Swedish music festival marred by sexual assault claims

A total of 12 sexual assaults were reported at a music festival in Sweden over the weekend, local media reported on Sunday.

The incidents happened at the Trastock festival in Skelleftea, northern Sweden, where last year there was one reported case of sexual assault, according to Swedish national public TV broadcaster SVT.

In some incidents, several men attacked women together and many of the attacks happened during concerts, police said.

"We have received one report where there is an identified culprit who stuck a hand down the complainant's skirt," said Mattias Brandt of the Umea police.

Another girl was allegedly groped from behind.

The apparent sexual assaults happened despite festival organizers' efforts to raise awareness of sexual assaults, for instance by organizing a panel discussion about masculinity.

There have been several reports of sexual assaults at music festivals across Sweden recently. In July, the British band Mumford and Sons vowed to boycott the Swedish music festival Bravalla after it emerged that 17 women had been sexually assaulted at the event. Endit