(The Guardian) The director general of Sweden’s psychological defence agency, the country’s body tasked with combating foreign disinformation, said he has been shocked by the scale of the riots in the UK, saying they demonstrate the dangers of disinformation.
It comes a year after Sweden faced an international crisis over Qur’an burnings, during which authorities accused Russia of trying to influence how the incidents were viewed internationally, threatening to derail its Nato bid, after misinformation spread around the world.
Magnus Hjort told the Guardian: “I have been surprised to see the extent to these riots. The multitude of cities and towns which have exploded in violence and looting and attacks on mosques and attacks on hotels.” He added: “What we can see is the danger of disinformation and how it can set fire to underlying discontent that is within society.”
Hjort said several factors contributed to unrest around the Qur’an burning incidents in Sweden cooling down - both through information campaigns by the government and, following the outbreak of war in Gaza, many actors instead started focusing their attention there.
“Of course we see some of it [disinformation about last year’s Qur’an burnings] now, but it doesn’t get any traction today,” he said. “So both internal and external factors have made a change in the situation.”
While he said it was up to British authorities to ascertain whether foreign entities were involved, in his experience in Sweden, Russia is “always interested in amplifying disinformation”.
Each country must do what works for them, he said, but in Sweden the cold war-era agency, which was re-established two years ago amid heightening tensions with Russia, has helped take on disinformation. “First, we’re not a police agency and we’re not an intelligence agency and that works in favour of us being able to work more openly,” he said. “That works in Sweden.”
It comes a year after Sweden faced an international crisis over Qur’an burnings, during which authorities accused Russia of trying to influence how the incidents were viewed internationally, threatening to derail its Nato bid, after misinformation spread around the world.
Magnus Hjort told the Guardian: “I have been surprised to see the extent to these riots. The multitude of cities and towns which have exploded in violence and looting and attacks on mosques and attacks on hotels.” He added: “What we can see is the danger of disinformation and how it can set fire to underlying discontent that is within society.”
Hjort said several factors contributed to unrest around the Qur’an burning incidents in Sweden cooling down - both through information campaigns by the government and, following the outbreak of war in Gaza, many actors instead started focusing their attention there.
“Of course we see some of it [disinformation about last year’s Qur’an burnings] now, but it doesn’t get any traction today,” he said. “So both internal and external factors have made a change in the situation.”
While he said it was up to British authorities to ascertain whether foreign entities were involved, in his experience in Sweden, Russia is “always interested in amplifying disinformation”.
Each country must do what works for them, he said, but in Sweden the cold war-era agency, which was re-established two years ago amid heightening tensions with Russia, has helped take on disinformation. “First, we’re not a police agency and we’re not an intelligence agency and that works in favour of us being able to work more openly,” he said. “That works in Sweden.”
