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Mass Sexual Assaults Alleged At Swedish Festivals
Dozens of women reported rapes and sexual assaults at Swedish festivals Bravalla, Putte i Parken and Säljerydfestival.
Photo: Izabelle Nordfjell / TT via AP
A police officer attaches a bracelet with the text #tafsainte, meaning don’t grope, to a visitor's wrist at the Bravalla Festival in Norrkoping, Sweden.
The youngest alleged victim is reportedly 12 years old. Swedish police registered a total of 47 sexual assault reports so far, 35 of which came from the free open-air Putte i Parken in Karlstad. Five women claimed being raped at Bravalla in Norrköpign, while one case of rape was reported at Säljerydfestival near Ingelstad.
Police are currently questioning suspected perpetrators and declined to comment on their origin, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Different news outlets quoted assault victims, who said that the gropers were foreigners. According to derbund.ch, police working at Bravalla and Putte i Parken first suggested the same, but later retracted such statements.
A police officer told Svenska Dagbladet that the recent uptake in sexual assault and rape reports was possibly due to the fact that women increasingly dared to speak out.
In January, Swedish police were accused of covering up mass sexual attacks at Stockholm festival We Are Sthlm. The police rejected the accusations.