Three people were injured as protesters clashed with police in Sweden after right-wing extremists burned the Quran, leading to unrest in several towns over the Easter weekend,
Independent reports.
Protesters who were hit by police bullets in the city of Norrkoping were taken to hospital. “Three people seem to have been hit by ricochets and are now being cared for in hospital. All three injured are arrested on suspicion of crime,” the authorities said.
Riots erupted in several parts of the country following demonstrations organised by Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Stram Kurs or Hard Line. The extremist leader is reportedly known for his anti-Islam acts and had permission to hold a series of demonstrations across Sweden during the weekend.
Swedish authorities said they had fired “warning shots” during the riot to disperse protesters angry about demonstrations over the past few days. Several counter-protests planned against the demonstrations by Mr Paludan turned violent after he set fire to a copy of the Quran on Friday.
Kim Hild, a spokesperson for police in southern Sweden, had said on Saturday that the police would not revoke permission for the demonstration targeting religious minorities because the threshold for doing that is very high in Sweden, which values free speech.
