Sweden Will Not Apologize for Crimes Against the Sámi People
The Truth Commission for the Sámi People concludes that the Swedish state bears responsibility for historical wrongs committed against the Sámi.
BACKGROUND
- Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission Continues Its Work
- Hate Crimes Against Swedish Sámi Revealed in a New Brå Report
- A Small Step in Confronting Discrimination Against Sámi People in Sweden
- Countering Racism Against Sámi People in Sweden Once Again
- Sweden Fails to Offer Preschool Activities in Sámi Language
Truth Commission: Apologize to the Sámi
Over the course of five years, approximately 300 testimonies have been collected.
“The most important thing is that we have examined the decisions made by the state and the church over the centuries that affected the Sámi and resulted in the Sámi people suffering numerous violations of their rights,” Lena Nyberg, chair of the Truth Commission, said on SVT’s Morgonstudion.
Wrongs cited include loss of land, nomadic schools, forced relocations, and discrimination.
Call for a State Apology
The government is now being urged to acknowledge its responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation for the consequences.
“There have been forced relocations, as well as the loss of language and culture. It is vitally important now for the state to step in and acknowledge what has happened in history,” says Lena Nyberg.
About the Truth Commission
The Truth Commission for the Sámi People is a state inquiry appointed by the government in 2021.
The commission is tasked with mapping out and examining the policies pursued toward the Sámi from a historical perspective, as well as the consequences of those policies for the Sámi people.
No to Apologizing to the Sámi
This week, the Truth Commission for the Sámi People demanded a public apology for the state’s abuses against the Sámi. However, when SVT put the question to the parliamentary parties, several hesitated—and the Sweden Democrats are completely opposed.
“Our starting point is that we do not wish to accede to this demand,” says Martin Kinnunen (SD).
The Truth Commission for the Sámi People presented its five-year project this week, which involved gathering facts, research, and personal accounts from Swedish Sámi. Three hundred people gave testimony regarding forced relocations, children being taken from their parents, children being punished for speaking Sámi, threats, torture, and discrimination.
As expected, calls were also made for a formal public apology from the Swedish state—a step the commission believes the government should initiate.
SVT asked the eight parliamentary parties for their views on the demand.
The Left Party and the Green Party have explicitly backed the commission’s proposal.
“It is the least one can ask for,” Birger Lahti, the Left Party’s spokesperson on minority issues, told SVT.
”At Odds with What We Propose”
The Sweden Democrats oppose the proposal. The other parties that responded to SVT do not have clear positions—or could consider an apology under certain conditions. The Sweden Democrats argue that one reason to say no is that an official apology is closely linked to other measures that would grant the Sámi increased rights—something the party does not wish to implement.
During the election campaign, the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, and the Liberals all stated that they wanted to facilitate the establishment of new mines in areas currently used for reindeer herding. The Moderates, the Christian Democrats, and the Sweden Democrats went further, seeking to strip reindeer husbandry of its status as a “national interest.”
“That sounds ominous and runs counter to what we are proposing,” Lena Nyberg, chair of the Truth Commission, told SVT.
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