Explained: A right-wing extremist demonstration caused Sweden to burn. What triggered the protests?
Sweden has been hit by several days of unrest and protests, triggered by a right-wing extremist group’s plans to burn copies of the Koran.
The protests started after the leader of the anti-immigration and anti-Islam group Stram Kurs, the Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan announced his plans to burn the Koran. While the demonstrations were stopped in view of the growing protests, the agitators set vehicles on fire and threw stones at the police.
What do we know about the protests?
Paludan’s plans had initially received a nod from the Swedish police, but the police had kept it on ice, hoping that the protests could die out. However, the riot only became violent when four police cars were set on fire and five people, including four police officers, were injured. On Monday, police announced that 40 people had been injured, including 26 police officers, and over 20 vehicles had been set on fire.
According to police, more than 200 people have been involved in violent protests, which are believed to have been organized by criminal gangs. More than 40 people have been arrested so far. The protesters threw stones, attacked police barriers and even knocked down the riot fence. Cars, tires and even garbage cans were set on fire and barriers were set on the streets by protesters to stop traffic.
The agitations had taken place in cities where Paludan had announced that he would hold his demonstrations – Stockholm, Landskrona, Örebro, Malmö, Linköping and Norrköping
On Saturday, Paludan had spoken at a rally in Malmö where protesters threw stones and the right-wing extremist leader is said to have been injured. In Norrköping, three protesters are said to have been injured by shots fired by the police as a warning to disperse the crowd.
Anders Thornberg, National Police Chief, has said that he has never been involved in violent riots on such a large scale in the country, especially in Norrköping and Linköping, according to the BBC. Swedish police officer Anders Wiberg said in a statement: “We do not tolerate the acts of violence that have occurred and now the police will start an investigation to prosecute the people who committed the crimes.”
The right wing that triggered the protests
Sweden’s extremist anti-Islam party Stram Kurs was founded by Rasmus Paludan in 2017. The party’s website states: “Stram Kurs is the most patriotic political party in Denmark. We are because we have the basic position that we as a Danish political party must always prioritize the happiness of the Danes over the happiness of everyone else! It should be an obvious position for any Danish political party, but unfortunately we are the only party that thinks so. “
The party has on frequent occasions carried out anti-Islam activities that offended many Muslims living in the country. In addition to public demonstrations of burning the Koran, the party uses social media to advance its agenda.
It also wants to ban Islam and is specifically aimed at Muslims living in Denmark. The party had tried to fight Denmark’s general election in 2019 but failed to gather significant support. In 2020, it was accused of using unfair means to promote its agenda through the Danish voting system and was therefore banned until 2022. As such, it changed its name to “Hard Line” to circumvent this ban and has operated under this name ever since. .
Has there been an example of a Koran being burned in public before?
Yes. Paludan himself has burned the Qur’an in the past and has even encountered repercussions for it. In August 2019, he held a demonstration to burn the Islamic holy book, which led to about 100 people protesting against it.
He was arrested in November 2020 in France for saying he would burn the Koran. He, along with some other activists, was also banned from Belgium after planning a similar demonstration in Brussels, where a large Muslim population lives.
In fact, the Paludan ban in Sweden in 2020 came after the protests against his demonstrations became violent with cars being set on fire and shops damaged.
So who is this far-right leader?
Rasmus Paludan, 40, is a Danish lawyer who received Swedish citizenship because his father lived in the country. He is widely known for his anti-Islamic and racist comments and ideology and was even banned from practicing law.
Pauldan, who was also a YouTuber, has been constantly condemned for his racist statements and anti-Islamic insults and feelings. In 2019, Pauldan burned a Koran wrapped in bacon and was suspended from Facebook for a month. He was also imprisoned in 2020 in Denmark for several crimes, including racism. He was also banned from leaving Germany in 2021 after talking about his plans to commit anti-Islamic acts in Berlin.
But even though he plans to compete for the next Swedish election, which is planned to be held in September this year, he does not have the necessary support of signatures to qualify as a candidate.
Reactions from around the world
Following the violence and Paludan’s statements, many Islamic countries have come forward to condemn the act.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it had called on Sweden’s Chargé d’affaires Hakan Roth in Baghdad to inform him of the “government protest” on Sunday. “This issue has serious repercussions on relations between Sweden and Muslims in general, whether in Islamic and Arab countries or in Muslim communities in Europe,” they said.
Saudi Arabia also released a statement condemning the act: “The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of the deliberate abuse of the Holy Qur’an, provocations and incitement against Muslims by some extremists in Sweden. , renounce hatred, extremism and exclusion and prevent the abuse of all religions and holy places. “
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Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said she will ensure that those responsible for the attacks are arrested. She added that she did not tolerate Paludan’s views or activities but also said that it was “unacceptable, irresponsible and illegal” to face it by force.
Organizations such as the Muslim World League also reacted to Paludan’s action, saying: “The Muslim World League condemns the absurd and shameful act perpetrated by some extremists in Sweden – who misused a copy of the Noble Quran and incited Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. religious hatred only encourages hostility and division in societies, damages common humanitarian values of decency and mutual respect, and ultimately serves only the agenda of extremism and counter-extremism … These actions are designed to divide, but we have full confidence in the strength of Sweden’s values. on unity and moderation to overcome such division and hatred. “
Other countries that have condemned the incident were Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Qatar, while the organizations would include Islamic Cooperation, the Arab Parliament and the Arab League.