Sweden schools face threats from AI social media trend and local incidents

A global social media trend involving AI-generated images is causing concern in Sweden. The trend features the character ‘Cat in the Hat’ appearing alongside the names of Swedish schools and towns in threatening contexts. Authorities, including police and local municipalities in Dals-Ed and Gävle, have noted the phenomenon but stated there are no reports of actual violence or attacks following these posts.

In a separate but related wave of local incidents, several schools in the Vimmerby and Hultsfred municipalities have faced serious threats. In Vimmerby, three schools were targeted within a 24-hour period. Police assessed that the threats at the AL-school, the gymnasium, and Vimarskolan did not pose an immediate danger, though over 130 students stayed home from Astrid Lindgren's school due to the alarm. In Hultsfred, a school reported a threat involving an external student who made threatening remarks before leaving the premises.