According to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå), one in four municipal and regional politicians reported being subjected to threats, harassment, or similar incidents during 2024. The problem intensifies during election years, with 29.5% of politicians in 2022 reporting some form of harassment, threats, violence, vandalism, or theft. Despite the high prevalence, only 14% of those who consider themselves subjected to harassment or threats report it to the police, according to Brå. When violence, vandalism, and theft are included, the reporting rate rises to 17%.
Case studies illustrate the severity. Therez Almerfors (M), an opposition councilor in Uppsala, was death threatened during the EU election campaign two years ago, according to reports. The man was later convicted of unlawful threat, reports indicate. Centerpartiet's party leader Anna-Karin Hatt resigned in October 2025 after being party leader since May 2025, citing the amount of hate and threats she experienced, according to statements.
Demographic patterns emerge from Brå and research by Thelin & Petäjä. Younger politicians perceive themselves as more exposed to hate or threats than older politicians, surveys suggest. Politicians from the Green Party and the Sweden Democrats report the greatest amount of hate or threats, data indicates. There are no major differences between male and female politicians' perceived exposure, according to the research.
The consequences are significant. In the Thelin & Petäjä survey, just over 15% of politicians stated that their health had been negatively affected to a fairly large or very large extent by exposure to hate or threats. About 12% considered quitting politics to a fairly large or very large extent due to hate or threats.
Reporting and conviction rates remain low. Fanny Holm, a legal researcher at Umeå University, collected about 3,000 police reports from 2020–2022 and sorted out about one-sixth with a clear link to a political assignment, according to her research. Only 2.6% of those cases led to a conviction, her findings show.
Msciwoj Swigon (SD), group leader for the Sweden Democrats in Region Stockholm, says he has received threats but not been physically attacked. He says his name has not negatively affected how he is treated in politics.