According to The Independent, Sweden has recorded 400,000 asylum applications since 2012, the equivalent of one for every 25 members of the population.

The country briefly suspended deportations to Afghanistan earlier this year, after two particularly devastating attacks by the Taliban in Kabul, which saw over 100 people killed. Despite this, Sweden’s Migration Board stands by its view that Afghanistan is a safe country of origin for failed asylum seekers.

And, worryingly, the situation is similar in the United Kingdom. Indeed, shortly after the Windrush scandal was made public, it was revealed that at least 1,000 highly skilled migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK are wrongly facing deportation under a section of the Immigration Act – which was designed, in part, to tackle terrorists and individuals judged to be a threat to national security.

So, while many will not agree with Ersson’s anti-deportation stance, we need to talk about it. Because, at a time when xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment are on the rise across Europe, it’s inspiring to see a woman peacefully standing up for her beliefs – and for the rights and safety of her fellow human beings.

Image: Elin Erssojn / Facebook

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