Violence spread from the North to the South of the city on Wednesday as groups of youth pushed throughStockholm's suburbs casting stones, breaking windows and setting cars alight. Police in the southern Swedish city of Malmo said two cars had been set ablaze⁴.

 

Local media said a police station office was set on fire in the southern suburb of Rågsved, where several people were also detained. No one was hurt and the fire was quickly put out.

 

The attackers have awaited nightfall before setting out, defying a call for calm from the country's prime minister and damaging stores, schools, a police station and an arts and crafts centre in the four days of violence.

 

"I think there is a feeling that we need to be in more places tonight," said Towe Hagg, spokeswoman forStockholm police. One police officer was injured in the latest attacks and five were arrested for attempted arson⁵.

 

Selcuk Ceken, who works at a local youth activity centre in Hagsatra, said between 40 and 50 youths threw stones at police and smashed windows, then ran off in different directions. He noted⁶ the people were in their 20s and seemed well organized.

 

"It's difficult to say why they're doing this," he said. "Maybe it's anger at the law and order forces, maybe it's anger at their own personal situation, such as unemployment or having nowhere to live."

 

The riots appear to have been sparked by the police killing⁷ of a 69-year-old man wielding⁸ a machete in the suburb of Husby this month, which prompted accusations⁹ of police brutality¹⁰. The riots then spread from Husby to other poor Stockholm suburbs.

 

"We see a society that is becoming increasingly divided and where the gaps, both socially and economically, are becoming larger," said Rami Al-khamisi, co-founder of Megafonen, a group that works for social change in the suburbs.

 

"And the people out here are being hit the hardest ... We have institutional racism¹¹."

 

The riots were less severe than those of the past two summers in Britain and France but provided a reminder¹² that even in places less ravaged¹³ by the financial crisis than Greece or Spain, state belt-tightening is toughest on the poor, especially immigrants.

 

"The reason is very simple. Unemployment, the housing situation, disrespect from police," said Rouzbeh Djalaie, editor of the local Norra Sidan newspaper, which covers Husby. "It just takes something to start a riot, and that was the shooting."

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