Islamic extremism in Sweden and consequences for the EU
12.7.2017
Question for written answer E-004726-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Lorenzo Fontana (ENF) , Matteo Salvini (ENF)
According to press reports, Dan Eliasson, chief of police in Sweden, has stated that some areas of the country that have a significant concentration of immigrants from countries with Islamic majorities are now completely outside the control of the state authorities.
This statement matches what was said by Anders Thornberg, head of Swedish secret services, who has referred to a significant increase in the number of potential terrorists living on Swedish territory and who are being monitored by those services: From 200 in 2010 to a few thousand in 2017.
There could be around 61 areas that law enforcement forces basically cannot enter and which are controlled by armed gangs and radical Islamists. The police consider 23 of these to be a particular risk and they house, among others, various ‘foreign fighters’ who have returned to Sweden from Syria or other countries of the Middle East. These people are protected as the Swedish authorities themselves have given them new identities and financial assistance for re-integration.
In the light of this information, we ask the Commission:
- —If it has further information about this issue;
- —If it has received a request from the Swedish authorities to cooperate in managing this problem;
- —If it believes, given that Sweden is part of the Schengen area, that the existence of these enclaves outside the authorities’ control is a danger for all European citizens.