Riots in Sweden

[Absolut]

Thought it might be interesting to know whats up in Sweden right now, so here goes. I couldnt find a good english report on it (couldnt find any reports for that matter), so Ill link to a Swedish one and translate the most important parts.

Just for clarification, these riots are not gang attacks, these are working class youths, living in suburbs, thats tired of how society deals with them. The authorities are closing their schools and recreation centers, and the schools that exists cant even buy new schoolbooks. Add to all of this, how the police treats the youths, the beat them up randomly, for their own amusement, beat up their parents and other adults when theyre trying to step in, they humiliate them, call them racist names, arrest them randomly and beats them up in the police HQ and any report to the police about these things mysteriously "disappear".

Aftonbladet.se (http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article5750757.ab)


6th of September: Firefighters and police are attacked when trying to put out a car-fire in Stenhagen, Uppsala. Youths throws stones against the police, a window is smashed.

5th of September: Four cars are torched in Hammarkullen, Gothenburg. A bank gets its windows smashed and youths throw stones against cable-cars and a police-car. Reports of several car-fires in Gottsunda, Uppsala and a firebomb (dont know the correct translation, its brandbomb in Swedish) in to a bathhouse.

4th of September: Several cars in Hisingen and Bergsjön in Gothenburg are torched. A fire also starts in a basement in Biskopsgården, police calls it arson.

1th of September: A security-guard is attacked by youths in Vallby, Västerås. They surround the car and throw big stones. A few hours later, another security-guard is assaulted.

30th of August: For the second night in a row, several cars are torched in Gottsunda, Uppsala. A big fight erupts in the center of Gottsunda and later that night a caravan is torched. Stones are thrown at a security-guard.

29th of August: A car is torched in Bergsjön, Gothenburg. Stones are thrown at police cars in Hjällbo. Several smaller fires erupts in Backa. Several cable-cars are subject of stone-throwing.

28th of August: For the second time in a few weeks, the police headquarters in Falkenberg is subject to stone-throwing.

23rd of August: Youths throw eggs and golfballs against police cars in Biskopsgården and Frölunda, Gothenbuerg. They also set fire to a bulldozer and several car tires.

22nd of August: A manifestation in Rosengård, Malmö "degenerates" into a riot and protestors throw stones and glass bottles against police. Several fires are started in containers and cars.

Thats a brief summary of whats happened so far.

Tonight (the night between the eight and the ninth of September), between around 21:00 and 01:00, there were new riots in Stenhagen, Uppsala. Started with 3 cars being torched. When the firefighters showed up, they were allowed to extinguish the fire and were then attacked. A car from a local paper also got all its windows smashed and three police cars had to escort it out of the neighbourhood. An hour later or so, people start to burn tires, garbage and so on in the street, prompting police with riot-gear to mobilize. After some stone-throwing they left. At this time, I went home to a friend and waited for a bit. After half an hour or so, we went back to where the clashes had been before, and people are underway with torching cars and burning rubble in the street. They also have tear-gas ready to throw at the police when they show up. For some reason, they threw one grenade before the police arrive, forcing everyone to reatreat from the burning rubble for a while. I also met an older lady from South America, that complained about these riots being pathetic, in her days, they built real barricades and actually fought with the police. Either way, the police show up again around 00:30 with several cars and mini-buses and the crowd immidieately disperses. They start to sporadically arrest people. In the middle of this, someone starts shooting at the police, at which point I ran away a bit. Thats about it, the police went searching for the one firing the shot, and everyone else started going home, me included.

Thats whats been happening in Sweden the past week or so. I dont really have any details on whats been happening outside of Uppsala, but someone else can surely fill in the rest, and correct me if Ive been wrong anywhere.

Also, Im not sure this belongs in Politics, if not, feel free to move it. :)

[Tjis]

So what's the reason for the riots? Did I miss something?

[RotStern]

Whooooaaa. Sounds pretty epic. I want a video. xD

[Patchd]

They're obviously a bunch of pricks if the stories about them throwing stones at firefighters and cable cars are true. Any more on this perhaps mate? Thanks for the info!

[AlMack]

thats not riots, its just a rough area

[NecroCommie]

In Uppsala scale, that's a fucking revolution!

[bcbm]

They're obviously a bunch of pricks if the stories about them throwing stones at firefighters and cable cars are true.

Why? The firefighters were trying to put out fires they lit.

[superiority]

TheLocal.se says (http://www.thelocal.se/21784/20090831/) that it started with youth gang violence, while one of the commenters attributes it to "immigrants" and Swedish AFA. Absolut's article says "manifestation" and "demonstranter" (demonstrator/protester), though, so that kinds of suggests that it started with a march or protest of some sort.

