A new wave of car burnings swept across Sweden over the weekend, and a police spokeswoman has blamed back-to-school unrest after approximately 100 more vehicles were damaged following similar attacks that rocked the nation days ago.
A major fire in a parking garage in the Gränby district of Uppsala was "probably" set intentionally, as it spread from two cars to as many as 100, according to officials.
"It was two cars that were burning, but the garage contained around 100 cars which have been damaged to a greater or lesser extent by the heat. The fire was contained in the garage the whole time," said Bosse Eriksson, a spokesman for Uppsala emergency services.
Additionally, at least eight more 'car burnings' took place, mostly around Gothenburg and the surrounding region, involving between one and three vehicles per incident, Göteborgs Posten reports.
Incredibly, a police spokeswoman has blamed the latest fires on 'back-to-school' behavior that is predictable, yet unpreventable.
"That's what reality has seen in recent years before school starts," Ulla Brehm said. "It's sad but nothing the police can work preventively with, we can not be in all parking lots all the time."
A string of firebombings and arson attacks Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven likened to a "coordinated... military operation" unfolded across the country just one week ago.
In their wake, Brehm said that police had identified suspects, but "chose not to arrest anyone."
"We have already begun interviews under caution with the parents of the young people who participated in the events of morning. We chose not to arrest anyone on site but have identified them," Brehm told SVT.
Independent journalist Peter Sweden cited a chart illustrating a stunning escalation of car arsons in Sweden since the 1970s, when the government decided to radically alter immigration policy.
Today more cars are being set on fire in Sweden in just one month than during the whole decade of the 70s.
— PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) August 14, 2018
Here is a chart showing the number of car arsons per year in Sweden.
You have to ask the question. Where did it all go wrong?
Last night some 90 cars were damaged. pic.twitter.com/5TTnCAlTaI
Swedes head to the polls on September 9th for a hotly-contested election that will be watched intently around the world.
(PHOTO: ADAM IHSE/AFP/Getty Images)
