Sweden: Masked gangs attack migrants amid rising tensions | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Sweden: Masked gangs attack migrants amid rising tensions

AFP | By, Stockholm
Jan 30, 2016 09:15 PM IST

Dozens of masked men believed to belong to neo-Nazi gangs carried out a number of assaults on migrants in Stockholm overnight amid rising tension over immigration, Swedish police said Saturday.

Dozens of masked men believed to belong to neo-Nazi gangs carried out a number of assaults on migrants in Stockholm overnight amid rising tension over immigration, Swedish police said Saturday.

Children Nor, Saleh and Hajaj Fatema from Syria sleep outside the Swedish Migration Board in Marsta, outside Stockholm, Sweden. Dozens of masked men assaulted migrants in the Swedish capital on Friday amid rising tension over immigration.(REUTERS)
Children Nor, Saleh and Hajaj Fatema from Syria sleep outside the Swedish Migration Board in Marsta, outside Stockholm, Sweden. Dozens of masked men assaulted migrants in the Swedish capital on Friday amid rising tension over immigration.(REUTERS)

Police had beefed up their presence in the city centre, deploying anti-riot and helicopter units after learning that extremists were planning “aggression on unaccompanied migrant minors” in the city late on Friday.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“I was passing by and saw a masked group dressed in black... start hitting foreigners. I saw three people molested,” the Aftonbladet daily quoted one witness as saying.

Police spokesman Towe Hagg said by midday police had not received any complaints of assault but one 46-year-old man was arrested after striking a plain clothed officer.

Three further people were briefly detained for public order offences and one more faces charges for carrying a knife.

As many as 100 people, their faces covered, had descended in the early evening on the Sergels Torg pedestrian square, a popular meeting point for young people, including unaccompanied migrants.

Aftonbladet quoted witnesses as saying the masked group targeted “people of foreign appearance” and handed out leaflets urging the infliction of “deserved punishment on children of the North African street.”

Internet site Nordfront, an online forum for the neo-Nazi SMR movement, said its “sources” had revealed that around “100 hooligans” from the AIK and Djurgarden football clubs had gathered Friday in order to “sort out the criminals coming in from North Africa.”

After initially taking a generous stance on migration -- the country of 9.8 million is among the European Union states with the highest proportion of refugees per capita -- Sweden has in recent days said it expects to expel tens of thousands of people over several years as it struggles to cope with the influx.

The number of new migrants entering the country has plunged since Stockholm introduced systematic photo ID checks on travellers on January 4.

The toughening of policy comes against a backdrop of rising concern over conditions in the country’s overcrowded asylum facilities, and officials called for greater security after an employee at a refugee centre for unaccompanied youths was fatally stabbed.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On