Swedish music fete nixed over rape claims
Print Edition
SWEDEN’S largest music festival has been cancelled next year due to reports of rape and sexual assaults over the weekend — the second time in two years — which the prime minister condemned as “obnoxious.”
A wave of rape and sexual assault allegations at several music festivals over the last years have sparked outrage in Sweden.
Police in the southeastern district of Ostergotland, where the Bravalla festival took place, on Monday said it received 4 rape and 23 sexual assault reports between Thursday and Sunday.
An additional woman said she was forced to have sex with a man after changing her mind at the last minute.
“Certain men... apparently cannot behave. It’s a shame. We have therefore decided to cancel Bravalla 2018,” the annual festival’s organizers said in a statement.
Chief police investigator Martin Hedberg said there are currently no suspects in the reported cases. “Many reports (of sexual assault) come after they’ve happened so there are weak descriptions (of the suspects) and nothing more to go on,” he said.
Last year, media reported that five women were allegedly raped at the four-day camping festival, attended by thousands each year.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven slammed the incidents over the weekend and called for stronger surveillance at festivals.
“This is so disgusting. These are obnoxious acts by deplorable men,” Lofven told the daily Expressen in televised comments on Sunday.
This year’s Bravalla continued as planned despite the alleged assaults and ended on Saturday with performances by rock groups such as The Killers, Prophets of Rage and Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.
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