Far-Right activist burns the holy Quran in Sweden resulting in riots

Rasmus Paludan, a leader from the far-right political party Stratum Kurs( which translates as hard-line ) burned a copy of the holy Quran in a heavily-populated Muslim area in Sweden during the holy month of Ramzan. The same happened in the presence of the police in an open public space in Linkoping city on friday as about 200 people gathered to protest his evil xenophobic act. 

Though the police urged him not to do the same, he went ahead and disrespected the sentiments of thousands of Muslims by burning the holy book. This act of disrespect resulted in stone-pelting and rioting by the protestors which led to a crackdown by the police.

On Sunday , he had plans to repeat the same act in Norrkoping but he never showed up in the city. In a statement posted by his far-right, anti-immigrant Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, Paludan said he cancelled the rally because Swedish authorities had “shown that they are completely incapable of protecting themselves and me”.

However the plan to repeat the same act caused widespread riots in Norrkoping in which 3 people were injured and the police arrested about 40 people. The two cites also witnessed riots on Friday, along with the Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby and the western city of Orebro. On Saturday, there was a riot in the southern city of Malmo.

On Monday, police said 26 police officers and 14 members of the public had been injured in the violence and that more than 20 vehicles had been damaged or destroyed.

Sweden has seen a rise in Islamophobia in the recent times but in an act of communal harmony and brotherhood when the same leader appeared on Thursday in the central city of Jonkoping, his words were drowned out by a priest ringing the bells of a local church in protest as he talked into a megaphone while holding a Quran.