Fagersta in shock as schools reopen following fatal sword attack
Schools reopened in Fagersta, a municipality gripped by shock and grief, on Monday.
A 17-year-old girl was killed and two boys were seriously injured when a young man launched a sword attack at an upper secondary school on Friday. An 18-year-old student at the school, named as Liam Nebel in court documents, is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
The premises of the affected Brinellskolan will remain closed. Instead, upper secondary students will gather at the Fagerstahallen sports hall, but Monday will be far from a normal school day. It will focus on providing support, information and conversation, according to the head of education, Eeva-Liisa Purolainen.
"We are a small municipality with only one psychologist. We have to provide support to both the lower secondary school and Brinellskolan," she told TT.
Compulsory schools and preschools in Fagersta opened as normal on Monday.
According to the Aftonbladet newspaper, Nebel had been living in foster care for some time. Last year, the administrative court ruled that he should be taken into compulsory care under Sweden's Care of Young Persons Act (LVU). The newspaper reported that he had a violent upbringing, during which he among other things was forced to train in martial arts against his will and was forbidden from wearing glasses when he needed them.
An image of a sword posted on TikTok has come under intense scrutiny following the attack. The widely noticed image, taken inside a school toilet, was shared shortly before the attack on Friday. The account behind the image was part of an online subculture with an extreme obsession with violence, where school shooters are celebrated.
Police have not confirmed whether the TikTok account is linked to Nebel, but they are aware of the account and will "investigate the information."
The account had been active within the True Crime Community (TCC), an online subculture that attracts individuals interested in – and glorifying – acts of violence. It has also emerged that the user posted their own short video edits on TikTok, featuring footage of perpetrators from school attacks and mass murders set to music and special effects.
Swedish vocabulary: schools – skolor
Record-breaking climate march draws 50,000 to streets of Stockholm
Around 50,000 people and 280 organisations took part in a major climate demonstration in Stockholm on Sunday afternoon.
The procession, which kicked off shortly after 1pm, brought together people of all ages, from infants in prams to elderly participants using walking sticks.
"We believe this is a record in Swedish history for the number of organisations participating in a single climate demonstration," Hedvig Schylander, a climate policy expert at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, told the TT news agency.
Alongside environmental groups, the demonstration brought together trade unions, religious communities, researchers, dancers, and musicians. Some participants dressed up as clowns, children wore animal costumes, and folk musicians performed along the route. Several demonstrators had cycled all the way from southern Sweden, travelling for the entire week, while others arrived by train from as far north as Gällivare.
Alexandra Drotz Ruh, a participant who attended with her daughter Billie, stressed the urgency of the moment.
"I think what lies ahead for us – and especially for future generations – is absolutely terrifying. We have to act," she said.
Among those representing the younger generation was 16-year-old Lily Kjellberg.
"As children, we might not be able to do much to save the climate at a parliamentary or global level, but I want to be here to show what we stand for and what we believe," she said. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: a record – ett rekord
Jimmie Åkesson warns SD voters against tactical voting for Liberals
Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson has once again urged his voters not to vote tactically to save the Liberals.
According to most polls, the governing Tidö coalition (made up of the Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals) are on course to lose Sweden's September 13th election, especially if – as the polls predict – the Liberals fail to edge above the four percent threshold required to get seats in parliament. There has been speculation that voters of the other three parties may tactically vote for the Liberals to help the right wing stay in government – but in an interview with public broadcaster SVT Åkesson cautioned against "wasting" a vote on a party that looks like it may drop out of parliament regardless.
"Let me make this clear, once and for all. If you want more SD policies, you vote for SD. If you want Liberal policies – which in practice means less SD policy – you vote for the Liberals. The Liberals are the party within the Tidö collaboration that stands furthest away from the Sweden Democrats. I view them as political opponents in an ideological sense," he wrote in a post on Facebook.
"The Liberals have struggled massively in the polls throughout this parliamentary term, and at some point, there comes a cut-off date for when you stop hoping for them," he elaborated on SVT.
As recently as last week, Åkesson stated that saving the Liberals is not the Sweden Democrats' responsibility.
He described the Liberals as having frequently acted as a "drag on progress" within their collaboration over the course of the parliamentary term.
Swedish vocabulary: to vote tactically – att taktikrösta
Late summer warm spell to bring temperatures of up to 25C to Sweden this week
This week could see parts of Sweden reach temperatures of up to 25C locally, according to national weather agency SMHI.
Wednesday and Thursday look likely to be the warmest days, but the high pressure will start rolling in on Monday as the weekend's rain showers fade away.
"Temperatures will still be fairly modest at that point, around 20C in Götaland and Svealand. In Norrland, it's more likely to be around 15-20C," SMHI meteorologist Mattias Lind told TT.
By mid-week, Götaland, Svealand and southernmost Norrland can expect temperatures of just above 20C. In eastern and central Svealand the mercury could climb as high as 25C.
"In contrast, it will be significantly cooler in the far north," said Lind.
Towards the end of the week, a low-pressure system moving in from the south-west is expected to bring rain back into the picture.
Meanwhile, floods are receding in northern Sweden following a week of severe weather in Norrbotten. An orange warning for high river flows remains in place for a small area in the eastern part of Sweden. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: weather – väder
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