The EU "extorts" Sweden to pay 9.19 million euros to escape mandatory asylum quotas (not allowing immigrants to enter the EU requires paying money)
The European Commission forces member states like Sweden to pay millions in "protection fees" to protect their citizens from unwanted asylum seekers under the controversial EU migration agreement.
Norwegian journalist Rebecca Mistrégen sharply criticized Sweden's payment of 9 million euros to exit the mandatory refugee resettlement program, asking, "Why must citizens of countries like Sweden and Hungary pay ransom to EU bureaucrats to gain the right to save their own countries?"
This accusation comparing the EU to a "Mafia" immediately sparked transatlantic public outrage, with populist figures celebrating it as a warning against EU overreach, while EU defenders condemned this dangerous incitement that undermines European unity.
This payment is part of the EU's new solidarity mechanism confirmed under the 2024 Migration and Asylum Pact — which will fully take effect in June 2026, allowing Sweden to avoid receiving 459 asylum seekers by contributing 20,000 euros per person to a common fund (a total of 918 euros, rounded up to 919 euros in the report). Previously, EU interior ministers had agreed on a scaled-down version of the deal on December 8, 2025, setting a transfer quota of 21,000 people and a funding split of 420 million euros for 2026, far below the EU Commission's ambitious proposal of 30,000 transfers and 600 million euros. Countries such as Hungary and Poland received full exemptions, but Sweden's cash buyout scheme highlights the compulsory structure of the pact: either participate in the migration distribution or pay, leaving no real alternative for countries insisting on sovereignty.
American tech giant Elon Musk, who has long been critical of the EU, launched a fierce attack on the EU, calling it a "ransom" plan, akin to a "Mafia" collecting protection money, marking an increasingly tight control over sovereign nations. Nordic countries that once enthusiastically welcomed immigrants are now facing strong domestic opposition due to rising crime rates and pressure on the welfare system.
According to official statistics in Sweden, the country's "rape rate" is indeed significantly higher than India's, with about 85.6 cases per 100,000 people, compared to just 2.2 in India, a difference of 38 times. In addition to differences in reporting and handling methods, there have been several serious cases involving immigrants in Sweden.
2016 Uppsala Live Rape Case
Three Afghan refugees live-streamed the sexual assault of a minor Swedish boy on Facebook, sparking a nationwide debate on immigrant integration and sexual violence.
2017 Stockholm "Weekend Rape Spree"
A 24-year-old man stalked and attacked multiple intoxicated women in the city center for two consecutive nights, receiving a six-year prison sentence and permanent deportation.
2021 Malmö Park Gang Rape
Five men (mostly foreign or second-generation immigrants) gang-raped a 15-year-old girl in Hergotland Park, all receiving sentences of 4-7 years.
2022 "Drug Rape" Series Cases
Several women were sexually assaulted after being given sedatives in nightclubs, with police discovering suspects inviting victims through social media. Three cases were convicted, but the actual number of victims may exceed 30.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1851394549665882/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.