Hundreds of protesters in Baghdad were prevented from storming the Danish Embassy
Iraqi police forced supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr to retreat towards Tahrir Square after dispersing them in a new move against the desecration of the Quran in Copenhagen
Earlier on Saturday morning, Iraqi security forces confronted hundreds of protesters supporting Muqtada al-Sadr, who attempted to enter the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, where Western embassies are located. This was in response to the recent desecration of the Quran, which occurred two days after the same protesters set fire to the Swedish Embassy.
The demonstration followed the circulation of information published in the press about a new desecration of the Quran. On their Facebook page, the extremist Danish group “Dansk Folkeparti” shared a video on Friday showing a man burning what appears to be a Quran before stepping on the Iraqi flag.
The Copenhagen police confirmed to a Danish media outlet that a book was burned in front of the Iraqi Embassy, but they were unable to confirm whether it was a Quran.
In a conversation with Agence France-Presse, the Danish police were unable to provide immediate comments on the issue.
Hundreds of protesters gathered around 1 a.m. (22:00 GMT) in Tahrir Square in the heart of the Iraqi capital, most of them young people, chanting “Yes, yes to the Quran” while holding pictures of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. The security forces cut off two bridges leading to the Green Zone, a heavily fortified district in the capital that houses government institutions and embassies.
However, the protesters, who numbered close to a thousand, attempted to force their way across and clashed with security forces who tried to disperse them before they were finally dispersed at dawn, according to an official in the Ministry of Interior who requested anonymity from Agence France-Presse.
The protesters were attempting to reach the Danish Embassy, according to the same source.
After hours of attempting to reach the embassy and an increase in the number of protesters on one side and security forces on the other, security forces managed to force the protesters to retreat towards Tahrir Square. This happened simultaneously with appeals from platforms linked to the current to protesters through the Telegram application and other social media platforms, asking them to withdraw and await the position of their leader, Muqtada al-Sadr.
The protesters chanted slogans condemning the burning of the Quran and reaffirmed their commitment to their leader al-Sadr’s instructions.
Iraqi journalist Hisham Ali pointed out the difficulty of accessing the Danish Embassy. He tweeted, “I believe that it is difficult to enter the Green Zone for several reasons, most notably the proximity of the Danish Embassy to the U.S. Embassy. There is talk that its security is the same as the U.S. Embassy.”
On Thursday, al-Sadr supporters attacked the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad and set it on fire in response to two rallies held in Stockholm, during which the Quran was desecrated in June and on Thursday.
The two rallies and the police statement caused a diplomatic crisis between Iraq and Sweden, leading to the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq.
Early on Saturday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry strongly and repeatedly condemned the “offense against the Quran and the flag of the Republic of Iraq in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Denmark.”
The ministry confirmed its “full commitment to monitor the developments of these heinous incidents, which cannot be considered in the context of freedom of expression and the right to protest.” It warned that “these actions fuel reactions and put all parties in critical positions.”
In another statement, the ministry reaffirmed “full compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations between states,” adding that “the Iraqi government is responsible for providing protection and security to diplomatic missions’ staff at all missions.”
The ministry continued that “what happened to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Baghdad is an act that cannot be tolerated, and any similar action will be subject to legal accountability.”
