Security Expert: Consequences Expected

Had Carl-Oskar Bohlin been provided with personal protection, the incident where he was followed by activists likely would not have occurred, according to security expert Jörgen Holmlund.

– A personal protection detail would never have allowed the person to be in the middle of such a crowd.

Meanwhile, Jimmie Åkesson (SD) criticizes the police's decision to allow demonstrators to stand so close to the parliament.

– It is very strange, he tells TT.

The Minister for Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M), was followed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators after a late meeting at the parliament building on Monday evening as he was heading home.

The minister himself described it as a “lynch mob,” and in the video he recorded of the incident, about ten activists can be seen, and chants of “shame on you” can be heard.

However, the incident could likely have been prevented, according to security expert Jörgen Holmlund, a lecturer at the Swedish Defense University, if Bohlin had had bodyguards by his side.

Consequences Expected

On Monday afternoon, the organization Together4palestinee held a permitted Palestinian demonstration at Mynttorget, from 12 PM to 10 PM.

– Those granting permits from the police should be aware that it will cause these types of challenges since it is located near the parliament building, says Holmlund.

This information must be shared with Säpo. Non-permitted expressions of opinion are difficult to manage, says Jörgen Holmlund, but they are part of Säpo's duties.

He believes that Säpo generally does a good job and is skilled at varying and analyzing changes in the need for personal protection, but he thinks Monday's incident will result in two clear consequences.

– It is likely that there will be a consideration of increased personal protection around the minister in the near future. And the second is 'How could we miss this?' Can we refine and tweak our analysis methods and how we gather data a bit better to improve in these respective areas?

Criticism of the Police

Police resources were present at Mynttorget yesterday. Carl-Oskar Bohlin left the Moderates' historic party headquarters located in the middle of Mynttorget.

– We had resources on site around this permitted demonstration, at their tent. But we did not know then that he was being followed there; we found out through social media, says Rebecca Landholm of the Stockholm police region.

Jimmie Åkesson tells TT that it is a topic of conversation in the parliamentary corridors that the police allow activists to stand so close to the parliament. The SD leader says he got the impression before the summer that the police would do something about it.

– Obviously, they have failed, and now they allow them to stand on Riksgatan outside our entrances. I find it very strange, he says.

According to KD leader Ebba Busch, the activists pose “a threat to democracy.”

– Palestinian activists act like barbarians on Swedish streets, she says.