Social Democrats face scandal as gang members infiltrate Botkyrka council

Swedish public‑service radio programme Kaliber reported that a convicted gang criminal was involved in the removal of Ebba Östlin as chair of the Botkyrka municipal council and group leader for the Social Democratic Party in 2023. Östlin had terminated ABF’s contract for running youth centres, after which gang members began attending party meetings and she required police protection, including a death‑threat incident at a traffic light. A faction linked to the study association ABF, supported by newly recruited gang members and their relatives, voted her out. Kaliber’s investigation described how gang affiliates held senior positions within ABF, used the youth centres as meeting points for criminal activities, and led study circles on leadership while awaiting trials for serious weapons and drug charges. The report also linked the infiltration to broader concerns about organized crime influencing local politics in Sweden’s 21st‑largest municipality. Critics highlighted that party secretary Tobias Baudin had been warned about the issue years earlier and that his spouse had worked for ABF, raising questions about the party’s response to the infiltration.