Photoreportage: Nato protests in Helsingborg

By Erik Norinder
- 23 maj, 2026
- in Feature, Fotoreportage, Nyheter

On the 21st – 22nd of May, a historical Nato summit was held in Helsingborg. Lundagård's photographer Erik Norinder reported from the demonstrations outside.

Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Police inspector Fredrik Brokopp told Lundagård that there was no pre-announcement of the demonstration’s route from the organisers, as such blockages and redirections were commonplace during the demonstration. Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
The march initiated from Gustav Adolfs torg. Demonstrators were prohibited from passing through Stadsparken and accessing Järnvägsgatan, the main road that runs vertically through Helsingborg, due to security concerns related to the Nato summit. Reinforcements were called in, and the march had to reverse course. Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Demonstrators were again blocked from going up through the northeast exit of the park. Photo: Erik Norinder
Attempts to return to Järnvägsgatan were blocked, and demonstrators returned to Gustav Adolfs torg. Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Once back at Gustav Adolfs torg, police escorts began to leave. Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
The demonstration then broke out of police containment and marched back along the route they had come from. Photo: Erik Norinder
Some of the demonstrators became caught between restaurant fences and a vehicle that had inadvertently entered the road. The ensuing chaos led to a disorganised disbanding of the demonstration bloc, with individual demonstrators running down the street. Police units were on standby at the next street and corralled these towards a mass detainment. Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Once the demonstrators were encircled, mounted police arrived and established a secure perimeter, removing non-encircled demonstrators, humanitarian observers, and members of the press through physical force. Video footage by British journalist Betty Dempsey showed the pepper-spraying of already detained and sitting individuals. Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder
Per Helsingborgs Dagblads’ Instagram page, the number of detained individuals surpassed 100. Police inspector Fredrik Brokopp told Lundagård that a majority of the detained would be removed from the area via bus, without further containment. When questioned about the minority who were removed through police vans, he said: “They might be detained for longer”. As of publishing, all detained individuals have been released. Photo: Erik Norinder
Photo: Erik Norinder