| Anyone surprised by stories like these anymore? |
Seven hundred people took part in the rally in support of Israel, which was held at the city's main square. It was organized by Malmo's Jewish community and Sweden's Democratic Party. Protestors carried signs that said 'Stop eight years of Qassams' and 'Peace for children in Israel and Gaza'. The organizers received a police permit for the demonstration.
However, a number of pro-Palestinian protestors who did not have a permit to demonstrate took to the streets in retaliation to the approved rally. They were not dispersed by police despite lacking a permit.
"At some point, about a half an hour after the protest began, pro-Palestinian protestors began to throw eggs, bottles, and even a tear gas grenade," Elad Meier, a Bnei Akiva and Jewish Agency envoy to Sweden, recounted. Meier added that the lawless protestors disconnected the speakers brought to the square by the Jewish community while its leader was speaking. The act brought the pro-Israel rally to an end, as others could not speak.
At this point, Meier said, police stepped in and asked the unruly protestors to leave. Officers then proceeded to clear the square of all present, including those who had received permission to demonstrate. The Jewish community in Malmo was angered by the police's conduct, and its president has lodged an official complaint stating that only those who had protested without a permit should have been dispersed.