Stockholm: Riots broke out in Sweden following an apparent burning of a Quran by a far-right, anti-immigrant group. Three people were also reported injured on Sunday when police fired warning shots at rioters.
It is reported in the local media that a crowd of about 150 people threw stones at police officers and several vehicles were set on fire. Around 17 people were arrested.
According to a BBC report, Danish-Swedish extremist Rasmus Paludan, who leads the Stram Kurs, or Hard Line, movement said he had burned Islam's most sacred text and would repeat the action. The leader had threatened to hold another rally in Norrköping on Sunday, prompting counter-demonstrators to gather there.
Local police said they fired warning shots after coming under attack and three people were apparently hit by rioters.
As per BBC report, at least 16 police officers were reported to have been injured and several police vehicles destroyed in unrest on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in places where the far-right group planned events, including in the suburbs of Stockholm and in the cities of Linköping and Norrköping.
Sweden's national police chief Anders Thornberg said in a statement on Saturday that demonstrators had shown an indifference to the lives of police officers, adding: "We have seen violent riots before. But this is something else."
In the southern Swedish region of Landskrona, some protesters set cars, tyres, and bins on fire, while others erected a barrier to obstruct traffic.
Similar demonstrations took place in the country's third-largest city, Malmo, which saw a city bus and other objects set alight.
Paludan – a Danish lawyer – set up Stram Kurs, or Hard Line, in 2017 which is now known for its anti-immigration and anti-Islam agenda. He was jailed for a month in 2020 for offenses including racism in Denmark and has also attempted to plan similar burnings of the Quran in other European countries, including France and Belgium. (UNI)