Sweden protest
Smoke billows from the burning tyres, pallets and fireworks during a riot in the Rosengard neighbourhood of Malmo, Sweden August 28, 2020.Reuters

A protest broke out in the southern city of Sweden, Malmo, when a leader of the right-wing party was blocked from visiting a site where Islam's holy book was desecrated and burnt by his party members earlier in the day on Friday.

Protestors threw stones and burnt tires on the streets as the evening wore on. According to police and local media, about 300 people were there on the streets at one point in time.

Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right anti-immigration party Hard Line was supposed to attend and speak at the event which was organized on the same day of the weekly Friday prayers by the Muslims.

But the authorities preempted his arrival and arrested him outside Malmo. This led his supporters to create ruckus which later escalated into violent protests.

Believed to be a threat to law and order in the country, Rasmus Paludan has been barred from entering Sweden for his racist and anti-muslim activities for two years.

sweden riots
Reuters

"We suspect that he was going to break the law in Sweden," Calle Persson, spokesman for the police in Malmo told AFP.

"There was also a risk that his behaviour... would pose a threat to society," the officer said.

Local media reports that though police denied Rasmus Paludan entry to Malmo, his party members went ahead with the burning of the Quran and video recorded the incident. The situation then spiraled out of control when members of his party started to clash with the police.

The leader of the right-wing extremist group, Rasmus Paludan is against Sweden allowing Muslim immigrants to enter the country. He in the past has been involved in action and activities that many Muslims found offensive.

This Friday, when his party members decided to burn the copies of the Quran, Rasmus had said that he would attend the occasion but couldn't do it as authorities arrested him outside the town.

He then put up a scathing message on a social media site:

"Sent back and banned from Sweden for two years. However, rapists and murderers are always welcome!" AFP reported him writing.

About the protest, police said that things are currently out of control and security has been beefed up to bring things under control.

Sweden is one of the countries that have received a large number of Muslim refugees escaping civil war in Syria, Libya, and other parts of the world.