Protesters broke into the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad on Thursday and lit a small fire to show their anger over an Iraqi asylum-seeker’s plans to burn a copy of the Quran during a demonstration in Stockholm later that day.
The Iraqi asylum-seeker, a Christian, also burned a Quran outside a Stockholm mosque during the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha last month, setting off widespread protests. Some protesters previously stormed the embassy in Baghdad over that Quran burning, while thousands of demonstrators protested on the streets of Iraq. Protesters called on Iraqi officials to expel Sweden’s ambassador to Iraq.
The Taliban in Afghanistan suspended the activities of Swedish organizations in the country over the first Quran burning.
In response to the Iraqi’s second planned burning of the Quran, dozens of men climbed over the fence at the complex on Thursday and waved flags and signs depicting the Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr, video shows. Other protesters performed predawn prayers outside of the embassy.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “our embassy staff are in safety.” The Swedish Embassy said Thursday it is closed to visitors indefinitely.
“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.”
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström decried the incident, calling it “completely unacceptable” in a statement. He said the ministry will meet with Iraq’s charge d’affaires in Stockholm and accused Iraqi authorities of “seriously failing” to protect the embassy and its personnel.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said after a meeting with security officials that Iraqi authorities will prosecute protesters who were responsible for setting the fire and will investigate “negligent security officials.”
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry confirmed 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 ministry did not say how it allowed the incident to happen.
The prime minister warned, however, that the Iraqi government plans to cut off diplomatic relations with Sweden if the planned Quran burning takes place on Thursday.
Stockholm police spokesman Mats Eriksson told the Associated Press that police had given permission for a demonstration by two people outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm on Thursday, but said he could not say whether that demonstration involved plans to burn the Quran. Swedish police typically approve public demonstrations as long as they believe it can occur without causing major disruptions or risks to public safety, according to the report.