Iraq: Hundreds storm Swedish embassy and set it on fire

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr break into and set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in reaction to the Quran burning in Sweden

July 20, 2023 at 9:41 am | Published in: Middle East Monitor

July 20, 2023 at 9:41 am

Hundreds of Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in the capital, Baghdad, at dawn today, and set it on fire.

Supporters of Muqtada Al-Sadr had called for a protest in front of the embassy to coincide with Salwan Momika's plan to burn the Quran in Sweden once again.

Momika threatened to burn the Qur'an, along with the Iraqi flag, in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Sweden.

However on Wednesday he announced that the Swedish authorities had withdrawn his police protection and asked him to stop criticising Muslims, noting that they threatened to review his asylum file in Sweden.

READ: Egypt urges int'l community to take action to prevent Quran burning 

The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the staff of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad are "safe" after demonstrators set fire to the building.

"We are aware of the situation, our embassy staff in Iraq are safe and the embassy is in regular contact with them," the ministry said.

In turn, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Iraq condemns "in the strongest terms the incident of burning the embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Baghdad."

The ministry added that the government had ordered the security authorities to conduct an urgent investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident and hold the perpetrators to account.

Iraqi riot police this morning used water cannons to disperse the protesters.