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full screen Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) gives a comment in connection with the fact that the government has invited representatives of all Riksdag parties to a meeting following last week’s attack on a political meeting in Gubbängen in southern Stockholm. Photo: Lars Schröder/TT
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (M) describes attacks on a political meeting as “very close to terrorism.” And in a month there are EU elections.
– The authorities are taking the situation extremely seriously.
On Thursday, representatives of all parties in the Riksdag, the Minister of Justice, the police and Säpo gathered for a meeting due to the violence that recently affected several political meetings.
Fresh in the mind is the attack in Gubbängen in southern Stockholm and various events during May Day gatherings. At the same time, the EU elections are just over a month away.
After the meeting, Gunnar Strömmer says that the parties agreed on the seriousness of the situation and the condemnation of the violence.
– I want to grasp the realization that the threats come from several different directions, he says and mentions both violent right-wing extremism, Islamism and an autonomous violent left.
Special event
He points out that the police have intensified their work ahead of the EU elections and are launching a so-called special event to be able to gather resources nationally. It is important not to relax, according to Strömmer.
– The authorities are taking the situation extremely seriously.
The people who disrupted the meeting in Gubbängen, where people from the Left Party and the Green Party participated, abused and threw a smoke bomb into the room.
– It is clear that actions against a political meeting that intend to instill fear, not only in those who are at the meeting but more broadly, are close to terrorism, says Strömmer.
At the same time, he wants to wait for the preliminary investigation. So far, no one has been arrested for the act of violence.
“Undoubtedly”
At the same time, the Minister of Justice highlights the actions that occurred at other meetings, including when Ebba Busch and Ulf Kristersson were disturbed by people who support Palestine.
He thinks that these are also part of the problem.
– Undoubtedly. Political violence should not be relativized, because it is something particularly serious. This does not prevent us from seeing that the limits of what is acceptable are also pushed forward in other ways.
– Stepping into meetings, interrupting, silencing others who want to ask questions, creating disorder, without resorting to physical violence, that is also a very big problem in a society that wants to protect an open and democratic conversation, he says.