Who killed Olof Palme? • Hacker News Board

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#41

Post by Sharlin » Fri, May 17, 2019, 5:11 PM UTC

IfOnlyYouKnew wrote: post #20

mongol wrote: post #3

Would be interesting to hear how "interesting" this article is for an international audience. As a Swede I am sick and tired about all speculation over the years. It is like a wound that never heals. We will never know for sure. Probably like the JFK assasination.

I always enjoy these articles (to the extend that one can take joy in them), because they rarely fail to highlight how different politics can be. For an American audience, it's unthinkable that a leader of a government would go anywhere without their own private army. When I used to work in central Berlin, I regularly saw members of parliament and ministers have coffee or just walk around completely unprotected. Even…

> Of course, the story itself kinda speaks against this view of the world.

Yet these crimes are so rare as to be huge deals when they do occur, and politicians here generally rather take their chances than lead a life protected from their very constituents. In a high-trust society it is also expected from politicians.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#42

Post by swgdo » Fri, May 17, 2019, 5:11 PM UTC

IfOnlyYouKnew wrote: post #20

mongol wrote: post #3

Would be interesting to hear how "interesting" this article is for an international audience. As a Swede I am sick and tired about all speculation over the years. It is like a wound that never heals. We will never know for sure. Probably like the JFK assasination.

I always enjoy these articles (to the extend that one can take joy in them), because they rarely fail to highlight how different politics can be. For an American audience, it's unthinkable that a leader of a government would go anywhere without their own private army. When I used to work in central Berlin, I regularly saw members of parliament and ministers have coffee or just walk around completely unprotected. Even…

It's something we're losing as Europe becomes less homogeneous, and it's certainly a shame as you say.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#43

Post by bjourne » Fri, May 17, 2019, 5:12 PM UTC

The murder of OP isn't that interesting. Everyone who is knowledgeable about the case knows it can't have been a conspiracy. It was a lone gunman, possibly a drug addict, seeing OP and his wife, seizing the opportunity to kill him.

But what is interesting is the completely disastrous following investigation. The police in Stockholm fucked up in every possible way there is to fuck up. Records were not kept, witnesses were promised rewards for testifying, they didn't investigate the crime scene properly, chased after wild conspiracy theories about South Africa and PKK and so on. Eventually they brought in experts from the FBI, but then it was already too late because it is much harder to solve a murder three years after the fact than one month after. The only reason the murderer went free is the insane incompetence displayed.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#44

Post by IfOnlyYouKnew » Fri, May 17, 2019, 5:12 PM UTC

swgdo wrote: post #42

IfOnlyYouKnew wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always enjoy these articles (to the extend that one can take joy in them), because they rarely fail to highlight how different politics can be. For an American audience, it's unthinkable that a leader of a government would go anywhere without their own private army. When I used to work in central Berlin, I regularly saw members of parliament and ministers have coffee or just walk around completely unprotected. Even…

It's something we're losing as Europe becomes less homogeneous, and it's certainly a shame as you say.

Don't use my words to spread your xenophobia, please.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#45

Post by mesofile » Fri, May 17, 2019, 5:46 PM UTC

IfOnlyYouKnew wrote: post #20

mongol wrote: post #3

Would be interesting to hear how "interesting" this article is for an international audience. As a Swede I am sick and tired about all speculation over the years. It is like a wound that never heals. We will never know for sure. Probably like the JFK assasination.

I always enjoy these articles (to the extend that one can take joy in them), because they rarely fail to highlight how different politics can be. For an American audience, it's unthinkable that a leader of a government would go anywhere without their own private army. When I used to work in central Berlin, I regularly saw members of parliament and ministers have coffee or just walk around completely unprotected. Even…

I am from Washington DC and, while it's true that the President is always accompanied by a security retinue -- for reasons well-founded in history -- it is not uncommon to see members of either legislative body walking around unattended. It used to be more common, that's true, but it's still not unusual. The less of a media profile they have, the more likely it is that you'll run into them at a coffee shop.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#46

Post by pedrocr » Fri, May 17, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

sctb wrote: post #27

saalweachter wrote: post #4

Eh, the JFK assassination is more people wanting a conspiracy over the boring explanations rather than an unsolved murder.

