Protests have surged on the Swedish island of Gotland where a wheelchair bound woman was allegedly raped by several migrant men.
Six men, all in their 20s, were arrested shortly after the woman reported the rape. All were let go earlier this week, but the investigation is still ongoing.
By police accounts, little is known about the men.
This, from a Facebook post by the Swedish police, picked up by RT:
“We are restricted from specifying ethnicity, description, or other information, such as age, appearance and addresses [of the alleged offenders.]”
But the Expressen has a different story:
“Expressen newspaper reported that the suspects are all asylum seekers and that the rape allegedly took place at [an] asylum accommodation.
“Radio Nordfront released a video that claims to show the alleged rapists.”
Why the failure to release the suspected men’s background?
Here’s the backstory of the alleged attack, which has now sparked protests from citizens of Gotland who are outraged at the suspects’ release. From RT:
“Several protests have been held on the Swedish island of Gotland and a refugee center there has been attacked with stones since police released several men, reportedly asylum seekers, accused of gang-raping a wheelchair-bound woman.
“The incident took place in the small town of Visby on Gotland on October 2. A woman in her 30s contacted police about the rape, Swedish Aftonbladet newspaper reported, citing her lawyer Staffan Fredriksson.
“The victim said that she had shared a taxi home with a man after going to a restaurant. At some point, she said she needed a toilet and the man offered the one at his place.
“‘She followed him in and had no fears that something would happen. Then the man took advantage of the situation. The abuse started in the toilet,’ Fredriksson said, adding that several other men joined in the abuse.
“‘Where they came from we don’t know. This was going on for a couple of hours,’ said Fredriksson. “She got paralyzed in this situation and was not able to bring herself to resist physically, other than saying no.’
“The woman was stranded in the offender’s property, as she can’t walk long distances and uses a wheelchair. She somehow managed to take a wheelchair and get away, however.
“Fredriksson said that the woman’s injuries were documented by a doctor. ‘She is completely broken down,’ he added.”
Police may be sheltering the suspects from the storm, but they have been cracking down on protesters.
From RT, once again:
“Visby has seen several protests held to support the raped woman and condemn the release of the alleged perpetrators.
“On Wednesday, about 100 people walked from the local police station to the place where the alleged rape had taken place, Expressen newspaper reported. Also on Wednesday, a crowd of protesters attacked local asylum accommodation with stones. It is not clear whether it is the only migrant facility in the town.
“A similar protest took place on Friday. These events prompted Swedish authorities to send extra police to the town, and some 60 officers arrived in Visby on Friday to stabilize the situation.”
An estimated 200,000 migrants settled in Sweden in 2015, the largest influx of refugees to any European spot. In a recent poll, the majority of Swedes said the number of refugees let in their country should be dramatically reduced. Only 13 percent they wanted more.