Riots in Sweden after Donald Trump's comments

  • 22/02/2017

Something has finally happened in Sweden, two days after US President Donald Trump's confusing claim about violence in the Scandinavian country.

Riots broke out in a predominantly immigrant area of northern Stockholm on Monday night (local time), with police firing warning shots at rioters.

The unrest comes after Mr Trump raised Sweden as an example of a country facing problems due to an influx of refugees, while speaking at a rally in Florida at the weekend.

"We've got to keep our country safe... You look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden," he said.

The problem was, not much had happened in Sweden the previous night.

Mr Trump later tweeted he was referring to an interview on Fox News with documentary maker Ami Horowitz, who made a film about alleged violence committed by refugees and migrants since the country's open-door policy started in 2013.

The latest outbreak in the Stockholm neighbourhood of Rinkeby - which has seen riots in the past - reportedly came after police made an arrest on the evening of February 20.

For about four hours the crowd burned at least six cars, smashed shopfront windows and threw rocks at police, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter says.

Police spokesperson Lars Bystrom told the paper: "This kind of situation doesn't happen that often, but it is always regrettable when they happen."

Newshub.