Saturday saw the 75-year-anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass – the event marking the start of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. The Swedish neo-Nazi organisation Svenska Motståndsrörelsen (the Swedish resistance movement) was demonstrating with a march towards the Greek embassy at Stockholm’s Karlaplan. The demonstration of about 80 neo-Nazis was set up to support the agenda of the Greek fascists the Golden Dawn.
Hundreds of counter-demonstrators gathered to protest against SMR’s xenophobic and inhumane agenda. The neo-Nazis yelled at protestors as mounted police desperately tried to separate the groups.
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Torches were lit as SMR got ready for some good old marching on the main street Karlavägen, surrounded by protestors of various ages. Sporting shaved heads and protective glasses, SMR looked over their shoulders, waiting for something provocative enough to give them a go-ahead and attack.
As with most extreme-right movements, SMR is known to be easily agitated. They disguise their protests as peaceful, dealing out pamphlets and holding speeches. However, their events usually turn into bashing parties as soon as they feel the slightest pressured. For instance in September, 30 of them travelled to the northern city of Umeå and clashed with police pretty much immediatly.
So naturally on Saturday, it didn’t take much for SMR to feel provoked, and suddenly flares and noisy firecrackers where thrown from both sides in an endless game of something that looked like capture the flag. The rain was pouring down as the group approached to their destination, surrounded by police.
When they reached the Greek embassy, SMR held speeches that drowned in the chants of the counter-demonstrators: “The police of today protects the Hitler of tomorrow!”
But when the demonstration was about to come to an end, something went wrong. The majority of the counter-demonstrators were kept at one end of the street, away from SMR. However, a small group found its way to the exit of the neo-Nazis on the other side. And along with the rain, glass bottles and flares hit the streets as well as one unfortunate girl’s head, as riot fences where forced and jumped.
When the police finally gained control of the wet and angry neo-Nazis and escorted them to the tube station, SMR appealed to see the counter-demonstrators removed by force. But their demands were ignored by the police.
An ambulance arrived, taking care of one wounded neo-Nazi as a large group of counter-demonstrators still were going strong, yelling stuff such as, “The struggle continues”.
But soon enough it was all over.
According to the police, in total two people were injured but no one was arrested.
Follow Hampus on Twitter: @hampus2000
More madness in the streets of Sweden:
We Watched Fascists, Police And Anti-Fascists Trying to Fight In Stockholm
Drunk Swedish Fascist MPs Going Mad In the Street
WATCH – May Day In Eskilstuna
