By Hamdi Alkhshali and Aqeel Najim, CNN
(CNN) Lots of of protesters stormed the principle gates of the Swedish embassy within the Iraqi capital Baghdad early Thursday in response to Stockholm police granting permission for an indication the place organizers are reportedly planning one other burning of the Muslim holy e-book, the Koran.
Movies posted on social media confirmed numerous protesters contained in the perimeter of the Swedish embassy, in addition to black smoke and hearth billowing from the constructing.
The protest in Sweden, scheduled for Thursday, comes simply weeks after a lone man set hearth to pages of the Koran exterior Stockholm’s predominant mosque, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation all over the world, together with in Iraq.
Based on AFP, Swedish police mentioned on Wednesday that that they had granted a allow for a protest exterior the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, and media reported that organizers deliberate to burn the Muslim holy e-book.
Stockholm police informed AFP that they had granted permission for a “public assembly” in entrance of the Iraqi embassy, however didn’t want to remark additional on what the protesters had been planning.
Swedish police have confused that they solely grant permits for folks to carry public gatherings and never for actions carried out throughout them, in accordance with AFP.
On the Baghdad protest, eyewitnesses informed CNN that protesters withdrew from the perimeter of the Swedish embassy after setting hearth to a part of it “after delivering their protest message towards the act of burning God’s Holy E book.”
Employees on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad are secure amid protests exterior the constructing, the Overseas Ministry’s press workplace informed CNN by way of electronic mail.
“We condemn all assaults on diplomats and employees of worldwide organizations. Assaults on embassies and diplomats represent a severe violation of the Vienna Conference. The Iraqi authorities have a accountability to guard diplomatic missions and diplomatic personnel,” he mentioned.
Iraq’s international ministry condemned the burning of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, the ministry mentioned in an announcement.
The incident is a part of a worrying sample of assaults on diplomatic missions, posing a significant safety risk, the ministry mentioned.
He added that the Iraqi authorities took swift motion, instructing the related safety authorities to launch an pressing investigation, “measures to find the circumstances of the incident and establish the perpetrators of this act and maintain them accountable in accordance with the legislation.”
On the finish of June, a person burned a duplicate of Islam’s holy e-book in entrance of a Stockholm mosque, prompting mass condemnation throughout the Muslim world.
Footage from the occasion confirmed that he was the one individual apart from his translator on the rally, which coincided with the Muslim vacation of Eid-al-Adha, probably the most essential dates within the Islamic calendar.
The CNN Wire
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