Iraqis respond to planned Quran burning in Sweden by breaching into its embassy
Jenny Goldsberry
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The Swedish Embassy in Iraq was met with protests Thursday after police in Stockholm approved a protest against the Islamic faith.
Baghdad locals stormed the embassy at about 2 a.m., eventually entering to vandalize the building and set it on fire. Embassy staff were relocated to safety, and there were no reported injuries among them.
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This protest was in response to the Stockholm Police announcing Thursday that it had approved a public gathering permit for a man who claims to be an Iraqi refugee to hold a demonstration outside his home country’s embassy. Last month, this same protester burned a Quran outside the embassy, which sparked similar protests, according to the Swedish Embassy.
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“What has happened is unacceptable and the Government condemns these attacks in the strongest possible terms,” Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström wrote in a statement. “Iraqi authorities have an unequivocal obligation to protect diplomatic missions and diplomatic staff in accordance with the Vienna Convention. It is clear that the Iraqi authorities have failed to fulfill this obligation. The Government is in communication with high-level Iraqi representatives to express its dismay.”
The embassy subsequently closed its doors to visitors.
“Freedom of peaceful assembly is an essential hallmark of democracy, but what occurred last night was an unlawful act of violence,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. “It is unacceptable that Iraqi Security Forces did not act to prevent protesters from breaching the Swedish Embassy compound for a second time and damaging it.”
Along with granting the permit, Stockholm police promised to monitor the block where the demonstration is set to occur for a few hours.
“[An Unmanned Aerial System] will be used by the police to investigate, prevent and prevent crime and disorder,” police wrote in a statement. “The monitoring will be carried out as a complement to police patrolling and other safety-creating measures.”
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Miller also said that the State Department is in contact with the Swedish Foreign Affairs Ministry to offer support.
The Quran is holy scripture to Muslims, and treating all physical copies of the book with respect is part of Islamic law.