Sweden charges activist for burning Holy Quran in 2022

Swedish prosecutors on Wednesday charged a Swedish-Danish right-wing activist with inciting ethnic hatred by desecrating and burning Holy Quran in 2022.

The charges stem from a 2022 incident in Malmo where Paludan, who has a history of racist abuse convictions, desecrated and burned a copy of the Holy Quran while making derogatory comments about Muslims.

A second charge was filed against him for a separate incident where he made disparaging remarks about Arabs and Africans.

Paludan's actions sparked widespread rioting in Sweden in 2022 and drew international condemnation, particularly after he repeated the stunt outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January 2023.

This incident strained relations between Sweden and Turkey, which was already blocking Sweden's bid to join NATO.

Tensions between Sweden and several Middle Eastern countries escalated further in the summer of 2023, following a series of protests staged by Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, which included desecrations of the Holy Quran.

The Swedish government denounced the desecrations while acknowledging the country's constitutional protections for freedom of speech and assembly."