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No major drama as rain impacts Walpurgis night

The annual Walpurgis night (Valborg) passed without any major incidents with chilly conditions in the north and rain in the capital dampening the mood, but there were reports of drunkenness and fighting elsewhere.

Published: 1 May 2014 10:37 CEST
No major drama as rain impacts Walpurgis night
People gather to see the fireworks in Stockholm on Walpurgis Night 2014. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

In Enskede, south Stockholm, a man was stabbed in the leg late in the evening and a suspect was subsequently arrested on charges of attempted manslaughter. The man's injuries are understood not to be life-threatening according to the police.

In Norrköping, eastern Sweden, a man in his 20s was stabbed in the arm. Police were called out to an address, where there was a private party taking place, and have identified a potential suspect.

Down south in Oxie, in Malmö, there were reports of a major brawl involving weapons. One person was was taken to hospital by ambulance while two others were driven to A&E by the police.

Elsewhere in Skåne there were minor disturbances in Lund's city park where a large crowd had gathered for the festivities. 

Police hauled 15 people into custody for drunken behaviour, one was arrested for aggravated assault while another was arrested for assault. Four were arrested for mugging and one for assaulting an official.

"Considering that more than 30,000 people gathered in such a small space, we would probably have anticipated more (trouble). We also confiscated a large amount of alcohol from young people, around 80 or so," Hans Nilsson of the Skåne police told the TT news agency.

The authorities were also kept busy with a number of alcohol seizures from underage drinkers. In Halmstad, western Sweden, police raided a garage after two 17-year-old individuals were apprehended for having illegal alcohol.

At the garage the police found 50 litres of vodka, 40 litres of wine and 60 cases of beer and cider. Two people are now suspected for having violated alcohol law.

In Gothenburg, 30 people were taken into custody for being drunk and disorderly.

In Värmland, western Sweden, the unseasonal cold weather was cited by police as the likely cause for an unusually quiet night.

"Nobody wants to be out in that so we are delighted with that,"Bjarne Andersson of the Värmland police told TT.

Meanwhile in Stockholm the night was described as relatively calm thanks to the rain.  

TT/The Local/pr

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CRIME

EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

Several masked men, described by anti-racism magazine Expo as "a group of Nazis" carried out the attack at an event organised by the Left Party and Green Party. Here's what we know so far.

Published: 25 April 2024 09:35 CEST
Updated: 25 April 2024 12:16 CEST
EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

What happened?

Several masked men burst into a Stockholm theatre on Wednesday night and set off smoke bombs during an anti-fascism event, according to police and participants.

Around 50 people were taking part in the event at the Moment theatre in Gubbängen, a southern suburb of the Swedish capital, organised by the Left Party and the Green Party.

“Three people were taken by ambulance to hospital,” the police said on its website, shortly after the attack.

According to Swedish media, one person was physically assaulted and two had paint sprayed in their faces.

“The Nazis attacked visitors using physical violence, with pepper spray, and vandalised the venue before throwing in some kind of smoke grenade which filled the foyer with smoke,” Expo wrote on its website. 

The magazine’s head of education Klara Ljungberg was at the event in order to hold a lecture at the invitation of the two political parties.

What was the meeting about?

According to the Left Party’s press officer, the event was “a meeting about growing fascism”. 

Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar described the event to public broadcaster SVT as an “open event, for equality among individuals”.

As well as Ljungberg from Expo, panelists at the event included anti-fascist activist Mathias Wåg, who also writes for Swedish centre-left tabloid Aftonbladet.

“They were determined and went straight for me,” Wåg told Expo just after the attack. “I received a few blows but nothing that caused serious damage.”

“I was invited to be on a panel in order to discuss anti-fascism with representatives from the Left Party and the Green Party,” he told the magazine. “I didn’t know this was going to happen, but there’s obviously a risk when Expo and I are in the same place.”

What has the reaction been like?

All of Sweden’s parties across the political spectrum have denounced the attack, with Dadgostar describing it as a “threat to our democracy” when TT newswire interviewed her at the theatre a few hours after the attack occurred.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, from the conservative Moderates, called the attack “abhorrent”.

The Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals are currently in government with the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats, while the Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party are in opposition.

“It is appalling news that a meeting hosted by the Left Party has been stormed,” Kristersson told TT. “I have reached out to Nooshi Dadgostar and expressed my deepest support. This type of abhorrent action has no place in our free and open society.”

“Right-wing extremists want to scare us into silence,” Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson wrote on X. “They will never be allowed to succeed.”

“The attack by right-wing extremists at a political meeting is a direct attack on our democracy and freedom of speech,” Green Party co-leader Daniel Helldén wrote on X. “My thoughts are with those who were affected this evening.”

Sweden Democrat party leader Jimmie Åkesson wrote in an email to TT that “political violence is terrible, in all its forms, and does not belong in Sweden.”

“All democratic forces must stand in complete solidarity against all kinds of politically motivated violence,” he continued.

His party has previously admitted to being founded by people from “fascist movement” New Swedish Movement, skinheads, and people with “various types of neo-Nazi contact”.

“It is an attack not only on the Left Party, Green Party and the Expo Foundation, but also on our entire democratic society,” Centre Party leader Muharrem Demirok, who referred to the attackers as “Nazis”, wrote on social media. “Those affected have all my support.”

Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch and Liberal leader Johan Pehrson both referred to the attackers as “anti-democratic forces”.

“It is never acceptable for a political meeting to be stormed by anti-democratic forces,” Busch wrote. “There is no place for this in our society.”

“Anti-democratic forces like this represent a serious threat to our democracy and must be met with society’s hardest iron fist,” Pehrson said.

What about the attackers? Has anyone been arrested?

Not yet. The police had not made any arrests at the time of writing on Thursday morning.

According to TT, police did not want to comment on who could be behind the attack.

It is currently being investigated as a violation of the Flammable and Explosive Goods Act, assault, causing danger to others and disturbing public order.

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