Violent riots continued for a second night in the
southern Stockholm suburb of Alby, known for its significant immigrant
population, RT’s Ruptly agency reports. Protesters set fire to cars and
pelted police and emergency services with rocks and pyrotechnics.
On Thursday night, police were patrolling the suburb, which is home to
large Syrian and Armenian diasporas, as well as more recent Iraqi
refugees, when a rock flew through the back window of their parked car.
As officers searched for the culprits, the rioters set fire to tires on a
public bridge, and poured gasoline over several cars, before lighting
them up. When fire crews arrived they were also showered with
projectiles.
On Friday night, police encountered yet more clashes with residents,
although there has been no official confirmation of a link between the
scuffles.
One man was arrested Thursday, but has since been released.
Sweden’s last major riots took place in 2013, provoked by an alleged
incident of police brutality. But there have been widely-publicized
incidents involving foreign-born residents, including asylum center
murders, and sexual assault cases, over the past year.
Sweden accepted nearly 170,000 asylum seekers in 2015, more per capita than any other EU state.
As Swedish law forbids police to record the ethnicity and origin of the
perpetrators, the identity of the recent rioters is unlikely to be
uncovered.
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