Key Points
- An 11-year-old asylum seeker has broken a charity record after he faced racism while fundraising.
- He's now swept up more than $350,000 in donations.
- Right-wing government followers contributed to the abuse. The prime minister condemned the comments.
An 11-year-old asylum seeker has smashed a charity fundraising record and won hearts across Sweden after he described facing racism while out collecting money, the charity said on Tuesday.
Murhaf Hamid has totted up $351,565 selling paper flower pins in a traditional yearly campaign for the Majblomman (Mayflower) children's charity after his story went viral on social media.
He even managed to sell a pin to the prime minister.
Every year, children sell flower badges for Majblomman aimed at raising funds for struggling, low-income families in Sweden.
Children usually raise around 1,300 kronor ($190) selling the floral badges, but Murhaf has secured a staggering 2.4 million kronor ($351,565) so far.
Murhaf Hamid raised hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling Mayflower pins for a children's charity in Glimakra, Sweden. Source: Getty / AFP / TT / Johan Nilsson
"We have never seen anything like this before, and we've been around for more than 100 years," the charity's boss Ase Henell told AFP.
Prime minister praises 'heroic' efforts
Murhaf, who was born in Sweden to Ethiopian parents, said that on his first day out raising funds, some adults told him to get off the street and he sold only a few pins in five hours.
When he told a family friend that he thought it may have been due to racism, they wrote about his efforts on Facebook.
Murhaf received a flood of support, but it was tainted after also attracting racist comments from supporters of Sverigedemokraterna (Sweden Democrats), Sweden's largest right-wing party.
Political leaders, including the Moderate Party Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, have since come out in support of Murhaf on social media and bought pins from him.
Mr Kristersson said there was no other way to describe Murhaf efforts other than "heroic".
"Those of you making hateful comments towards a child on social media, shame on you," he wrote on Instagram.
In a statement, the Sweden Democrats said the online racist comments were "unacceptable behaviour".
"We have notified our membership department and will handle the matter internally," the statement added.
Leader of Sweden's Centre Party, Muharrem Demirok, shared the racist tweets in an Instagram post to highlight the "disgusting" behaviour.
"Completely openly and unrestrained, Swedish Democrats vomit out their unknown human view," he wrote in the caption.
"What a job you've done with your sales ... I would also happily buy a mayflower from you!"
'Is it possible to buy permanent residency?'
Laila Rahman, the family friend who wrote the viral Facebook post, told AFP she was "still very shocked".
"I've shared a lot of posts before but nothing's ever gone this viral," she said, adding that the attention the story was getting was about "so much more than just his sales".
"It's also raising awareness for the whole situation with a boy who was born in Sweden almost 12 years ago and his family's [asylum] application still being processed," she said.
If parents in Sweden do not have residency status, their children do not automatically qualify by birth.
The Aftonbladet newspaper reported that after his fundraising bonanza, Murhaf asked his mother: "Is it possible to buy permanent residency?"
"No, unfortunately not," came the reply.
Murhaf, who lives in Glimakra in southern Sweden, said he had initially hoped to earn a little extra pocket money, but never expected to make so much.
His fundraising is not done yet; this year's Majblomma campaign, which began on 18 April, runs until 3 May.
The charity helps poor children in Sweden, providing clothing and paying for activities they can't afford.
Murhaf has already thought about what he's going to do with the money he makes.
"I'm going to buy myself some clothes, trainers and a few things for my family," he said.
