Hundreds of people, primarily young people, gathered on Friday night at Asecs parking in Jönköping, according to official sources. Police estimates indicated up to 8,000 people gathered at the location during Saturday evening in connection with the motor show at Elmia, while other reports described 6,000-7,000 people partying on the parking lot. Thousands of youths had gathered from Skåne in the south to at least Hälsingland in the north to socialize, listen to music, and drink, making it a major Easter Eve event. The party started during the night to Friday, and so far it had gone well and been relatively calm, according to multiple reports.
A large number of police officers, field assistants, and other adults were present at the gathering, official sources confirmed. Police issued a large number of fines during the event, including 55 public order fines. About 80 people were taken into custody, with 25 detained for drunkenness and 8 for disturbing public order. The intoxication level at the location was high, according to Andreas Fyhr in Expressen. The police had upgraded heavily for the event, calling in patrols from nearby cities and taking help from police in region West, according to multiple reports.
Four reports of assault were made during the gathering, according to official sources. Police also handled several assault cases, but how many exactly they could not say at the moment. A robbery was reported where a 15-year-old was beaten, kicked, and robbed of their mobile phone. The victim went to the hospital but sustained no serious injuries, and no person has been arrested for the robbery. Andreas Fyhr in Expressen described incidents including a fire in a caravan, people jumping and breaking cars, and some setting off rockets and firecrackers.
The intoxication level at the location was high, very high.
Many people at the gathering were intoxicated, official sources stated, with many on site also really drunk, according to multiple reports. Disorder and intoxication were expected in Jönköping at Easter, and the parking lot was expected to become a den of sin this Easter Eve. Andreas Fyhr in Aftonbladet described the scene as having a lot of people but still fairly calm and manageable at that point. The high intoxication level contributed to the public order issues that prompted the extensive police response.
The gathering began shortly after the large motor show at Elmia closed on Good Friday evening. On Good Friday morning, the doors opened for the annual motor show at Elmia in Jönköping, an appreciated tradition expected to draw about 100,000 motor-interested guests this year. Traffic issues emerged early, with long queues and traffic jams on the E4 through Jönköping when the motor show opened, and traffic was very heavy and slow. Already at 10 o'clock came the first alarms about problems in traffic, including a car that lost a wheel and became stationary on E4 just south of Gränna. Just after 12 o'clock came a pile-up that gave an even more difficult traffic situation.
Last year the celebration escalated in the parking lot to the shopping center Asecs in central Jönköping, leading to reports of among other things vandalism, assault, and rape. Ahead of last year's show, Asecs introduced sky-high parking fees, at several thousand kronor, in hope that the cars would not stream to the area. This year they have instead closed the parking at entrance C during evenings and nights. Police have at the same time upgraded heavily, with patrols from nearby cities called in and help from police in region West, according to multiple reports.
There has been a fire in a caravan, people have jumped and broken cars, some have set off rockets and firecrackers.
Since 2022, when the epa-dunk songs 'Kan inte gå' and 'Rid mig som en dalahäst' were found on Spotify's year top list, more and more have come to the annual unofficial car party at Asecs. The motor show is an appreciated tradition, and this year about 100,000 motor-interested guests are expected. It is Easter Eve and Asecs parking pulsates, with thousands of youths gathering for socialization, music, and drinking. The evolution of the event reflects its growing cultural significance among young people in Sweden.
The ship Flora 1, boarded in Ystad after an oil spill, gets to leave Sweden, the Coast Guard confirmed. The Coast Guard's aircraft discovered an oil spill within Sweden's economic zone on Thursday, and the ship was boarded on Friday. Preliminary investigations about crimes were opened but have now been closed, with environmental crime unable to be proven and Cameroon confirming that it is their ship. Flora 1 was suspected to belong to the Russian shadow fleet and was off the coast of Ystad when the Coast Guard struck on Friday morning, and it is also reported to have leaked oil off Gotland. Shipping data from Marine Traffic has shown that Flora 1 came from the Russian oil port Primorsk in the Gulf of Finland.
Internationally, Germany has introduced a new law that men of combat age, between 17 and 45 years, cannot leave the country for more than three months without the defense department's approval. The rule is part of the so-called law on modernization of conscription, which came into force on January 1, 2026. Germany's government wants to increase the number of soldiers from current about 184,000 to between 255,000 and 270,000 soldiers by the year 2035. In Israel, hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv against Israel's war and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite tightened restrictions on public gatherings due to the Iran war. Alon-Lee Green and several other demonstrators were later arrested during the manifestation.
It is a lot of people but still fairly calm. Right now it is manageable.
In other crime incidents in Sweden, two people have been arrested suspected of kidnapping a woman during the night. The woman, who is in her 20s, was abducted during the night to Sunday in connection with her carrying out a task assigned on Snapchat. She had gone herself to a location in the Stockholm area where she was to deliver a bag, but at the location she was confronted by three boys who jumped into her car and threatened her with a pistol. For several hours she was abducted and was assaulted, and the incident is linked to the gang criminal environment in Stockholm. Two young people have been arrested.
Accidents and fatalities included a woman taken by ambulance helicopter to hospital after a snowmobile accident in Kittelfjäll in Vilhelmina municipality, with her snowmobile reported to have overturned. A man has died in a snowmobile accident in Härjedalen, where according to police's initial report, the man drove straight into a house wall. A man has died in a row house fire in Umeå, and a woman in her 60s has died after an accident in Söderhamn yesterday.
International news included the more than month-long internet shutdown in Iran, which is the longest in a country ever, while North Korea has never been connected to the global network. Political developments saw the Tidö parties say no to an independent investigation about Jeffrey Epstein's connections to Sweden. Israel is preparing an attack on Iran's energy infrastructure and is only waiting for green light from the USA.
After the disorderly Easter night at Asecs parking in Jönköping, the area may now be completely closed next year, according to Alexander Odengran, the shopping center's chief. This potential closure reflects the ongoing challenges in managing the large-scale gathering, which has grown in recent years. The decision will depend on evaluations of this year's events and discussions with local authorities.
Several unknowns remain following the weekend's events. What specific measures will be implemented to prevent similar disturbances at Asecs parking next year has not been detailed. Who is responsible for the robbery of the 15-year-old and what is the status of the investigation is unclear, as no arrests have been made. The exact cause of the oil spill involving the ship Flora 1 and why the preliminary investigations were closed has not been fully explained. How many assault cases exactly were handled by police during the gathering in Jönköping is not specified, and the current condition of the woman injured in the snowmobile accident in Kittelfjäll is unknown.