Jonathan Kärre, the father of small children, ended up among rowdy and aggressive young people in the queue at Gröna Lund.
Despite asking the staff for help, he was not heard.
Now he directs strong criticism at the park.
It was at the end of May that a group of youths pushed their way into the queue, acted threateningly and filmed some young girls. The father of small children and journalist Jonathan Kärre and his children were also present. Although Jonathan tried to stop the boys’ actions, he was unsuccessful.
Jonathan Kärre then sought out staff who were on site in the park.
– I called their attention and told them that the guys had crowded in and they said: “good of you to tell us, we’ll fix it”. Then I was surprised when the boys were allowed to continue in the queue, he says.
The situation escalated and the boys became increasingly aggressive, which made Jonathan and his children feel unsafe. Two security guards spoke to the boys, but they were allowed to remain in the park, something the father of small children is strongly critical of.
– The guards have made a decision that these guys will be allowed to remain at Gröna Lund, without having obtained the information that I have. If they had talked to me, they would have gotten a bigger picture and then they might have made a different decision – but Gröna Lund’s routines don’t look like that today, he says.
Rowdy in more theme parks
It is not the first time in the past month that there have been fights in Swedish amusement parks. Among other things, Liseberg has previously told Sveriges Radio that a record number of season tickets have been withdrawn since the season opened – as a consequence of bad behaviour.
Annika Troselius, who is information manager at Gröna Lund, believes that revoked cards are a measure that can also be taken at Gröna Lund. Furthermore, she regrets what Jonathan and the girls have had to experience.
– Safety and security is the most important thing for us. When you come to us, you’re supposed to have fun, so I’m really sorry that Jonathan had to experience this and also that we didn’t reconnect in a better way, she says.