MARIEBERGSSKOGEN (Sweden) — Several dozen women have reported being raped or sexually assaulted at a pair of music festivals in Sweden over the weekend.
According to the Associated Press, Police Inspector Leif Nystrom said that there had been 32 reports of sexual assaults at a three-day music Putte I Parken in the southern Swedish city of Karlstad over the weekend. Nystrom told The Associated Press that police have identified seven potential suspects in the case, but have not made any arrests. According to Nystrom, there was no report of rape, or attempted rape, but consisted primarily of groping.
“We want to catch the suspects because we need to talk to them,” Nystrom told the Associated Press. “The number of such cases has increased slightly since last year, but I’m really not sure if this is a common problem at festivals.”
Authorities in Norrkoping are also investigating more than a dozen alleged sexual assaults at the Bravalla Festival, including five cases of alleged rape.
British rock band Mumford & Sons, who played at the festival, said they would not play again unless organizers for the event could demonstrate that they were taking meaningful steps to prevent future such instances at the festival. – Staff Writers
