ACTIVISM. Multicultural Kopparberg was left shaken by two attacks on Tuesday evening, when one woman was attacked with a knife by a non-white invader and another woman was raped one hour later. In response, Nordic Resistance Movement members and activists from Nest 5 and Nest 1 organised a security patrol in the town.
On Tuesday 3 April a woman in her 20s was walking her dog in Kopparberg, an area with a high immigrant population, in the municipality of Ljusnarsberg, Sweden. She was approached by a racial stranger who was initially friendly and seemed interested in her dog – but he quickly became aggressive and tried to snatch the dog’s lead. The woman resisted and kicked her attacker in the leg in self-defence.
The immigrant then took out a knife and cut the woman in her stomach. The victim threw herself over her dog to protect it, believing it was going to be stabbed too, but the attacker fled the scene.
The woman wrote about the incident in a Facebook post:
“I am so tired of this. I’m always restless. It’s always something in this town. It hurts me to see my mum and family not coping because of what might happen here. If there had been a manned police station in Kopparberg, they could have come sooner and arrested him straight away.”
The woman also urged others not to use the Kopparstigen path shortcut in the town, writing, “You never know who you’re going to meet.”
A succession of local people commented on the Facebook post, many of them anxious or angry about the situation in the area. One man said he was sick of women not being safe on the streets anymore.
Luckily the woman escaped the attack with only superficial injuries and didn’t need to go to hospital.
A woman was raped one hour later
Just one hour after the stabbing, there was another attack in Kopparberg. A woman in her 60s was raped after being assaulted by an unknown man armed with a knife. The police currently have very little information about the incident but have said the victim has been taken to hospital for treatment and to examine her clothes for evidence.
Despite both attacks happening within close proximity and just one hour apart, the police believe there is no connection between them and have not issued descriptions of the attackers.
“We do not see any connection between the two attacks at this moment,” said Ola Andersson, chief investigator for Lindesberg Police.
“People asked us to come back as soon as possible”
After the attacks, Nests 5 and 1 from the Nordic Resistance Movement decided to organise a security patrol to show the residents of Kopparberg that there is still someone who will stand up for them. Members and activists from the two Nests gathered in the town on Thursday to walk the streets and talk with locals who are sick of how dangerous the town has become.
Nordfront contacted Nicklas Norling from Nest 5 to find out more about the event.
Hi, Nicklas. Can you tell us a little about why you went to Kopparberg?
We were there because of the incidents involving a young woman who was stabbed and an elderly woman who was raped, both on Tuesday evening. The media and police chose not to issue a description of the attackers, but it soon emerged online that local people knew full well what the description was, as this wasn’t the first time this had happened.
As such we decided to gather some people together to inform the residents of Kopparberg of an alternative future to the one they’re heading towards, in which such incidents will become more and more common.
What happened when you arrived?
We carried out a combined security patrol and leafleting campaign. We invited members of Nest 1 along as well, as it’s seen as bad practice to cross Nest borders without local representation.
How was the response among local people?
The response was very good. Many Swedish locals stopped to talk with us, the majority of them recognising us from previous activities. We discussed the recent events in the town and told them about our policies. People wished us well, and when we left they asked us to come back as soon as possible.
Were the police there?
Yes, the police showed up after half an hour and followed us for the rest of the activity. We didn’t pay them any attention at first, but then some kids came and told us the police had stolen the leaflets we’d left on car windscreens. Nest Leader Pär Sjögren and I went to confront them about it, but they just denied it and gave us some evasive answers. They also denied that they were following us and said it was “standard procedure”. After the confrontation, they stayed farther back but continued to follow us.
A lot of locals reacted to the police presence with contempt, saying it “was about time they showed up”. When we explained that the police were only there because of us, some of them refused to believe us and only changed their minds when we left and the police immediately followed suit. No further incidents with the police happened that evening.
Will you be coming back to Kopparberg in the future?
Definitely. We have been to Kopparberg before and we promised people we’ll be coming back. Anyone who’s reading this in Kopparberg shouldn’t just wait for us, though – join us and become part of the resistance yourself!
We would like to thank Nicklas for his answers. We will continue to follow developments in Kopparberg in the future.
