The Swedish government wants to force social networks to remove “criminal classified ads” targeting minors

Towards a first in this area in the EU? The Swedish government announced on Wednesday that it had prepared a bill requiring social networks, such as TikTok and Snapchat, to remove classified ads recruiting people to commit murder within an hour or face heavy fines.

Criminal gangs active in Sweden are increasingly using social media to recruit people, often minors, to commit murder and other acts of violence.

Those recruited are often children under the age of fifteen, the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden. These minors cannot therefore be prosecuted and are placed under the responsibility of social services, which represents a definite advantage for criminal gangs.

“We would be the first (among the countries of the European Union, editor’s note) to adopt legislation of this type aimed at combating the recruitment of children and young people by organized crime,” declared Swedish Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer during a press conference.

Fines of up to 5 million crowns

If the proposal is adopted by parliament, social networks will be liable, from July 15, to a fine of up to five million crowns (460,000 euros) if they do not remove this type of ad in time.

“Nowadays, murder contracts are openly published on social networks like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat,” Pontus Andersson Garpvall, a member of the Sweden Democrats and member of the parliamentary justice committee, said during the press conference.

According to him, bombings and shootings are coordinated by criminal circles using “different digital services”.

“Those who are drawn into this serious crime and accept these criminal missions are often children and young people who have no connection with the instigator, the victim or the place where the crime is to be committed,” added Pontus Andersson Garpvall.

A surge in organized crime

Sweden has been facing a surge in organized crime for around ten years, linked to the war between gangs and the control of drug trafficking.

The right-wing minority government, supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats party, has increased legislative proposals to crack down on crime and immigration in the run-up to the Swedish legislative elections on September 13.

The government previously proposed a bill lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 from July 1 for crimes punishable by at least four years in prison.

This proposal has encountered strong opposition in the country, including among police and prison authorities.