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'Not Welcome': Swedish Municipality to Give Daesh Returnees a Cold Shoulder

© Sputnik / Andrey Stenin / Go to the mediabankFlag of the Islamic State in the conflict zone
Flag of the Islamic State in the conflict zone - Sputnik International
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Staffanstorp has become Sweden's first municipality to completely reject the idea of helping Daesh* terrorists "re-integrate" into society with the help of public funds. No resources should be wasted on helping the terrorists, the municipality said. These plans, however, have been met with a backlash from legal professionals.

In a national first, the Staffanstorp municipality in Sweden's southernmost Skåne County intends to deprive jihadists and people who have supported terrorism all municipal services, signalling that they are not welcome.

"If you have joined a terrorist organisation, you have hereby turned away from the democratic society and the welfare systems we have in place. This means you are no longer covered by them", Staffanstorp municipality board chairman Christian Sonesson of the Moderate Party told Swedish Radio.

On his Facebook page, Sonesson described his municipality as "the first one in Sweden to stand on the victims' side", while publishing the bill.

In his proposal, Christian Sonesson made it clear that people who have supported terrorism will not receive housing, benefits, adult education or other forms of municipal support. According to Sonesson, one doesn't have to be a convicted terrorist to be denied municipal services.

"We make an initial assessment, and if we suspect you have joined any terrorist organisation, you will be no longer covered by the municipality", Sonesson explained. "The person in question is free to appeal our decision", he added.

READ MORE: 'Hardly Surprising': Every Third Daesh Returnee Commits Crimes in Sweden

Ole Lundin, a professor of administrative law at Uppsala University, one of Sweden's leading educational institutions, called the proposal "ridiculous" and claimed it contradicted both the Constitution, the social services law, and various support laws.

"These are laws and regulations that apply in Sweden and have been decided by the parliament and the government. Only they stipulate when one can be denied benefits and the like, and none of these regulations include anything about opportunity to deprive those suspected of co-operation with Daesh different types of social assistance", Olle Lundin told Swedish Radio. He called the municipality's lack of understanding about Sweden's legal system "distressing".

Sonesson, on the other hand, welcomed a legal investigation into his proposal. Still, he stuck to his guns that terrorists and their sympathisers are not welcome in Staffanstorp. "Our solidarity is with the victims and freedom. I hope that more municipalities around the country support our approach", he said.

READ MORE: 'I'd Rather F*****g Detonate': Jihad-Mocking VIDEO by Swedish TV Rocks Public

Meanwhile, governments in Scandinavia are still pondering their options on how to handle the returning Daesh terrorists or "foreign fighters". Sweden's leading terrorism researcher Magnus Ranstorp of the National Defence College argued that Sweden should avoid actively helping these people at all costs, suggesting that they belong to the most hardened variety.

"They are the most dangerous. It is not a good idea to bring them home. In any case, not actively helping them", Ranstorp told Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Ranstorp also said the Swedish authorities have dropped the ball in handling the returning terrorists, reacting too weakly and too late. He also suggested that legislation was deficient and lagged behind in bringing people who have committed atrocities to account.

Out of 300 Swedish jihadists, about 150 have returned home, and more are currently attempting to come back as their "caliphate" lies in shambles. According to Ranstorp, 80 percent of Swedish jihadists hail from four "vulnerable" areas in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, and Örebro.

* Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/IS/the Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia

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