Following many reports of communal unrest in India in recent weeks, rioting and violence have now been reported in Sweden in response to the purported ‘planned’ burning of the Islamic holy book Quran by religious fanatics. According to Reuters, the turmoil in Sweden was sparked by skirmishes between police and demonstrators in the aftermath of Quran burnings that sparked riots in many Swedish towns during the Easter weekend.
According to local media reports, three persons in the Swedish city of Norrkoping required medical care after being injured by police gunfire. The violence that occurred in numerous places in Sweden over the weekend has been denounced by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
‘Three persons appear to have been struck by ricochets and are being treated in a hospital. All three wounded people have been detained on suspicion of criminal activity ‘, police claimed in an online statement that none of the injuries were life-threatening. According to BBC reporting, the police fired warning shots to disperse the demonstrators after the rioting produced disturbances. Following the violent event, many vehicles were set ablaze, and up to 17 persons were detained.
Various police officers have allegedly been hurt in the riots that have overtaken several Swedish cities in recent days. Many incidences of violence have occurred as a result of the conflict between police and demonstrators. The rioting started on Thursday, following a protest organized by Rasmus Paludan, the head of the Danish far-right political organization Hard Line. Paludan, who was granted permission to hold a series of demonstrations around Sweden during the Easter weekend, is notorious for burning Qurans.
Despite reports of violence in Sweden in recent days, police maintained that things were peaceful in the cities on Sunday evening. According to media accounts, Paludan vowed to host another gathering in Norrköping on Sunday, prompting counter-protests in which police officers were attacked and shopfronts were vandalised.
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