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Big police happening in Sweden
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scobbah
Kiriyama
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
991
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 13:41
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Hi folks!
There's been much going on in Sweden lately, and I thought I'd like to share this with you, since it's of enormous proportions here in Sweden right now. It's a huge media blast, that's one thing for sure.
Arranging parties on a regular basis is already difficult as it is here in Sweden, and cooperating with the police has all times shown a general conclusion: it's nearly impossible.
This weekend, Monday Bar, arrangers who's been active arranging trance- house- and technoparties for the past 10 years here, arranged their seventh cruise. A cruise where they rent a big boat from Silja Line and goes to to sea to Finland and back to Stockholm for a weekend. It's a huge event and has not really invited the psychedelic music that much as the focus these last years has been on general trance, but they have made big efforts in draging big techno names here, as well as house DJ's in the recent years.
The police had civil dressed officers on the boat during the trip, and when the boat docked in the Stockholm harbour, the police did a raid and arrested 33 people, being suspected for drug abuse (worth to mention is that the media didn't scope it as 'suspected', but as 'affected by drugs'). As this probably is one of the biggest events of the year for electronic music in Sweden, this did get the scope in the media and the blacklisting of the culture once again showed it's real face.
For those who's not aware of this, we've had during the past years a special comission dedicated to "raves" at the police department (The Rave Comission, my free translation here). It did change name a time ago to the "Youth Comission", but they're still acting on a dedication towards raves and events of electronic music, like nothing's really changed but the name. Manne Jönsson, a swedish police officer and leader of the group (and earlier leader of the Rave Comission), has made some media announcements that has made this story the headliner for the swedish media, as he always do when there's a bust, but this time it's reflecting not just Monday Bar, but miscellenous previously working cooperations has now been shut down between different arrengers and the police.
Manne Jönsson is wellknown amongst us people who's been in the scene for a while here for his stupid announcements and acts, and has been reported several times for suspicious ways of treating situations and people.
Here comes the funny part. As the police had "spies" abroad on the boat claiming that "drug trafficing was wide open", and that the boat "literally poured with drugs", the police decided to do their raid. Manne Jönsson did announce after the raid, that at least "1000 of the 2000 visitors on the boat was on drugs". How is that possible to judge, how professional isn't that? Also, they announced that they had made a "preinvestigation" of the travellers, and they noticed that "the majority of the travellers had a criminal past, and the majority had been convincted for drug abuse". This is Gestapo/STASI/whatever you wanna call it to me at least.
Perhaps I should mention that it's not legal to possess or be affected by drugs in Sweden. If they suspect that you are affected by drugs, they in most cases take you to the station to leave a urine sample (possible blood sample as well), and sometimes they let you "pee on the spot" in their little bottles.
So the media scope got their headlines after all, about the "drug boat". It's shown in the major news on television, all the papers, everywhere. This is very sad, as I really hoped that the future pointed in a more up positive way for parties and that prejudices got slowly killed as time went on. I wonder if it's not getting worse. Manne Jönsson claimed, upon the question that if they did estimate that 1000 people were on drugs, why didn't they arrest more than 33 people, that the police needed "more resources". 33 people of 2000 - what's most worse, 1,5% being "suspected for drug abuse" on a boat a weekend or that all major media channels, such as television, radio and the papers are lying to the swedish citizens...
Well I just wanted to share this with you folks, and I hope things are going better in your countries, fighting for your right to party... 
Here's one out of many links for those who know swedish:
http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1298&a=384493&previousRenderType=6 |
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traveller
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
234
Posts :
3803
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 13:53
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The worst part is that people are dumb enough to "traffic" drugs over country boarders. Man they should know better! But yeah it's sad if your media is like that. I remember seeing a title that went something like "30 people arrested on techno cruise" a few days back..
Maybe the police only arrested the dealers? 1 dealer for every 60 passengers is quite much.. "The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program."
- Larry Niven |
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MadScientist
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
97
Posts :
1220
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 14:00
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this story really sucks...but like traveller said, they should have known a bit better, at least in this case...
imo the saddest part is that countries like sweden see parties just as "gatherings of drug-abusers"
this habbit really has to change slowly, cause its almost a discremination of your personal rights!
what about the ppl who dont take drugs & just want to enjoy their music?
https://soundcloud.com/hazak
"Have you ever had that feeling where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?"
"Hmm, yeah... All the time, man - it's called mescaline. The only way to fly!" |
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HandA
Inactive User
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
890
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 14:10
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I am sorry but it's people's own fault and indeed the organsiers fault. Drugs could easily be avoided if the organsiers search people carefully and reject those who have drugs on them !
The Police follow the laws of the Country. They only do their job!
So maybe the Organisers and druggies should start to be a bit more responsible in the Future to prevent ruining the Parties for all those that actually come for the music and not the drugs!. |
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scobbah
Kiriyama
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
991
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 14:14
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They actually had dogs sniffing for drugs and searched people I heard in the entry, before people were going abroad on the boat. One guy got arrested already there, for possessing ganja I heard. Nothing I can confirm though about the ganja possession, but the dogs and the cops were there, my friends told me (who went abroad, I chosed not to).
Also, I feel that I need to tell people that the drug climate in Sweden is a bit different than it is in most countries, at least where I have partied. It's more a common "rule" here that people are frenetic antidrugs and instead drink themselves drunk and wasted, than that they're using some other drug than alcohol. Drugs are very much tabu here, and the laws are very strict. I do respect the police's work, but I do not respect lies and media manipulation. I don't care about the drugs really (because it's not about the drugs, this is about electronic music and people are happy and dance! can you believe this?!), it doesn't matter if they arrest 1 or 1000, it's always the same headlines here because of the same stupid announcements made by the police. |
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HandA
Inactive User
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
890
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 14:20
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ahhh that's a bit over the top mate. I doubt Sweden is worse than any other Country when it come to illegal drug. As a matter of fact try and get arrested in India, USA ect. ThenI am sure you would have wished that you were arrested in Sweden 
I am sorry but I always see people whine about how cruel the Police are and how unfair it all is. Maybe less promotion of drugs in our and other electronic scenes would do a lot of good?
