STOCKHOLM: A Swedish court on Tuesday found a far-right activist guilty of two counts of hate crime against Muslims over statements he made whilst desecrating the Holy Quran, acts that triggered riots in the Nordic country in 2022.
Rasmus Paludan, the founder of a small political party, was sentenced to four months in prison for agitation against Muslims, the Malmo district court said.
A citizen of both Denmark and Sweden, Paludan has several times desecrated the Holy Quran in public, causing outrage among Muslims at home and abroad.
While burning religious texts in itself is permitted under Sweden’s far-reaching freedom of speech legislation, agitation against an ethnic or national group, such as insulting and offending Muslims, can be a violation of the law.
Paludan was charged with making lewd remarks about Islam and Muslims as well as about counter-demonstrators.
“The court makes the assessment that at the gatherings (Paludan) expressed disrespect towards, among others, Muslims, and that his actions can’t be excused as criticism of Islam or as political campaigning,” the ruling said.
Paludan, 42, who was also convicted in Denmark on similar charges in 2020, had pleaded not guilty. His lawyer said he would appeal.
His political party has failed to win any seats in elections in either Denmark or Sweden.
