What actually happened at Quran protest in Stockholm?
A man stomped on a copy of the Quran but Swedish media reported no one saw him set fire to it at a protest in Stockholm. Here's what happened – and what could happen next.
Salwan Momika, the man behind a Quran-burning last month, organised a demonstration around 30 metres from Iraq's embassy in Stockholm at around 1pm on Thursday. He had said he would burn a copy of the Quran, but media at the scene reported that nobody present actually saw it burn.
Swedish news agency TT reported that Momika and another protester stomped on a copy of the Quran, and, facing away from the audience and cameras, apparently tried to ignite it without much success.
TT reported only tiny burn marks were visible on the corner of the book.
Counter-protesters were also present at the scene, yelling at Momika that he had no support.
Momika, a refugee from Iraq who has expressed support for the far-right Sweden Democrats, has previously described his protests as a criticism of the religion of Islam and not Muslims. He is being investigated for alleged hate crimes in connection with his Quran-burning in June.
Sweden's strong freedom of expression laws mean that police can't preemptively stop a protest from going ahead simply because they suspect someone might break the law, but the person can in theory be seized at the protest if they're a threat to public security or order, and face charges afterwards.
In general, demonstration applications are nearly always approved, and may only be denied if there is a concrete risk that they could pose a security threat in direct connection with the event itself.
Police stepped up their presence outside the Iraqi embassy ahead of and during the protest on Thursday, including police officers on horseback and a decision to use surveillance drones.
But there were no immediate reports of serious disturbances at the protest.
Police at the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm. Photo: Oscar Olsson/TT
Iraq, on the other hand, reacted by expelling Sweden's ambassador and recalling its own chargé-d'affaires, saying the decision was "prompted by the Swedish government's repeated permission for the burning of the holy Quran, insulting Islamic sanctities and the burning of the Iraqi flag".
When Momika burned a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm's main mosque in June, the Swedish foreign ministry condemned the act as "Islamophobic" and "offensive", but added that Sweden had a "constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly, expression and demonstration".
Iraq on Thursday also revoked Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson's permit to operate in Iraq and said that it would sever all links to Swedish businesses in the country.
Experts said that the decision would not have a major effect on Swedish businesses in general, for whom Iraq is a small market, but that it could have bigger ramifications if the conflict were to spread to other countries.
"If it spreads it could have serious consequences," Stefan Karlsson, chief analyst at the Swedish Export Credit Agency, told TT. Almost two percent of Swedish exports go to the Middle East.
In the early hours of Thursday, followers of the powerful Shiite Muslim cleric and political leader Moqtada Sadr led an attack on the Swedish embassy compound in Baghdad, setting fire to buildings.
The Swedish foreign ministry confirmed that all its diplomatic staff were safe.
Around half of the embassy area was damaged in the fire, local sources told TT.
Smoke rising from the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. Photo: AP Photo/Ali Jabar
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström condemned the attack on the embassy "in the strongest terms", he said in a statement. "Iraqi authorities have an unequivocal obligation to protect diplomatic missions and personnel under the Vienna Convention," he added.
Iraqi officials also condemned the "security breach" at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and told the AFP news agency early on Thursday that around 20 protesters had been taken into custody.
The United States also joined in the condemnations on Thursday.
"It is unacceptable that Iraqi Security Forces did not act to prevent protesters from breaching the Swedish Embassy compound for a second time and damaging it," the AFP news agency quoted US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller as saying, referring to another attack on the embassy after the Quran-burning demonstration last month, although that attack was not as serious.
Miller called on the Iraqi government to live up to its obligations under international law to protect foreign diplomatic missions.
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Salwan Momika, the man behind a Quran-burning last month, organised a demonstration around 30 metres from Iraq's embassy in Stockholm at around 1pm on Thursday. He had said he would burn a copy of the Quran, but media at the scene reported that nobody present actually saw it burn.
Swedish news agency TT reported that Momika and another protester stomped on a copy of the Quran, and, facing away from the audience and cameras, apparently tried to ignite it without much success.
TT reported only tiny burn marks were visible on the corner of the book.
Counter-protesters were also present at the scene, yelling at Momika that he had no support.
Momika, a refugee from Iraq who has expressed support for the far-right Sweden Democrats, has previously described his protests as a criticism of the religion of Islam and not Muslims. He is being investigated for alleged hate crimes in connection with his Quran-burning in June.
Sweden's strong freedom of expression laws mean that police can't preemptively stop a protest from going ahead simply because they suspect someone might break the law, but the person can in theory be seized at the protest if they're a threat to public security or order, and face charges afterwards.
In general, demonstration applications are nearly always approved, and may only be denied if there is a concrete risk that they could pose a security threat in direct connection with the event itself.
Police stepped up their presence outside the Iraqi embassy ahead of and during the protest on Thursday, including police officers on horseback and a decision to use surveillance drones.
But there were no immediate reports of serious disturbances at the protest.
Iraq, on the other hand, reacted by expelling Sweden's ambassador and recalling its own chargé-d'affaires, saying the decision was "prompted by the Swedish government's repeated permission for the burning of the holy Quran, insulting Islamic sanctities and the burning of the Iraqi flag".
When Momika burned a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm's main mosque in June, the Swedish foreign ministry condemned the act as "Islamophobic" and "offensive", but added that Sweden had a "constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly, expression and demonstration".
Iraq on Thursday also revoked Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson's permit to operate in Iraq and said that it would sever all links to Swedish businesses in the country.
Experts said that the decision would not have a major effect on Swedish businesses in general, for whom Iraq is a small market, but that it could have bigger ramifications if the conflict were to spread to other countries.
"If it spreads it could have serious consequences," Stefan Karlsson, chief analyst at the Swedish Export Credit Agency, told TT. Almost two percent of Swedish exports go to the Middle East.
In the early hours of Thursday, followers of the powerful Shiite Muslim cleric and political leader Moqtada Sadr led an attack on the Swedish embassy compound in Baghdad, setting fire to buildings.
The Swedish foreign ministry confirmed that all its diplomatic staff were safe.
Around half of the embassy area was damaged in the fire, local sources told TT.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström condemned the attack on the embassy "in the strongest terms", he said in a statement. "Iraqi authorities have an unequivocal obligation to protect diplomatic missions and personnel under the Vienna Convention," he added.
Iraqi officials also condemned the "security breach" at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and told the AFP news agency early on Thursday that around 20 protesters had been taken into custody.
The United States also joined in the condemnations on Thursday.
"It is unacceptable that Iraqi Security Forces did not act to prevent protesters from breaching the Swedish Embassy compound for a second time and damaging it," the AFP news agency quoted US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller as saying, referring to another attack on the embassy after the Quran-burning demonstration last month, although that attack was not as serious.
Miller called on the Iraqi government to live up to its obligations under international law to protect foreign diplomatic missions.
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