Police riders, dog patrols, drones, camera trailers and large barriers – the police presence was extensive at the so-called Salem march.
According to the police, around 150 people participated in a torchlight procession that set off from the center of Rönninge in the afternoon. At least the same number of counter-protesters were present in the center.
Before the march, about ten counter-protesters tried to get past the police barriers. Fifteen of them were taken into custody.
They are being taken into preventive custody for disturbing the peace, police spokesperson Ola Österling told TT.
The police have filed a report of a violent riot. A police officer was hit on the arm with a stone, but was not injured.
Quiet on the spot
Residents in the area told TT's reporter on site that the mood ahead of the march has been tense. They also expressed fear that it will be as chaotic as in previous years.
But the two protest groups never clashed and overall the scene was relatively calm.
The police have opened an investigation into violence against an official in one case, but write in a summary that the operation was carried out without any disturbances.
This is the first time in 15 years that the so-called Salem March has been held. It was organized by far-right organizations between 2000 and 2010 in memory of the murder of a 17-year-old boy with far-right connections, who was stabbed to death in Salem by a teenage boy of foreign origin on December 9, 2000.
On Saturday, residents of Salem organized a Christmas market at Rönninge Square. The Christmas market has been organized since 2010 – initially as a counter-action to the far-right demonstration.
The Prime Minister condemns
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) says that Saturday's demonstration is an "expression of abhorrent beliefs and a terrible view of humanity," in a written comment to TT. He further writes:
"In Sweden we have far-reaching freedom of expression and freedom of demonstration, but here there is no place for anti-Semitism or xenophobia."
The Social Democrats' legal policy spokesperson Teresa Carvalho also comments:
"Now Nazis are marching on our streets again. It's terrible and dangerous. We must react and stand up to this right-wing extremist wave. But never with violence."
Between 2000 and 2010, the Salem March was organized by far-right organizations in memory of the murder of a 17-year-old boy with far-right connections. The boy was stabbed to death in Salem by a teenage boy of foreign origin on December 9, 2000.
On several occasions, violence has erupted in connection with the march, when demonstrators and counter-demonstrators have clashed.
The permit application for Saturday's demonstration was submitted by a person with connections to the Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement.
The municipality of Salem appealed the police's demonstration permit but was rejected.
