Countrywide protests against burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden have been going on for several days. Violence also erupted in major cities including Stockholm and Malmö on April 17. Protesters set fire to police vehicles and hurled stones at police stations.
On 14 April, Stram Kurs, an organisation of Rasmus Paludanthe leader of the Strum Kurs Party, a far-right political party in Denmark, organised a protest rally. He was allowed to hold several rallies across Sweden. The burning of the Holy Quran was announced at the rally. They also deliberately burned the holy book of Muslims, the Holy Quran. The organisation also promised to do the same again on the next day. The incident has sparked widespread criticism in the country and all around the globe. Many people in Sweden have come down the street. The country has been in turmoil since.
Law enforcement in Sweden said that hundreds of young people fired stones, set fire to cars, tires and dustbins and blocked the Landskona town when the authorities transferred a protest in the Danish party Strum in the nearby city of Malmö, which is located in the southern part of Sweden.
The situation in Landscrona calmed down on April 16, but tensions remained high, with no casualties reported in the unrest, police said. South Swedish police spokesman Kim Hild told the Swedish news agency TT that the protesters’ right to demonstrate and speak out was interrupted by counter-protesters which caused problems.
Violent clashes erupted between protesters and counter-protesters in the central city of Orebro on April 15, before Strum Kurs planned to burn the Holy Quran, injuring 12 police officers and setting four police vehicles on fire. Video footage and photos of the chaotic scene in Orebro showed police cars burning and protesters throwing stones and other objects at police officers wearing riot gear.
According to Swedish media, Paludan himself was reportedly hit in the leg by a stone. No serious injuries were reported, police said. Paludan, a Danish lawyer who also holds Swedish citizenship. He founded Strum Kurs in 2016 based on the anti-immigration and anti-Islam agenda.
The BBC has released the clashes of protesters with the police. At least 16 police officers were injured in clashes between protesters and police. Police and protesters clashed in Stockholm, Lincoln and Nordmaling city. Several police vehicles were reportedly set on fire.
Swedish police chief Andres Thornberg said protesters were not paying attention to police life. “We’ve seen a lot of protests before, but this time the scale is different,” he said.
Lastly, three people were shot in clashes between police and demonstrators in Narasping town in Sweden. During the protests, they were injured in the police firing. In an online statement, police said three people were probably shot. They are now being treated at the hospital. Three of them have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in crime. The condition of the injured is said to be stable. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson has condemned the violence.
