This is the incredible moment the eco-activists stormed the grand finale of the Swedish version of Strictly Come Dancing before a quick-witted cameraman brought their stunt to a dramatic end.
Climate activists from the protest group Restore Wetlands ran onto the stage with powder paint and a banner, interrupting a performance during the Friday night finale of Let’s Dance on TV4.
Olympic skier Charlotte Kalla danced the paso doble with her professional partner Tobias Karlsson as a man and woman darted past the couple as hundreds of thousands watched at home.
But a cameraman didn’t care and decided to wipe out the protesters by dropping an overhead camera on the male protester’s head, the force of it knocking him to the ground.
The protesters were then quickly evicted from the studio, and three people were later questioned by police on suspicion of vandalism.
Climate activists from the protest group Restore Wetlands ran onto the stage during Olympic skier Charlotte Kalla’s performance, releasing paint and taking out a banner
Climate activists from the protest group Restore Wetlands ran onto the stage with powder paint and a banner
A camera suspended from a crane collides with a protester after he storms the Let’s Dance stage
The invasion of the scene was filmed from several different angles, including a video filmed by the activists themselves.
It captures the moment activists jump from their chairs into the audience before running onto the stage.
One activist pulls out a bag of yellow powder paint while the other holds a banner that reads ‘Restore Wetlands’.
In a tackle he couldn’t have seen coming, the male protester is taken out by a cameraman, who swings his camera at him suspended from a crane.
The weight of the equipment sends the activist flying in flight, the camera footage itself showing his full strength.
The group are then quickly removed from the dance floor by the stewards on set, then film themselves furiously leaving the studio after their stunt.
The activist who took paint out on stage was named 30-year-old Tina Kronberg Berggren.
She had been seated in the audience with her fellow activists before taking to the stage at the start of the performance.
The activists were quickly removed from the dance floor by on-set stewards, one of whom was covered in paint
Tina Kronberg Berggren filmed herself sitting in the audience before running on the dance floor
Activists then filmed themselves furiously leaving the studio following their stunt
In a statement translated from Swedish, the activist explained why she organized the protest: “We don’t want anything more than to have fun and I also like to dance. But my future will be anything but fun.
“The situation is so urgent and we cannot sit in the public and just watch when our lives are threatened by climate breakdown.”
TV4 viewers missed most of the drama on Friday night, but videos from inside the studio show the camera swinging towards the activists from above.
Cross-country skier Kalla, who is Sweden’s most decorated Olympian with three gold medals, was praised by the judges for not letting the hardship deter her in her final performance.
She was runner-up in the contest on Friday night, losing the win to YouTuber Hampus Hedström.
Roxy Farhat, spokesperson for Restore Wetlands, confirms that they are behind the campaign. The aim is to draw attention to what they say is a climate catastrophe.
Activist who took paint out on stage named Tina Kronberg Berggren, 30
“We are heading for a climate meltdown and our politicians are only making the crisis worse by failing to act. We are the last generation that has a chance to stop this death project,” she said.
“We’ve been protesting for 30 years, but the politicians don’t care,” she added, explaining why the group had moved on to less orthodox forms of protest.
Charlie Forsberg, TV4 communications director, reportedly said following the incident: “A number of people came on stage. It was run by staff on site and the police were quickly called in to check in which evicted them from the venue.
This isn’t the first time Restore Wetlands has struck out on a major live TV event.
Eurovision champion Loreen’s performance of her winning song Tattoo, during Melodifestivalen in Malmö, was cut short when an activist ran onto the stage.
Loreen was forced to sing her song again. An activist from the same movement stormed the stage during the finale of Idol on TV4.
