The mass trial following the high-profile paint attack at Bromma Airport ended in an unexpected twist. Although 17 people were tried, only two were convicted - while the rest were completely acquitted. The verdict now puts the spotlight on what it actually takes to be linked to crimes in organized actions. Thomas Gjutarnäfve, who worked at Bromma Airport, has a lot to say about this.
On 17 September 2023, an unauthorized demonstration took place at Bromma Airport. According to the indictment, all 17 participants had acted together, where two people sprayed paint on a building, an airplane and three cars with damage of over SEK 95,000.
The prosecution argued that other participants also contributed by holding placards, filming and spreading messages live on air.
Court: presence and support are not enough
The district court goes through each person's role separately. The judgment shows that several of the defendants themselves stated that they were only present, held banners or participated in documentation.
Despite the fact that the action was planned in advance, the court considers that this is not enough to convict them of complicity. The charges against 15 people are therefore completely dismissed.
Only two convicted - after their own confessions
Two persons, Björn Paxling and Esther Hauer Carvalho, is convicted of criminal damage after admitting to throwing and spraying paint. The penalty is a suspended sentence and a daily fine. They must also jointly pay SEK 76,500 in damages to the airline.
Initially, it was stated that an air ambulance was affected by the action. This later proved to be incorrect. Instead, it was an empty private plane that changed its route.
Judgment points to clear boundary
The grounds for the judgment show that the court makes a clear distinction: it requires concrete evidence of participation in the actual damage or clear promotion of it. Being at the scene, carrying placards or participating in a joint action is not considered sufficient for criminal liability in this case.
At the same time, it is clear that the action was organized and that the participants were aware of the purpose. Despite this, the evidence does not meet the requirements to convict more than the two who carried out the action.
Whether this reasoning will be applied in other cases of protests where individuals are guilty of crimes while the rest passively support it, remains to be seen.
Gjutarnäfve: ”What has this cost the taxpayer?”
One who has worked at Bromma Airport is the opinion leader and Youtube profile Thomas Gjutarnäfve. He is anything but impressed with the verdict and stresses how much it has cost taxpayers.
- 17 people are put on trial for vandalism at Bromma Airport. A couple of people are sentenced to frighteningly low fines. 17 lawyers charge about SEK 100,000 per person they ”defend”. Police are called out to protect the airport, the cost there is certainly significant! Grafair, which was hit by intruders, is treated like something the cat dragged in! Judges, jurors and other court staff cost about 500,000 to take up the case in the District Court, he says to Frihetsnytt.
- When will politicians and court officials stop being so stupidly naive? When will the media see the huge costs that criminals have inflicted on society, as in this case? I have stopped believing that crime is prosecuted, as soon as the crime comes from the left! This is a total breakdown of justice, where taxpayers are the big losers and where lawyers collect large sums to pretend to defend people who should be in an insane asylum!
I'm never surprised anymore how the Swedish judiciary judges, but then this institution consists largely only of leftist patrask.alla judgments are now usually political as in really lovely dictatorship.