Summertime Blues: Nordics Tighten Security at Upcoming Festivals

While Distortion organizers compiled a byzantine risk assessment report and, by their own admission, "made a thorough" anti-terrorist effort, Roskilde organizers adopted a special security plan, featuring a number of innovations.

Already last year, the Danish Intelligence Agency started training volunteers at Roskilde Festival to raise their awareness of divergent and suspicious behavior. This year, festival guests will be safeguarded by concrete blocks against vehicular attacks.

"It is granted that our guests will experience some new initiatives this year. For our part, we have already done a lot of things behind the scenes, which the guests won't see," Morten Therkildsen told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

Distortion founder and director Thomas Fleurquin told the Danish newspaper Politiken that it was "completely safe" to take part in the festival, yet provided an apt reservation.

"However, you must remember what a good security officer always says: the only 100 percent safe event is no event at all," Thomas Fleurquin said.

​In Sweden, the country's largest rock festival Sweden Rock, which is about to kick off, will be held amid enhanced security preparations. According to police spokeswoman Ewa-Gun Westford, police presence will be made more visible. However, she also ventured that simply adding resources is not a panacea, as smart distribution and appropriate measures are important.

"Security issues are currently a topical issue. It's very important. There are huge crowds gathering at this little place [Norje, Blekinge] during the festival," Ewa-Gun Westford told Swedish national broadcaster SVT.

Finland is also planning to attach greater weight to security arrangements than ever before, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported.

"We are actively following the international events and have increased the resources used for safety," Tiina Salonen, program manager for Kotka Havsdagar, told Yle, stressing their preparedness to meet various types of threats. Among other things, the number of guards has been increased.

"The use of vehicles as weapons has increased in the world, which is why a greater focus will be put to the traffic arrangements. Among other things, we are going to build obstacles in connection with events organized in Finland," senior police commissioner Vesa Pihajoki told Yle.

At the same time, she ventured that terrorist attacks in Finland nevertheless remain unlikely.

"Most likely dangers and risks associated with events in Finland are minor injuries, infections, violence caused by intoxicated persons and misdemeanors such as theft," Pihajoki said.

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