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First charges filed for Stockholm Nazi attack

TT/The Local/og
TT/The Local/og - [email protected]
First charges filed for Stockholm Nazi attack
A scene from the Kärrtorp clash. Photo: Hampus Andersson/TT

Seven people were charged on Monday in the wake of a neo-Nazi attack on anti-racist demonstrators in Stockholm last year. But prosecutors say more indictments are on the way.

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Charges were filed on Monday against people who took part in a violent riot in Stockholm's Kärrtorp suburb in December last year. Four of the suspects were charged with violent rioting (våldsamt upplopp) and hate speech (hets mot folkgrupp) and another three were charged with instigating violent rioting. According to the indictment, several of those charged threw bottles, rocks, and firecrackers. 
 
"There will be more charges filed than just these, altogether there were around 30 people detained after the demonstration," Ulf Sundström of the Söderort police told the TT news agency.
 
Preliminary investigations continue into the actions of the others who were detained in connection with the incident, prosecutor Tove Kullberg added.
 
The riots kicked off when around around 800 peaceful anti-racist demonstrators, a group that included children, were set upon by a group of neo-Nazis from the national socialist Swedish Resistance Movement (Svenska Motståndsrörelsen, SMR). The demonstrators were taking a stand against the spread of racism in their neighbourhood.
 
 
Police arrested 28 people following the chaos, which saw three people rushed to hospital, including one police officer.
 
Other suspects face possible charges of attempted aggravated assault, weapon crimes, and hate speech.
 
Only six police officers were on hand to keep an eye on the demonstration in December, a move that has been criticized as police were aware that there was a threat. The week after the riot, around 16,000 people gathered in Kärrtorp to protest against racism and violence.
 

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