"Swedish Middle East Policy encourages Jihadi-style intent."

Paris, 15 May 2019

In a letter to Swedish Minister for Home Affairs, Mikael Damberg, Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, expressed horror at “yesterday’s stabbing of a 60 year old Jewish woman, in Helsingborg, active in the local Jewish community.”

The letter noted that, “she is critically injured and reports are that her assailant is a Muslim known to your authorities.”

Samuels remarked that, “apparently the police are treating the case as a common attempted murder. This evades the aggravated penalty if acknowledged as a hate-crime, in this case antisemitism,”... adding, “Even more damning, her pleas for help were reportedly ignored by bystanders.”

Samuels recalled that, "In 2010, our Centre issued a 'travel advisory' on Malmo for police inaction in the face of attacks on the Jewish and Roma communities."

The Centre pointed to the Minister’s special responsability for 'Police Authorities and Counter-Terrorism'...."This behooves you to take action for a speedy arrest and arraignment for antisemitic violence, as a warning to others inculcated to attack Jews and their institutions,”... He also stressed that, “Indeed, Swedish Middle East policy may be considered a contributory factor in encouraging such Jihadi-style intent.”

"Mr. Minister, we count on you to discourage us from further ‘travel advisories’”... “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of Helsingborg and pray for the victim’s full recovery,” concluded Samuels.