[rebelmouse]

it is rage and anger of foreigners and some domestic people, the same as in france and denmark.
people are sick of discrimination, and fucking journalists again "don't know what is reason and it must be some bunch of punx or young gangsters". so don't listen too much local.se I read it just informative, but I don't care for their explanations which are in harmony with needs of ruling class.

I was refused at doctor in gothenburg with excuse that I don't have EU passport or insurance, even I showed paper that I asked for political asylum. I had pneumonia 3 months and big pain in lungs. later I read in newspaper that one asylum seeker died because they made operation too late. I was refused in newspaper library in gothenburg to use internet because I don't have EU social security number or something like it, we don't have such thing in my country. I was refused in royal library in stockholm again because I don't have EU passport or ID. in the city library in some theater house will be unpleasant if they see that you are not Swedish.
I was refused to get place for sleeping in places for homeless in gothenburg, even outside was snow and I had pneumonia.
In stockholm, maria praestergatan, there is place for junkies and homeless and there are usually foreigners who didn't succeed to get a job (Romanians and Polish) and social worker there called police and police gathered ONLY Romanians and controled their passports and fingerprints. like in the time of hitler. they don't have right to separate group of people on the basis of nationality and control only them. they didn't control junkies to see if they have drugs, because they are Swedish, but they control Romanians just because of their nationality.
Scandinavia is full of racism on the basis of materialism which is important component of capitalism. so capitalism automatically bring racism because of developing of materialist mentality which bosses needs in order that people run to work in factories and produce money for riches.

this is very possible uprising of immigrants, new ones and born in Sweden also, the same as in Denmark and France.
I said when I was discriminated in 2008, after france and denmark, sweden is next. scenario is repeating: immigrants are sick of everything and started to burn everything, and domestic people and journalists are surprised and they don't understand why they do it, so they conclude "some hooligans" destroy everything.
the only adapted foreigners are those without human dignity, those who kiss in ass domestic people who discriminate them. foreigners with human dignity will start to destroy everything, before or later. I predicted in 2008 on the basis of my experience, and it happened in 2009.
and I must say that people from USA will never feel something like it in denmark or sweden, discriminated are people from east europe, africa, asia, but not from london, berlin or USA. old colonialist countries respect each other, while they hate those whom they tried to occupy during history, nationalists and patriots see us as lower race and they hate us. In gemany I say: I am from croatia (croatia was on the side of germany in second world war), I get answer: you are good, croatians killed many serbs. if I say: I am from serbia, nobody want to be friend with me. so, conclusion: there is still strong nationalism, or better said: fascism hidden behind nationalism in west europe; and concretely in germany hitler died but his idea survived because whole his system stayed untouched. and old colonialist countries still see us like lower race even if Polish became EU, it is just on the paper, in reality Polish are discriminated and many of them finished like homeless in West Europe. Danes believe they will kick out Polish people if they don't give them job, for example. dirty and racist.
that's so. burn burn burn, how much you can, before they kill you with refusing to give you doctor, warm home, etc.
moral blabla about stones on firefighters? hahaha, people who are many years dicriminated, they are full of hate and they don't give a shit for morality and ethics. they want to destroy everything what destroy them so many years. who is not discriminated, he will not understand it. only raped woman knows how she feels, and if she decide to start to kill rapers, I will not stop her and I will not make philosophy is it okay or not. people are not robots, we have feelings, when feelings are long time and strong hurt, everything can be done.
I hope, from destroying of property people will transfer themselves to responsible persons/dicriminators who should be next, pictures and addresses: info comoj com
if dicriminators stay untouched, they will dicriminate foreigners even after burning. and foreigners don't have media to spread "voice of burning". it would be nice that people who burn give public explanations about cases when they were discriminated and therefore they started to burn.

[Absolut]

So what's the reason for the riots? Did I miss something?

Theyre pissed off. Poor working class immigrant youths, living in the suburbs, constantly harrassed by the police and generally discriminated against. It didnt start with gang violence, at least not in Uppsala, and I really doubt it started with gang violence anywhere else as well.


Any more on this perhaps mate? Thanks for the info!

I found an article in the communist paper, but thats pretty much the only one Ive found. Its in Swedish though.

Proletären (http://www.proletaren.se/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2023&Itemid=1)

Basically, what theyre saying is that the troubles is the result of increased class divisions, the unemployment rate is really high amongst the youths in the suburbs and the constant cutbacks from the authorities takes away everything, leaving them with nothing. Schools and recreation centers are being closed, and the schools that still exists dont even have money for new schoolbooks. At the same time, the police beat them up, beat their parents up when theyre trying to step in, humiliate them, arrest them and then beat them up in their cells and at the police HQ and all the reports to the police about the abuse "disappear".

