Furious protesters set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, angered by the planned burning of the holy Quran in Sweden. A defiant protester raised a Quran in response to the incident.The Swedish authorities had permitted the Quran burning which annoyed Muslims in the world.
In the early hours of Thursday, protesters in central Baghdad stormed the Swedish embassy. They started scaling its walls and setting it ablaze in response to Sweden’s planned to burn of the Holy Quran. The Swedish foreign ministry press office stated that all Baghdad embassy staff were safe and condemned the attack. And emphasized on the importance of Iraqi authorities in protecting diplomatic missions.
Supporters of cleric Muqtada Sadr organized the demonstration to protest Sweden’s second planned Quran burning in weeks. Posts in a popular Telegram group connected to the influential cleric and other pro-Sadr media reportedly called for the protest.
Sadr, a highly influential figure in Iraq with a significant following numbering in the hundreds of thousands, has, on previous occasions, mobilized his supporters to take to the streets. Last summer, they occupied Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, leading to violent confrontations and casualties.
According to reports from the Swedish news agency TT on Wednesday, the Swedish police approved a request for a public gathering scheduled to take place outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday.
The application, submitted by an individual, specifically mentioned the intention to burn the Quran and the Iraqi flag.
On Thursday at around 1 am (Wednesday, 2200 GMT), the Telegram group, One Baghdad, uploaded a series of videos that revealed a gathering of people near the embassy. They chanted pro-Sadr slogans and stormed the embassy complex approximately an hour later.
The protesters chanted fervently in support of the Quran with slogans like “Yes, yes to the Quran.” Subsequent videos depicted smoke emanating from a building within the embassy complex, and demonstrators were observed standing on its roof. It is important to note that Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of these videos.
Quran protests:
After the attack on the Swedish embassy, Iraq’s foreign ministry swiftly condemned it. The embassy ordered an investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable. Security forces were deployed at the embassy premises, and they extinguished embers.
Some protesters remained outside the embassy. Last month, Muqtada Sadr called for protests against Sweden. They demanded the expulsion of Swedish ambassador after an Iraqi man burned the Quran in Stockholm. Authorities charged the man with agitation against an ethnic group.
Two major protests occurred outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, with Iraq and other Muslim countries objecting to the incident. The United States also condemned it, stating that Sweden’s permit upheld freedom of expression.
