Sweden police shoot 3 individuals during riots over Quran burning News
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Sweden police shoot 3 individuals during riots over Quran burning

The Swedish National Police Monday issued a statement about unrest during which officers shot three civilians. On Sunday, police documented riots of 200 to 250 people in the Skäggetorp district of Linköping and the Navestad district of Norrköping. Participants reportedly threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police and police vehicles.

At about 3 PM and 5 PM, police fired warning shots in Navestad “in a crowded situation.” Ricocheting bullets from police shots hit three protestors but did not cause life-threatening injuries.

Police reported that all three wounded were “later arrested on suspicion of violent rioting.” According to police, no groups obtained a permit for a public gathering on Sunday. Police arrested 21 people. The Public Prosecutor’s Office will now decide which suspects to detain and charge.

On Thursday, far-right Danish leader Rasmus Paludan obtained a permit from authorities and burned a Quran in Skäggetorp. According to government data, 58 percent of Skäggetorp residents are immigrants from countries like Syria, Iraq and Somalia. Counter-protestors expressed their disdain for Paludan and the police protecting him, and their expression became “violent riots.”

National Police Chief Anders Thornberg commented:

We live in a democratic society and one of the most important tasks of the police is to ensure that people can use their constitutionally protected rights to demonstrate and express their opinion. The police should not choose who has that right, but always intervene if a crime occurs.

Mikael Backman, chief of command in the police region East, said police would undertake “extensive analytical work to get an overall picture of what happened and what crimes were committed, as well as what role different people played.”

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