Police have granted permission for a new Salem March in Salem on December 6, the first in 15 years. The application comes from a person linked to the neo-Nazi group Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR). Local residents are planning a Christmas market as a counter-event on the same day.
The far-right demonstration known as the Salem March is set to return after a 15-year hiatus. Police have approved an application for a public gathering from a man linked to the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR), as reported by SVT Nyheter and Aftonbladet. The march is scheduled for Saturday, December 6, in Salem, south of Stockholm.
Originally organized by far-right groups between 2000 and 2010, the Salem March commemorated the murder of a 17-year-old boy with far-right connections. On December 9, 2000, he was stabbed to death in Salem by a teenage boy of foreign background, following an assault involving several people. Within far-right circles, the victim was viewed as a martyr, and the march protested what they termed "anti-Swedish violence." In 2003, around 2,000 people participated, the highest number according to the Expo foundation. On multiple occasions, violence erupted with clashes between far-right demonstrators and anti-racists.
Salem's municipal council chairman, Arne Närström (S), expresses disappointment over the decision. "It is very unfortunate for us in Salem that they are coming back, as it blocks off our municipality. Those of us living in Salem won't be able to get home and can't travel during those hours; there are very few alternative routes," he tells TT.
Police are preparing for the event and potential counter-demonstrations. Spokesperson Mats Eriksson states: "We are planning for a public gathering to take place. We have also accounted for there being counter-demonstrations," adding that police will deploy "the resources we deem sufficient."
As a counter-measure, local residents in Salem are organizing a Christmas market on the same day, a tradition that began in 2010 to oppose the far-right march.