At least forty people including police personnel, have been injured in violent protests in southern Sweden following planned Quran burnings by a far-right extremist politician.
Some 26 policemen and 14 protesters were injured, a police spokesperson said, adding that police had arrested 26 individuals, including four minors, in Linköping and Norrköping where the violence began on Friday.
“The violence spread south to the city of Malmö on Saturday and continued throughout Sunday,” he noted.
The spokesperson added that there would be more arrests as they analyze the footage.
The violence was sparked by a series of rallies organized by the Danish-Swedish politician, Rasmus Paludan, who said he has burned a copy of the holy Quran and wanted to do so again.
Arab Countries Condemn Quran Burnings
Several Arab countries, including, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called Paludan’s actions a “deliberate abuse of the Holy Quran.”
In a statement published on their state-run news agency, SPA, on Sunday, the kingdom called the burnings “provocations and incitement against Muslims by some extremists in Sweden.”
In a tweet, the Emirati diplomatic adviser to the president, Anwar Gargash, rejected the “hatred” and “intolerance” against Islam.
موجة الكراهية والتعصب التي تشهدها السويد ضد ديننا الإسلامي الحنيف مرفوضة وتشكل خطراً لتبنيها فكراً رافضاً لمبادئ التعايش، ما يجري يؤكد نجاعة نهج التسامح الذي يُميز الأمارات واختارته مساراً لها وانعكس ايجاباً على مجتمعها الذي تعيش فيه العديد من الثقافات والديانات بكل أمن واستقرار
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) April 18, 2022
The Iraqi government urged the Swedish authorities to stop “provocative” actions.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the intentional abuse of the Holy Quran by the far-right, saying it is “among the extreme right-wing practices that incite against immigrants in general and Muslims in particular.”
Kuwait and Jordan also expressed their utter condemnation and disgust towards the acts of desecration by Swedish extremists against the Holy Quran.
Astaghfirullah. Kesa daur aa gaya hai