Grejen med Göteborg : 1900-2020, 2021 : Västra rummet - Grupp 3 : Gatsten mm :: Gatsten med mera

EU-toppmötet den 14–16 juni 2001

"En eld brann mitt på Avenyn, röken låg tät och det var bara vi affärsidkare som gick omkring och tittade på förödelsen. Overkligt var det, overkligt. Hur kunde det ske något sådant här?" (Martin Hultman, chef för ett hotell på Avenyn)

I juni 2001 var Göteborg värdstad för ett EU-toppmöte. Toppmöten hade redan orsakat kravaller i andra städer, men i Göteborg hade kommunen och polisen arbetat förebyggande i månader för att undvika bråk. Polisen hade haft dialogmöten med 60 aktivistgrupper. Kommunen lät demonstranter bo gratis i skolor.

Ändå utbröt kaos. Staden var i chock. Vad hände? Varför belägrade polisen en skola där demonstranter bodde? Varför kastade demonstranter sten på Avenyn? Varför sköt polisen en person? Varför tutade det hela tiden upptaget i polisernas nya mobiltelefoner? Varför var det bara tjut i kommunikationsradion? Aktivisterna visste i alla fall hur man kontaktade varandra smidigast: snabba sms gjorde att de låg steget före polisen.

Böcker och dokumentärer har gjorts om EU-kravallerna. Ännu finns ingen självklar förklaring till vad som gick fel.

PAVING STONE - These objects are from the EU summit in Gothenburg in 2001. It began calmly but ended in riots. Paving stones flew through the air.

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The EU summit 14–16 June 2001

“There was a fire burning in the middle of Avenyn, the smoke was thick and we business owners were the only ones walking around looking at the destruction. It was unreal. How could something like that happen here?” (Martin Hultman, manager of a hotel on Avenyn)

In June 2001 Gothenburg was the host city for an EU summit. The summits had already sparked riots in other cities but here the city authorities and police had worked for months to prevent trouble. The police had met with 60 activist groups. The city also allowed demonstrators to stay in schools for free.

Yet chaos still broke out. The city was in shock. What was happening? Why were the police besieging a school where demonstrators were staying? Why were demonstrators throwing stones on Avenyn? Why did the police shoot a person? Why did the police’s new mobile phones constantly beep with a busy signal? Why did the two-way radios just screech? At least the activists knew how to keep in touch: quick text messages helped them stay a step ahead of the police.

Books and documentary films have been made about the EU riots. Yet there is still no obvious explanation of what went wrong.