Two charged for Quran burnings in Sweden

Two individuals have been charged in Sweden with inciting hatred after burning copies of the Quran in public on several occasions in 2023, the Public Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday.

«The two men are being prosecuted for having, on four occasions, made statements and treated the Quran in a way intended to express contempt for Muslims because of their faith», said Senior Public Prosecutor Anna Hankkio in a statement.

She added that «the actions and statements of these men fall under the law against agitation against an ethnic group, and it is important that they be referred for trial».

In early August, a Swedish-Danish far-right activist, Rasmus Paludan, was sent to trial for the same reason, after the burning of a Quran in the city of Malmö in 2022. Previously, Morocco had expressed its dissatisfaction with these initiatives and their repetitive nature.

In October 2023, a man was convicted by a Swedish court of inciting hatred after burning a copy of the Quran in 2020, the first judgment for this type of act.