Cars burn and riot police walk in Stockholm on May 22, 2013.
Swedenâ„¢s opposition leader has dismissed Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldtâ„¢s remarks that residents of the violence-stricken Husby suburb of Stockholm are to blame for the ongoing riots.
Å“He puts the responsibility in the hands of the victims of the unrest and that the large majority, who behaves in Husby are the ones who should take responsibility for the crimes which only a few commit,” Stefan Lofven, who leads Social Democratic party, said on Thursday.
A day earlier, Reinfeldt said those living in Å“Husby are the best to take care of the situation, it is they, who have to put an end to it and have to show that we (Sweden) do not accept it.”
Academics have criticized the Swedish government for its discriminatory treatment of the suburban inhabitants.
Å“In essence, there is unemployment, poor school performance, lack of optimism for the future, public dislike and aversion to the community with the police as the dominant authority- an authority that is perceived to behave superior and insulting. There are a thousand of problems which create opportunities for bullies to take action,” Jerzy Sarnecki, a criminology professor, said.
According to Swedenâ„¢s state television, the average income in Husby is 195,000 SEK (USD 29,300) compared to 327,000 SEK for Stockholm.
Moreover, the jobless rate in Husby stands at 8.8 percent, much higher than the 3.3 percent in Stockholm.
The protests in Sweden began on May 19, six days after police shot dead a 69-year-old man who had locked himself in an apartment in Husby, a poor district in western Stockholm.
The riots in one of Europeâ„¢s richest capitals have shocked a country that prides itself on a reputation for social justice, and fuelled a debate about how Sweden is coping with both youth unemployment and an influx of immigrants.
CAH/KA
This article originally appeared on: Press TV