Protesters storm the Swedish embassy in Baghdad

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A whole bunch of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad within the early hours of Thursday in an expression of anger towards the anticipated burning of a Quran in Stockholm.

Photos posted on social media confirmed teams of males climbing over the fence and attempting to interrupt open the doorways of the embassy. Smoke was seen billowing from a constructing on the embassy grounds after protesters set hearth to it.

The Swedish Overseas Ministry stated all embassy personnel have been protected. “Assaults towards embassies and diplomats represent a severe violation of the Vienna Conference,” the assertion stated. “The Iraqi authorities have a duty to guard diplomatic missions and diplomatic personnel.”

Swedish media reported this week that police in Stockholm had given permission for 2 folks to stage a protest outdoors the Iraqi embassy on Thursday, with some studies saying they deliberate to burn a replica of the Quran.

Sweden has one of many strongest protections for freedom of expression in Europe and has beforehand allowed such protests to be held even after they led to riots.

The Iraqi overseas ministry condemned Thursday’s assault on the embassy “within the strongest phrases” and stated safety officers would conduct an pressing investigation. However they didn’t clarify how protesters might attain the closely guarded embassy grounds.

Safety forces used water cannons to disperse the protesters, whereas firefighters extinguished the fireplace. Small teams of demonstrators remained outdoors the embassy the place they carried out pre-dawn prayers.

Some protesters carried flags depicting Moqtada al-Sadr, the influential Shia cleric and political chief, and chanted pro-Sadr slogans. Experiences on pro-Sadr media urged that his supporters had referred to as the protests.

The cleric instructions tons of of 1000’s of followers throughout Iraq and has beforehand induced unrest. Final summer time, his loyalists stormed Baghdad’s closely fortified Inexperienced Zone and engaged in lethal fight with rival teams leaving 30 folks useless and tons of injured.

Final month, a person who stated he was an Iraqi Christian immigrant to Sweden burned a Quran outdoors a mosque in Stockholm through the Islamic vacation of Eid al-Adha. The incident sparked outrage from governments in Muslim nations, together with the UAE, Iraq, Jordan and Morocco.

Sadr referred to as for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador.

Burning a Quran is taken into account blasphemous by many Muslims. Previously, the burning of the sacred textual content has sparked violent protests around the globe.