False rumors spread after death in Karlstad

A fatal assault in Karlstad was followed by a wave of false claims about the suspected attackers. Unverified posts on social media said the two men had foreign backgrounds, but information in the detention request later showed that they had Swedish backgrounds.

The two men, both in their 20s, are suspected of assaulting a 48-year-old father who later died in hospital. The man's 18-year-old daughter told Aftonbladet that her father had tried to protect her after one of the men allegedly made unwanted advances. She then witnessed a fight between the men and her father, who fell to the ground.

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If the perpetrators are also foreign citizens, one thing applies: out.

The men are being held on suspicion primarily of manslaughter, and alternatively of aggravated assault and grossly negligent homicide. They deny the allegations. One of them had previously been convicted of assault.

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I stand by every word I wrote.

The death drew attention well beyond Karlstad, including from members of parliament. Sweden Democrat European Parliament member Charlie Weimers, who comes from Karlstad, wrote on X: "If the perpetrators are also foreign citizens, one thing applies: out." He later told Dagens Nyheter that he accepted responsibility for his post and stood by every word, citing his support for tougher sentences and deportation of foreign citizens who commit crimes in Sweden.

Christian Democrat Rural Affairs Minister Peter Kullgren, who knew the victim, also commented on X. Police in Värmland responded with a video from local police chief Ulrika Sundström, urging the public to think carefully before sharing information they knew was false and warning that rumors can quickly create a distorted picture of events.

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Think twice before you share information that you know is not true. Rumors can easily gain momentum and create your own picture of what happened.