The protective net placed in front of the public gallery in the Swedish Parliament will be expanded, according to the Parliament Administration. This net was installed after audience members threw tomatoes and red onions at Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard during a debate in the chamber in October 2024. The net previously covered half of the gallery, but from mid-April an additional net will be installed so that two-thirds of the gallery is covered.
The reason for the expansion is to make it possible to admit more members of the public to the gallery, according to the Parliament Administration. The press gallery and the gallery intended for diplomats will remain without nets in the future. Elias Aneheim Ulvenäs, a press secretary, stated that the purpose of the net is to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
It is unclear what specific security measures, if any, are being considered for the press and diplomat galleries, or how many additional members of the public will be allowed into the gallery after the net expansion. The exact date in mid-April when the additional net will be installed has not been specified, and the cost of installing and expanding the protective net remains unknown.