Swedish police dispersed hundreds of people protesting in central Stockholm on Saturday against restrictions imposed by the government to curb the coronavirus epidemic.
The demonstration was illegal because it was organized without permission, Swedish authorities said. It was the first major demonstration against coronavirus restrictions in the country.
The Swedish police reported that they acted just as the number of participants exceeded the limit imposed for public gatherings under Swedish orders by the pandemic.
Videos published in Swedish media showed hundreds of people without masks gathered in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen square, not far from the Old Town. The local press estimated between 300 and 500 participants.
The Aftonbladet and Expressen newspapers reported that the protesters dispersed rather peacefully, but that six policemen were injured after altercations broke out between the police and some protesters who did not want to leave.
Aftonbladet said the event was organized by a group called Swedish Freedom which, according to the newspaper, alleges that the rules against COVID-19 restrict human freedom.
Unlike other European countries, Sweden decided early in the pandemic to keep society largely low-restrained, but in recent months the government took a more assertive stance.
Sweden has recorded more than 13,000 deaths during the pandemic, far more than its Nordic neighbors Denmark, Norway and Finland.
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