Clashes between protesters and law enforcement have rocked several Swedish cities in response to rallies organized by a far-right group that publicly burns copies of the Koran.
Between burned cars, stones thrown and injuries, Sweden has been experiencing a series of violence for several days. A total of 40 people have been injured and 26 arrested in the country since last Thursday as a result of clashes between law enforcement officials and protesters. The latter was protesting a far-right group that boasts of burning copies of the Koran at public gatherings.
• What events are we talking about?
The violence began late last week in the south of the country. Clashes erupted between police and protesters in the cities of Linköping and Norrköping on Thursday in response to rallies organized by a far-right group.
Clashes continued over the following days in Orebrö in the center of the country, then in the Stockholm suburbs and in the south in Malmö, where police and protesters exchanged stones and Molotov cocktails. New rallies were also planned in Linköping and Norrköping by the same far-right group he quit with.
• What is the Hard Line movement behind the protests?
The demonstrations were initially organized by a far-right group called “Stram Kurs” (“hard line” in French), which openly describes itself as anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant.
It is led by Rasmus Paludan, a Danish-Swedish trained lawyer who has already been convicted of racist abuse in Denmark. As a candidate for next September’s general election in Sweden, he currently does not have enough signatures to present himself and is touring the country to mobilize his support.
All of his rallies target neighborhoods with large Muslim populations, where Rasmus Paludan publicly burns copies of the Koran, the holy book of the Muslim religion. These deliberately provocative actions have led to numerous counter-demonstrations in recent days.
The lawyer, also a Youtuber, is not on his first try. In 2019 he had already burned a Koran wrapped in bacon. One of his Facebook posts, which made a direct link between immigration and crime, was also blocked by the social network for a month.
• What is the result of these confrontations?
A total of 40 people have been injured in these clashes so far, including 26 on the part of the police and 14 among civilians. Swedish law enforcement said three people were shot and injured.
The police fired several warning shots. Three people were apparently hit by ricochets and are currently being treated in hospital,” the police said on Sunday.
26 people were also arrested in clashes with the police in Norrköping and Linköping on Sunday. Property damage is also numerous, although not yet quantified, with various burnt-out cars or, in particular, a burnt-out bus in Malmo, according to the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet. Several fires were also reported by the police, including a fire that broke out at a school in Malmo.
• Why are these manifestations overcrowded?
Overwhelmed by the violence of the demonstrations, the police complained of a lack of resources and the presence of people among the rioters who were “unrelated to the demonstrations”. “Criminals took advantage of the situation to use violence,” they said.
According to the Swedish tabloid AftonbladetMany counter-demonstrators would not only mobilize against right-wing extremist rallies, but “perhaps also against the police and judiciary”. Emergency vehicles and police vehicles were also damaged by the protesters in Linköping.
The situation in Sweden has sparked protests in the Arab world and given it an international dimension. Iraqi diplomacy summoned the Swedish chargé d’affaires before denouncing the burned copies of the Koran, calling it an act that “provokes Muslim feelings and offends what is sacred to them.” Saudi Arabia has also “condemned the actions of certain extremists in Sweden and their provocations against Muslims,” according to its official agency.
Juliette Desmonceaux with AFP