Sweden’s Gen Z overwhelm helpline after country told ‘there could be war’

Defence chiefs under fire from children’s rights group after warning of ‘armed attack’ from Russia spreads on TiKTok

Sweden’s answer to Childline was inundated with calls from Gen Z after senior defence officials gave a speech urging their countrymen to prepare for war.

Bris, a children’s rights organisation, provides support and advice to young people with mental health issues or facing teenage pregnancy.

But it reported a rise in calls after videos of senior defence figures warning of war circulated on TikTok.

Carl-Oskar Bohlin, the civil defence minister, told the Folk och Försvars conference on Saturday that “there could be war in Sweden”.

“For a nation for whom peace has been a pleasant companion for almost 210 years, the idea that it is an immovable constant is conveniently close at hand,” he said.

“But taking comfort in this conclusion has become more dangerous than it has been for a very long time.”

He added: “Are you a private individual? Have you considered whether you have time to join a voluntary defence organisation? If not: get moving.”

Sweden is set to join Nato as soon as July, ending more than two centuries of neutrality and ushering in a shift in the national psyche towards greater militarisation.

Its government has pledged to meet Nato’s 2 per cent of GDP defence spending target by the end of this year, double what it was in 2020.

‘They should have given advice for kids’ Maja Dahl, a spokesman for Bris, said Mr Bohlin should have considered how his “well prepared” remarks would be interpreted by young people.

“They should have provided information meant for kids when they come out with this kind of information for grown-ups,” she told the BBC.

Sweden’s defence minister and most senior generals, however, doubled down on Mr Bohlin’s remarks and endorsed them, telling Swedes that the country had no choice but to prepare themselves for war.

Pal Jonson, the defence minister, told the conference on Sunday that “an armed attack against Sweden cannot be ruled out”.

“War can also come to us,” he said. “These serious times require clarity of vision, capacity to act and persistence – clarity of vision to understand that Russia’s goal remains the eradication of a free Ukraine and creation of a Europe in which ‘might is right’ with buffer states and spheres of interest.”

‘Look at the news from Ukraine’ Gen Micael Byden, the commander-in-chief, warned citizens live on broadcaster SVT that “you have to prepare yourself mentally”.

He said: “Look at the news from Ukraine and ask yourself the simple questions: If this happens here, am I prepared? What should I do?

“The more people who have thought, considered and prepared, the stronger our society will be.”