Violent riots in Sweden’s Malmo city: All you need to know

Team Udayavani, Aug 29, 2020, 5:27 PM IST

Riots broke out in the southern Swedish town of Malmo on Friday, Aug 28, after far-right activists engaged in anti-Islamic activities

Around 300 people gathered to protest, rioters set fires and threw objects at police and rescue services leading to the detention of about 15 people.

What led to the violent protests?

Sources claim that Rasmus Paludan, a right-wing Danish leader was denied entry in Sweden to have a meeting in Malmo

According to DNA, Paludan is a Danish politician who founded the right-wing party Stam Kurs in 2017. He is known for posting anti-Muslim videos on YouTube.

In June, Paludan was convicted on charges of racism for posting anti-Islam videos on his party’s social media channels, as a result of which he was sentenced to three months in jail

After Danish was denied entry into Sweden, a copy of the Quran was burned in Malmo on Friday by members of the far-right Danish party Stram Kurs

Also, several anti-Islam activities had taken place in Malmo on Friday, including three men kicking a copy of the Quran between them in a public square.

In retaliation, a large number of people hit the streets leading to massive riots and incidents of vandalism across the town

Rioters were seen chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’, hurling stones and paving bricks on police vehicles that arrived to control the situation.