On Sunday, the police interrupted the Stockholm derby in the top football league between Djurgården and Hammarby after bangers and pyrotechnics were thrown onto the pitch from the stands.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson does not comment on the police operation, but says about the scenes in the stands:
It is completely unacceptable that the stands would become a sanctuary for violence that we would never accept elsewhere. We cannot have it that way.
Are you concerned about the spectator culture in Sweden?
Yes, at least sometimes. The overwhelming majority goes to football, either alone or with their children, with joy and to experience football, and then there is always a small tail that does everything to sabotage it for others. It is a concern.
According to information from TV4 News, a police officer who was involved in the decision to interrupt the match is said to have received police protection after a threat against him was made. Aftonbladet reports that several police officers have been threatened. The police have not confirmed the information.
That it even needs to be said is just completely unreasonable – that people do not accept professional personnel performing important tasks, says Kristersson.
Hammarby won the match, which was played to completion on Monday afternoon without an audience, with 2–0.
