“You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden. Who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible,” said Donald Trump, at Florida rally. But is that true?
Sweden doesn’t think so.
In 2015, Sweden took in over 180,000 refugees, more than any other country per capita. As The Denver Post reports, refugees in Sweden have not been the cause of widespread violence, with the exception of one man from Iraq who detonated two explosives in 2010, one of which killed only himself.
The Denver Post published a photo story showing the conditions in which the refugees have been living, which seem pleasant.
David Ramos, Getty Images
However, two days after Trump’s statement riots broke out in Stockholm, burning about 6 cars, according to The Washington Post. The paper reported that there have also been riots in 2010 and 2013. While these are notable and related riots, it’s hardly the problematic situation Trump described, especially as someone who’s seen riots erupt after championship sports games more frequently than that.
Trump then claimed that his statements referred to a Fox News report of immigrant violence in Sweden. But, the police officer quoted in that story thinks it was taken out of context, according to the Post.
“We don’t stand behind it. It shocked us. He has edited the answers,” said Anders Göranzon. “We were answering completely different questions in the interview. This is bad journalism.”
I think Sweden’s official Twitter account summarizes the situation well.
Blurred Borders 