A large number of people have gathered in central Stockholm to demonstrate for climate action. ' Behind the demonstration are over 85 non-partisan organizations, including ABF Stockholm, Equmeniakyrkan, Naturskyddsföreningen, and Extinction Rebellion. Organizers state that 89% of the world's population demands stronger climate policy.
The demonstration gathered at Odenplan in Stockholm at 5 PM on Thursday to march towards Sergels torg. Organizers estimated around 5,000 participants before the demonstration. Police were present to redirect traffic and ensure the demonstration could proceed from Odenplan to Sergels torg.
Police press spokesperson Ola Österling stated the demonstration was permitted and went very well. The actual participation numbers for the Stockholm climate protest have not been confirmed, with only pre-event estimates available. In parallel, a demonstration on rails against the halving of night train traffic began in Abisko and will end in Umeå on Thursday.
Night trains are being halved in Norrbotten starting Monday. The background is a decision by Trafikverket last year to have only one night train in each direction between Stockholm and Narvik to ensure quality until new vehicles are delivered in 2030. During the campaign's second day at Älvsbyn's travel center, the relay baton was handed over to organizers on the train onward to Umeå.
' The election relay continues for democracy, justice, and the environment, with demands to be presented in a hearing to the Riksdag. Simultaneously, electricity price protests are spreading across Norrbotten communities. Arjeplog is participating in a protest against high electricity prices.
After several cold months with high electricity bills, the Facebook group 'Eluppropet' was started in Jokkmokk and now has nearly 3,500 members. Jokkmokk, the country's largest producer of renewable energy, has started an electricity protest as costs rise despite proximity to power production. Arjeplog is one of several places in Norrbotten where demonstrators gather to protest electricity prices in northern Sweden.
There is a contradiction regarding the locations of these electricity price demonstrations. Manifestations are being conducted in Luleå, Boden, Arjeplog, Jokkmokk, and Vuollerim to protest against the high electricity prices. Protests are planned in several locations, demanding lower electricity prices, domestic electricity trade, lower electricity tax in northern areas, and removal of VAT on electricity.
The Electricity Uprising has over 1,400 members spread across all of Norrbotten. The movement aims to spread across the entire county and demonstrate together on March 18 in Norrbotten's central towns. The Electricity Uprising demands national electricity prices prioritizing national needs.
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Specific policy demands from the Electricity Uprising include a real 'Norrland tariff' halving the energy tax in SE1 and SE2, abolishing the 'tax on tax' by removing VAT on electricity, and regulating the electricity grid monopoly with full transparency and caps on grid fee increases for companies. A contradiction exists regarding membership numbers for electricity protest groups. The Electricity Uprising has over 1,400 members spread across all of Norrbotten, but their social media channels have gotten over 3,500 members in just over three weeks.
Vattenfall states that electricity prices are set by the market and influenced by many different factors. The company adds that they themselves have no direct influence on electricity prices. The specific impact of the electricity price protests on policy or market changes remains unclear.
Historical context shows January became the historically most expensive month for electricity consumers in Norrbotten ever. January 2026 has become an unusually expensive month for electricity consumers in the so-called electricity areas SE1 and SE2, which cover northern Sweden and northern central Sweden. The spot price on the electricity market became 94 öre – last year at the same time the price was 24 öre, which gives a difference of almost 300 percent.
It remains unknown what specific policy changes, if any, have resulted from the electricity price protests in Norrbotten. They have not yet gotten any reactions from the authorities, leaving the outcomes uncertain. In Nor, a protest against a TNT factory is underway with a musical campaign.
Music will be used in the campaign to stop a TNT factory in Nor, with a support concert organized with artists and the message 'No to a TNT factory in Nor'. The company Sweden Ballistics wants to build a factory to manufacture the explosive trotyl (TNT) in Nor in Nora municipality. Whether these protests have influenced the company's plans or local government decisions is currently unknown.
Nationwide protests are also occurring against lowering the age of criminal responsibility. About ten demonstrations are planned from Luleå in the north to Malmö in the south, with the message that children should not sit in prison. The purpose is to show massive opposition to a lowered age of criminal responsibility, according to organizations including Rädda Barnen, Bris, Svenska kyrkan, Vision, and Akademikerförbundet SSR.
What reactions, if any, authorities have had to these child imprisonment protests across Sweden remains unknown. In Germany, thousands of people demonstrated in several German cities on Saturday, demanding a faster shift to renewable energy sources. Demonstrations were arranged in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, and Munich.
Demonstrators blame German authorities for slowing the transition to green energy. According to organizers, around 80,000 people participated in the climate demonstrations. The exact number of participants in the German climate demonstrations is not independently verified, as only organizer estimates are reported.