Almstriden, a musical to celebrate one of Sweden's founding moments
Audio 01:25
Stockholm, the Swedish capital, has decided to celebrate one of its founding moments on stage (photo illustration).
AFP - JONATHAN NACKSTRAND
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Stockholm, the Swedish capital, has decided to celebrate one of its founding moments on stage.
50 years ago, demonstrators mobilized to save the trees in a city park, threatened by the construction of a metro station.
The event was marked, because in this very legalistic country, where the elected government is always supposed to be right, the activists won their case.
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With our correspondent in Stockholm,
Frédéric Faux
Fifty years ago, Stockholm was experiencing one of its rare violent, slogans against baton protests for what is known as Almstriden, the Battle of the Elms.
Can the street be right against the democratic vote?
That's all the thinking behind this open-air musical that marks the return of cultural life to the Swedish capital.
“
This revolt was very strong, with tear gas, the police on horseback who fought with the young people, but also with the old people of the district,
tells Albin Flinkas, one of the co-authors.
We talked about it all over the world, because the good Swedes were fighting with the police… for a handful of trees.
"
And this time, after five days of occupation, the mobilization of the whole city, the street was right.
The trees were spared.
The show recreates the atmosphere of the time, marked by the hippy movement and the revolts of 1968. But would such a mobilization be possible today?
Hans Marklund, the director, did not think so, until the emergence in 2018 of a young Swedish teenager who is now well known: “
There is climate change and these demonstrations organized by little Greta Thunberg .
It is the first time that I have seen so many people come together for the same cause.
"
Almstriden is played for free until July 1.
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