Iraq is also calling home its own top diplomat in Stockholm, writes the broadcaster and quotes the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A day after protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, the planned Koran celebration continued in Stockholm. To a large press corps and a small group of furious onlookers, two men met in the rain. One is the same man in his 30s who burned Muslims’ holy book in front of the capital’s largest mosque in June. The police say they have had dialogue with all those involved and are well prepared. Photo: CAISA RASMUSSEN / AFP With a broad smile on his face, he rubbed the Koran, the Iraqi flag and the image of several famous Iraqi figures on his shoes. Among them was the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. He is originally from Iraq, but ended up in Sweden, Swedish TV4 previously reported. In the application to be allowed to demonstrate, he wrote that they were planning to carry out a Koran burning. But after a loud argument with counter-demonstrators through a megaphone, the men packed up the Koran and left. Several times, Koran burnings in Sweden have led to strong reactions in the Muslim world. 57 Muslim countries have demanded that Muslims’ holy book must be protected by international law. Swedish embassy stormed in Baghdad On the night of Thursday several hundred protesters entered Sweden’s embassy in the Iraqi capital. A fire was started inside, according to local sources, and Iraqi riot police were on the scene. The reason is the new demonstration that was announced in front of Iraq’s embassy in Stockholm on Thursday afternoon. Here, the demonstrators climb over the fence outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, while the firefighting continues in the background. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed to SVT that all employees at the embassy are safe. It is still unclear whether some of them were present when the storming occurred. The protests started after al-Sadr called on his followers to resist on the messaging app Telegram. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström says that “the Iraqi authorities have seriously failed in their responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and personnel”. The Prime Minister of Iraq has told Sweden that he will establish diplomatic ties with the country if the Koran is burned there again. A protester holds up a picture of Muqtada al-Sadr in front of the fire at the Swedish embassy. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
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Planned desecration of the Koran continues in Stockholm – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
