Lunde, 14 May 1931

The Shots in Ådalen

After the crash of 1929, employers in the sawmill district of Ådalen wanted to cut the workers' wages. The workers went on strike; the employers answered with strikebreakers. A large, peaceful demonstration of thousands marched toward Lunde to protest. The military was called in to keep order. As the demonstrators approached, the troops opened fire with machine guns and rifles. Four demonstrators and a passing bystander were killed; many more were wounded. The outrage spread across the country and became a turning point in the Swedish labour movement, helping push the sawmill valley toward the model of negotiation and consensus that would later be sealed in places like Saltsjöbaden.