On Monday afternoon, a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside a Jewish school in central Stockholm, holding signs with messages like “all children are equally valuable.”
The choice of location has triggered a wave of political backlash across Sweden.
Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand (Moderate Party) called the protest “despicable and downright anti-Semitic,”while Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (also Moderate Party) condemned it on X, writing:
“This is not about freedom of speech, but about creating fear among children living in Sweden.”
Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson also weighed in, stressing that Jewish children must not be targeted because of Israel’s government.
“All children and young people should feel safe on their way to and from school. Holding a protest against Israel outside a Jewish school is deeply inappropriate. Swedish Jews bear no responsibility for Netanyahu’s far-right government,” Andersson wrote.
The protest has quickly become a flashpoint, raising questions about the line between political activism and intimidation, and sparking debate over how Sweden should handle demonstrations tied to the conflict in the Middle East. Photo by Quinn Dombrowski from Berkeley, USA, Wikimedia commons.
