It was wrong of the police to detain the right-wing extremist Rasmus Paludan in connection with the riots in Skäggetorp in Linköping during Maundy Thursday on the grounds that his planned gathering contributed to the unrest. This is stated by the administrative court in Linköping.
The riots in Skäggetorp broke out before Paludan, party leader of the right-wing extremist party Tight Course, had arrived and he was sitting in a car with police outside the area. A moment later, the commander-in-chief decided that he would be deprived of his liberty through a so-called detention, which can be done if a person disturbs public order or poses a danger to it.
The motivation was that Paludan was part of a public gathering which was partly the cause “of the violent riot which in itself entailed a serious danger to public order”.
Paludan appealed the decision to the administrative court, which now states that the police made a mistake. The reasoning that Paludan with his actions on the spot contributed to creating riots is rejected, as he was not even in Skäggetorp, notes the court, which further writes that the police may not arrest anyone in order to control how other people behave.
“Although a violent riot can be linked to a public gathering, temporary care presupposes that it is the individual’s behavior or actions that cause disruption or immediate danger to public order,” the court writes.
The police have not commented on the verdict, which was announced on Wednesday.