Sep 4, 2023 – 9:23 p.m
Clashes reportedly took place in Malmö between police and some demonstrators after an anti-Muslim protester set fire to the Holy Quran. euronews.
According to the Malmö police, protesters threw stones at them and set dozens of cars on fire.
The violent protests began on Sunday after a night protest in which anti-Islam activist Selwan Momica burned the Holy Quran. An angry mob tried to stop him, while the police arrested at least three people.
Early Monday morning, an angry crowd of mostly young men set tires and debris on fire. Some threw electric scooters, bicycles and barricades in Malmö’s Rosengard district, which has seen similar clashes before.
Senior Police Officer Petra Stenkola said: “I understand that such a public gathering stirs up strong emotions, but we cannot tolerate riots and violent displays of the kind we saw on Sunday afternoon.”
In recent months, Mumika, who fled Iraq, has insulted the Holy Quran in several anti-Islam demonstrations, which has sparked outrage in many Muslim countries. In some countries, there have been attacks on Swedish diplomatic missions and threats from Islamic extremists. Muslim leaders in Sweden called on the government to find a way to stop the burning of the Holy Quran.
The Swedish police allowed the man’s actions under the pretext of freedom of expression. According to Euronews, the last blasphemy law in Sweden was repealed in the 1970s, and the government has since insisted that blasphemy laws not be reinstated. At the same time, the government announced that it would consider legal options available to the police to refuse permission to hold demonstrations on grounds of national security.
