Politicians call for Rosengård curfew

Politicians from the Moderate and Sweden Democrat parties in Malmö are calling for a nighttime curfew for youth in the Rosengård neighbourhood, claiming that the situation at the Herrgården housing area has become untenable.

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Anja Sonesson, the moderate opposition councilor, wants to see a curfew put in place as a temporary emergency measure and as a complement to other, more long-term solutions.

“If I want to see anything happen tomorrow, I think that a curfew is necessary. I also think it’s necessary to ban individuals who are known to the police as troublemakers from entering the area,” she says.

She says the ban would be a way to stop “individuals who are drawn to, and gather around, trouble spots.”

According to Sonesson, the situation at Herrgården, with numerous fires, fights and other disturbances, requires a tough public response.

She also thinks the municipality should consider hiring a security company. For the curfew, she suggests that youth under the age of 18 should not be allowed outside in Herrgården after 9pm.

She says the police need additional ways to intervene in the situation.

Sonesson does not yet have support from all non-socialist parties in Malmö.

But the idea of a curfew has also been put forth by the far-right Sweden Democrats via a motion by the party's municipal councillor Sten Andersson.

“Since none of the measures taken thus far have worked, it's time to do something for the public to regain control. A temporary curfew during disturbances might be a possible solution,” Andersson told TT.

A search of TT's news archives reveals that several Swedish municipalities have in the past proposed a youth curfew, but then thrown out the idea.

In Växjö in 2006, the Left party suggested the idea, proposing that youth under 15 would only be allowed out in the company of an adult after 11pm.

The proposal was voted down by the municipal council with a clear majority.

In the beginning of the 2000s, there were similar discussions in Lidköping and Norrköping, but the proposals lacked sufficient political support for implementation.