Sexual assault at music festivals in Sweden
Sexual assaults at music festivals in Sweden in 2016 attracted media attention in European and international media due to their similarity to the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve 2015/16 . As a result, incidents in 2014 and 2015 became public in the course of the year.
2014 and 2015
After the five-day festival in Kungsträdgården in downtown Stockholm, the police only reported that "given the large number of participants, there had been relatively few crimes and arrests". In early 2016, the Swedish police admitted to downplaying several sexual assaults by alleged foreign young men at music festivals. At music festivals in Stockholm there were 38 reports of sexual assault in August 2014 and 2015, and two rapes were reported. A group of around 50 young asylum seekers from Afghanistan was suspected of being. Because of the large number of people, the investigations were difficult and were discontinued. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven spoke of a “double fraud” against women. On the one hand, the attacks were not properly pursued and, on the other hand, the police did not undertake any educational work on this issue.
2016
On July 2nd and 3rd, 2016 the “ Bråvalla ” took place in Norrköping and the free “Putte I Parken” festival in Karlstad . More than 40 sexual assaults were reported for both events combined. According to the police, 35 people reported sexual assault at the “Putte I Parken” festival. The youngest victim is said to have been 12 years old. Five rapes were reported at Bråvalla Festival, a total of 12 cases of sexual abuse. In addition, a 19-year-old woman is said to have been raped at the Säljeryds Festival. The "Telegraph" reported on migrants who were responsible for the attacks on the "Putte I Parken" festival.
Organizers and police were criticized for not doing enough to protect women. The band Mumford & Sons commented on the incidents at the Bråvalla Festival and announced that they would "not play again at this festival until the police and the organizers have done something about the hideously high rate of sexual violence".
The Swedish police started a campaign against "groping". The main action of this campaign is to hand out wristbands with the imprint “do not bother” at festivals. The hashtag “#tafsainte” (do not touch) was spread on Twitter.
2017
In 2017, at least five sexual assaults occurred during the Bråvalla Festival, three of which were reported as rape, and 23 reports of sexual harassment were filed. A 15-year-old is said to have been mistreated in the crowd during a concert. The organizer then announced that the festival would be canceled the following year because of the attacks.
Web links
- "What Swedish values?" by Liv Heidbüchel, published on July 17, 2016 in Die Zeit , online edition
- Interview with Dan Eliasson , the head of the Swedish police in Spiegel online , was published on May 13, 2016
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sweden: Again dozen of sexual assaults during music festivals
- ↑ Music festivals in Stockholm: Sweden's police covered up sexual assault
- ↑ Sweden's police hid sexual assault
- ↑ Svenska Dagbladet : "Stort antal sexövergrepp på tre festivaler"
- ↑ Swedish music festivals hit by reports of rapes by 'migrants'
- ↑ Women raped at a festival in Sweden
- ↑ The band draws conclusions from the incidents last weekend
- ↑ Swedish Music Festival canceled due to rape. welt.de, July 4, 2017, accessed July 4, 2017 .