Several demonstrators briefly entered the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday to protest after an Iraqi burned pages from a copy of the Koran in Stockholm, an act condemned by many Muslim countries, AFP reported.

According to an AFP photographer, dozens of supporters of Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr remained inside the embassy for about 15 minutes and left quietly when police arrived.

Demonstrators initially protested outside the embassy against Moqtada al-Sadr’s call to “release the ambassador” following the burning of a Koran by Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi who had left his country for Sweden in protest with Iraqi approval. Swedish authorities.

On Wednesday, Salvan Momika trampled a copy of the Koran before burning several pages in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the great holiday of sacrifice celebrated by Muslims around the world.

Similar actions have taken place in Sweden and other European countries in the past, sometimes at the instigation of far-right movements, leading to demonstrations and diplomatic tensions.

On Wednesday night, the Iraqi government condemned the “racist acts that incite violence and hatred” and which occur “repeatedly” in countries “that pride themselves on diversity and respect for the beliefs of others.”

Hateful acts” / Erdogan’s threats

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq condemned “the permission granted by the Swedish authorities to an extremist to burn a copy of the Holy Quran.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday also criticized Sweden for allowing the event. “We will teach arrogant Westerners that insulting Muslims is not free speech,” he said.

Saudi Arabia condemned “repeated acts of hatred (…) which incite hatred, alienation and racism and which are contrary to efforts to spread the values ​​of tolerance”.

Kuwait demanded that those responsible for these “hostile acts” be brought to justice.

“The government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran (…) will not tolerate such an insult,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in Tehran.