On Friday, 21st July 2023, the Danske Patrioter group in Denmark burnt Quran in front of Iraq’s embassy in Copenhagen. The protesters also threw the Iraqi flag on the ground and stomped on it. The Danske Patrioter group (meaning – Danish Patriots) said that this Quran-burning activity was a part of their protest against the attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.
It is notable that several protesters stormed the Swedish embassy early on 20th July and set it ablaze in a violent response to another planned burning of the Quran. This came following a report from a Swedish news agency saying that the Swedish police had approved a Quran and Iraqi flag-burning protest outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm.
On Friday, 21st July 2023, the members of the group Danske Patrioter gathered in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen and raised slogans against Islam. They also waved banners against Islam. They also live-streamed a video of the burning Quran on their Facebook page as a part of this protest.
The Danske Patrioter group said it carried out this activity in protest against the attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. The group staged this protest amid strict security measures taken by the police. It is the same group that burnt the Quran and the Turkish flag in front of the Turkish embassy and a mosque in Copenhagen in January 2023.
A video on social media shows members of the anti-Islamic group #Danske Patrioter burning a copy of the holy #Quran and the #Iraqi flag in Copenhagen under police protection pic.twitter.com/qVADlhNxge
— Zoom News (@zoomnewskrd) July 22, 2023
In the video, it can be seen that the protesters put the Quran on a steel tray on the ground and set it on fire. They then laid the Iraqi flag on the ground and stomped on it.
Following the event, a large mob tried to storm into the Danish Embassy in Iraq, located in the Green Zone in Baghdad. Hundreds of protestors tried to enter the heavily fortified Green Zone, but the security forces were able to hold them back by blocking a bridge.
On Thursday, 20th July 2023, ex-Muslim Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika residing in Sweden kicked and damaged the Quran and Iraq’s flag in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm. While the original plan was to burn it, it was not done, but the holy book was desecrated.
Its reaction was immediately seen in Iraq as Islamists attacked the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. The protesters entered the embassy and set it on fire. Iraqi riot police used water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters who breached the walls of the Swedish consulate in central Baghdad. Security forces equipped with electric batons attempted to chase away the protesters from the embassy.
The protests were reportedly called by supporters of the influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr who is known to have given calls to his supporters in the past to take to the streets in protest.
It is the second time that Salwan Momika has desecrated the Quran. Earlier, on 28th June 2023, he lit several pages of the Quran on fire in front of a mosque in Stockholm. This Quran-burning event also had repercussions in Iraq as hundreds of Moqtada Sadr’s followers broke into the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on the next day. After about 15 minutes of heated protests, the gathering of Muslims started to disperse as tight security was put in place.
Following the attacks on the embassy in Iraq, Sweden has temporarily shifted the embassy to Stockholm. It is notable that Iraq has already expelled the Swedish ambassador to Iraq in protest against permitting the burning of the Quran and the Iraqi flag. An Iraqi government statement said Baghdad had also recalled its charge d’affaires in Sweden. Moreover, the Iraqi govt has also suspended the work permit given to Swedish MNC Ericsson. Iraq has also threatened to cut all diplomatic relations with Sweden over the issue.
Other Islamic countries have also condemned the repeated burning of the Quran in Sweden, including Iran, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, Lebanon, Palestine etc. Sweden’s ambassadors were also summoned by several countries to objections to the event.
