Trump confuses all with "what happened in Sweden" remark
US President Donald Trump stoked controversy when he suggested that security situation had arisen in Sweden "last night", but nothing had actually happened. He made the comments while speaking at a rally in Florida, inviting several sarcastic comments and retorts, including some from former politicians. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt ridiculed the comment and wondered "What has he been smoking?"
What were Trump's statements?
Defending his immigration ban, Trump told supporters, "You look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They're having problems like they never thought possible."
How did people react to Trump's statement?
The mocking hashtag #lasnightinSweden began trending with creative jokes ridiculing Trump's imagination. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt wondered what Trump was smoking to imagine such non-existent incidents. A Swedish news website sought to clear the air by publishing a list of incidents that occurred in Sweden, none of which had anything to do with migrants.
Swedish Foreign Ministry demands answers
Swedish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Caterina Axelson said the Government was unaware of any "terror-linked incidents. Our embassy in Washington has been in contact with the US foreign affairs office to get clarification. We're of course wondering [what he referred to]."
What was Trump's defence?
Trump cleared the air saying that he was citing a documentary by Ami Horowitz that was aired on Fox News. The documentary insinuated that Sweden's overwhelming acceptance of refugees, has led to it becoming the rape capital of Europe. The documentary also claimed that parts of Sweden have Sharia law and that muslim immigrants were effectively taking control of Swedish society.
Sweden rubbishes documentary's claims
Swedish officials were quick to rubbish the claims made in the documentary. They acknowledged the high rate of sexual assaults, but attributed to the openness of their justice system, that encourages victims to come forward, more so than other European countries. They also rubbished Horowitz's allegations of Sharia law, and the statistics of Islamist attacks in the country.
Sweden's tryst with extremism
Over 300 people from Sweden left to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside ISIS. This makes them the biggest per capita exporter of Jihad in Europe. Sweden has also taken in over 300,000 refugee seekers from war-torn Islamic nations in the last 5 years.
