Youths across several suburbs of Stockholm rioted on Thursday, the fifth consecutive night of disturbances in the Swedish capital. At least two schools, a police station, and up to 30 cars were set ablaze.
In Rinkeby, a predominantly immigrant district in northern Stockholm, firefighters rushed to put out flames that engulfed six cars parked alongside each other. Five cars were gutted, and one sustained more moderate damage, according to a photographer on the scene.
The Swedish government is likely to be further dismayed at a travel warnings issued yesterday by the British foreign office and US state department, advising Britons and Americans to avoid going to areas where trouble is likely.
“Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence,” cautioned an email sent yesterday to US nationals living in Sweden cautioned.
“We recommend that US citizens avoid the areas where such demonstrations are occurring if possible, and, as always, exercise caution in the vicinity of any parades or protests.”
The British foreign office likewise cautioned UK citizens to “avoid large gatherings, take care and monitor local news reports”.
Police in are to seek reinforcements, said spokesman Kjell Lindgren, conscious of demands that will be made on them by several upcoming events, including the wedding of Princess Madeleine, third in line to the throne, on June 8th.
Calls for calm
Senior officers, however, sought to calm fears of escalating violence. "Every injured person is a tragedy, every torched car is a failure for society . . . but Stockholm is not burning. Let's have a level-headed view of the situation," said Ulf Johansson, deputy police chief for Stockholm county.
Despite Sweden’s reputation for, among other things, tranquility and equality, the rioting has exposed a fault-line between a well-off majority and a minority, often young people with immigrant backgrounds, who cannot find work, lack education and feel marginalised.
The continued vandalism has left local residents irate, with hundreds gathering at the scene to express their anger.
“People are furious; they think Rinkeby is better than this,” Scanpix photographer Fredrik Sandberg told the TT, the Swedish news agency.
Three more cars were torched in the southern suburb of Norsborg, and a police station in Älvsjö, also on the city’s south side, was set on fire but quickly extinguished, police said. Eight people were arrested in Älvsjö, while four arrests were made in Norsborg.
Firefighters also reported a school in Tensta, another north Stockholm suburb, was set ablaze but quickly extinguished, while a Montessori school in the neighbouring Kista suburb was also on fire.
Meanwhile, police in Södertälje, a town south of Stockholm, said rioters threw stones at them as they responded to reports of cars set alight.
Car fires were reported in the suburb of Sollentuna, while a car fire in Jordbro had spread to a nearby shopping centre before being brought under control, police told the Aftonbladet newspaper. – (Agencies)