Iraq has ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden as a man desecrated of a copy of the Koran in Stockholm.
The diplomatic blow-up came hours after protesters angered by the planned burning of a copy of the Koran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, breaking into the compound and lighting a small fire.
The Swedish Embassy announced it had closed to visitors. Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani said that Iraqi authorities will prosecute the arsonists as well, referring “negligent security officials” for investigation.
The man kicked and stood on the Koran during his protest at the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm as Swedish police stood by.
Online videos showed demonstrators at the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad waving flags and signs showing the influential Shia cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
The videos showed dozens of men climbing over the fence at the complex, with the sound of them trying to break down a front door. Another showed what appeared to be a small fire being set. Other footage showed men, some shirtless in the summer heat, inside what appeared to be a room at the embassy.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “our embassy staff are in safety,” without elaborating.
“We condemn all attacks on diplomats and staff from international organizations,” the ministry said. “Attacks on embassies and diplomats constitute a serious violation of the Vienna Convention. Iraqi authorities have the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and diplomatic staff.”
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement condemning the attack, without explaining how it allowed the breach to happen or identifying who carried out the assault.
“The Iraqi government has instructed the competent security authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and take the necessary security measures in order to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators of this act and hold them accountable according to the law,” the Foreign Ministry said.
As dawn broke, police and other security officials gathered at the embassy as small plumes of smoke still rose. Firefighters tried to douse the flames from the ladder of a fire truck. Some demonstrators still stood at the site, holding placards showing al-Sadr’s face, apparently left alone by police.
The Swedish news agency TT has reported that Swedish police granted an application for a demonstration on Thursday outside of the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm. TT reported that the application stated that two demonstrators planned to burn a Koran and the Iraq flag.
For Muslims, the burning of the Koran represents a blasphemous desecration of their religion’s holy text. Koran burnings in the past have sparked protests across the Muslim world, some turning violent.
An Iraqi Christian immigrant last month burned a Koran outside a Stockholm mosque during the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, triggering widespread condemnation in the Islamic world. A similar protest by a far-right activist was held outside Turkey’s Embassy earlier this year, complicating Sweden’s efforts to convince Turkey to let it join NATO.
In June, protesters who support al-Sadr stormed the embassy in Baghdad during daylight hours over that incident.
