Hate Crimes Against Immigrants in Sweden and Community Responses

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze development in Sweden concerning the amount and types of reported hate crimes and entailed community responses. Particular attention is paid to offenses against immigrants. The number of reported xenophobic, anti-Semitic, and homophobic crimes has increased considerably between 1997 and 2003. The most common hate crimes against immigrants are threats, harassment, slander, ethnic agitation, and assault. The broader community (political state and welfare society) responded with new legislation, new orders to the police, a discursive offensive against racism, and in particular, the enactment of huge social programs in impoverished immigrant communities. The author analyzes some of the outcomes of these responses.