People burn branches to block a road during a riot ahead of a demonstration planned by Danish anti-Muslim politician Rasmus Paludan and his Stram Kurs party, which was to include a burning of the Muslim holy book Koran, in Norrkoping, Sweden April 17, 202
STOCKHOLM, April 17 — Plans by a far-right group to publicly burn copies of the Koran sparked violent clashes with counter-demonstrators for the third day running in Sweden, police said today.
Litter bins, a bus and a car were all set on fire in a series of separate incidents in the city of Malmo overnight, police said in a statement.
“The situation calmed down towards 3:00 am,” police spokeswoman Kim Hild told SR public radio, adding that no officers were hurt.
There have been similar clashes in recent days over plans to publicly burn the Koran at a rally by the anti-immigration and anti-Islamic Stram Kurs (Hard Line) movement led by Danish-Swedish Rasmus Paludan.
Three police officers had to be taken to hospital after a riot broke out in the city of Linkoping on Sweden’s east coast on Thursday. Two people were arrested at that protest.
And on Friday, nine police officers were injured in similar clashes in Orebro in central Sweden. — AFP