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19939929 .

This is a bit annoying. Just collapsing the subthread would be a better option. Context is not lost and the same objective is served.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#47

Post by _lbaq » Fri, May 17, 2019, 6:17 PM UTC

bjourne wrote: post #43

The murder of OP isn't that interesting. Everyone who is knowledgeable about the case knows it can't have been a conspiracy. It was a lone gunman, possibly a drug addict, seeing OP and his wife, seizing the opportunity to kill him. But what is interesting is the completely disastrous following investigation. The police in Stockholm fucked up in every possible way there is to fuck up. Records were not kept, witnesses…

The disaster IMO was what the act itself led to, it took something away from all of us. I want to live in a country where the PM walks home by himself at the end of the day, lives in a ordinary place and takes out the garbage after dinner.

I loved that with our country, I was at a concert last summer where the current PM showed up, this was a very small concert in the northern part of the country, with an entourage of SÄPO guards that only could qualify as a small private army.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#48

Post by coldtea » Fri, May 17, 2019, 6:26 PM UTC

bjourne wrote: post #43

The murder of OP isn't that interesting. Everyone who is knowledgeable about the case knows it can't have been a conspiracy. It was a lone gunman, possibly a drug addict, seeing OP and his wife, seizing the opportunity to kill him. But what is interesting is the completely disastrous following investigation. The police in Stockholm fucked up in every possible way there is to fuck up. Records were not kept, witnesses…

>* But what is interesting is the completely disastrous following investigation. The police in Stockholm fucked up in every possible way there is to fuck up. Records were not kept, witnesses were promised rewards for testifying, they didn't investigate the crime scene properly, chased after wild conspiracy theories about South Africa and PKK and so on.*

And that somehow gives people certainty that "it can't have been a conspiracy"?

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#49

Post by coldtea » Fri, May 17, 2019, 6:28 PM UTC

IfOnlyYouKnew wrote: post #20

mongol wrote: post #3

Would be interesting to hear how "interesting" this article is for an international audience. As a Swede I am sick and tired about all speculation over the years. It is like a wound that never heals. We will never know for sure. Probably like the JFK assasination.

I always enjoy these articles (to the extend that one can take joy in them), because they rarely fail to highlight how different politics can be. For an American audience, it's unthinkable that a leader of a government would go anywhere without their own private army. When I used to work in central Berlin, I regularly saw members of parliament and ministers have coffee or just walk around completely unprotected. Even…

>Of course, the story itself kinda speaks against this view of the world.

Only in the sense that somebody dying from having a walnut stuck in their throats speaks against not eating walnuts.

Politicians of all kinds go by themselves all the time in Europe, and it's no big deal.

Meanwhile, people with guards and police, like JFK and Reagan had attempts (the first of course successful) against them. If the killer is determined (or worse, willing to be killed themselves, like some modern wackos), they can always find some moment.

Re: Who killed Olof Palme?

#50

Post by professionalhit » Fri, May 17, 2019, 6:30 PM UTC

mongol wrote: post #3

Would be interesting to hear how "interesting" this article is for an international audience. As a Swede I am sick and tired about all speculation over the years. It is like a wound that never heals. We will never know for sure. Probably like the JFK assasination.

It was assuredly not an angry drunk lashing out in a simple, poorly conceived, malign demonstration, for one simple reason:

2 shots, from a revolver. One serious wound, only killing the political leader. No one else was seriously injured.

These details speak volumes.

An ordinary idiot crossing the line, to commit murder, would have unloaded the entire gun, and probably would have scored a head shot, and probably would have killed the wife. A crime this big will only get bigger in the hands of a regular civilian that has no experience in killing people.

Instead, we see a quick, quiet, deadly single shot to the torso. Two pulls to the trigger, and only a minor wound to the woman, probably accidental.

The person that did it had help. The choice of a powerful revolver is significant. That they pounced in a quiet area with an escape route, and kept a few bullets to fend off any possible witness that might think about giving chase shows a depth of planning. The person that did it probably had an alibi and multiple conspirators.