In the wake of numerous reports of sexual offenses at Swedish music festivals in recent years, a comedian and radio presenter has said she is organizing "man-free" festivals until men "have learned how to behave."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/I. Nordfjell
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Following numerous reports of rape and sexual assault during the Bravalla music festival in Sweden, radio presenter and comedian Emma Knyckare has said she plans to organize a festival where only women are allowed.
Reacting on Twitter, Knyckare said the proposed festival would take place "until ALL men have learned how to behave themselves."
She later confirmed her plan on Instagram, saying that she would "bring together a solid group of talented organizers and project leaders" in the coming days. This year's Bravalla festival featured performances by groups such as The Killers, Prophets of Rage and Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.
One of last year's headliners, Mumford & Sons, said in response to the reported offenses in 2016 that they would not play at the festival again until safety could be guaranteed for their female fans.
'This must stop'
On Saturday, Bravalla - Sweden's largest music festival - announced that next year's edition had been cancelled due to the series of alleged sexual assaults.
"Certain men... apparently cannot behave. It's a shame. We have therefore decided to cancel Bravalla 2018," the festival's organizers said in a statement.
Organizers have canceled the 2018 edition of the festivalImage: picture-alliance/dpa/TT News Agency/P. Lundahl
Police in the southeastern district of Ostergotland said they had received four reports of rape and 23 reports of sexual assault over the four-day event, attended by thousands of people.
Similar assaults were reported at last year's edition, as well as other music festivals in Sweden and abroad.
"This is so disgusting. These are obnoxious acts by deplorable men," Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told the Swedish daily Expressen on Sunday, calling for stronger surveillance at festivals. "This must stop."
The reported sexual assaults have been blamed for a drop in ticket sales. FKP Scorpio, the German owner of the Bravalla festival, said this year's festival drew around 45,000 people, down from 52,000 in 2016.
"It stopped being about music and became almost completely about crime and violence," Folkert Koopmans, CEO of FKP Scorpio, told TT news agency.
In the UK, the idea of "man-free" venues has already taken hold. In 2016, the Glastonbury Festival introduced an area called The Sisterhood open to "all people who identify as women."
"The producers of The Sisterhood believe that women-only spaces are necessary in a world that is still run by and designed to benefit mainly men," organizers said in a statement.
cmk/ss (AFP, AP)
Recent attacks on music events in Europe and beyond
Following the attack on the Manchester Arena, here is a look back at other recent acts of terror on concerts, clubs and festivals in Europe and beyond.
Image: Getty Images/D. Thompson
Manchester Arena, Manchester
On Monday, May 22, over 20 people were killed in an apparent suicide bombing in the foyer of the Manchester Arena in England. The attack followed a concert by US mega star Ariana Grande, which included many teens and youths in the audience. Dozens more were injured.
Image: Getty Images/D. Thompson
Reina night club, Istanbul
A shooting by one gunman claimed at least 39 lives at the Reina night club in Istanbul during a New Year's party on January 1, 2017. The so-called "Islamic State" (IS) terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed several others in Turkey, including 2016 attacks on the Istanbul Airport and the Vodafone Arena.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Kose
Ansbach Open music festival, Ansbach
Fifteen were injured, some seriously, but no one was killed during a suicide bombing at a wine bar near the entrance to a musical in Ansbach, Germany, on July 24, 2016. A Syrian refugee, the bomber had pledged allegiance to IS. The attack was Germany's first Islamist bombing, though the country wouldn't see casualties due to terror until the December 2016 attack on a Berlin Christmas market.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K.J.Hildenbrand
Pulse night club, Orlando
The deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter in the U.S. occurred on June 12, 2016, when a gunman killed 49 people at a gay night club in Orlando. The shooter swore allegiance to IS, but likely acted alone in what is being called both a terror attack and a hate crime against the LGBTQ community.
Image: Getty Images/G. Mora
Bataclan, Paris
On November 13, 2015, IS gunmen carried out an attack during an Eagles of Death Metal concert in the Bataclan, taking hostages and killing 89 people. This was one of a series of attacks in Paris that night, which claimed 130 lives in total and wounded many more. Suicide bombers also simultaneously targeted the Stade de France during a football match, while gunmen shot at cafes and restaurants.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Ruszniewski
Night clubs in Kuta, Bali
Another less recent but memorable series of attacks occurred in Bali on October 12, 2002. A string of night clubs in Kuta were among the targets of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, which employed suicide bombers and a car bomb. In total, 202 people were killed and 209 were injured, among them many foreigners visiting the popular vacation destination.
