Protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in central Baghdad early Thursday morning, storming its walls and setting it ablaze in protest over Sweden’s planned burning of the Holy Quran.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry press office issued a statement condemning the attack and emphasizing the need for Iraqi authorities to protect diplomatic missions.
According to posts in a prominent Telegram channel associated with the influential cleric and other pro-Sadr media, Thursday’s march was called by supporters of cleric Muqtada Sadr to oppose the second scheduled Quran burning in Sweden in weeks.
A series of videos released to the One Baghdad Telegram channel showed crowds gathering at the embassy at about 1 am on Thursday (2200 GMT on Wednesday), singing pro-Sadr slogans, then storming the embassy compound an hour later.
“Yes, yes to the Quran,” the demonstrators chanted.
Later videos showed smoke rising from an embassy complex building and demonstrators gathered on its roof. The validity of the videos could not be independently verified by Reuters.
Quran Protest
The Iraqi foreign ministry also condemned the event, saying in a statement that the Iraqi government has directed security forces to conduct an immediate investigation, identify culprits, and hold them accountable
According to Reuters reports, security officers had deployed inside the embassy by morning on Thursday, and smoke ascended from the structure as firefighters quenched stubborn embers.
Most of the demonstrators had dispersed, with only a few dozen remaining outside the embassy.
Late this month, Sadr called for protests against Sweden and the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador following an Iraqi man’s burning of the Quran in Stockholm.
The individual was charged with agitation against an ethnic or national group by Swedish police. He portrayed himself as an Iraqi immigrant attempting to outlaw the Quran, Islam’s basic religious text, in a media interview.
In the aftermath of the Quran burning, there were two big rallies outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, with protestors breaching the diplomatic grounds on one occasion.
Several Muslim governments, including Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Morocco, condemned the act, with Iraq demanding the man’s extradition to stand trial in the country.
The US likewise denounced it, but emphasised that Sweden’s granting of the permit was in favor of free expression and not an endorsement of the activity.
