case has reignited debate over Sweden’s escalating gang violence and how to handle criminal responsibility for offenders too young to be prosecuted.
For now, social services — not the justice system — will determine the boy’s future, while police maintain an increased presence in the city to calm a shaken community.
Postcard from the North
Abisko National Park
In other news
✡️ Leaders of Jewish organizations in Sweden hope that antisemitism will decline following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to TT. Richard Mühlrad, head of the Jewish Community of Stockholm, said he believes both antisemitism and the overall threat against Sweden’s Jewish population will decrease significantly. Reports of antisemitic crimes in Sweden have risen sharply since Israel’s invasion of Gaza two years ago after the October 7 terrorist attack.
🛍️ Dahlgren Capital’s chief strategist Klas Eklund told Affärsvärlden that the proposal to temporarily lower Sweden’s food VAT is “blunt and expensive” and risks complicating the tax system. However, he believes it is currently necessary, as it could help ease households’ inflation fears and psychologically boost consumer spending. Eklund also considers it unlikely that any future government would dare to raise the food VAT again once it has been lowered.
🤑 In September, Swede’s net savings in investment funds reached 7 billion kronor, with most of the money going into equity funds, according to the Swedish Investment Fund Association. Global funds remained the most popular choice among investors, continuing the trend from previous months. Overall, the total value of Swedish investment funds increased by 117 billion kronor, reaching 8,555 billion kronor by the end of the month.
Liberals Draw a Red Line: No Future Government with Sweden Democrats
Attribution: Omni News
Sweden’s Liberal Party (L) makes it (somewhat?) clear on Friday it won’t back a government that includes ministers from the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) — a stance that could reshape the country’s political landscape ahead of next year’s election.
Ahead of a key party board meeting, documents obtained by SVT reveal that Liberal leader Simona Mohamsson will propose keeping the party’s current position: cooperating with the Moderates (M) and Christian Democrats (KD), but stopping short of letting SD into cabinet. In an op-ed for Dagens Nyheter, Mohamsson argued that SD “doesn’t behave,” citing the party’s links to online disinformation networks and Quran burnings during Sweden’s NATO process. She also said SD “isn’t a true bourgeois party” and wouldn’t appeal to centrist or liberal swing voters.
The move directly challenges SD leader Jimmie Åkesson, who has insisted his party must be part of the next government, warning that SD will vote against any coalition that excludes them. The Liberals, meanwhile, remain divided: some members argue that continued cooperation with SD risks “erasing” the party from Swedish politics. Mohamsson is instead calling for what she describes as “a new Tidö Agreement” — a continued right-wing coalition without SD ministers. A final decision on the party’s stance will be made at the Liberals’ national convention in November.
Swede-ish Notes
Sweden in the EU’s Climate Court
For a country long seen as a model of environmental ambition, Sweden now finds itself in an awkward position: taken to court by the European Commission. The charge? Failing to implement new EU rules meant to speed up permits for renewable energy projects like wind and solar.
The 2023 directive requires member states to simplify approval processes to accelerate the green transition. But in Sweden, the issue cuts deeper than bureaucracy — it touches on local power. The EU wants Sweden to remove or weaken kommunalt veto, the right of municipalities to block wind farms and other energy projects. That’s a step few Swedish governments, of any color, have been willing to take.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s center-right government argues that Sweden already leads on renewable energy and that local consent remains vital for democratic legitimacy. The opposition, led by the Social Democrats, largely agrees on the importance of climate action but accuses the government of dragging its feet and risking Sweden’s green reputation in Europe.
The legal process did not arise in a vacuum. Critics have also pointed out that recent policy shifts — such as reduced biofuel mandates and a slower pace for wind and solar expansion — make it unlikely that Sweden will meet the EU’s 2030 climate targets, despite its historic record as a green frontrunner.
So here we are: the EU, once inspired by Sweden’s environmental leadership, now pressing it to move faster.