Stockholm – A Swedish criminologist is facing criticism after publicly voicing support for a man facing charges related to protests targeting two government ministers. Leif G.W. Persson offered to cover the man’s legal fees, sparking a rebuke from the country’s foreign minister.
The activist, who is in his 40s and has a history with left-wing movements, reportedly told authorities that the actions were intended to draw attention to the government’s policies regarding Syria.
Persson defended the activist’s actions, which included painting mustaches on apples and placing them near the home of Johan Forssell, and displaying a doll with a fake knife outside the residence of Benjamin Dousa. “What terrible crime is this?” Persson asked in an interview with TV4, adding with a laugh, “He painted apples with Hitler mustaches and placed them in the vicinity of Forssell’s home.”
He continued, “He argues that it’s an expression of free speech. I support that 100 percent.” Persson also stated he was prepared to pay the activist’s legal costs, saying, “I have a pretty good financial situation. I can even consider paying his legal fees.”
Persson: “What are you doing?”
Persson went on to question the response to the protests. “Examine yourselves, what are you doing?” he said. “I am unequivocally on the side of the perpetrator, and that doesn’t happen all the time, you know.”
Both Dousa and Forssell have described the actions as unsettling, particularly because they occurred near their homes, according to reports.
Foreign Minister Criticizes Remarks
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard responded to Persson’s comments in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Leif GW Persson has all too often shown a lack of judgment,” she wrote. “For him to now support suspected perpetrators carrying out threatening actions against politicians at their homes is to cross a sharp line. It is a shocking statement at a time when one in four Swedish politicians has been subjected to threats, hate, harassment or violence according to Brå 2025. Threats against politicians are a threat to democracy.”
The case underscores growing concerns about the safety of political figures and the boundaries of free expression in Sweden.
