Heightening security measures
Meanwhile, Friday’s controversial protest comes just as Malmo prepares to host the Eurovision Song Contest week.
“Right now, we are in a situation where we need, as a precautionary measure, to ensure that we have the skills and tools close at hand in the event of a serious incident,” head of Malmo Police Petra Stenkula said last month at a press conference on the security situation during Eurovision.
Security has also been heightened amid Israel’s participation in the contest, despite calls to ban the country over its war on Gaza which has killed over 34,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with tens of thousands of others wounded.
Swedish authorities have requested extra measures, including heavily armed police and reinforcements from two other Nordic countries, Denmark and Norway.
Over 20,000 people from various European countries will reportedly descend on Malmo to protest Israel’s participation in the song contest that begins on May 7.
Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city, has a diverse population of over 360,000 people of 186 different nationalities, including a large Muslim community.
In 2022, the city saw large demonstrations and riots after a Quran-burning protest by Swedish-Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan.
Source link : https://www.trtworld.com/europe/sweden-approves-another-quran-desecration-event-despite-global-outcry-18006387
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Publish date : 2024-05-02 13:50:21
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