Police injured in anti-extreme right-wing protest in Örebro in central Sweden
STOCKHOLM – Protesters condemning a right-wing extremist group’s intention to burn a Koran in Örebro in central Sweden attacked police on Friday, injuring at least nine members of the security forces, according to authorities.
Police said a member of the public was also injured after being hit in the head by a stone, and that some police officers had broken arms and been hit by stones.
The protest, which according to local media was attended by about 200 people, was dispersed early in the evening on Friday.
It was the second day in a row that riots broke out alongside a demonstration of the anti-immigration and anti-Islam movement led by the Danish-Swedish citizen Rasmus Paludan, who is currently touring in Sweden and targeting districts with a large Muslim community.
At every gathering, usually only a few sympathizers, he tries to burn a Koran.
In Örebro, his demonstration was held in a park near the city center and not in the district that was originally intended.
On Thursday, riots broke out late in the afternoon in Linköping and three police officers were injured.
The Swedish Prime Minister condemned the violence and attacks on the police.
“In Sweden, people can express their opinions, whether it is in good or bad taste, it is part of our democracy. No matter what you think, you should never resort to violence. We do not accept and will never accept it”, Magdalena Andersson told the news agency TT.
“It’s exactly the kind of violent reaction he (Rasmus Paludan) wants to see. The very purpose is to incite people to oppose each other.”
Paludan has provoked other incidents on several occasions in recent years.
In November 2020, he was arrested in France and then deported. Five other activists were arrested in Belgium shortly afterwards, accused of wanting to “spread hatred” by burning a Koran in Brussels. – Euronews