Every morning we wake up to the same thing. The news washes over us like a cold shower: another shooting, another bombing, another life extinguished by senseless violence. Those who kill are often young themselves. Those who die are young. We see images of torn neighborhoods, shattered families, and shaken communities. Sweden, once considered one of the safest countries in the world, has today become a place where fear is everyday life.

It is a painful reality. And there’s no point in sugarcoating it. Violence has crept into every corner of our society, and politicians, regardless of party or ideology, seem powerless. Year after year, we hear the same empty phrases: "This is unacceptable," "We must turn the tide," "We are appointing another inquiry."
And every time it’s the same: new promises, new grand words – but on the streets, the bullets keep flying.
Promise after promise piles up like a house of cards built from words, while reality collapses. No results are delivered. And while we wait for real change, the bodies keep falling.

Robbery, Knife, and the Instinct to Survive

I myself became part of the statistics. An attempted robbery, late at night on my way home. A knife that injured my wrist. A threat of death. But they had chosen the wrong person. I knew how to defend myself – at least then. For now. But what does it say about a society when survival requires you to know how to fight?

What should be a given – being able to go to the store, take a walk, wait for the bus – turned into something dangerous. Something I had to be prepared for. Alert, tense, always on guard.

After many years of growing fear, I realized that Sweden was no longer my home. I left. I fled a country that had become unrecognizable, where safety was no longer a right but a privilege.

And I am not alone. Many, especially those reaching retirement age, no longer dream of spending their final years in their homeland. Instead, they plan their departure – to safer places, where they don’t have to worry about getting caught in the crossfire of a senseless war between young men who never learned the difference between respect and fear.

When Coddling Became the Norm

The question many are asking is: what is society really doing? For every bombing, every shooting, every stabbing, the answer seems to be the same – more coddling. More understanding. More excuses.

It has gone so far that we are almost expected to feel sympathy for the perpetrators. They were "vulnerable," they had "difficult childhoods," they were "lost souls." Of course, there is a place for empathy and social support – but when the victims are forgotten in favor of the perpetrators, something has gone terribly wrong.

A society that does not dare to stand up for right and wrong, that does not set boundaries, and that constantly backs down out of fear of seeming "harsh," is a society on the brink of collapse.

What Is Really Needed?

We need much more than beautiful words. We need powerful action, real consequences, and a clear signal from the entire society: Here, law and order apply, and we do not accept violence.

This means:

• Sentences for serious violent crimes must be harsher and fully enforced.

• Young people committing serious crimes must face clear and immediate consequences – not social experiments and endless excuses.

• The police must be given resources and support to regain control of our streets.

• The judiciary must be prioritized and equipped to act swiftly and effectively.

• Integration policies must shift from a naïve dream that "everything will work out" to concrete work based on demands, responsibility, and opportunities.

And above all: the promises made must be backed up by real action.
The Swedish people can no longer bear to hear yet another promise of tough measures when, in practice, it only results in more reports, more roundtable discussions, and yet another lost generation.

We need politicians who understand that we no longer listen to words. We are waiting for action.

We Must Stop Closing Our Eyes

We can no longer pretend that these are normal problems that all societies go through. Sweden stands out. Statistics after statistics show that we have among the highest levels of deadly gun violence in Europe. We top lists where we should never have been.

It is a betrayal – of the young who grow up in fear, of the elderly locked inside their homes, of the families forced to bury their sons and daughters.

Closing our eyes to reality helps no one. It is not "hate" to want to protect your fellow citizens. It is not "xenophobia" to want society to function. It is not "harshness" to stand up for justice.

It is love for your country and for your neighbor.

Leaving a Country You Love

Many who leave Sweden do not do so out of hate. On the contrary. They do it out of sorrow. Out of love for what Sweden once was, and the pain of realizing that it is no longer possible to live there without constant fear.

It is a heartbreaking realization to have to say goodbye to your language, your culture, your memories – just to attain something as basic as safety.

I loved Sweden. I loved the freedom, the nature, the people. I loved the silent strength that once existed in the country. But that Sweden no longer exists for me.

When fear moves into the space where dreams once lived, you know it’s time to move on.

Society Stands at a Crossroads

Sweden stands at a crossroads. Either we continue down the path of coddling, excuses, and lost control. Or we choose to rise up, to reclaim what once made Sweden a model society: safety, trust, and community.

This requires courage from our leaders – and from ourselves. It requires that we dare to speak plainly. That we dare to demand change. That we refuse to get used to the violence.
It also requires us to say no to more empty promises, no to politicians who prefer to talk rather than act.

Otherwise, more will leave. And more young people will die – shot, bombed, stabbed – while those who should have protected them look away.

I Chose Life

I chose to leave before I became the next news headline. I chose life.
But every day, I think about those who still have to live in the fear I escaped from.