At least ten people were detained for questioning after violent riots broke out following another incident of burning the Quran in Sweden.
The police of the city of Malmö, the third-largest city in Sweden, announced that during a ceremony of burning the Quran performed by a local anti-Islamic activist, violent riots broke out during which Muslim protesters vandalized cars, shop windows and part of the streets of Malmö.
The riots led to a clash between the demonstrators and the Malmö police, who used crowd control munitions to keep the demonstrators away. The riot began after Selvan Momika, an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden and known as an anti-Islam activist, decided to burn the Quran in the streets of Malmö.
According to a report by the SVT television network, at least 200 people came to watch the ceremony, some of them Muslims, who tried to prevent the burning of the Quran by force.
"Some of the spectators were upset after the organizer burned holy scriptures. I understand that such a public meeting arouses strong emotions, but we cannot tolerate disturbances and violent expressions like the ones we saw on Sunday afternoon," said a senior police officer from Malmö Petra Stankula.
Quran-burnings in Sweden have provoked protest and outrage in the Muslim world in recent months, and in several Muslim countries, there have been violent demonstrations against the Swedish embassy. The Swedish security forces announced the raising of alertness in the country to a high level due to fear of revenge attacks for the desecration and burning of the Quran.