A public spat between the Swedish and the Hungarian prime ministers erupted on social media after Viktor Orbán claimed 280 Swedish underage girls were arrested for murder, quoting a German newspaper report.
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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has publicly rebuffed a post on social media platform X by his Hungarian counterpart,Viktor Orbán alleging that Swedish criminal gangs are exploiting and forcing underage girls to be assassins.
Orbán had posted a video citing a report from German newspaper Die Welt about Swedish gangs recruiting teenage girls to commit violent crimes such as murders or bombings.
“The Swedish government lectures us about the rule of law. Meanwhile, according to an article by Die Welt, criminal networks are exploiting Swedish children as killers, knowing the system won’t convict," Orbán wrote.
"A country once known for order & safety is now collapsing: over 280 underage girls arrested for murder, families living in fear. It’s heartbreaking. The Swedish people deserve better!”
“These are outrageous lies," Ulf Kristersson hit back in his own post on X, adding: "Not surprising, coming from the man who is dismantling the rule of law in his own country. Orbán is desperate ahead of the upcoming Hungarian election."
German newspaper report ignites debate
According to the report, teenage girls are increasingly recruited in Sweden by gangs to commit crimes. The report said that Stockholm's ruling coalition is considering lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years as a result.
According to Die Welt, last year, around 280 underage girls were investigated for murder, manslaughter or violent crimes.
The newspaper recalls that Sweden has struggled with an explosion in crime in recent years. The gangs responsible consist largely of young men with a migrant background, fighting for control of the drug market, the paper claimed.
Earlier, Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer warned that the involvement of young girls in criminal circles is much more widespread than was assumed.
The leaders of the two nations have been at odds for years: Stockholm is a fierce critic of the Hungarian rule of law situation in relation to a range of issues, including the ban on an LGBTQ+ pride march.
In response, Hungary, together with Türkiye, blocked Sweden's NATO accession for almost two years after the Nordic country applied to the alliance after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden joined NATO in 2024, after the Hungarian parliament finally ratified the Swedish bid.