SVT documentary on Lundsberg boarding school criticised as one-sided

A prominent SVT investigative documentary on Lundsberg boarding school has faced criticism for failing to include the perspectives of parents whose children were victims of abuse, according to a debate aired on Aktuellt Wednesday.

Jens Liljestrand, cultural commentator at Expressen, argued the three-part series Dokument inifrån: Arvtagarna (The Heirs) neglected to contact families of abused students, asking, “Wouldn’t it have been valuable to pick up the phone just once to reach those parents?” Producer Johannes Hallbom defended the series, stating victim accounts were included through interviews with former students and staff.

The documentary examines allegations of systemic violence, humiliation, and a rigid hierarchy at the elite boarding school, where older students reportedly control younger ones via a points system. It features Gunilla and Alfred von Platen, whose son experienced racism and abuse at Lundsberg but was later convicted—alongside three others—of assaulting fellow students in a 2025 Värmland District Court ruling.

Sweden’s Discrimination Ombudsman has since launched an inquiry into the school.