Riots in Sweden subside overnight, yet spread outside Stockholm

Police in Sweden say violence in that country subsided overnight on Saturday, with just 20 to 30 cars torched in and around Stockholm.

However, the rioting that continued all week seems to have spread to areas outside the capital for the first time, Reuters reported.

“It was much calmer; rocks weren’t being thrown at police or firefighters, and that’s a sign that it’s calmer,” police spokesman Kjell Lindgren told the news service. “We haven’t had any riots or anything similar.”

To answer the hooliganism, community leaders and parents dressed in neon-green vests to make themselves visible patrolled the streets, The Local said.

The “Nightwalkers” are a tradition that dates back 30 years, and during these riots they have tried to protect schools and community centers.

All week, gangs have vandalized businesses, schools and police stations while torching more than 100 cars.

The country is grappling with violence between police and immigrant groups, furious that their unemployment rates are twice that of the national average, according to Bloomberg.

There are also suggestions the death of a 69-year-old Portuguese man, who drew a knife when confronted by a gang of young people, triggered violence in Husby on May 19.

Police shot the man during a resulting standoff at his apartment.

Yet, one expert said the shooting was simply a short-term cause to underlying trouble.

Violence in Sweden matches that of recent London riots and unrest in Paris in 2005, and even the Los Angeles race riots of the 1990s after the Rodney King beating.

“The groups that are involved are some of the most economically deprived groups within society,” said University of Nottingham professor Matthew Goodwin told USA Today.

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