The criminal gangs continue their war on social media.
This week a young man was shot dead in Stockholm and the murder was filmed and spread on Tiktok.
– All authorities that work with children and young people must get better at managing and reviewing the flow in social media, says municipal police officer Martin Lazar.
At 18:43 on Wednesday, the police received an alert about a shooting at the Mälarhöjdens IP in Stockholm.
There, several children and young people had ongoing sports training.
It was there that an 18-year-old rapper was shot to death – right in front of the children playing sports.
Just hours later, another shooting would occur – this time in Jordbro, south of Stockholm. Another man had been shot dead there, and according to information to Aftonbladet, it must have been a misfire.
And the violence did not end there.
Three dead in one day
During the evening and night there were two shootings and an explosion. A total of three people had lost their lives within a day in the ongoing wave of violence.
At the same time, videos were spread on social media from a newly started account that currently has over 20,000 followers – which showed the murder in Fruängen. The account claims to spread information from the Foxtrot network.
– It follows a logic in this world where violent capital is one of the major resources. It is one of the main weapons to show what one is capable of and how much violence one is willing to use. This will be an easy way to spread it. You want to show that you have the upper hand, says criminologist Camila Salazar.
“Is brutal”
On Tiktok, among others, the film was spread and received over a million views. And the reactions have poured into the comments section.
The murder of the rapper is linked to the conflict within the Foxtrot network, according to Aftonbladet’s information.
Taunts his victims
That criminal networks use social media is nothing new. Aftonbladet has previously told about how criminal networks use TikTok and Instagram as marketing, among other things.
But it has also become a platform where they mock their victims. And it becomes clear how they wage their gang war on social media and show their violent capital.
It is an important medium for criminal networks to market themselves and build their brand, Camila Salazar believes.
– It is completely unfiltered and completely raw. They are peers you both want to impress but also reach out to, says Camila Salazar and continues:
– The experience for young people when they are reached by unfiltered content is that violence comes very close, which is difficult to ward off. It’s so brutal.
“Gives status and power”
Martin Lazar is a municipal police officer in Botkyrka municipality south of Stockholm. That the gangs appear on social media has not escaped him.
According to him, the role of criminal gangs on social media has become worse.
– It is their status and power. And status and power give them the opportunity to grow even more. I don’t even have words. This is unimaginable how it has escalated in a very short time, he says.
Martin Lazar explains that the gangs think like companies when they post on social media – for example to intimidate.
– They think “How are we going to grow?” How are we going to reach our audience and new consumers?”. You want to show that you are inclined to use violence and show that you have a capital of violence against your opponents and the public, he says.
According to Martin Lazar, it is also about people within the networks wanting to establish mutual respect. He is worried about the future development in the wave of violence.
– I am very worried about this after-game that this environment creates and that will be alive for a long time to come.
Police: Should be reviewed
What can the police do?
– We will try to gain control over what is happening right now and limit the development. Then the social media companies themselves also need to review what is published in their channels. We need to see a tougher review of what kind of clip it is. Then all authorities that work with children and young people must get better at managing and reviewing the flow in social media.
The gray Toyota that was found burnt out in Skärholmen. Photo: The police
Late Wednesday night, police appealed for witness statements about a gray Toyota RAV4 with tinted windows that was seen in connection with the murder. On the night of Friday, a car caught fire in Skärholmen and according to Aftonbladet’s information, it is the wanted Toyota car.
No one has been arrested on suspicion of the shooting death in Fruängen and on Saturday morning the account was still there.
Aftonbladet has searched Tiktok which refers to its terms of use.
“Our community guidelines clarify what type of content is allowed on the platform, and what is not recommended in feeds or not shown in feeds belonging to people under 18,” writes TikTok Sweden in an email to Aftonbladet.
Aftonbladet has also searched for Meta without success.