Riots broke out in an immigrant neighborhood of Stockholm, Sweden, just days after President Trump made news for talking about the “problems” the country is having.
On Monday night, rioters in the Rinkeby suburb burned at least 10 cars, threw rocks at police officers and looted and severely damaged businesses, prompting law enforcement officers to fire warning shots.
The riots started at about 8 p.m. local time, when police arrested someone on drug charges, a police official told the Local. Others showed up to the scene and began ambushing law enforcement officers in protest of the arrest.
One officer was injured by the conclusion of the incident at midnight, though it’s unclear how many people were involved.
Rinkeby, Stockholm a day after a riot. Some broken windows & police.Also families w/kids going about their daily life pic.twitter.com/Ls3JAabS3W
— Ivan Watson (@IvanCNN) February 21, 2017
“Of course it is very serious that the police officers are attacked when it does its job. What we see may be a result of our increased pressure on criminals in the area. But I can assure that we are resilient and will not leave, rather intensify our work,” Stockholm regional police chief, Ulf Johansson, said in a statement translated from Swedish.
Police are investigating what prompted the violence.
Over the weekend, Trump addressed thousands at a rally in Orlando, Fla., telling them refugees who had been admitted to Sweden in recent history were to blame for the country’s increased rate of crime.
“You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible,” Trump said on Saturday.
Trump’s usage of the phrase “last night” confused people at first, as there was no major or noteworthy incident had occurred the night before. It turned out Trump was referring to a segment he saw on Fox News about the country.
“My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden,” Trump later tweeted.
More than 160,000 people arrived at Sweden’s doorstep in 2015, seeking refugee from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Approximately 101,000 people have been granted asylum from 2012 to 2015 — an estimated 1 percent of the country’s total population.
Earlier this month, Trump tweeted that the “fake news media” for “trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully.”
Give the public a break – The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2017
The Swedish embassy in the U.S. then responded to Trump and Fox.
My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2017
“We look forward to informing the US administration about Swedish immigration and integration policies,” the embassy wrote.
