Swedish Police Break up Climate Demonstrations in Stockholm

Swedish Police Break up Climate Demonstrations in Stockholm
Climate change activists of Extinction Rebellion block the traffic at a bridge in central Stockholm on Aug. 28, 2020. (TT News Agency/Lars Schroder via Reuters)
Reuters
8/28/2020
Updated:
8/28/2020

STOCKHOLM—Swedish police broke up demonstrations in Stockholm on Friday by climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion who had blocked two bridges in the city center.

Police said the demonstrations exceeded the maximum of 50 people allowed to gather under rules aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

Climate change activists of Extinction Rebellion block the traffic at a bridge in central Stockholm on Aug. 28, 2020. (TT News Agency/Lars Schroder via Reuters)
Climate change activists of Extinction Rebellion block the traffic at a bridge in central Stockholm on Aug. 28, 2020. (TT News Agency/Lars Schroder via Reuters)
Daily Aftonbladet said that around 80 demonstrators had gathered on each of the bridges.

A third demonstration took place outside an office building in the west of the city.

“Overall, in all these three places, there has been no violence at all,” a police spokesman said, adding that some demonstrators had been physically removed from the two bridges.

Representatives from Extinction Rebellion said they were protesting against politicians’ failure to deal with global warming and called on the government to declare a “climate emergency.”

The government has a target of being the first fossil free developed economy with zero net emissions by 2045 at the latest.

By Simon Johnson