Still unclear what happened in the Lamotte incident

Published 26 August 2024 at 17.27

Domestic. Joakim Lamotte states that he was beaten and robbed by a group led by V-top Kristofer Lundberg at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Gothenburg. But Lundberg himself claims that it was Lamotte who was violent and had to be taken care of. The police believe that there are good opportunities to find out what actually happened.

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On Sunday afternoon, a dramatic event unfolded on Gustav Adolfs torg in central Gothenburg in connection with the “Red for Palestine” demonstration.

The debater and former SVT journalist Joakim Lamotte claims that he was attacked by several people, including Kristofer Lundberg, chairman of the Left Party in Angered.

“This is probably the worst thing I have experienced. That a popularly elected political leader beating and robbing a journalist I don't think has ever happened before in Sweden,” writes Joakim Lamotte on Facebook, where he posted a picture of himself showing injuries to his face.

Kristofer Lundberg, however, has a completely different version of what happened.

The sequence of events according to Lamotte
Joakim Lamotte states that he participated in the demonstration as a journalist and wanted to interview Kristofer Lundberg. According to Lamotte, Lundberg, together with other people, allegedly attacked him and tried to take his mobile phone when he tried to record the conversation. In an interview with Göteborgs-Posten, Lamotte says that he received several punches and kicks, including to the back of the head. His focus during the incident was to hold on to his mobile phone, but he believes that in the end he was robbed of both the phone and other recording equipment.

Kristofer Lundberg's version
According to Kristofer Lundberg, Joakim Lamotte must have confronted him aggressively even before the demonstration started, including by pushing a camera in Lundberg's face. When Lundberg tried to fend off Lamotte's approach, Lamotte is said to have continued to behave threateningly and even dealt blows to Lundberg. In the end, says Lundberg, several people managed to get Lamotte to the ground, where he was held until the police arrived. In a post on Facebook, Lundberg states that he helped the police hold Lamotte's leg, because Lamotte kicked when he was on the ground.

Police investigation launched
The police quickly established a report of assault and theft, where Joakim Lamotte is the plaintiff. Later on Sunday, a counter-report was also received from Kristofer Lundberg, who claims that he himself was abused by Lamotte. Lundberg denies having dealt any blows to Lamotte and writes on Facebook that his own injuries, including a cut to the forehead and bleeding gums, have been documented by the police.

Police press spokesman Thomas Fuxborg tells Svenska Dagbladet that the state of the investigation is good thanks to several witness statements and surveillance cameras in the area. A preliminary investigation manager will be appointed on Tuesday to collect and analyze all the information, with the aim of clarifying who may have been guilty of any crimes.