The Easter Riots break out in Uppsala, Sweden.

The 1943 Easter Riots in Uppsala, Sweden, were a surprising and intense outbreak of violence, especially given Sweden’s generally peaceful World War II era. The trouble centered around a meeting of the Swedish Socialist Union (Svensk Socialistisk Samling), a far-right, pro-Nazi political group led by Sven Olov Lindholm. During Easter weekend, when the Union held a rally at Uppsala University’s main hall, a large group of anti-fascist students and citizens gathered outside, furious that such ideologies were being platformed in an academic setting. Things quickly escalated: protesters broke into the hall, disrupted the speeches, and clashed with police and Union supporters. Windows were smashed, scuffles turned into full-blown fights, and the scene became chaotic enough that authorities had to intervene heavily. This riot wasn’t just a random outbreak — it symbolized the growing domestic rejection of extremist ideologies in Sweden during the war. Although Sweden officially maintained neutrality, incidents like this showed how public sentiment was shifting firmly against anything associated with Nazism. The Easter Riots in Uppsala stand today as a strong early example of Swedish anti-fascist action.