Swedish music festival calls off 2018 event after rape, sexual assault reports this year

Sweden will not see the Bravalla Festival in Norrkoping, one of its largest music festivals, next year as the event has been called off in light of several reports of sexual assault for the second consecutive year. The Bravalla Festival, which was attended by over 40,000 people in southern Sweden this year, has hosted big stars, including Kanye West, Robbie Williams and Iron Maiden, in the past.

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The decision is said to have been taken after a case of rape was reported on Friday. The rape victim was reportedly attacked during a performance by Swedish artist Håkan Hellström. According to the Swedish police, a total of 11 cases of sexual assault had been reported during the June 28-July 1 event.

This year, the music festival saw performances of popular music artistes such as American rock band The Killers, DJ duo The Chainsmokers, and Alesso, the Swedish House DJ.

FKP Scorpio, described as the largest festival organiser in Europe, announced on Saturday that it was calling off Bravalla 2018. They also took to Twitter to share the news, and put up a press release on their website, which states, "Words cannot describe how incredibly sad we are about this, and we most seriously regret and condemn this."

The organisers added that though they had done "everything in our power" to create a safe festival experience, "some men — because we are talking about men — apparently can't behave. It's a shame."

In a press conference, Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven expressed grief over the issue as he said, "These are disgusting acts. We must stop this." Lofven added that the country needed better policing, more video surveillance and swifter justice for perpetrators.