"THE PALESTINE DEMONSTRATIONS HAVE BEEN A SELF-PLAYING PIANO" : PERCEPTIONS OF POLICE CONDUCT AND COLLABORATION DURING THE PALESTINE DEMONSTRATIONS IN MALMÖ

This thesis draws upon procedural justice theory, the elaborated social identity model and the Swedish model of dialogue policing and explores demonstrators’ and professionals’ perceptions of police conduct and inter-organizational collaboration during the Palestine demonstrations in Malmö, Sweden. Unlike previous research which has mainly focused on disorder and violent demonstrations, this thesis aims to fill that gap by exploring the challenges and factors that contribute to peaceful demonstrations and maintenance of public order and how that influences crowd dynamics and police legitimacy. Utilizing a qualitative approach, 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with demonstrators and professionals who were involved in the demonstrations. The material was analyzed using a thematic analysis. Findings reveal that the dialogue police were mostly perceived as legitimate, empathetic and trustworthy, in contrast to regular police who were perceived as more distant, controlling and passive. The approachable manner of dialogue police increased trust, de-escalated tensions and improved cooperation. Nonetheless, some demonstrators questioned the legitimacy of dialogue police due to lack of influence and unclear role definition which led to decreased trust and cooperation. Repeated interactions with dialogue police, mutual trust, alongside internal self-regulation within the demonstration group was important to maintain public order during the demonstrations. This resulted in the police presence being more symbolic rather than operational. Conversely, fragmented collaboration between the police, permit unit, organizers and Malmö City was visible in unclear roles, differing priorities, conflicting responsibilities, miscommunication and a lack of regular meetings, was expressed to be a barrier to more effective collaboration. To conclude, early- and continuous dialogue, establishment of long-term relationships, trust, role clarity and local contextual knowledge is suggested to improve future demonstration execution, increase police legitimacy and support the fundamental right to freedom of expression and assembly.