Sweden prosecutes dozens over BLM protest aftermath
Swedish prosecutors said on Thursday that they had prosecuted dozens of people for a violent riot that broke out after a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest last year.
The protest, which saw thousands gather in southern Gothenburg in June 2020, developed calmly and ended by the organizers, the authority said.
But a crowd broke off and continued to march and when they reached a public square in central Gothenburg, the situation escalated.
The Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday that 36 people have been prosecuted for the incident.
“The violence has mainly consisted of members of the crowd, who kick, hit and throw stones and other objects at police officers and their vehicles,” the prosecutor said. Elisabeth Trouve said in a statement.
The charges included violent rioting, sabotaging emergency vehicles, vandalism, violence against police and assault, prosecutors said.
Much of the evidence was gathered from videos from police cameras, drones, some filmed by the public and surveillance cameras, it added.
The Black Lives Matter movement, was founded in 2013 in the USA, spread abroad in the summer of 2020.
The rally was held globally after several cases of police brutality in the United States, including the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Millions of people have taken part in the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and around the world.