How Stockholm Reacted to Friday's Lorry Attack

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How Stockholm Reacted to Friday's Lorry Attack

Onlookers and press flocked to Sergels Torg to mourn the victims of Friday's attack.

This article originally appeared on VICE Sweden.

On Saturday morning, onlookers and press gathered at Sergels Torg square to pay their respects to the victims of Friday's attack. Sergels Torg is right next to department store Åhlens City, where a hijacked lorry rammed into pedestrians before crashing into the building around 3PM yesterday.

People held hands, some cried, and others left flowers at the scene. One police officer told me that he had been working all night and would "continue until this matter is resolved."

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One witness told Swedish Radio that he saw "people on the ground in pools of blood" and that the scene "felt like a war zone – but you had no idea who was fighting against who or why."

Police spokesman, Lars Byström, told Swedish Radio that "the police urge people to stay away from the crime scene as the investigation still is ongoing." This has also been communicated via the Stockholm Police's official Twitter account.

However, the hundreds of people who gathered at Sergels Torg on Saturday didn't seem to care. "First I was afraid, but then I thought: 'Fuck it, I won't give [the attacker(s)] the right to terrify me,'" 28-year-old Anna told me as she left flowers at the fence surrounding the department store.

Last night, many of Stockholm's citizens responded to the attack by opening their homes to people who, due to public transport being taken out of service, were unable to commute back home from the city centre. Additionally, a "Love Demonstration" will take place at Sergels Torg on Sunday afternoon.

Most political leaders have already visited the scene too. They've all told local media that it's important to not let party politics get in the way of dealing with the attack in a unified manner. "We refuse to be afraid," Moderaterna party leader Anna Kinberg Batra told Swedish Radio this morning.

Following a press conference held by police on Friday night, one man was arrested on suspicion of having committed a terrorist attack through murder. Four people died on Friday and, at the time of writing, 10 people are being treated at hospital.

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