Police are preparing for potential unrest ahead of Saturday's Salem march in the Stockholm suburb of Salem, organized for the first time in 15 years by a person linked to the Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement. Counter-demonstrators are expected, and police emphasize their neutrality while increasing surveillance. Experts point to election years and cycles in far-right activity as reasons for the demonstration.
The Salem march is scheduled for December 6, 2025, in Salem, a suburb of Stockholm, for the first time since 2010. A private individual with links to the far-right Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) was granted a permit by police a week earlier for a public assembly. Police, who remain neutral on opinions, avoid labeling the event as far-right but are preparing for counter-demonstrators and possible violence based on past incidents.
Police spokesperson Ola Österling states: 'We will report all forms of crime.' To manage the situation, police will deploy extensive camera surveillance, including camera wagons, drones, and body-worn cameras on uniformed officers. 'We have noted that counter-demonstrators will come. We will ensure they can also express their views,' he adds. Österling mentions concerns in civil society and collaboration with Salem municipality.
The march's history commemorates the murder on December 9, 2000, of a 17-year-old boy with far-right ties, killed in Salem by a teenage boy of foreign background. From 2000 to 2010, the march was held annually by far-right groups, often resulting in violence.
Expert Robert Kindroth, acting head of the Center for Violence-Promoting Extremism, views the event in a broader context. Three Nazi gatherings have occurred in one week, including one in Stockholm last weekend. 'We often see things happen in election years,' he says, referencing 2018 riots in Kungsträdgården, cycles in the movements, and a possible 25th anniversary. Ahead of the march, NMR is collaborating with Aktivklubb, which attracts young men through training and community. Kindroth emphasizes: 'You can demonstrate and express your opinions, even extreme ones, but you cannot use hate or violence.'
Former Nazi Patrik Asplund, who has worked on integration for over two decades, links the rise to political rhetoric. 'When the government communicates as it does again and again, blaming immigrants. Then you get effects like this,' he says. He urges media to balance reporting with positive examples from suburbs to counter extremism.