In the eyes of international onlookers, the Nordic nations are often hailed as political role models who exemplify what it means to be a progressive and mostly equal society. Sweden in particular is ranked first on the European Gender Equality Index. However, the same praise cannot be sung for the nation regarding attitudes towards race and immigration.
In recent years, Sweden has seen an influx of support for white nationalist ideologies in the wake of The Tidö Agreement of 2022 and record immigration numbers in 2015-2016. Though Afro-Swedes make up an estimated 3.5% of the Swedish population, they are often (along with other non-European identities) subjected to political scapegoating and social disadvantages.
To the average Brit, this information may seem wildly incongruent with the images painted of beautiful men and women living in an equal and open society that we are often presented with when anyone mentions Sweden, but this is why we need to be aware of our global histories.