Violent riots shook Sweden at Easter, and there may be more to it. A far-right politician has applied for a new demonstration permit for the May Day.
28.4. 06:10 • Updated April 28th. 06:16
NORMAL COOPERATION Two weeks have passed since the Easter riots, however Terttu Kaikkonen72, still unable to sleep properly.
– I am very afraid that it will happen again, he says at his home in Norrköping Navestad.
There are dozens of broken windows in the neighborhood houses. A yellow-red ribbon has been put in place to warn of glass shards.
On Good Thursday early evening, Kaikkonen watched television in his living room when sounds like explosions began to be heard from outside.
He went to his balcony to look. From the top floor of the house, Kaikkonen saw how the front yard square had been filled with rioters.
The rioters had an immigrant background, a Danish-Swedish far-right politician Rasmus Paludanin opponents. Paludan had received permission from the police to hold demonstrations in Sweden, including the burning of the Koran.
The unrest had erupted a few hours earlier in Linköping, where Paludan had announced his arrival.
However, he did not come to Linköping or to the neighboring town of Norrköping.
The rebels directed their blatant anger at the police.
“I was sure they would come inside”
The masked men tore off the paving stone and beat it into smaller pieces. They used them to stone the police and firefighters who arrived in front of Kaikkonen’s house.
Some of the rioters had cardboard boxes on their shoulders with ready-made fireballs.
Police tried to protect themselves.
Kaikkonen hurried to call his son, who advised him to put on the blinds and stay away from the windows. The boy’s wife asked him to go to the bathroom for shelter.
– I was in the bathroom and I closed the door. However, I was forced to visit the balcony from time to time to see what the situation was, he says.
To her great surprise, Kaikkonen saw that there were also mothers and children in the square.
– There were Somali mothers pushing their children in the stroller. I wondered how they would dare.
Kaikkonen saw black thick smoke from his balcony. He guessed the cars had been set on fire. The neighbor shouted from the adjoining balcony that the smoke was dangerous and had to go inside right away.
There was soon a huge bang. A rubble was thrown into the large window of the stairwell and the glass shattered.
Now Kaikkonen was really scared.
– I was sure they would come inside.
During the evening and night, however, the situation calmed down. Over the weekend, the rioters came back.
The mother encouraged the child to stone the police
A similar chain of events was experienced during the Easter holidays in several cities in Sweden.
In Norrköping and Linköping, riots took place both on Maundy Thursday and Sunday on Easter Day. Dozens of police were injured and several police vehicles were destroyed.
Prosecutor of Lindköping Eva Nemec Nordh has gone through a preliminary investigation of footage. It has accumulated tremendously from police cameras, surveillance cameras and individuals.
– We will not get any closer to this state of war in peace, he says.
– That blatant anger towards the police is completely incomprehensible, he says in ‘s interview.
He stands outside the prosecutor’s office after a long day at work.
Nemec Nordh, who had been a prosecutor for more than 20 years, thought in advance that the rioters would have been young frustrated men.
However, the material shows that there were also mothers and children among them. As soon as the police car arrives, the stoning begins.
The presence of children at Nemec Nordh is the most shocking of all. The youngest of the children has been 15 years old.
– One mother encourages her child to stone the police. Mothers are also throwing stones at police, he says.
“Idiotic opinions must also be tolerated”
Extensive investigative work is now underway on both city prosecutors.
Among other things, facial recognition technology has been used to identify protesters from images and videos. At least three people have been arrested.
Harming the police is a serious crime that can result in a two-year prison sentence or even a life sentence.
Demonstration is instead allowed.
– Freedom of expression is a constitutionally protected right. Democracy has to withstand even idiotic opinions, says Lindköping prosecutor Eva Nemec Nordh.
Because of the election year, he believes that society as a whole must now act vigorously. Everyone needs to be made aware of what is the permissible way to react when someone presents an opinion that they themselves cannot accept.
The Danish-Swedish anti-immigration and anti-Islamic party Rasmus Paludan will run in the Swedish parliamentary elections in the autumn.
I am returning for permission to take part in new demonstrations in Stockholm, among other places.
He would like to burn the Qur’an 150 meters from the Social Democrat May Day procession.
He plans to increase his protests in Sweden with a view to the election.
Removal option
Terttu Kaikkonen has lived in Norrköping Navestad for almost 50 years.
The cozy residential area has low-rise apartment buildings and large green areas.
In recent years, almost everyone known to Kaikkonen has moved away and has been replaced by immigrants from outside the EU.
After the riots, a message came from the rental housing company that if Kaikkonen wants to move, he can start looking for a new apartment.
Kaikkonen believes that this is the way to protect older people.
Kaikkonen, who was widowed two years ago, has begun to turn to change.
The idea has been difficult. The two children of the family grew up in this residential area, and there are many memories associated with the place.
– My husband told me before he died that he would live here to the end.
– But he didn’t understand that there could be such a thing here. He would probably understand, Kaikkonen thinks.