Thoughts and Feelings about Stockholm

Stockholm in pictures

Yesterday my country was attacked when a lorry drove into a crowd at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm and this is what I wrote on Tumblr, but I thought I should publish it here as well.

I started off being completely terrified, but everyone has handled it extremely well. I have been worried that if a terror attack (If it really was one. Most things point to it, but we can’t really say for sure yet.) occured here everyone would panic and everyone “would just run around like dizzy hens“ (to use a Swedish expression). And that was pretty much one of the worst places in Stockholm for it to happen. Especially on a Friday afternoon, when people have finished work.

This makes me think we got quite lucky. Do not misunderstand this now! It is horrible that 4 people died and 15 were injured, but based on where it happened and when, it could have ended up as a massive bloodbath. But in the middle of all chaos, I think people have actually handled it very well. The authorities have been great in all of this really. The emergency services seem to have been there straight away and they are giving out what information they can and also make request that people keep calm. The government has also been great and collected in their statements and so has the Swedish Television and the Swedish Radio. This made me feel calm and safe. Like: “It happened, it was shocking and terrifying, but we got this! We are here for you.”

Kristina Gyllenstierna who defended
Stockholm when it was under attack
by the Danes in 1520

And I have to say that I am unbelievably proud of my countrymen. Because everything shot down and there was no way out of Stocholm besides walking really, people and work places took to social media offering shelters for the night, driving them somewhere and/or if they just needed a shoulder to cry on. Preschools and schools were kept open until the children to those stuck in Stockholm could pick them up and some grocery stores and restaurants also said they would provide children being alone at home dinner for the same reasons. It gives me a hope in humanity, which I thought I lost. I saw a photo of people walking on Västerbron (The Western bridge) in the suset and it was so powerful. It’s not far from thinking about refugees when you see things like that. Also it is worth stressing that this did not happen to an “ethnical pure” Sweden! Hearing eye witnesses giving interviews in broken Swedish makes it clear that it was an attack on the multicultural, open Sweden and this is very much worth pointing out because if we close our minds and hearts, there is really no way out of it and the society will totally collaps because of all the hate and I am proud that we stood unified against all of that yesterday. And it made me proud to be Swedish today.