Riots in Sweden over right-wing extremist anti-Islam meetings
Riots broke out in southern Sweden late last Saturday, despite police moving to a demonstration by an anti-Islam far-right group, which planned to burn a Koran, among other things, to a new location as a precautionary measure.
Riots and unrest were reported in the southern city of Landskrona after a demonstration planned there by the Danish right-wing party Stram Kurs was moved to the nearby city of Malmö, 270 km south.
Opponents of Stram Kurs, up to 100 people, mostly young people, threw stones, set fire to cars, tires and garbage cans and erected a barrier fence that obstructed traffic, Swedish police say.
Kim Hild, press spokesperson for the police in southern Sweden, had earlier on Saturday said that the police will not revoke the permit for the Landskrona demonstration, organized by the Stram Kurs party, because the freedom of expression threshold to do so is very high in Sweden.
The protesters’ right “to demonstrate and speak out weighs enormously, heavily and it takes an incredible amount for this to be ignored”, Hild added.
Since Thursday, clashes have been reported in Stockholm, Linköping and Norrköping, all cities where Stram Kurs has planned or held demonstrations.
On Friday night, violent clashes broke out between protesters and counter-protesters in the central Swedish city of Örebro, before Stram Kurs’ plan to burn a Koran there, injured 12 policemen and burned four police vehicles.
Video and photos from Örebro’s chaotic scenes showed burning police cars and protesters throwing stones and other objects at police.
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As a reaction to the violence, Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said: “In Sweden, people can express their opinions, regardless of whether they have good or bad taste. It is part of our democracy. No matter what you think, you must never resort to violence. We will never accept it. “
“This is exactly the kind of violent reaction he (Rasmus Paludan) wants to see. The very purpose is to incite people against each other,” she added in comments to the news agency TT.
At the same time, Paludan plans to hold further demonstrations in two other cities in Sweden, but the demonstrations have not received clearance from the police.
(With agency input)