Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh dead
This morning I got up early as usual, and as I checked the news I was surprised to read that Anna Lindh was still in surgery after thirteen hours, following her being stabbed by a still unknown man, in a department store in Stockholm yesterday afternoon. But they said that her condition had stabilized somewhat, and as earlier that it was critical but not life-threatening.
A few hours later I was waiting for a press conference to be held by the Prime Minister at 8.45. Then it was postponed until 9 o’clock, but it didn’t start then either. Then suddenly, at 9.10 or so, the message came, as a shock, that she had died from her injuries.
I find it very difficult to think about anything (such as what this might mean for our open society, our democracy, etc.) beyond the tragedy this is for her two sons and the others that were close to her. My heart sank completely as British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told about how, when they had a meeting last Friday, one of Lindh’s sons called her because he had locked himself out of their home.
(I downloaded the above image from the Foreign Ministry website; the photographer is Anette Andersson.)