Maja’s brothers were shot dead – now the worry is growing
Updated 06.45 | Published 06.22
The deadly wave of violence continues to shake Sweden. More and more relatives of criminals are becoming targets in the gangs’ settlements. – The violence has escalated to a degree that I never thought was possible, says “Maja”, who herself has lost several family members to the violence.
Maja, whose real name is something else, grew up with two younger brothers. As a big sister, she always wanted to protect and take care of them. But today she has no siblings left alive – both have been shot to death.
– I can’t get up in the morning and feel normal. Every morning I wake up, I season my breakfast with tears.
After a lot of rain, the sun is now up again. The grave looks neat and tidy with porcelain angels, crosses, flowers, and candles. “Miss you”, it says on a white heart. Maja’s younger brothers and an uncle lie here. In the grave next to her lies her other uncle. All four are victims of deadly gun violence.
– Losing two siblings is like dying yourself, it feels terrible. I am the living dead, she says.
She bends down and picks away the fallen autumn leaves between the grave decorations. Maja’s uncles were shot in 2010, her brothers were murdered in 2016 and 2022.
– Feeling inadequate, it happens very often. I might not have been able to change anything, but I can’t stop thinking if I could have been there for them.
So far this year, 293 shootings have taken place and it has claimed 48 lives. More and more relatives of criminals are becoming targets in the gangs’ settlements. Like the mother of a criminal who was shot dead in Uppsala, the father who was murdered in Tullinge, and the two women who were killed at an address where relatives of a criminal are written.
– This means that the violence has escalated to a completely different level. I don’t think it’s that easy to stop it anymore. The norm has been exceeded, even the unwritten rule of the criminals themselves. That didn’t happen before; it’s new for all of us, says Maja and adds:
– It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, you are not safe in this society anymore.
The violence has also affected completely outsiders who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like the elderly man who was shot to death in a pub in central Sandviken.
– You wake up every day to something new; you don’t feel safe anymore. You might think that you shouldn’t be out late at night, but it doesn’t seem to matter because now you can be killed at home too.
Do you feel a concern about being affected yourself?
– I don’t feel worried, but I have nothing left. I feel a concern for society, that more people end up in the situation I am in.
Maja feels that relatives do not receive enough help from society and that they are often forgotten in the debate about gang violence.
– You don’t help relatives or people who end up in these situations. I listened to a speech where they only talked about how completely innocent people shouldn’t suffer. But speaking out to the nation is not for me. It is stepping on us relatives who have lost someone in gang violence, says Maja, referring to the prime minister’s speech on 28 September.
The murders of Maja’s brothers are still unsolved.
– We get no justice. I keep walking around thinking that no one has been convicted of this. There are many unsolved cases; it’s not just us who are going through this, says Maja and continues:
– I feel let down by this country that I call my home. And I am truly ashamed of our justice system.
It is still unclear why the brothers were shot dead. Her youngest brother was 21 years old when he was murdered. He studied civil engineering and was just about to embark on adult life. As a teenager, he was convicted of a weapons offence, but apart from that, there were no known threatening images.
– I firmly believe that my brothers were not criminals. But even if you are a criminal, who gives you the right to murder? A life is always worth living.
– I want to make a change, but I’m only human, and it’s not easy to be heard. Sweden has become the young people’s new burial ground.