– Eggs and saliva go off in the sink, and our protection took off for most of the stones we were hit by. But since this is not the last incident of this kind, I have little desire for help from you. Police officer Christian wrote this on Facebook after he and his colleagues were met by angry counter-protesters during a Sian celebration in Sandefjord on April 24. He does not want news to use his last name. Counter-protesters attacked the police and Sian and threw stones, water bottles, shoes and eggs. A total of four people were brought in and two arrested. 35 criminal cases were created afterwards. Broke up the demonstration with tear gas – It is rare for the police to experience that demonstrations develop as they did in Sandefjord, comments police station chief Siw Thokle at Tønsberg police station, and adds: – We experienced an aggression from counter-protesters who targeted the police and which has led to creation of a number of criminal cases which, among other things, deal with violence against public officials. – The police are concerned with solving the task professionally and with the least possible use of force, says station chief Siw Thokle at Tønsberg police station. Sian ended the appeal by burning the Koran. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. “For the sake of the safety of those involved and the business community,” said Thokle. Protects freedom of expression – We must, together, emphasize the importance of not being provoked by very few of their hateful opinions and statements, says Christian. He emphasizes that “none of us who accept eggs and stones support those who make these statements or want them to stand there and provoke.” – But yes, we have a constitution in Norway, which gives everyone the right to have their say in public, no matter what they want to convey. – Have you experienced anything similar before, and were you scared? – I have been to several Sian celebrations, but not experienced anything like what happened in Sandefjord. In the situation itself, I did not feel fear, but trusted the system and protective equipment, the police officer from Buskerud answers. He admits to having felt the feeling of “how wrong it could have gone” in retrospect. – If we had lost control completely … The police had to use tear gas. Photo: Ole Oskar Eriksen / news Attacking the state, not the police When asked if several police officers have expressed fear afterwards, station chief Thokle refers to the special criminal law protection according to the Penal Code §155. – This means that it is not the official personally who is attacked when someone meets the police with violence, threats or harassment, but the state. Nevertheless, several of our service personnel found it very demanding and risky to throw objects at them. This is how I and most of my colleagues looked after the incident in Sandefjord, says the police officer who came unharmed from the demonstration. Photo: Private – What do the police think about individuals expressing themselves in this way? – The service person emphasizes some of the dilemmas one can experience as a police officer when one is at work to protect freedom of expression, but experiences being taken as income for the statements made. Gets support from the Norwegian Police Association – I thought it was a very nice FB post. An attempt to orientate, says head of the Norwegian Police Association, Unna Alma Skatvold. The leader of the Norwegian Police Association, Unn Alma Skatvold, thought it was good that the police officer commented on his experience. Photo: Politiets Fellesforbund She says that several in the police do not directly feel insecure in connection with markings of such kinds, but that many experience it as “hurtful and painful” when they experience being attacked by those they are set to take care of. – The police do not want to be associated with one side or the other. This is about dignity. The hope is to show that the police protect freedom of expression in this context. Police officer Christian concludes with the following prayer: – If we could all just turn our backs on, instead of resorting to violence, I think this would have stopped fairly quickly. No one bothers to talk to an empty square! According to its own website, Sian will carry out 12 markings in Norway from June to September. news has been in contact with the Facebook group Stop Sian to hear if they could pass on contact with someone who threw stones and eggs, but has not succeeded.
Stone throwing and tear gas during Sian marking in Sandefjord – now the police are asking for help – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
