In the midst of debate over Israel and the West's treaty in the Swedish Parliament on Thursday afternoon, the session suddenly stopped.
The pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the hall threw a bag of tomatoes and onions at Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Steinergaard. Candid reports.
The sack did not hit Steinergaard, but he reacted quickly to the incident and rushed out of the hall.
Police arrested three people following the incident.
He shouted loudly
Parliamentary politician in the Swedish Parliament, Anne-Sophie Alm, describes to Expressen how the incident developed.
– The bag fell two rows behind the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Alm told the Swedish newspaper that she heard the blow and jumped immediately.
The politician continues his speech about how the demonstrators shouted loudly and had their hands painted red.
– I think it's sad that they did this. We have an open democracy, and we fight for it. “When people come in and do it this way, it means we have to follow our security rules,” Alm says.
The Prime Minister responds strongly
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson responded strongly to Thursday's incident at the Riksdag.
– I am proud that Sweden has a competent and upright Minister of Foreign Affairs, who maintains the government's position on the conflicts in the Middle East. No one may threaten her or throw things at her. Christerson said in a statement to the newspaper: “I now expect a comprehensive analysis of how this happened and strong measures to be taken to maintain the security of politicians in the parliament hall.”
“It is legitimate to have different views on conflicts far from Sweden, but it is never legitimate to destroy serious discussions about them here in Sweden,” adds Kristersson.