The Swedish government is proposing a constitutional amendment that would make it possible to revoke the citizenship of certain individuals. Those who obtained their citizenship through fraudulent means, or who pose a threat to the state, could now face being stripped of their passport. This is one of many measures which are defining Sweden’s pragmatic shift away from radical idealism.
In contrast to Denmark, the Netherlands, France, and Britain, there has – until now – been no circumstance that would allow someone’s Swedish citizenship to be cancelled. Not even the worst terrorists involved in appalling crimes at the Islamic State’s zenith could lose their passports.
Citizenship is not merely a legal formality; it is the bedrock of a nation and of democracy
Yet, the main reason for this impending shift is not primarily the presence of terror sympathisers, but rather the catastrophic problem of gang-related crime in Sweden, which is by now – sadly – widely known across Europe. It is also a well-established fact that an overwhelming majority of these offenders are immigrants or children of immigrants. When the newspaper Expressen investigated gang criminals in Stockholm in 2017, it found that 41 per cent were foreign-born, 82 per cent had parents who were foreign-born, and 94.5 per cent had at least one foreign-born parent.
When Sweden’s National Police Authority compiled its overview of organised crime last year, it found that 11 per cent of suspects held foreign citizenship, while another 8 per cent had both Swedish and another citizenship. The first group is already eligible for deportation, with a growing number being forced to leave. However, it is the second group – those who hold both Swedish and foreign citizenship – that the government is focusing on. These legal changes will allow the state to revoke the Swedish citizenship of dual nationals, thereby making deportation possible.
From the outset, this situation was brought about by a strikingly reckless policy. Over the past two decades, Swedish citizenship has been granted to more than one million people. And the resulting difficulties go far beyond the problem of hardened gang criminals.
Citizenship is not merely a legal formality; it is the bedrock of a nation and of democracy. It serves both to formalise and to symbolise a national community – a prerequisite for a healthy democratic society.
We accept the outcomes of general elections and abide by enacted policies in large part because we feel a sense of belonging, that we share more than simply being in the same place at the same time. History demonstrates that democracy struggles to endure without national loyalties strong enough to bridge political rifts. Citizenship, in this sense, plays a vital role – a point on which the late British philosopher Roger Scruton wrote most insightfully.
The first paragraph of the current Citizenship Act stipulates that Swedish citizenship – at least in theory – is specifically intended to unite all citizens, uphold a sense of belonging to Sweden, and is the foundation for the democratic rule. These ambitions cannot be met when an individual has inadequate knowledge of Sweden’s language, culture, and society.
Unlike Britain or Sweden’s Nordic neighboring countries, there has never been any requirement to learn Swedish before being granted citizenship. On the contrary, we have government service centres that provide assistance and interpretation services for those who do not speak Swedish (and for those who are illiterate) to handle interactions with public authorities – including filling out the citizenship application form. In 2024 alone, there were 68,262 citizenship applications – nearly 200 per day.
And so as well as the planned constitutional amendment, an inquiry proposed new citizenship laws, that were unveiled this week.The new requirements for Swedish citizenship include an eight-year period of residence in Sweden, validation of Swedish language proficiency, and a basic understanding of how Swedish society functions. In addition, applicants must demonstrate financial self-sufficiency and maintain good character.
Until now, the laughably low bar has made it all too easy for criminals to become Swedish citizens. Given the scale of organised criminality – largely emanating from recently arrived clans and other migrant networks – deportation is a crucial tool that has been lost once citizenship is conferred. The combination of stricter citizenship requirements and the power to revoke them is of immense significance.
In public discourse, both in Britain and Sweden, we frequently hear warnings about various threats to democracy. Yet, the erosion of national unity – by handing out citizenship with unbounded generosity – is a real and grave danger. Sweden’s new citizenship legislation is not only crucial, it is long overdue.
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