(VOVWORLD) - Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad Thursday in response to a police decision granting permission for a demonstration in Stockholm where organizers are reportedly planning another burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran.
 Security forces spray water as protesters gather near the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, which was stormed hours earlier and set on fire on July 20, 2023. (Photo: Reuters) |
Sweden’s embassy staff in Baghdad are all safe amid protests outside of the building, the foreign ministry said, adding Iraqi authorities have the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and diplomatic staff.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the burning of Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad, the ministry said in a statement.
It added that the Iraqi government has taken swift action, instructing competent security authorities to launch an urgent investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators of this act and hold them accountable according to the law.
On Wednesday, the Swedish news agency TT reported that Swedish police had granted a permit for a protest outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, with media reporting the organizers planned to burn the Muslim holy book.
The Swedish media reported that one of the protestors who will likely burn the Quran and Iraq’s flag will be Salwan Momika – the Iraqi refugee in Sweden that organized the burning on Thursday.
Salwan also burned pages of a copy of the Quran in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque on June 28 during Eid al-Adha, a holy day celebrated by Muslims around the world.