How Do you Feel About the Stockholm Riots?

Over the course of the past week, rioters from the largely immigrant suburb of Husby, in Stockholm, have been beating on police officers, hurling rocks through windows and setting cars ablaze. The riots have been linked to the May 13 shooting of a 69-year-old man who had locked himself in his Husby apartment and waved a machete at police when they tried to calm him down. Swedish police fired a shot in an attempt to chill him out, but when the man continued to threaten them with the knife, they shot him to death. At the time of writing, it's not entirely clear if kids have just realised that setting cars on fire gets them attention, or if they're actually mad at the whole system in general. The scary part is that the riots have moved from Stockholm to the southern parts of Sweden, like Malmö, where two cars were set on fire on Wednesday.

Riots have also continued to emerge in a total of 15 Stockholm suburbs and police are worried that the situation is only going to get worse. What with all the violence and rebellion going on, we had a poke around in Sweden to try and work out how the public were feeling.

Andersson, 25, Photographer: Stockholm is really fucking segregated, and it's been getting worse in the last five years. It's a good thing that Husby is burning. How would you feel if your car was set on fire?
I wouldn't care if it was for the right cause.

Sumaya, 21, Massage-therapist: Riots? I just got back from Spain yesterday so I don't really know what's been going on. Kids are pissed off in Husby because police has allegedly killed a man, so they are rioting and setting cars on fire.
Oh yeah, I heard about the cars. I understand that they're angry, but it's not the best way for the kids to get their voices heard. Diego, 30, Singer: It's probably not the best way to express your feelings, but I do understand them. What do you think will happen now?
I think it's going to calm down in a few days. What do you think will happen to the people involved?
Well, that depends on what they've been up to. I think the rioters are barking up the wrong tree. But I really do understand them in a way. Lisa, 17, Student: I don't really know that much about this. Really? You too? *skip to after having explained*
Well, it's wrong that civilians' property gets destroyed, but still, I can see why they are pissed off. David, 36, Waiter: I lived in London during the riots there, and I hated it. I think it's fucking terrible. Do you think the same thing will happen in Stockholm as it did in London?
Gosh, I really hope it won't. Riots like these are disgusting. Manna, 27, Cook: Such a boring question! It's a good thing, I was a riot kid in my teens. Are you going to join the riots if they continue?
No, I'm not a teenager anymore.

Keep the spirit alive.

Additional reporting by Olov Lagerqvist.

Previously – What's the Strangest Thing You've Seen Someone Do in Public?