(JTA) — A neo-Nazi march held on Yom Kippur in Gothenburg, Sweden, that was rerouted away from the city’s main synagogue, turned violent.
More than 30 people were arrested on Saturday during the march by the extreme right-wing Nordic Resistance Movement.
Both neo-Nazis marchers and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators clashed with police during the march, Reuters reported. At least two people, including a police officer, were injured in the clashes.
The group had initially wanted to march on the main streets of Gothenburg, but the police offered an alternate route taking demonstrators only about 200 yards from the main synagogue in Sweden’s second largest city.
An outraged Jewish community appealed the police decision earlier this month to the Gothenburg administrative court along with several other groups. The Anti-Defamation League and the World Jewish Congress were among others to protest.
The court rerouted and shortened the march following the appeal. It said it considered the fact that the route would have passed near the synagogue on the Jewish holiday and the demonstration would fall during the Gothenburg Book Fair, when some 100,000 people were expected to gather in the city for the largest literary festival in Scandinavia.
The Nordic Resistance Movement had a permit from police to hold the march.
