Malmö: Disturbances calm down (updated)

Malmö: Disturbances calm down

For more in English, see The Local


Update2:

Six cars were set aflame Sunday morning in Rosengård. According to Peter Martinsson of the Skåne police, about 20 youth congregated round the cars, but the extinguishing work proceeded quietly.

Police describe the whole weekend as calmer than expected, as a result of the many adults who were in the area and the police reinforcements.

Police also think that many left-wing protesters went to a Greece-related demonstration in Copenhagen Saturday night and thereby contributed to the relative quiet.

Sources: SVT, SydSvenskan (Swedish)


Update:

The youth might get a new place when the Rosengård pool will be built on, according to Rosengård's neighborhood chairman, Andreas Konstantinides (s), after a meeting with Muslim organization in the police station today.

There were no promises about premises, but Konstantinides and the municipality vice chairperson Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (s), promised to worked together with the Muslim organization to create a better situation in Rosengård.

The national Islamic council was behind the invitation. The meeting lasted a couple of hours. According to Romdhone Boussaidi, who represented Ibn Rushd, it ended on good terms.

Andreas Konstantinides was glad that a hundred people helped to guard the neighborhood earlier in the evening. Adult volunteers went out at the initiative of the associations, equipped with white bands on their arms.

Source: Sydsvenskan (Swedish)
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The disturbances in the Malmö neighborhood of Rosengård continued Friday night, including several arson cases. At 2AM, however, the police assessed the situation as calm.

"There's a willingness and people in place to continue, but we consider it now as more of a normal situation," says Skåne police spokesperson Ewa-Gun Westford.

Skåne police received reinforcements by specially trained police from Guthenburg and Stockholm. In all about 200 police were on duty.

The reinforcements will remain further.

The so called dialog police was also mobilized. "Three of them were in place, but was have yet found any partner in dialog. But 30 adults from the Islamic Cultural association have been out and made contact with the youth here and they have been a great help for us," says Ewa-Gun Westford.

Several Muslims have now openly opposed the disturbances in Rosengård.

"We Swedish Muslims express our absolute dissatisfaction with what's happening in the area and are not responsible for what's happening."

In a press release Saturday night the representatives from 8 associations and organizations write that they consider the picture that the media has given of the disturbances is incomplete.

They want to now work together with the authorities and politicians to examine and investigate what caused the disturbances and from that reach solutions.

Source: Aftonbladet, SVT (Swedish).

Previous reports:
* Malmö: Disturbances continue after mosque eviction
* Malmö: Mosque evicted
* Malmö: Youth protest mosque eviction

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