ASSESSMENTS

In Sweden, Riots Show Societal Tensions

May 22, 2013 | 16:19 GMT

Rioting youths set fire to a car in Kista, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, on May 22. (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

Increased immigration and rising youth unemployment, which have only been exacerbated by the European crisis, have led to rioting in several of Europe's most developed countries: in France in 2005, in the United Kingdom in 2011 and, on a smaller scale, in Belgium and Germany in 2012. It now appears that Sweden, a country that rarely sees violent ethnic strife, has likewise fallen victim to the social ramifications of the economic crisis. Riots that began three days ago continued into the night of May 21 as hundreds of immigrant youths set fire to cars and attacked police throughout the suburbs of Stockholm. The riots show that as the crisis drags on, it will continue to create friction between native and immigrant populations.

The riots are symptomatic of increased immigration and rising youth unemployment....

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