This is an article from swedish tabloid Expressen published on July 29 1977. A quick translation reads like this:
Last night around 60 raggare tried to storm Park Hotel in Stockholm where the so called punk rock group the Sex Pistols from England were staying. That was the end of the raggare's two day long fight against punk rock - and everything it stands for in terms of contempt for the established society.
The attack died down when large police forces immediately surrounded Park Hotel. Forces from the police riot squad who earlier had tried to mediate in ''the war'' between the raggare and the ''punkrockers''.
Carrot hair
The group Sex Pistols are on a swedish tour and have played concerts at the Stockholm Student Union's house on Holländargatan the last two nights.
The punk rock fans are youth who dress in tight jeans, cut their hair short and tend to colour it carrot red like their big idol, leader of the Sex Pistols, Johnny Rotten. Some of them stick safety pins through their cheeks and paint themself with nazi symbols like the swastika.
Disgusting...
That is disgusting, the raggare though and declared war against the whole movement.
Around nine yesterday evening close to a 1000 teenagers started quing up outside the student union house to get a chance to see the idols while more and more raggare gathered around. They screamed abuse and throw eggs against the punk fans.
On the way out, after the gig, that's when we'll get them, the raggare thought. Finally a few hundred raggare stood outside the student union house waiting for the punkrockers.
The pins
- Three kronor for every ripped out safety pin and five if a piece of the cheek comes with it, the raggare shouted to each other.
Meanwhile a 30 men strong police force gathered around the student union, equipped with dogs and riot helmets.
The concert ended just before midnight. It was time for the Sex Pistols fans to run a gauntlet through waiting gangs of raggare.
Most of them were kids in their lower teens and obviously afraid of the raggare.
Death too...
- Death to all fucking punkrockers, the raggare shouted and a poor girl in green hair did a futile attempt to hide behind a big police man's back. Most of the punkrockers went for the underground station at Rådmansgatan and several of them were beaten to the ground by the raggare when they tried to run away.
One of the punkrockers were taken to Sabbatsberg's hospital. The police arrested a couple of youths during the night, but both were immediately released.
Smuggled
Soon after midnight the members of the Sex Pistols were smuggled out of the student union house and drove home to Park Hotel surrounded by a police escort.
The raggare, who were obviously disappointed with what they had done so far, decided to try to storm the hotel.
The Sex Pistols sat in a room next to the lobby, drinking beer with some trusted fans when the raggare came for the front door. The portier immediately called the police who were there shortly after.
The war...
Then the raggare gave up, for the evening. After all, they had won by points against their enemy the punkrockers.
- And the war isn't over yet, the raggare said.
Note: Raggare are Sweden's equivalent of Teddy Boys meets redneck Kustom Kar Kruisers. The fans with the Sex Pistols at the hotel were Stockholm punk band The Pain. The attack aginst the punkrockers at the student union house only took place on the second night, when the band played in front of kids, not on the first night when they played for adults. Sid wanted to go outside and fight the raggare, and Paul suggested running them over with the car, sadly this was stopped.
Thanks to Michael Karlsmo for supplying the cuttings.
I'm always looking for good info on the SEX PISTOLS' gigs in Scandinavia. E-MAIL me if you've got it. Especially those of you who saw them in 1977 and/or have any old pictures, news cuttings or other things of interest.