Far-right leader Rasmus Paludan, who burned copies of the Quran, goes on trial in Sweden – Firstpost

Swedish-Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan, who burned copies of the Quran in Sweden, has gone on trial accused of incitement against an ethnic group, making him the first person to stand trial in connection with the incident.

According to The Guardian In the report, Paludan, leader of the Danish political party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), refused to appear at Malmö district court when proceedings began on Monday, saying his life would be in danger if he went to the city of Malmö. southern Sweden.

Instead, he appeared via video conference from an undisclosed location in Sweden, the report added.

Paludan, 42, faces two counts of incitement against an ethnic group and one count of insult in connection with events held in Sweden in 2022, it said. The Guardian.

In April 2022, he led a public meeting that incited riots in several Swedish cities, including Malmö, Landskrona, Linköping and Örebro, during the Easter weekend. The prosecutor claims that statements made by Paludan at this meeting constituted incitement against an ethnic group.

In a separate incident in September 2022, he allegedly made racially motivated verbal attacks against “Arabs and Africans”, leading to a charge of insult, which under Swedish law can result in a fine or up to six months in prison.

Paludan, however, denies all allegations against him.

Vilhelm Persson, law professor at Lund University, said The Guardian that the Paludan trial has “fundamental significance” as the first case related to the burning of the Quran.

However, he said that being heard in a district court limits its impact and for the case to set a legal precedent, it would have to be addressed by the Swedish Supreme Court.

“Today, October 14, the main hearing begins at the Malmö District Court in the case in which a 42-year-old man was charged with two counts of incitement against an ethnic group and an insult. The events took place in April and September 2022 in Malmö,” The Guardian cited the Public Ministry on Monday.

“My assessment is that there are sufficient reasons to bring charges and now the district court will hear the case,” prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg was quoted as saying in August.

With contributions from agencies