[Dimentio]

In the same time, I am uncertain how much the radical left has been able to canalise the revolutionary sentiments in those groups. In Rosengård recently, a group of anarchists arranging a street-party was thrown out by the locals recently. It was probably a mistake to start the street-party at the same time of Ramadan.

[F9]

Good news.To be honest in the first post you made it look more like gang attacks, maybe you should edit your post and add why those things are happening.

[OneNamedNameLess]

Why? The firefighters were trying to put out fires they lit.

The firefighters are not class traitors and were simply doing their job. Firefighters get attacked in the UK a lot and tbh I think it's pathetic. Just why would someone want to harm members of the emergency services? Moreover, the police have apparently been harassing residents in these areas not the fire service.

[Absolut]

Good news.To be honest in the first post you made it look more like gang attacks, maybe you should edit your post and add why those things are happening.

Thanks. :)

Edited in a little text explaining the situation.

[Patchd]

Why? The firefighters were trying to put out fires they lit.
Then I'd need to know of the class/age composition of these rioters, because I'm all for riots where workers aren't attacked and actually back the riots, as opposed to a bunch of angry teens (who's problems are admittedly an issue that Capitalism and the state neglects) starting fires and threatening working class people.

I'm all for attacking the police, but firefighters?


Basically, what theyre saying is that the troubles is the result of increased class divisions, the unemployment rate is really high amongst the youths in the suburbs and the constant cutbacks from the authorities takes away everything, leaving them with nothing. Schools and recreation centers are being closed, and the schools that still exists dont even have money for new schoolbooks. At the same time, the police beat them up, beat their parents up when theyre trying to step in, humiliate them, arrest them and then beat them up in their cells and at the police HQ and all the reports to the police about the abuse "disappear".

Thanks for the info! I can understand them being angry and wanting to do something, and it's good that they are, but I still don't support their attacking firefighters.

[Wanted Man]

In the same time, I am uncertain how much the radical left has been able to canalise the revolutionary sentiments in those groups.

Probably not much, assuming that much of the radical left has no presence in those groups, and is often dismissive of them... Is that the case in Sweden as well? In any case, as long as that doesn't change, we'll probably see more of this kind of anger from minorities in European cities, with all the left groups only making impotent statements of support or denunciation from afar...

[Dimentio]

Probably not much, assuming that much of the radical left has no presence in those groups, and is often dismissive of them... Is that the case in Sweden as well? In any case, as long as that doesn't change, we'll probably see more of this kind of anger from minorities in European cities, with all the left groups only making impotent statements of support or denunciation from afar...

The Swedish anarchists has tried and been partially successful at setting up contacts in such communities. Recently, they were to arrange a street party to protest the poverty of a poverty-ridden suburb where mainly immigrants are living. But the problem was that the street party coincided with the beginning of the Ramadan celebrations. The anarchists were hunted out of the community by angry people living there, who feared that it would degenerate into a riot.

[Kukulofori]

The Local is outright fascist press. Everything they report on is blamed on immigrants or gangs, and when they report something progressive in Sweden they go out of their way to quote sources like "an anti-feminist group". I used to read them pretty often.

[Absolut]

Apparently its spreading outside of the immidiate suburbs in Uppsala, a house has been torched in a wealthier area closer to the center of the city, but Im not sure it actually has anything to do with the riots, the local paper implied it though. Theyve also continued to throw stones/shoot at the police and theyve also thrown stones at the city-buses, which almost resulted in the bus-company withdrawing their bus-lines from the suburbs.

[Enragé]

interesting, though i disagree completely with attacking firefighters.

The radical left needs to link up with stuff like this, though i almost never see it happen. Exceptions are sometimes the autonomous.

[Eat the Rich]

I think it's a repeat (albeit in a smaller scale), of what happened in France a few years ago and last year in Montreal. The years of economic opression and racism immigrants face, means an accumulation of a lot of combustible material, ready to explode at every given moment. It seems that there has been an explosion in Sweden.

What concerns me though, is the inability of the radical left, to link-up, organize and offer an ideological direction of this built up anger. The fact that some anarchists were organizing a street party in a muslim street during ramadan and got kicked out, shows how much we as leftists have neglected linking up with those people.

[Absolut]

Yesterday they attacked police again, with stones and teargas, prompting the bus company to stop driving here in the evening and night.

