By Lewis Loflin | Published May 9, 2025
Europe has faced growing challenges with immigration in recent years, raising concerns about safety for women and Christians in some areas. This article looks at violent incidents in European cities, with a focus on Sweden, where immigration has been linked to rising crime rates, and examines how these changes affect local communities and traditions.
In 2016, a truck attack in Nice, France, killed 86 people and injured 458 others. That same year, a similar attack at a Berlin Christmas market left 12 dead and 56 injured. The Berlin attack happened in an area I often visited while stationed there with the U.S. Army, making it especially personal. In 2015, attacks in France at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a Jewish market killed 17 people, carried out by individuals of Algerian and Senegalese descent born in France. These events have raised questions about safety and cultural shifts in Europe.
Sweden has seen a sharp rise in violent crime since the early 2000s, especially after taking in large numbers of immigrants. In 2015, Sweden accepted 163,000 refugees, more per person than any other European Union country. By 2022, 20% of Sweden’s 10.6 million people were born abroad, doubling the number from 2000. A 2020 study found that 58% of those suspected of crimes in Sweden were immigrants, with higher rates for serious crimes like murder (73%) and robbery (70%).
Sweden now has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in Europe. In 2022, Stockholm’s gun-murder rate was 30 times higher than London’s, per person. Gangs, often made up of second-generation immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, are involved in drug trafficking and bombings. In 2025, violence continued, with 31 explosions and a murder linked to a foreign power reported in January alone. A school attack in Orebro in February 2025 left 10 people dead, with the attacker identified as being of Syrian origin.
Women in Europe have faced growing safety concerns. In Germany, after mass sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve in 2015-2016 involving over 2,000 men—many identified as recent foreign nationals—Berlin set up “safe zones” for women during celebrations in 2017. In Sweden, a 2018 report by Swedish TV found that 58% of men convicted of rape between 2010 and 2015 were born abroad, with over 80% of stranger rapes linked to foreign-born men. Posts on X in 2025 highlight ongoing concerns, with some claiming Afghan and Algerian immigrants commit rapes at much higher rates than native Swedes, though this data is debated.
Christians have also felt pressure. In Berlin, a 2013 report by Deutsche Welle noted efforts to make the city “religiously neutral” by downplaying Christmas traditions to accommodate Muslim residents. This has sparked debate about whether European cultural traditions are being eroded. Some worry that as Muslim populations grow—potentially becoming a majority in Sweden this century, according to a 2024 report—there could be calls for separate legal systems based on Sharia law, further challenging Christian and secular norms.
Sweden’s government has acknowledged these challenges. In 2018, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven admitted to rising crime and gang violence, announcing more police funding and tougher laws. By 2022, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said integration had failed, leading to “parallel societies” and gang violence, after riots injured over 100 police officers. In 2025, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated the government had “lost control,” noting bombings every three days and shootings every 28 hours in the previous year. Sweden has tightened immigration policies since 2015, reducing refugee numbers and making residency permits temporary.
Countries like Poland have taken a different path, maintaining strict immigration policies. This has led to lower crime rates, with Poland often cited as one of the safest countries for women in Europe. In contrast, Sweden’s more open policies have been linked to higher crime, with “vulnerable areas” where police struggle to operate, sometimes called “no-go zones” by critics. These areas, home to just 5% of Sweden’s population, are linked to the most serious violence, often tied to socioeconomic issues like poverty and unemployment.
Europe’s immigration challenges, particularly in Sweden, have led to rising violence, affecting women’s safety and Christian traditions. While countries like Poland show that stricter policies may reduce crime, Sweden’s experience highlights the difficulties of integration and the need for balanced solutions. These modern struggles echo historical patterns of societal change, as seen in my Bronze Age Collapse and Crime Rates in Diverse US Cities on BristolBlog.com.
Acknowledgment: Thanks to Grok, created by xAI, for drafting assistance. Final edits and views are mine.