Calls for prison after riots at Eritrean festival

The prosecutor is seeking prison sentences for all eight people on trial after the riots in connection with the Eritrean cultural festival in Stockholm in the summer of 2023.
Around fifty people were injured, four of them seriously, when the festival was stormed by anti-regime counter-demonstrators.
The suspicions relate to violent rioting and the prosecutor has requested a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison.

This week, the trial began against the eight people suspected of crimes after participating in the riots at Järvafältet in connection with the Eritrean Cultural Festival in 2023. The prosecutor is seeking prison sentences for all of them.

Unrest broke out at an Eritrean festival at Järvafältet in Stockholm last year.

Photo : Ali Lorestani / TT

200 people were detained, 15 people were deported from Sweden, fires, extensive destruction, stone throwing and around fifty people were injured – four of them seriously.

These were some of the consequences when counter-protesters stormed the Eritrean cultural festival held at Järvafältet in the summer of 2023.

The organizers are considered by many to be loyal to the Eritrean regime, one of the world's harshest dictatorships, and anti-regime counter-demonstrators had traveled from all over the world to show their discontent.

Calls for prison

Previously, a mansentenced to prisonfor aggravated assault in connection with the riots, and now more may be sentenced.

The trial of eight people, all of whom are accused of violent rioting, began on Monday. All but one are citizens of Eritrea.

According to prosecutor Lotta Karlsson, the trial has worked well. The evidence should hold up, she says.

"I judge that it was relatively good and should be enough for convictions," she writes in an email to Mitt i.

She also announces that she has requested prison sentences for all defendants, a minimum of seven months and a maximum of four years.

Verdict March 26

All of the defendants are alleged to have actively participated in the riot. They are alleged to have armed themselves with sticks, thrown objects at others, set fire to festival tents and cars, and smashed cars and other objects at the festival.

They are also said to have torn down the riot fence that had been erected to maintain order, according to the lawsuit.

They then allegedly got past the barriers to move towards the festival area and acted "aggressively and threateningly".

The defendants are between the ages of 20 and 63. The evidence includes several different films from the scene.

All defendants deny any wrongdoing.

The verdict will be announced on March 26.