Koran burning in Sweden triggers violent riots – The Organization for World Peace
Between March 14 and March 16, the far-right Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan burned Korans in several Swedish cities as part of his anti-immigrant, anti-Islam political platform. This sparked huge protests, some of which turned violent, as young men set fire to trash cans and threw Molotov cocktails at police vehicles. According to the BBC, 26 policemen and 14 civilians were injured in the riots, and over 20 vehicles were damaged or destroyed. About 200 people were involved in the violence and more than 40 have been arrested.
The Wall Street Journal quoted National Police Chief Anders Thornberg: “It is serious violence against life and property, especially against police officers. It is very worrying and we will take strong countermeasures.” It is believed that several of those involved in the riots have links to criminal gangs that deliberately target the police and used Paludan’s Koran-burning demonstration as an excuse to participate in street violence, NPR reported.
Although Paludan’s actions have been harshly criticized by Swedish government officials, Sweden is still committed to freedom of expression and expression and will not take measures to stop Paludan. According to France 24, Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said: “We live in a democracy with far-reaching freedom of expression and the press and we should be very proud of that.”
Rasmus Paludan has both Danish and Swedish citizenship and plans to run in Sweden’s next parliamentary election. He is the founder and leader of the right-wing extremist, anti-immigrant and anti-Islam political party Hard Line. The party is quite small and has won less than 2% of the votes in the Danish national election in 2019. Hard Line is pushing for radical changes in immigration policy. Specifically, it seeks a total ban on all non-Western immigration and the deportation of all Muslim immigrants, including those with refugee status, visas or permanent residence permits. Hard Line also supports the revocation of citizenship for immigrants who have naturalized. Although this party platform does not appeal to the majority of Danes and Swedes, Paludan has received much attention by burning Korans across Europe.
Although it is deplorable to burn Korans, or any religious book, protests only exacerbate the problem and give power to the Paludan. As Professor Andreas Önnerfors explained in an Al-Jazeera interview, provocateurs like Paludan burn Korans because it is an extremely simple and inexpensive way to arouse outrage that gets a lot of attention. Without protests, this would have been just a local story of interest. However, dozens of major news channels, from the Wall Street Journal to the New York Times, have covered this story, giving Paludan exactly the publicity he wants. If people had been silent on the issue or protested less visibly, there would be no incentive to continue engaging in this horrific act.
Paludan has now turned the riots into part of his campaign for the Swedish Parliament this autumn. In an email, Paludan wrote: “These riots against the police and the rule of law will continue no matter what I do.” In this way, Paludan hopes to gain the sympathy of those who, although they may not agree to burn Korans, are very concerned about disorder and lawlessness. Paludan can also present himself as a defender of freedom of speech and expression in the face of violent resistance. Although Paludan and his political party are still far from the 4% of the votes needed in Sweden’s proportional electoral system to win some seats in the Riksdag, the chaotic riots have only helped Paludan’s cause and touched on anti-immigrant feelings that already exist in some in Sweden.
A critical question at hand is how to stop such protests in the future from becoming violent. There is evidence that the violent riots were only indirectly linked to Paludan’s actions and were carried out by people with links to criminal gangs. The head of the police’s special forces, Jonas Hysing, has called for more allocation of resources to police to fight organized crime, according to France 24. These riots are also a signal that Sweden must adapt its policy to fight increasing poverty and inequality. Sweden should also review its approach to integrating immigrants already in Sweden and implement policies that help immigrants assimilate culturally, economically and socially to avoid growing social unrest.
To prevent future violence, Sweden must address the emergence of Islamophobia and xenophobia and at the same time address crime and poverty in Swedish cities. The Swedish public can also take measures to show their opposition to Paludan’s disrespect for Muslim immigrants. For example, communities can host events to show solidarity between native Swedes and Muslim immigrants while promoting meaningful friendships. They can vote against political parties that focus on Islamophobic rhetoric and support policies that facilitate the assimilation of immigrants into Swedish society.