Donald Trump refers to non-existent refugee 'incident' in Sweden during rally
Donald Trump appeared to invent an attack on Sweden during a rally in Florida on Saturday.
Appearing before an audience of supporters in Melbourne, Florida, the US president spoke out in defence of his administration's travel ban and the need to restrict immigration in the interest of national security.
He said: “When you look at what’s happening in Germany, when you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden - Sweden! Who would believe this? Sweden! They took in large numbers, they’re having problems like they never thought possible.”
In Melbourne, #Trump said: "You look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden." There was no #SwedenIncident. Demagoguery? Dementia? pic.twitter.com/AKGiNHeWmU
— Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) 19 February 2017
However, there was no such incident in Sweden on Friday night.
Many Twitter users got in touch with the official @Sweden Twitter account, which is given over to a different Swedish citizen curator each week, to ask what incident he might be referring to.
Holding the reins this week is school librarian @kseenaa, who wrote: "No. Nothing has happened here in Sweden. There has not been any terrorist attacks here. At all. The main news right now is about Melfest."
No. Nothing has happened here in Sweden. There has not ben any terrorist attacks here. At all. The main news right now is about Melfest. ->
— @sweden / Emma (@sweden) February 19, 2017
Melfest is a televised singing contest to select Sweden's entry in Eurovision.
Other social media users have suggested that Trump might have been referring to a programme on Fox News on Friday night, Tucker Carlson Tonight, in which the host spoke to documentarian Ami Horowitz about a new film about alleged violence committed by refugees in Sweden.
-> and he to missunderstanding how things work here. So it's incorrect information on top of incorrect information.
— @sweden / Emma (@sweden) February 19, 2017
turns out "what happened last night in Sweden" actually just means "last night I was watching Tucker Carlson talk about Sweden" pic.twitter.com/6z5pfOJ7Yv
— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) February 19, 2017
Sweden has taken in more refugees per capita than any other European nation in recent years and recent incidents of crime involving migrants have sparked a nationwide debate around the country's status as Europe’s most welcoming country for refugees.
Earlier this month, Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Mr Trump, was widely mocked for referring to a "Bowling Green massacre" in a TV interview while defending his executive order to temporarily suspend travel from seven majority-Muslim nations.
“I bet it’s brand new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee programme after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalised and they were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre,” Ms Conway said in an interview with MSNBC.
“Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.”
There was no such massacre: it is believed she was referring to two Iraqis in Bowling Green, Kentucky, who were convicted of terrorist activities after killing US soldiers in 2011. However, the incident happened in Iraq.
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