About the street party, I dont think its the fact that Ramadan started the same day, I think that the whole event reaked of a paternalistic "were going to liberate you" mentality. Im sure this was not at all the intention and that the intentions were very good, but I think this is how it was percieved. Instead of organizing where the people living there had a real role, if not the leading role in the organization of the event, they came in and simply had a party. I understand that the people living there were pissed off. If the same thing happened where I live, radicals coming in and throwing a party, I wouldnt really have any sympathy for them if they got driven out. Instead of organizing something "for" the people in the suburbs, they should make organize something with the youths, with the youths as the driving force behind the event.

[Oneironaut]

Thanks for the news! Incidents like these confirm for me how even more advanced welfare states, at least compared with the U.S., still have violent class struggle and have not solved any of the underlying issues of capitalism that the great majority of people in the US think can be solved through reform. Best of luck!

[ls]

Thanks for the news! Incidents like these confirm for me how even more advanced welfare states, at least compared with the U.S., still have violent class struggle and have not solved any of the underlying issues of capitalism that the great majority of people in the US think can be solved through reform. Best of luck!

Everyone should rep this post! :cool:

I hope this spreads out wider across sweden and manifests itself in strikes too.

[bcbm]

The firefighters are not class traitors and were simply doing their job. Firefighters get attacked in the UK a lot and tbh I think it's pathetic. Just why would someone want to harm members of the emergency services? Moreover, the police have apparently been harassing residents in these areas not the fire service.

I'm not sure about the laws in Sweden, but over here the police can't move in to destroy a barricade if its on fire and so the firefighters putting it out are helping the police. I'd assume this is common practice, so attacking the firefighters in this scenario makes sense. They certainly shouldn't get it as hard as the cops, but they shouldn't be allowed to help the police either.


Then I'd need to know of the class/age composition of these rioters, because I'm all for riots where workers aren't attacked and actually back the riots, as opposed to a bunch of angry teens (who's problems are admittedly an issue that Capitalism and the state neglects) starting fires and threatening working class people.


A riot isn't a planned out little event, especially in these situations. Its an explosion of social antagonisms. You admit these youth have issues to be angry over, but deny them one of the only outlets they have because a few firefighters might get caught in the crossfire?

[OneNamedNameLess]

I'm not sure about the laws in Sweden, but over here the police can't move in to destroy a barricade if its on fire and so the firefighters putting it out are helping the police. I'd assume this is common practice, so attacking the firefighters in this scenario makes sense. They certainly shouldn't get it as hard as the cops, but they shouldn't be allowed to help the police either.

They also have people's safety in mind. I think you are overlooking the fact that it's the fire service's job. The fire brigade can't say "fuck the police, we are siding with the rioters so forget about the fire". If they don't put out the fire as they are instructed to they would face disciplinary action or worse, end up with no job and a permanent black mark on their record. Therefore, they are quite right to put out the fire. I think it's naive of you to justify attacking the emergency services. Their jobs are more important.

Don't take it personally bcbm as I don't mean it that way.

[Enragé]

They also have people's safety in mind. I think you are overlooking the fact that it's the fire service's job. The fire brigade can't say "fuck the police, we are siding with the rioters so forget about the fire". If they don't put out the fire as they are instructed to they would face disciplinary action or worse, end up with no job and a permanent black mark on their record. Therefore, they are quite right to put out the fire. I think it's naive of you to justify attacking the emergency services. Their jobs are more important.

Don't take it personally bcbm as I don't mean it that way.

i dont see how being forced to do something constitutes it being a right. I think you confuse right for duty, a euphemism for obligation.

In the case of a burning barricade, i'd be against attacking the firefighters - but that doesnt mean you can't disable their equipment. Talking to them would be a nice suggestion as well.

[Crux]

I think it's a repeat (albeit in a smaller scale), of what happened in France a few years ago and last year in Montreal. The years of economic opression and racism immigrants face, means an accumulation of a lot of combustible material, ready to explode at every given moment. It seems that there has been an explosion in Sweden.

What concerns me though, is the inability of the radical left, to link-up, organize and offer an ideological direction of this built up anger. The fact that some anarchists were organizing a street party in a muslim street during ramadan and got kicked out, shows how much we as leftists have neglected linking up with those people.
The Anarchist got kicked out, partly at least, because they linked up with a criminal gang. It should be mentioned aswell the anarchists organizaing the Reclaim in Malmö represent a specific AFA group, not part of the official AFA network. Some other autnomous groups were involeved, I think, but they got out as soon as they saw where it was headed.

Speaking only for my own organization, I would say we have our primary base of support in the immigrant and perhaps more importantly workingclass areas. The people hit hardest by the rightwing politics basicly.