It is indeed a truly sad thing. And the effects are being felt far outside Sweden. I went through similar things after the first real political assassination here in Holland in N hundred years, as the leding opposition candidate, Pim Fortuin, was gunned down a week before the elections. And now I'm hearing all-too-familiar reactions from the other nordic countries (of course I'm best connected with my native Finland).

Let's hope Northern Europe manages to keep the openness and informality, but I'm afraid there will be the usual defensive reactions