Swedish police have launched a criminal investigation into whether a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the northern university town of Umeå constituted incitement against an ethnic group. The protest featured hanged skeletons dressed in concentration camp uniforms beneath a banner reading “a genocide is a genocide,” according to social media footage circulating Saturday.
The skeletons were suspended execution-style, wearing blue-and-white striped uniforms marked with Stars of David and prisoner numbers—evoking Holocaust imagery.
Also visible in the image was a person wearing a keffiyeh and holding a baby doll standing near the display. Palestinian flags were also displayed at the manifestation, shown here in a post on X by Sofie Löwenmark, Swedish journalist and columnist dedicated to exposing extreme ideologies and defending civil liberties:
Deputy PM Ebba Busch expressed her outrage on social media, saying
Antisemitism has long been disguised as ‘criticism of Israel,’ but this goes far beyond all limits.”
Since July 1, 2024, the trivialization of genocide has been covered by Sweden’s hate speech legislation. We need a society where the law is actually upheld—including when it comes to antisemitism.
When antisemitism of this kind is allowed to spread without police intervention, we betray both the rule of law and our historical responsibility.
The group Umeå for Palestine shared photos of the doll installation on social media but stated on Instagram that they were not behind it, attributing the display to an independent artist.
“The purpose, as presented to us, of the art installation was to draw parallels between two horrific genocides and highlight the message that it is unacceptable, regardless of who is affected,” they write. The group has since taken down the images and said they regret that some individuals took offense at it being shared through our platforms.”
Law professor Mårten Schultz told Aftonbladet the display ought to be investigated as a hate crime. “Claiming that it’s art or satire generally doesn’t matter. It’s the content and the context that matter—there are no free passes,” he says.
Hans Lindberg, chairman of the Umeå municipal council, said he had seen the images and called the display “highly inappropriate,” adding, “We’ve observed a general rise in hate throughout Sweden—including in Umeå.”
A spokesman for the Central Jewish Central Council called the display “deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable” and said it’s “something that we see as a direct threat to us Jews.’
At a time when antisemitism is on the rise, and Jews in several European countries report feeling unsafe, a demonstration of this kind has to be denounced by all political parties, Ebba Busch said, or Umeå “risks becoming unsafe for Jews and a safe haven for antisemites.”
