Two racist skinheads, well known for harassing immigrants, have been arrested.

Uzel lived in Skogås, a large Turkish community in a suburb east of here. Salih's father, Ömar, said that after a New Year's Eve gathering, his eldest son, along with his wife and two-year-old child, left for their home a few blocks away.

"They ran into a group of 15 to18 people who started abusing them, hitting the baby carriage, and kicking and beating him. The son took the first blows in order to get his wife and child out of there, then ran while calling us for help on the cellular phone," said Ömar.

The situation was tense when the family members arrived and some heated exchanges took place. The group was armed with long knives and batons, and the women had tear gas, according to Ömar. When they thought the situation had calmed down, Salih turned to leave and was stabbed in the back. After dragging himself 30 meters he fell down.

The family says they called the hospital and were told not to move him since that might make his injuries worse. But it took the ambulance 45 minutes to arrive. Salih died in the hospital later that night.

The police say that the killing was not a racist act, but the result of an ordinary fight that got out of hand. A young man who grew up with Salih rejected the cop's claim. "The killer lives here and is a well-known racist," he said. "He is a skinhead with a swastika tatooed on his chest." The police say the other arrested man painted a swastika with his own blood on the the wall of the cell he was placed in.

The murder made front page headlines in the national papers. The protest rally in the city center was organized by the Turkish Youth Federation. Among the speakers at the rally were the government minister responsible for integration issues, Ulrica Messing, and the Turkish ambassador to Sweden, Oktay Aksoy, who condemned the murder as a racist act and spoke out against xenophobia.

Most participants in the rally were people of Turkish descent, including many who were young. One held a banner, "Today Salih, tomorrow who?" Another sign read: "Where are the human rights?"

Nevin, a young woman of Turkish origin who lives in a suburb west of here, said that she feared "the murderer will be aquitted. They don't take this seriously. Of course it was a racist killing. Who speaks for him?" A young man joined in, adding, "The police are as false as the racists. He won't get justice."

The murder has also sparked discussion among working people and youth in the city. Pamela Valverde, a member of the Metal Workers Union, came to the rally with three co-workers. "We have to stand up against this," she said. "It was a wise decision to locate the protest in the center of Stockholm. It's of concern not just for people in Skogås, but the whole nation. It gives everybody a chance to take part. I don't know what difference it will make, but to do nothing will certainly change nothing." Another protest is scheduled for January 16.

Anita Östling is a member of the Transport Workers Union. Claudio Burgos, Lars Erlandsson and Dag Tirsén contributed to this article.  
 
 
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