Swedes remember Anna Lindh

By Lars Bevanger
BBC correspondent in Stockholm

Sargels Torg is one of Stockholm's largest squares. On a normal Friday afternoon it would be busy with traffic and people rushing through the underground entrances to get home from work.

We lost her (Anna Lindh), but our anger over the loss shall not paralyse us Swedish PM Goran Persson

This Friday was different. Thousands of people had answered Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson's call to rally for democracy and human rights in memory of murdered Foreign Minister Anna Lindh.

Many could simply not get into the square itself, and queued in the surrounding streets.

The huge crowd was eerily silent, as they waited for the prime minister to address them.

'Symbol of peace'

The sombre mood remained among people here three days after the brutal and fatal attack on Anna Lindh at a department store, just a few minutes walk away from this square.

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Some were crying openly, others were craning their heads to glimpse the improvised podium at the end of the square, where the prime minister was to hold his appeal.

On that podium a picture of Ms Lindh sat on a small table. Behind it, a bouquet of red roses.

A symbol not only for the Social Democratic party she represented, but also of peace and democracy.

This evening red roses were being laid down in their thousands around the country in countless improvised shrines for the late foreign minister.

One of Sweden's most popular female singers, Eva Dahlgren, sang her tribute to Anna Lind.

Rally for democracy

Then, the prime minister, Goran Persson, appeared on the podium.

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He thanked those who had come for showing that they stood on the side of democracy.

"The campaign and arguments have been cancelled, but not your and my responsibility", Mr Persson told the crowd.

"We lost her, but our anger over the loss shall not paralyse us."

Mr Persson urged his fellow Swedes to defend democracy, and to do so by voting in Sunday's euro referendum.

Anna Lindh's vision

Karin Persson, a psychiatrist from the island of Gotland off Sweden's east coast, was one of the many thousands who found their way to the square this evening.

She told me she felt it was important to show willingness to take up Anna Lindh's vision and carry it into the future.

"We must not loose sight of her vision of a fair, democratic world," Ms Persson said.

"I understand that people want to pay tribute to her person, but we must not forget to continue fighting for the important values she worked for," she added.

After another song from Eva Dahlgren, the rally was over.

The crowd blended back into the darkening Stockholm evening.

In the coming days, the Swedish people will not only have to come to terms with the shock of a savage attack on one of their elected leaders.

They will also have to face the political reality, and show whether they will answer the call of their prime minister to defend democracy by casting their vote on Sunday, to determine the future of the country's currency.