Riot in Sweden amidst Quran-burning rally
Protesters threw stones at police and burned tyres in southern Sweden late on Friday, authorities said, hours after an anti-Muslim Danish politician was blocked from attending a Quran-burning rally nearby.
About 300 people were on the streets of Malmo with violence escalating as the evening wore on, according to police and local media.
The demonstration was linked to an incident earlier in the day where protesters burned a copy of the Islamic holy book, police spokesman Rickard Lundqvist told Swedish tabloid Expressen.
Rasmus Paludan, who leads the far-right Danish anti-immigration party Hard Line, was because of happen to be Malmo to speak at that event, that was being held on the same day as weekly prayers for the Muslim sabbath.
But authorities pre-empted Paludan's arrival by announcing he had been banned from entering Sweden for just two years. He was later arrested near Malmo.
"We suspect that he would break regulations in Sweden," Calle Persson, spokesman for the authorities in Malmo told AFP.
"There is also a risk that his behavior... would pose a threat to society."
But his supporters went ahead with the rally, and three people were then arrested for inciting racial hatred.
Paludan later set up a scathing message on Facebook.
"Sent back and banned from Sweden for just two years. However, rapists and murderers are always welcome!" he wrote.
Paludan this past year attracted media attention for burning a Quran wrapped in bacon - a meat that's anathema for Muslims. - AFP
