HELSINKI – Swedish police said on Monday that the riots that shook several cities in the Scandinavian country were extremely serious crimes against society, and suspected that some protesters were linked to criminal gangs that were deliberately targeted by police.
Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has witnessed riots, fighting, arson and violence since Thursday, in which some police officers and protesters were injured. It was sparked by meetings between Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan and the planned burning of the Koran across the country.
“We suspect that those involved (in the riots) have links to criminal groups,” National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg told a news conference on Monday, adding that some of these “criminals” were known to police. “I contacted the prosecutor to prosecute these people.
Sweden’s National Police Commander Jonas Heasing said Monday that 26 police officers and 14 people – protesters or others – were injured in the riots and 20 police vehicles were destroyed or damaged.
The latest riots erupted on Sunday night in Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city, after an angry mob of mostly young people set fire to car tires, debris and rubbish bins in the Rosengard district. Protesters threw stones, and police responded with tear gas to the crowd. A school and several cars were set on fire, but the situation calmed down early Monday.
A total of 11 people were detained and three arrested in Malmö. No serious injuries were reported.
As of Thursday, in addition to Malmö, riots, unrest and violent clashes have been reported in Stockholm, the central city of Örebro, the eastern cities of Linköping and Norrkoping and the southern city of Landskrona.
Police were forced to use weapons in self-defense, Hissing said. Three people were injured in Norrkoping on Sunday when they were hit by ricochets as police fired warning shots at a crowd of protesters.
“There are many indications that the police have been targeted,” Hissing said, adding that some protesters were suspected of attempted murder, assault and violence against an official.
Both Thornberg and Heasing stressed that the rebels’ main targets were the Swedish police and society, not Paludan – seen by many Swedes as a provocative agent – and his Stram Kurs (hardline) party, led by an anti-immigrant, anti-Islamic party. program.
Thornberg, Sweden’s top police chief, said “criminals” who took advantage of the situation on Paludan’s Swedish Easter tour and joined the riots were the main suspects in the violence. The riots escalated quickly after Paludan’s first demonstrations were met by counter-protesters in many places last week.
“We need to end this early. What we see here is a very serious crime,” Thornberg said, referring to the riots.
Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said on Monday that he still has great confidence in the Swedish police despite the unrest over the weekend and promised more resources to law enforcement.
“When you find yourself in these critical and aggressive situations, the police can do nothing but fight hard,” Johansson told Swedish news outlets. “We cannot accept that the perpetrators are committing this kind of violence.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Sweden’s charge d’affaires for the planned burning of Paludan’s Koran, saying such activities could seriously jeopardize Sweden’s relations with the Muslim world.
In Iran, dozens of students gathered at the Swedish embassy on Monday to protest Paludan’s planned burns to the Koran. Chanting “The offenders of the Qur’an must be condemned!” they also repeated traditional slogans such as “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Nasser Karimi of Iran, Tehran, contributed to this article.
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