AI-generated summary
After a fatal beating of a 48-year-old man on Östra Torggatan in Karlstad on the night of August 30, rumors spread on social media that three men of foreign origin were behind the crime and that the motive was sexual harassment of the victim's daughter. This information was also shared in the comment fields of Rural Affairs Minister Peter Kullgren (KD) and Member of Parliament Marléne Lund Kopparsklint (SD).
After the beating to death of a 48-year-old man on Östra Torggatan in Karlstad on the night of August 30, rumors exploded on social media about who was behind the act and why.
Among other things, it was said that three men of foreign origin would be guilty, and that the reason for the incident must have been that one of the men must have pawed at the killed man's daughter.
Information was spread, among other things, in the comments field of Rural Affairs Minister Peter Kullgren's (KD) post on Facebook. Information that was also spread in Marléne Lund Kopparsklint's (SD) comment field.
On probable cause, suspected of murder
Now a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old man are in custody. None of the men have foreign origins, and during Thursday the prosecutor Cecilia Aronsson announced that there is no suspicion of sexual abuse. The men are only suspected of murder.
- This is the classification that the preliminary investigation is based on at the moment. There is currently no suspicion of sexual assault in connection with the incident.
The journalist and debater Jack Werner has examined how the news has been spread online, and Werner believes that incorrect information has been spread to be able to fit as a weapon in the ongoing election campaign.
- When I looked through the spread of rumours, some openly expressed a hope that this could reverse the election results. says Jack Werner, citing an example:
- Someone wrote: "Will they be arrested before election day? Then we will know who they are and then Tidö will win".
Swedish equivalent of "October surprise"
According to Werner, the fact that news events are spun in order to be driven by different political parties in connection with election campaigns is nothing new.
- We have had a history of "September Surprises" or what to call it as a counterpart to what usually appears in the American election campaign as "October surprise". It is quite obvious that this was the kind of news event that could play into the election campaign.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Prosecutors will bring charges of manslaughter against the two men in custody within the next few weeks.
Likely · Within weeks
The debate about disinformation in social media during election campaigns will intensify ahead of the upcoming elections.
Very likely · Within months
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