Neo-Nazis attack anti-racism protesters in Sweden

Swedish police have arrested 28 people after dozens of far-right extremists attacked protesters during an anti-racism demonstration in the capital Stockholm.

Police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson said some 200 anti-racism demonstrators participated in the peaceful march on Sunday in the suburb of Karrtorp when they were attacked by about 40 neo-Nazis.

The far-right extremists threw flares, bottles, firecrackers and other objects at the protesters, of whom many were families with young children. At least two protesters were stabbed and two police officers injured in the clashes.

According to police, those detained are suspected of rioting, attempted murder, assaulting a law enforcement officer and incitement to racial hatred.

Protesters criticized the police for not deploying enough officers to the protest, as there were indications on far-right sites that they were going to counter the rally.

“The protesters in Karrtorp paid a high price for society’s inability to recognize the seriousness and the acute danger of far-right extremism and Nazism,” said Anna Hellgren, a columnist for the Swedish newspaper Expressen.

The authorized rally was organized by a network called “Line 17 against racism” and held in protest against Nazi graffiti and racist propaganda appearing in the suburb.

A neo-Nazi group called the Swedish Resistance Movement has claimed responsibility for the attack on its website.