The Assassination of a Statesman
It was a Friday night and payday, a combination that guaranteed Stockholm would be alive with energy. The inner city thrummed with activity, undeterred by the sharp chill of late February. Winter held the streets firmly in its icy grasp, with temperatures dropping as low as seven degrees below zero, making the cold impossible to ignore. Most people sought refuge indoors, filling restaurants, cinemas, and nightclubs, where warmth and company offered a reprieve from the freezing weather. Along Sveavägen, a faint, cutting wind whispered through the darkness, adding an extra layer of frost to the already biting night.
Olof and Lisbeth Palme, Sweden’s prime minister and his wife, were heading home. They strolled leisurely, having just passed Adolf Fredriks Kyrkogata, and wandered toward Tunnelgatan. At times, they separated to glance at shop windows, but soon they walked side by side, arm in arm. As they were to cross Tunnelgatan, a sudden, deafening bang shattered the quiet. Olof Palme collapsed forward. Initially, Lisbeth thought he had stumbled and instinctively bent down to help him. But then she saw it—a large, bleeding wound on his back, and the ground beneath him stained red. Blood trickled from his mouth. Panic must have gripped her in that moment.
Another loud bang echoed through the street, bouncing off the facades of surrounding buildings. Lisbeth looked up for help. Two men stood a few meters away. One of them began retreating, then turned and fled into the darkness, vanishing swiftly. For 34 years, the police searched for that man—the assassin. But in the end, they gave up. The investigation was officially closed. Every promising lead had turned into a dead end.
Like everyone else, I followed the Palme investigation through the media—until I decided to delve deeper myself. That’s when I realized the entire case was a sham. Police, prosecutors, and the media had constructed a web of fiction, spinning tales for decades. The Palme investigation was nothing more than a farce.
In this account, I will tell you what kind of person murdered Olof Palme. I won’t reveal the name or address—I don’t know such details. But I will share thoughts on the type of individual who fled east along Tunnelgatan after pulling the trigger on Sweden’s prime minister.
Marcus Barre
To be continued…