Lundsberg boarding school parent speaks out about racism and abuse

Gunilla von Platen, mother of one of the Lundsberg boarding school students convicted of assault in late 2025, has broken her silence about the racism and violence her son endured at the elite Swedish school, national broadcaster SVT reports.

In early 2025, five students were suspended from Lundsberg after the school reported them to police for assault. Von Platen’s son was among those convicted, but she now reveals he was also a victim of systematic abuse—including racial slurs like “disgusting ape,” “fucking Arab,” and “Syrian bastard”—during his time at the school.

According to von Platen and her husband Alfred, their son only began speaking about the abuse after his own suspension. The incidents included a “rap battle” where younger students hurled racist insults at older pupils in front of staff, who did not intervene. That night, fights broke out in dorm rooms, leading to assault charges against four students, including von Platen’s son.

The parents allege their son was subjected to nighttime beatings, forced naked into showers with hot and cold water thrown at him while others filmed, and that racist videos of him circulated among students. When they confronted the school, they say they received little response.

“The school has covered it up,” Alfred von Platen told SVT. His wife added that speaking out carries risks: “It’s a threat. Your child becomes exposed. There are powerful forces you’re provoking.”

Lundsberg’s head of operations, Lars Jonsson, told SVT that racism contradicts the school’s values and that measures to improve safety and accountability have been implemented since the incidents. He claimed the school maintains open dialogue with all parents.

The 2025 assault case stemmed from a January incident where five masked older students entered younger pupils’ rooms, beating them with belts. Four were convicted of assault and aggravated violation of domestic tranquility, receiving community service sentences of 110 to 130 hours. A fifth was acquitted. All have appealed, with a new trial expected later this summer.