– There will be a lot of rubbish and broken bottles, says local police chief in Halden Tore Løwengreen. On Maundy Thursday, Strömstad is filled with festive Norwegians. This year is no exception. Thousands have made the trip across the border to party and rob. – For so long, the smooth cell is empty, says Johan Hilding of the Strömstad police to NTB at 14:00. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Parts of the city are closed The party continues on the Norwegian side of the border beyond the evening. The center of Halden is filled with old and young robbers with constantly rising blood alcohol levels. This year, they will be met by a number of closed areas when they return to the Norwegian border town, says police chief Løwengreen. – It costs a lot to clean up the day after. If you block off, you avoid large accumulations of people and cars. Local police chief in Halden Tore Løwengreen. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen / news Hours of clearing Together with farm owners and the municipality, they have seen themselves forced to take action. – They find corners where they stand and piss. We don’t want it that way, says Simen Østby, who owns one of the areas that have been blocked off. He estimates that they spend several hours cleaning up after the traditional party. – Fortunately, the municipality has helped us with cleaning when it has not been closed. But there is extra work for them too, says Østby. Simen Østby in Østby property blocks off parts of its property on Maundy Thursday. The aim is to avoid large accumulations of people who do not clean up after themselves. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen / news – It’s a civil right to get drunk in Sweden – It’s full and lots of cars here. It looks good so far, says Johan Hilding of the Strömstad police to news on Thursday morning. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB He says that many people are well drunk. At the same time, there are very few people who are looking for trouble, according to Hilding. The Robber Festival on Maundy Thursday is a tradition that goes back 50 years. The Strömstad police believe the annual party is something they have to endure. – It is a civil right to get drunk in Sweden, as long as you don’t get too drunk, says Hilding to NTB. Good experiences from last year The corona pandemic put an end to the annual robbery meetings in Strömstad. Last year was the first time since 2019 that festive Norwegians took over the border town on Maundy Thursday. Strömstad mayor Kent Hansson believes the robbers behaved well when they came to visit last year. That’s why they’re also keeping the whole city open to party-loving Norwegians this year – It’s about meeting all these young people in a respectful way, says Hansson.
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Closes parts of Halden center – fears chaos from robbers coming from Strömstad – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
