Swedish police on Saturday dispersed hundreds of people protesting in central Stockholm against government-imposed restrictions 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.
Swedish police reported that they acted just when the number of participants exceeded the limit imposed by public meetings under Swedish orders due to the pandemic.
Hundreds of people without masks gathered in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen Square, not far from the Old Town, in videos published in Swedish media. The local press estimated between 300 and 500 participants.
The newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen reported that the protesters dispersed rather peacefully, but that six policemen were injured after altercations arose between 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.
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Unlike other European countries, Sweden decided at the beginning of the pandemic to keep society largely with few restrictions but in recent months the government has taken a more vigorous stance.
Sweden has recorded more than 13,000 deaths during the pandemic, far more than its Nordic neighbors Denmark, Norway and Finland.