Stones thrown at police, Cars on fire, shops looted. Can what happened in one of Scandinavia’s largest ghettos, Rinkeby, happen in Norway?
– I have just returned from a reporting trip to Stockholm. To be specific, the Rinkeby district of the city. The conclusion is simple: There is nowhere in Norway that can be compared with what is happening in our neighbouring country, says Kadafi Zaman, reporter for Norwegian TV2.
There is no Norwegian community where 90 percent of the residents have an immigrant background.
There is no Norwegian town where every fifth youngster is without job or education.
Nor are there any Norwegian town where thousands of disadvantaged immigrants are crammed into low-cost rental apartments.
Little confidence in the Government
Rinkeby, An area with massive socio-economic challenges, is the prototype of dangerous segregation -. The same goes for the Rosengård district in Malmö and a number of other locations in Sweden. The Swedish police have identified more than 50 locations as vulnerable areas, defined as neighbourhoods characterised by social unrest and high crime rates.
Anger in Rinkeby: – if I see this on TV, I will blow up your Station!
The result is that few have confidence in the Authorities and the Police. They feel that they are not part of society. Criminal gangs have great influence in these areas, and they do their best to show that they are in control, instead of the State.
The riots in Rinkeby were triggered by a crack down on a drug network. It was gang members rioting, not the ordinary citizen.
Source: Kadafi Zaman, TV2 / Norway Today
