Fact Check: Iraqi Woman’s ‘I Use Sweden’s Benefits “to the Max”’ Clip Is Real — She Says It Was Sarcasm

A short video showing a woman identified as Tara Sabah Mohammed Saleh speaking Swedish and claiming she used Sweden’s welfare “to the max” is authentic, but the speaker says the lines were delivered sarcastically in response to online abuse. The clip originates from a TikTok Live and was later shared on Instagram.

Key points

The video was posted to Instagram by the account ragingeuropeans on July 15, 2025. The speaker has been identified as Tara Sabah Mohammed Saleh (also referred to as Tara Sabah or Tara Saleh), a Sweden-based pro‑Palestinian activist whose online comments have drawn attention from nationalist groups.

Saleh has told investigators that the excerpt comes from a TikTok Live broadcast she performed the previous year and that she was answering racist comments telling her to “go home” and that she didn’t belong in Sweden. She supplied a longer version of the live clip to corroborate the source of the footage.

What the clip shows

The Instagram post shows a hijab‑wearing woman speaking in Swedish. English subtitles shared with the clip read:

I don't belong here. I have not told you I belong here. That's why I destroy and take as much as I can and collect all your tax money, all benefits that you can get here in Sweden. I use it to the max, to the max — and you can't do anything about it.

Swedish original and translation

The following Swedish lines were transcribed from the live clip and correspond to the translation used in coverage:

Du har inget land. Nej, exakt. Har man inte ett land så har man inte gränser. Det betyder att ingen kan stoppa mig. Fattar ni det? Ingenting kan stoppa mig. Jag kommer göra livet i ett helvete för er. Jag hör inte hemma här. Har jag sagt till er att jag hör hemma här? Det är därför jag förstör. Och stör så mycket jag kan. Och utnyttjar era skattepengar. På alla förmåner som man kan ha här som svensk medborgare. Jag utnyttjar det till max. Till max utnyttjar jag det. Och ni kan inte ens göra någonting om det.

English translation:

You have no country. No, exactly. If you don't have a country, you don't have borders. That means no one can stop me. Do you understand that? Nothing can stop me. I'm going to make your lives hell. I don't belong here. Did I tell you that I belong here? That's why I destroy. And disrupt as much as I can. And take advantage of your tax money. Of all the benefits you can have here as a Swedish citizen. I take full advantage of it. I take full advantage of it. And you can't even do anything about it.

Context and interpretation

According to the speaker, the remarks were made as a sarcastic retort to racist messages — not as a literal declaration of intent to exploit the welfare system. The fuller live recording she provided supports her account that the clip was part of a wider response to online harassment.

Independent viewers should note the difference between an isolated short clip and the context of a longer live exchange. The excerpt circulated widely on social platforms and has been used by nationalist actors to amplify controversy; however, the speaker herself states the lines were meant sarcastically and directed at those who told her to "go home."

Bottom line: The video is genuine and features Tara Sabah Mohammed Saleh speaking in Swedish, but she says the quoted lines were delivered sarcastically during a TikTok Live in response to racist comments. The clip’s meaning shifts significantly when viewed in the full context of the live stream.