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Protesters are taken care of by police outside Malmö Arena during the night.
1 / 3Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
It got rowdy when Eurovision ended in Malmö. Several people were taken into custody in the chaos around the arena according to the police, who are nevertheless satisfied with the outcome.
– Nothing was completely derailed. When there was a bad atmosphere, we quickly got control of the situation, says Pelle Vamstad at the police.
Swedish police had fully loaded up before the feared unrest in connection with the Eurovision final in Malmö. And it was a messy evening and night as pro-Palestinian protesters gathered to protest the pageant and Israel’s participation.
Outside the Malmö arena, where the final was held, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish police had to form a human chain to fend off an estimated hundreds of people who had gathered and were reportedly trying to get to the area where the Eurovision crowd was queuing.
Those who did not move voluntarily were lifted away. In some cases, the police state that they were met with violence and then used pepper spray.
Fierce atmosphere
The atmosphere in the place was at times fierce. People who were dragged away shouted, among other things, “Fuck the police”, “Shame on you” and “You support genocide”.
The protests outside the arena did not have a permit.
Even in Dagvattenparken, where the demonstrators were directed, the atmosphere became threatening. On several occasions, the protesters tried to get to the arena but were pushed back by the police.
One person was arrested on suspicion of violence against an official and seven were taken into custody for disturbing the order, according to the police.
During the evening, a larger area around the arena was cordoned off so that the police could guarantee security. In addition, train traffic to and from Hyllie station at Malmö arena was stopped on two occasions at the request of the police, to slow down the influx of people.
No serious injuries
No one should have been seriously injured during the protests, according to the police.
– Considering how many people there were, it was still a relatively good outcome. We had a little to do at times, but in general it was quite calm after all, says Pelle Vamstad, press spokesperson at the police.
During the night the crowds dissolved. Pelle Vamstad does not know if any new demonstrations are expected on Sunday, but says that in that case the police have the resources to deal with it.