A quick-thinking cameraman has managed to salvage the grand final of Sweden’s version of Strictly Come Dancing after environmental activists stormed the stage during a live performance.
Olympic skier, Charlotte Kalla, was dancing the Paso Doble, a fast-paced Latin ballroom dance, with her professional dance partner Tivuas Jarkssib when the untimely incident happened.
The climate activists from the Restore Wetlands protest group catapulted onto the stage with powder paint and a banner reading ‘restore wetlands’.
In a remarkable few seconds of television, the male protester with the banner was taken out by a camera suspended on a crane, which swung onto him.
He was sent flying before the group was ushered from the dancefloor by stewards on the set.
The stunt was caught on camera from several different angles, including a video filmed by the activists themselves.
The activist who released paint on the stage later was named Tina Kronberg Berggren, 30, who has also campaigned for Extinction Rebellion in the past.
According to the Daily Mail, the activists released a statement translated from Swedish where Berggren explained that they wanted “nothing more to have fun” but that the climate situation was so dire they had to act.
“The situation is so urgent and we cannot sit in the audience and just watch when our lives are threatened by climate collapse,” she said.
Kalla, who did not miss a beat despite the commotion, was rewarded with runner-up in the contest on Friday night, losing out to YouTuber Hampus Hedstrom.
Eurovision champion Loreen’s performance of her winning song Tattoo, during Melodifestivalen, was interrupted when an activist ran onto the stage.
The Swedish singer was forced to sing her song again but was understanding about the incident.
She told the Norway Posts that she “understood” where they were coming from.
“It is important that people stand for something and dare to say what they think.”
