Sweden: Dozens Arrested Over Violence After Far-Right Group Plans to Burn Quran
Clashes are being reported since last Thursday when the far-right Stram Kurs announced plans to burn the Quran.
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Dozens of people have been arrested after violent clashes broke out in Norrkoping, Sweden, between the police and people protesting a far-right group's plans to burn copies of the Quran, the BBC reported on Monday, 18 April.
Violance has also been reported in Stockholm and Linkoping.
The police said that, in total, more than 40 people had been arrested in connection to the violence, while 26 officers and 14 members of the public had been injured.
More than 20 vehicles had been damaged or destroyed, the cops added.
At the centre of all the unrest is Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan, who organised a series of anti-Islam rallies.
Paludann has been "touring" the country, visiting neighbourhoods with large numbers of Muslim residents, in which he wants to burn copies of the Quran.
Muslim countries in West Asia have reacted strongly to the Quran burnings.
Saudi Arabia condemned what it called the "deliberate abuse of the holy Quran by some extremists in Sweden, and provocation and incitement against Muslims," reported by the Arab Times.
Iran also issued a condemnation, whose Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh went to say, "While we hold the Swedish government accountable, we are waiting for the immediate, strong and clear reaction of this country against the perpetrators of this insulting act and transparent and practical steps to prevent such moves from being repeated," reported by the Tehran Times.
(With inputs from BBC, The Arab Times and the Tehran Times)
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