Elm Conflict

The Elm Conflict (Swedish: Almstriden), also known as the Battle of the Elms (Swedish: Slaget om almarna), was a dispute and public protest on 11–12 May 1971. Organised by Alternativ stad (the Stockholm branch of Friends of the Earth), the dispute centred on the planned destruction of 13 Scots elm trees located at the entrance to the Kungsträdgården metro station in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, Sweden. Under the elms was an outdoor coffee house, popular among the youth at the time. The Stockholm city council, supported by the Swedish government, proposed cutting down the trees to prevent damage to the nearby subway. The Elm Conflict led to an examination of the need for citizens to have more input into the decision-making process of the city council, and received significant attention in Sweden's national media.