Three men linked to "Pedo Hunting Sweden" were convicted on Friday for aggravated assault of a man in Umeå. The group sets up meetings, assaults, and exposes alleged pedophiles.
The activity of the Citizen's Guard is spreading in Sweden, the Nordic countries, and Europe – and is causing concern for the Police.
It's unfortunate that people take the law into their own hands, says Lena Larsson, criminal inspector at the police's national operational department (Noa).
The group operates by setting up a meeting between a fictitious child and an alleged pedophile. At the meeting place, a group of masked men appears and assaults the alleged pedophile in front of a camera. The incident is then posted on social media, including the messaging app Telegram, where the group has over 30,000 followers.
The group claims to protect children and do society a service. However, their actions are illegal and can hinder crime investigations, according to the Police.
Verdicts in two cases
On Friday, three young men with ties to the group were convicted of aggravated assault and gross violation of privacy. They attacked a man on an open street in Umeå, filmed the incident, and spread it. Two of the men were sentenced to two years in prison each, and the third to youth supervision for eight months.
During the spring, several people with ties to "Pedo Hunting Sweden" have been convicted of, among other things, aggravated assault in Nacka District Court.
Two more incidents linked to the group are under investigation, according to Lena Larsson at Noa.
Unclear extent
The Police do not know much about the group, according to Larsson. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate how many people have been affected.
We can see what is posted online, but there is a great stigma around having a sexual attraction to children, so not many report it.
The Police also do not know how many people are linked to the violent group.
Critical of the Police
The group claims that they are acting because they themselves have been victims and that the police are not doing anything, according to Lena Larsson.
We do as much as we can to protect children, but what they do can hinder us, she says.
If a person who is exposed is part of a network being investigated by the police, the entire network may withdraw as a consequence, Larsson believes.
They, for example, go home and delete everything on their computer, which destroys the possibility of prosecuting them.
Spreading in Sweden and Europe
On social media, there are smaller accounts for different cities. In addition to the Swedish group, which has the most followers, there are similar groups on social media in other Nordic countries.
There is also a collective account called "Pedo Hunting Europe" as well as accounts for several other European countries, but the extent of the activity is unclear.
We do not know if it is different people in different cities or if it is the same group traveling around. But it can trigger people to do similar things, says Lena Larsson.
"Pedo Hunting Sweden" (PHS) was founded in 2023. The number of members is difficult to estimate, according to the police.
In chat groups, the Citizen's Guard organizes and plans violent acts against alleged pedophiles. There are local groups around the country, including in Dalarna, Umeå, Linköping, and Stockholm.
Like the more well-known organization Dumpen, PHS pretends to be underage girls and boys and lures men who show sexual interest in children to set up meetings.
"Pedo Hunting Sweden" takes it a step further and assaults the men, while Dumpen only films and exposes them. Dumpen has distanced itself from "Pedo Hunting Sweden".
