Rioters reportedly stormed the Swedish embassy in Iraq and lit it on fire in protest against the burning of a Koran in Stockholm weeks ago.
Videos on social media show demonstrators protesting outside the embassy, and later videos appear to show fires at the embassy in Baghdad after the protest turned into rioting.
Riot police had been sent to restore order, and smoke was seen rising out of the embassy, according to a report from an AFP News Agency journalist at the scene.
Reuters reported that no embassy staff members had been harmed.
Protesters chanted, “Yes, yes to the Koran!”
The violent demonstration was organized by supporters of Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, according to posts on social media.
Muslims have focused their ire at Sweden ever since an incident during which authorities allowed the Koran was to be burned in June in front of a mosque by an Iraqi immigrant.
Two men were caught on news camera ripping the pages out of the Koran, wiping their shoes with them, and sprinkling pig’s blood on the book before lighting it on fire.
The incident complicated Sweden’s bid to join NATO while Ukraine is still defending itself against an invasion by Russia. It also led to two previous major demonstrations against Sweden at its embassy in Iraq, including one during which the facility was breached by rioters.
Sweden needs the approval of Turkey to enter NATO, but the Islamic country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, cited the Koran-burning when he announced that he would oppose its entry into the organization.
“We will eventually teach the arrogant Westerners that insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought,” Erdogan said.
The U.S. State Department called the incident “disrespectful and hurtful.”
Here’s more about the Swedish Koran controversy:
Koran burning complicates Sweden’s NATO bidwww.youtube.com
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