Sweden riots: Know more about anti-Muslim hardliner Rasmus Paludan whose cancelled meeting triggered violence

On Friday, riots broke out in the southern Swedish town of Malmo on Friday after far-right activists engaged in anti-Islamic activities, police said.

About 300 people were on the streets of Malmo with violence escalating as the evening wore on, according to police and local media.

The rioters set car tires on fire and threw objects at police officers. 

The riots started right after Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line, had been denied permission to have a meeting in Malmo and was stopped at the Swedish border, according to reports.

Who is Rasmus Paludan?

Paludan is a Danish politician who founded the right-wing party Stam Kurs in 2017. He is known for posting anti-Muslim videos on YouTube.

Last year, he was close to winning the 2019 Danish elections. He was running for elections based on his anti-Islamic rhetoric and a promise to deport 300,000 Muslims from Denmark.

His party, Stram Kurs won 1.8% of the vote in national elections in 2019 falling short of the 2% mark needed to win the elections.

In June this year, he was convicted of posting anti-Islam videos on his party's social media channels.

He faced 14 charges, including racism, defamation, and dangerous driving.

In 2019, he was sentenced to 14 days of conditional imprisonment for delivering a racist speech.

His antics include burning the Quran wrapped in beacon, making insulting remarks on Muslims and Islam.

Paludan had been banned by the Swedish authorities for two years for anti-Islamic rhetoric. 

The rioting supposedly took an ugly turn when right-wing activists burned a Quran in a rally just after Paludan was not permitted to enter Swedish territory.

Various anti-Islamic activities took place in Malmo on Friday. A newspaper named Daily Aftonbladet reported that three men were seen kicking a copy of the Quran between them in a public square.