Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven says policy makers would do well to use the correct facts and verify any information they wish to spread.
Asked to comment on remarks made by Donald Trump at a rally in Florida, in which the U.S. president appeared to suggest that a major incident had occurred in Sweden, Lofven told reporters: "I was, like many others, surprised by the comments made about Sweden this weekend.
"We must all take responsibility for using facts correctly and verifying any information that we spread," Lofven said Monday at a joint press conference in Stockholm with the Governor General of Canada, David Johnston.
The premier went on to defend his country’s track record in such fields as human development, equality and competitiveness while acknowledging that Sweden, like other countries, faced "many challenges and opportunities."
Trump’s comment -- "look what’s happening last night in Sweden" -- had Swedes baffled, as no major incident had occurred. The president later published a message on Twitter saying he had been referring to a broadcast on Fox Television about refugees in the Scandinavian country.
On Monday he again tweeted: "Give the public a break - The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!"
Sweden received about 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015 as refugees flooded into Europe. It has since clamped down on immigration and now anticipates about 25,000 to 45,000 will arrive this year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Rigillo in Copenhagen at [email protected].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at [email protected].
