What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

Several masked men, described by anti-racism magazine Expo as "a group of Nazis" carried out the attack at an event organised by the Left Party and Green Party. Here's what we know so far.

https://www.thelocal.se/20240425/explained-what-we-know-about-the-attack-on-a-swedish-anti-fascist-meeting

https://archive.ph/HBVHJ



What happened?

Several masked men burst into a Stockholm theatre on Wednesday night and set off smoke bombs during an anti-fascism event, according to police and participants. Around 50 people were taking part in the event at the Moment theatre in Gubbängen, a southern suburb of the Swedish capital, organised by the Left Party and the Green Party. "Three people were taken by ambulance to hospital," the police said on its website, shortly after the attack.

According to Swedish media, one person was physically assaulted and two had paint sprayed in their faces. "The Nazis attacked visitors using physical violence, with pepper spray, and vandalised the venue before throwing in some kind of smoke grenade which filled the foyer with smoke," Expo wrote on its website. The magazine's head of education Klara Ljungberg was at the event in order to hold a lecture at the invitation of the two political parties.

What was the meeting about?

According to the Left Party's press officer, the event was "a meeting about growing fascism". Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar described the event to public broadcaster SVT as an "open event, for equality among individuals". As well as Ljungberg from Expo, panelists at the event included anti-fascist activist Mathias Wåg, who also writes for Swedish centre-left tabloid Aftonbladet. "They were determined and went straight for me," Wåg told Expo just after the attack. "I received a few blows but nothing that caused serious damage." "I was invited to be on a panel in order to discuss anti-fascism with representatives from the Left Party and the Green Party," he told the magazine. "I didn't know this was going to happen, but there's obviously a risk when Expo and I are in the same place."

What has the reaction been like?

All of Sweden's parties across the political spectrum have denounced the attack, with Dadgostar describing it as a "threat to our democracy" when TT newswire interviewed her at the theatre a few hours after the attack occurred. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, from the conservative Moderates, called the attack "abhorrent". The Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals are currently in government with the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats, while the Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party are in opposition. "It is appalling news that a meeting hosted by the Left Party has been stormed," Kristersson told TT. "I have reached out to Nooshi Dadgostar and expressed my deepest support. This type of abhorrent action has no place in our free and open society."

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