By Le Figaro with AFP
Published yesterday at 10:32 p.m., Updated 12 hours ago
”
data-script=”
>
More than a hundred demonstrators waved flags to the rhythm of slogans “Free Palestine”. Some wore a keffiyeh, sometimes wrapped around the face.
Police dispersed pro-Palestinian demonstrators around the Malmö Arena, in the south of Sweden, where the Eurovision final took place, AFP noted. Around the performance hall, police officers were taking demonstrators towards the numerous trucks present, a relatively unusual scene in the Scandinavian country.
More than a hundred demonstrators brandished flags to the rhythm of slogans “Liberate Palestine”. Some wore a keffiyeh, sometimes wrapped around the face. “We have the impression that they have a license to be a little more aggressive than usual”Sarah, a 45-year-old resident of Malmö, told AFP. “I never saw that”.
Protesters hold Palestinian flags during the “Stop Israel” protest in Malmö, Sweden, May 11, 2024. Johan Nilsson/TT / REUTERS
The police, who confirmed having used tear gas, sought to push the demonstrators back to a square where a pro-Palestinian rally was authorized, without anyone attending. “They sprayed tear gas in my face, pushed me”Sara Bo, 26, told AFP, showing her reddened eyes.
Police officers arrest a protester on the day of the “Stop Israel” demonstration on May 11, 2024. Johan Nilsson/TT / REUTERS
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among them but stayed away. She and members of her group sat in a circle, surrounded by police.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is detained by police officers in Malmö, Sweden, May 11, 2024 Johan Nilsson/TT / REUTERS
In the afternoon, some 5,000 people marched peacefully through the city, where the majority of Sweden’s population of Palestinian origin lives, to protest against Israeli participation in the music competition, the annual meeting of European pop. which aims to be apolitical.