The war propaganda in Sweden caused a stampede amongst the population, forcing government ministers to walk back some of their language. On Jan. 11, Swedish Minister of Civil Defense Karl-Oskar Bohlin said that “it is time for the country to prepare for war,” while the Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, called on his fellow citizens to “be prepared to die in arms in defense of values.”
The warning was taken to heart by panicked citizens, who began to sweep essential goods from store shelves. The Swedish newspaper Expressen reported an increase of several thousand percent in sales of portable radios and an 800% increase in demands for flashlights and water cans as masses prepared to buckle down.
