Riots in Swedish Town After Far-Right Groups Burn Quran Near Migrant Locality

• The anti-Islam protests occurred after Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line, had been denied permission to have a meeting in Malmo and was stopped at the Swedish border, according to the newspaper.

• Authorities pre-empted Paludan’s arrival by announcing he had been banned from entering Sweden for two years. He was later arrested near Malmo. “We suspect that he was going to break the law in Sweden,” Calle Persson, spokesman for the police in Malmo told AFP. “There was also a risk that his behaviour… would pose a threat to society.”

• His supporters, however, went ahead with the rally, and three people were then arrested for inciting racial hatred. Paludan later put up a scathing message on Facebook. Paludan had last year attracted media attention for burning a Quran wrapped in bacon — a meat that is anathema for Muslims.

• Daily Aftonbladet said several anti-Islam activities had taken place in Malmo on Friday, including three men kicking a copy of the Quran between them in a public square.

Daily Aftonbladet said several anti-Islam activities had taken place in Malmo on Friday, including three men kicking a copy of the Quran between them in a public square.

• A spokesperson said the situation was not under control yet, and action was ongoing to bring calm. “We see a connection between what is happening now and what happened earlier today,” he said. The demonstrations had escalated in the same place where the Quran had been burned, the spokesman said. The site of violence is near a predominantly migrant neighborhood.

“We see a connection between what is happening now and what happened earlier today,” a spokesperson said.

Protesters threw stones at police and burned tyres in southern Sweden late on Friday, authorities said.

This is a developing story

Source: News18