There's a obvious reason why the Public think people listening to electronic (especially trance) music are drugheads! |
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Liquid-Vision
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
660
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 14:26
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Huh? No drugs? What the fuck are you smoking?
Maybe police/lawmen should realize they have no right telling people what substances they can and cannot put into their own body, and stop arresting/harassing people.
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love... and then we return home. |
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scobbah
Kiriyama
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
991
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 14:28
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Please, Handa, I think that either you've missunderstood me or that I expressed myself badly. If so, I'm sorry.
I'm not here to promote drugs, because I ain't doing any drugs myself nowdays. I'm not here to tell people how harsh the police are. As the matter a fact, I'm sad due that people who's joined the culture during the past years (here in Sweden) have gone so anti-police. It's almost a "must" to "hate" the police, instead of trying to work with them. I have seen police beating up people mad, I have been dealing with the police several times and I have no faith for them what so ever, and I do believe, as a typhical cynic, that they are just a corrupted long arm of the establisment. Great, now we've explained that clearly.
I have no reasons to trust the police, but still I want to do. Each time I'm dealing with them, I'm acting nice and I want to believe that they are doing their job. I have never been convicted for drugs so I have no reason to have some what of "revenge feeling" or whatever. I want people to be able to trust the police and deep inside I try to do that myself, but each time they're turning me down and making me disappointed. But I do continue my struggle...
I do not belive that the police acts or laws are superstrict here but they are strict compared to many other places and that's a fact, and I do not wish to whine because of this. In fact, I'm not here to whine at all. I just wanted, by my previous post, to tell people how our climate is, to be able to set this story in perspective. |
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::bedbug::
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
243
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 14:59
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do they arrest ppl on Vodka as easily? |
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TrancEisT
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
127
Posts :
494
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 15:38
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*uCK Da Poooolice.
what can we do mate? i plan on moving to sweden now after i have finished my service but i donnu man... what can we do? fight the power? it's the same shit all over the globe, just different suits and paper work.
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sherlockalien
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
22
Posts :
629
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 15:48
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it seems brazil is heading a similar way.. many reporters with hidden cameras showing very very biased reports, only showing drugs and nothing more... A few states in Brazil already forbid electronic music parties...
Man, some fking hypocrites out there... Drugs are everywhere.. Its not limited to a group or another.. If there is no party, the person will do the drug elsewhere... And other music also have a lot of drugs... bargh
Not to mention the fact that alcohol is fking damaging and everybody drinks it and a lot of death related to it, or medication too, or..or... or...
bah, I wont continue, this just pisses me off too much |
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Jespar
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
118
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 17:27
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This is really extreme, and I feel sorry for the swedish people - the law enforcement up there is fucked up, to say it least. A sad story, scobbah.
Anyways, it puts a perspective on things. Here in Denmark the police-problem is most noticable within certain regions, like the western and nothern parts of Jutland, and in Copenhagen.
Lucklily, I live in one of the better areas. 
Also, it is still legal to be affected by drugs in Denmark. A thing I think is very wrong up north in Sweden. As I see it, people themselves should be in a position to decide what to fill in their bodies - NOT the government/police. |
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Kelmi
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
27
Posts :
138
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 17:38
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"Reiv kommisionen" 
LOL
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lazy_i
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
276
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 17:43
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the problem is not the police hands, the problem is those in power, and in my own cynic way i do believe that they are the ones who control the whole drug scene to some extent (isn't it politicians, after all, who profit the most from drugs being illegal?).
that said, it is pretty fucked up and asking for trouble if you are openly dealing while going across borders.
and i do agree that we should all be given free choice of substances rather than being stuck to stupid alcohol to fuck our livers some more. |
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Kaz
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
90
Posts :
2268
Posted : Mar 1, 2005 20:57
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Quote:
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On 2005-03-01 14:10, HandA wrote:
I am sorry but it's people's own fault and indeed the organsiers fault. Drugs could easily be avoided if the organsiers search people carefully and reject those who have drugs on them !
The Police follow the laws of the Country. They only do their job!
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I never thought you were that naive
At every party there will be drugs, and more-so, wherever you will have over 200 people under the age of 40, you will find drugs on at least a few people. It could be a movie theatre, a highschool, a restaurant, a lawyer convention, the German parliament (travelled with a guy that worked there) whatever.
There's a great percent of DJs that always do cocaine when spinning (sometimes doing it shamelessly in front of the crowd)... some DJs won't play without the organizers getting them some, and this is especially true with the bigger names (a famous house DJ wouldn't play in Israel without a load of demands filled - one of them was as much cocaine as he would use).
The motivation for the police to bust parties is NOT because illegal stuff is happening there. In an average Ozric Tentacles show there's more crime going on per person than in 99% of the raves out there (I say this from personal experience), but then the media will say "all the got was a couple of kids at a concert" and not "the police went after the drug-parties and got a major bust". The police AREN'T doing their job well, they are looking for the media.
Saying that police are fair to party organizers is a flat-out lie. If you want to organize parties, not involving the police at all will usually mean a smaller chance of things going wrong in most countries.
I'm not justifying the people who use drugs, but saying that this is 100% fair is naive at best.
http://www.myspace.com/Hooloovoo222 |
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