Sweden has failed to integrate its large number of migrants, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Thursday. Andersson’s statement comes shortly after hundreds were injured after violent riots erupted over Quran burnings last month.
Last month, violent riots erupted across Sweden after a politician burned multiple Qurans in a statement of free expression. More than 100 police officers were injured while dozens of buildings were burned to the ground.
After the riots, Andersson stated that “segregation” had been allowed to go on too long. This is in reference to Muslim “no-go zones” that have sprung up across Europe over the last decade. In these areas, outsiders are not welcome while Muslims adhere to customs from their native countries.
“Segregation has been allowed to go so far that we have parallel societies in Sweden. We live in the same country but in completely different realities,” Andersson said during a press conference.
“Integration has been too poor at the same time as we have had a large immigration. Society has been too weak, resources for the police and social services have been too weak,” she continued.
According to Reuters, the number of people in Sweden born abroad has doubled in the last two decades to 2 million. This accounts for a fifth of the population.
Sweden took in more immigrants per capita than any other European nation during 2015’s migrant crisis. Scandinavian countries became a preferred migrant destination due to their vast social welfare programs.
In response to the surge, the nation now has some of Western Europe’s most stringent immigration policies.
