Groups of youths set fire to cars as they went on the rampage in the Swedish city of Gothenburg and a few surrounding towns last night, in attacks Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said looked organised. Sweden has seen a rise in violence in areas with high unemployment and other social problems and yesterday’s disturbances echoed rioting in the capital Stockholm in 2013, although it was unclear what triggered the latest rampage. Dozens of cars attacked in violence in Sweden https://t.co/S0AnbUq2kr pic.twitter.com/FIQg01IPaY — RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 14, 2018 Mounting public concern about gang-related and other violence has become a central issue in campaigning ahead of a national election next month. Police said that up to 100 cars were either set fire to or vandalised in Gothenburg, Sweden's second-biggest city, and in nearby towns such as Trollhattan, an industrial area with high unemployment, and Falkenberg. Police did not say what might have spurred the violence, confirming only that gangs of youths were involved but did not say how many people. Swedish towns have seen sporadic violence on a smaller scale in mid-August in recent years at the end of the school summer break. "We believe that up to 100 cars have been burned or damaged," police spokeswoman Ulla Brehm said. "They were organised and prepared." A handful of cars were also burned overnight in Stockholm. "It seems very organised, almost like a military operation," the Prime Minister said in an interview on Swedish radio, but did not say who might have organised the violence. "Society is always going to react strongly to this kind of thing," he said. The violence echoed rioting by hundreds of youths in Stockholm and some of its poorer suburbs in 2013, sparked by the police killing of a 69-year-old man wielding a machete in a suburb of the capital, which prompted accusations of police brutality. Law and order is a key issue ahead of the general election on 9 September after a spike in gang violence in Sweden saw more than 40 people shot dead last year. Despite economic growth that has for years been the envy of most of Europe, Mr Lofven's Social Democrats, the bigger party in the current minority coalition, are on track for their worst ever election result, according to opinion polls. As well as rising violence, voters are worried about a creaking welfare system, falling school results and the effects of a surge in immigration that saw around 160,000 people seek asylum in Sweden in 2015. The concerns have benefitted the populist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats who could become the second-biggest party in parliament after September's vote.<doc-sep>Sweden: Masked gang torch over 60 cars in Gothenburg top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. At least 87 cars have either been torched or exposed to vandalism in Gothenburg and other major cities west and south in Sweden. The fires started in Gothenburg, around 9pm local time on Monday, before reports of similar happenings in other areas came in. The police suspect it was a coordinated attack, where people from different city had planned the ravaging. A number of young people who were at the scene of the attacks in Trollhättan have been identified and arrested. Press officer of the Western Sweden Police, Hans Lippens said: “They even started vandalising schools and bus shelters.” The fires were reportedly started by masked youth gangs dressed in black. In one spot, the youngsters were throwing rocks at the police to keep the firefighters from putting out the fires. As many as 40 youngsters are said to be involved. Sweden riots: More than 80 cars were set on fire in Gothenburg, Sweden on Monday No injuries have been reported. Zagreb Hama, a local Moderate Party politician took to Twitter to express his disgust towards the violent events: “This is Sweden 2018. Tragic.” The politician was filming the arson attacks on Frölunda square, one of the crime scenes. In this area, more than 31 vehicles were set on fire and 35 others vandalised. What the h*** are you doing? Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven According to the Swedish police they are also battling gangs torching cars in Hjällbo, Malmö and Helsingborg. Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven was asked about the incidents on Ekot, a Swedish radio program yesterday, where Mr Löfven’s choice of word is of the kind Prime Ministers stay away from. He said: “This is really pissing me off. “And my question to those who are doing this is: What the h*** are you doing?” Sweden riots: As many as 40 youngsters are said to be involved<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox Fires were reported in Malmö, Gothenburg and Helsingborg and shocking footage showed youths destroying vehicles in a shopping centre and hospital car park in Frölunda Torg in the west of the country. Police are investigating whether the fires which broke out across the country are related. Sweden police said: “While most fires were started within a short period of time, it can not be excluded that there is a connection between the fires, the case will be investigated.” The fires sparked outrage with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven saying: “I get pissed off for real.”<doc-sep>Sweden: Masked gang torch over 60 cars in Gothenburg top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Swedish politicians were quick to react after at least 80 vehicles were torched in the greater Gothenburg region. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven blasted the acts in an interview with Swedish radio, saying: "I get p****d off for real. “Society will come back hard on this.” The Social Democrat leader added that he wanted to ask the rioters “what the hell are you doing”? He also raised questions about the scope and timing of the attacks, which police suspect were coordinated via social media. Mr Löfven said: "It looks very coordinated, almost like a military operation.” He also said the police probe would show if the attacks were down to vandalism, organised crime or something else entirely. Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson said the rioting was “despicable”. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven blasted the acts in an interview with Swedish radio Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson said the rioting was 'despicable' He tweeted: “Last year the government tightened the punishment for aggravated vandalism, which can now give up to six years in jail. "Hope the thugs get arrested so that they get the punishment they deserved." Leader of the centre-right opposition party the Moderates, Ulf Kristersson, wrote on Facebook: “Dreadful scenes are being played out in Gothenburg. "These are no 'protests', this is sabotage. Sweden has tolerated this far too long. It has to end.” The violence comes just three weeks before a general election<doc-sep>
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Youths torched and vandalized scores of cars in the Swedish city of Gothenburg and surrounding towns and Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Tuesday the disturbances looked organized “almost like a military operation”. It was unclear what triggered Monday night’s unrest but Sweden has seen a rise in violence in areas with high unemployment and other social problems and the incident echoed rioting in the capital Stockholm in 2013. Mounting public concern about gang-related and other violence has become a central issue in campaigning ahead of a national election on Sept. 9. Police said that up to 100 cars were either set fire to or vandalized in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-biggest city located in the western part of the country, and in nearby towns such as Falkenberg and Trollhattan, an industrial area with high unemployment. There were no reports of injuries. Two men, 16 and 21 years old, were arrested on Tuesday and police said it expected to make more arrests during the day. Police said gangs were involved but gave no details. Swedish towns have seen sporadic violence on a smaller scale in mid-August in recent years at the end of the school summer break. Slideshow ( 6 images ) “We believe that up to 100 cars have been burned or damaged,” police spokeswoman Ulla Brehm said. “They were organized and prepared.” A handful of cars were also burned overnight in Stockholm. “It seems very organized, almost like a military operation,” Lofven said in an interview on Swedish radio. “Society is always going to react strongly to this kind of thing.” Lofven visited the region on Tuesday and met police. The violence echoed rioting by hundreds of youths in Stockholm and some of its poorer suburbs in 2013, sparked by the police killing of a 69-year-old man wielding a machete in a suburb that prompted accusations of police brutality. Law and order is a key issue ahead of the election after a spike in gang violence saw more than 40 people shot dead last year. Slideshow ( 6 images ) Despite economic growth that has for years been the envy of most of Europe, Lofven’s Social Democrats, the bigger party in the current minority coalition, are on track for their worst ever election result, according to opinion polls. Voters also worry about the welfare system, falling school results and the effects of a surge in immigration that saw around 160,000 people seek asylum in Sweden in 2015. The concerns have benefited the populist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats who look poised to become one of the three biggest parties in parliament after the vote. Sweden's general election: tmsnrt.rs/2LmSZFD