“The massacre in Ådalen has been toned down”
“Ursinnet against strejkbrytarna had grown to rage.”
“Up against the 5 000 went to Lunde to show what they thought.”
“Where was waiting the military. With skjutklara weapons.”
“the Day ended in a horrible tragedy. The people raged, and in the elections the following year made the social democrats a rekordval. They sat in power for 44 years.”
“And could create the welfare state.”
“today it has been 80 years since the massacre in Ådalen.”
“On may 14, 1931, the Swedish labor movement’s bloodiest day.”
“Fixed in good Swedish spirit of co-operation has not received the go into history as the bloodbath it was.”
“As it should be in this konflikträdda country has the massacre been other, less loaded name as ”Shoots in the Valley”, ”Ådalshändelserna” , ”Ådalskravallerna” or simply ”Ådalen 31”.”
“it was hard in the country. Mass unemployment and depression. Mills went in the best case, at half speed. The export-dependent wood sector was very vulnerable. The chords were reduced.”
“At the sulfatfabriken in Marma in Hälsingland, sweden, joined the workers on strike. Boss where was Gerard Versteegh, who also led the plants in Sandviken and Utansjö in the Valley.”
“In January, the workers in Ådalen to sympatistrejka (a now forgotten act of solidarity) of the comrades of?Marma.”
“Versteeghs solution: strike breakers.”
“”Svartfötterna” enlisted by offices supported by the employers ‘ association. There were the usual unemployed, halvkriminella and riffraff from the Swedish national skyddskommittén.”
“On 12 may, came the ”Versteeghska strejkbrytarligan” to the Lunde.”
“my First assignment was to unload the steamer Milos with the pulp at the New pulp mill.”
“It went no further.”
“Enraged workers threw themselves over them.”
“Several beaten badly. On a picture winched a circuit breaker in the country. He has linnestrumpor and patent-leather shoes on and literally dripping with agony.”
“He was lucky. The rope was drawn around the chest and not around the neck.”
“the Swedish newspaper svenska Dagbladet wrote about a ”veritable pöbelvälde blown up by communists uppviglingsarbete … the police have with arms crossed seen how the angry crowds in the most brutal beatings a part willing to work (the other side of the benämnig on strejkbrytarna)”. The chief of police called in the military.”
“the 40 infantrymen from the I21 and 20 mounted soldiers from T3 in Sollefteå sat against Lunde. All was stamanställda. You dared not to set worker against worker.”
“They were the hated captain Nils Mesterton. He reminded them would if hungerkravallerna in the Countries for 14 years. Had the military been disarmed:”
“–?No new Countries! ryade he.”
“He was called the ”Ten in two” because of their male military base, a nickname he was proud of.”
“the Bet was like throwing gasoline on the fire.”
“On may 14, had sossetidningen New Norrland the following advertisement:”
“‘ a LARGE protest rally will be held on Thursday, 14 may at 12 in Gästhem, the houses of the People, in reason of the conditions that come seemingly in Utansjö and Sandviken.”
“All the organized workers in Ådalen must mangrant appear. NOTE. All trade unions in the board of directors are invited to complete attend. Fackföreningsbok be presented”.”
“There was a huge amount of people. And at the same time as the tray sat inside the People’s house and discussed the set the people against the Lunde, about three or four miles away.”
“Behind the banner and the two flags from Utansjö winding an infinitely long line of dressed-up worker.”
“Knut Näsström, one of fanbärarna – who made my military service during Mesterton – told 69 years later in the last issue of the New northern sweden:”
“– We recruits were as strykrädda cats before him.”
“– We would slaktbänken, so it felt.”
” No one else had been able to be so homicidal.”
“At Lunde met the protesters and the military. The mood immediately became threatening.”
“No one knew that the governor already decided to strejkbrytarna would be withdrawn. Landsfogden dropped the ball with the telegram that did not come up until everything was too late.”
“Mesterton cries out, three times: ”Slippery, in ?the law’s name, otherwise skjutes here a lot!””
“the Rocks and the taunts hails over the soldiers.”
“Sergeant Gunnar Lindgren later said:”
” I was convinced that we would not come in from with the life in the keep.”
“Fanbäraren John Westling sweeps past the hästburne soldier Brisk with its banner. The horse rears, the Brisk fall and Mesterton command ”FIRE!””
“the Soldiers are shooting with pistols, rifles and machine guns. The order was to shoot into the ground. But the bullets bounce off. The second shot in the air, some aimed straight into the crowd.”
“It took a few seconds. In the foul chaos met fabriksarbeterskan Eira Söderberg of a deadly ricochet.”
“– Now uncle fainted, cried, Else Edins sister when the 35-year-old Wiktor Eriksson from Swerve dog a few metres away.”
“Five of the wounded protesters fell in the hop.”
“Sture Larson, 19, Evert Nygren, 22, and Erik Bergström, 31, was also shot to death before the former militärtrumpetaren Tore Alespong from Dynäs iced blew the cease-fire.”
“Many people’s lives may have been saved by the signal.”
“But the inconspicuous crossroads was already turned into a slaughtering-bench.”
“the Aftermath: Strejkbrytarna was pulled back. Mesterton and two officers had a few days vaktarrest but was acquitted later. A soldier who fyrat of a few shots in the air when he moved a machine gun prickades. Several that assaulted strejkbrytarna in Sandviken, sweden was sentenced to a prison term, the longest was 2.5 years. No family member received any compensation because the victims were ”insurgents.” Mesterton, ”the Killer from the Lunde”, cracked of the massacre, became introverted and reticent. He ended as a lieutenant colonel and died in 1962.”
“25 000 came to the funeral of the victims in Kramfors the People’s park. Four of them are located in a common grave in Gudmundrå cemetery in Kramfors.”
“Erik Blombergs epitaph is classic:”
“the Massacre in Lunde claimed five lives. They were all unarmed and completely without a chance when the military opened fire. After the tragedy-attendance was a fact there that the military may not be deployed against the demonstrators.”
“?Both wanted to remove strejkbrytarna, partly to show their solidarity with the striking comrades in the province of Hälsingland. The day before, when the interrupters were attacked, was the slogan ”For Marmaarbetarnas victory”.”
“the Military was called in with reference to upprorslagen. The following year the Russian workers in Sandarne and Klemensnäs, however, without the same disastrous consequences. At the gothenburg riots in 2001 was shot a protester by a police officer.”
