Thousands of people demonstrate in Yemen’s capital Sanaa against the desecration of the Koran in Denmark and Sweden, Reuters reports.
The protest was organized by the Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northwestern Yemen including the capital Sanaa since 2014.
Pictures from the scene show how protesters armed themselves with firearms and knives.
The protesters hold up copies of the Koran while chanting slogans condemning the burning of the Koran. Other protesters were seen brandishing daggers, pistols and AK-47s.
Protests have previously broken out in Iran and Iraq after Denmark and Sweden allowed the burning of the Koran. Demonstrators in Iraq set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday, and the demonstrators in Yemen are said to have gathered outside the Danish embassy.
– We condemn what Sweden, Denmark and the western countries, the polytheistic and corrupt countries, are doing to burn the Koran and dishonor the sanctity of Muslims, says a protester in Yemen.
New Koran burnings are planned
The demonstrations in Yemen are taking place just hours after another application for Koran burning was received by the police. The new application is made by a 31-year-old man who wants to organize a gathering outside the Iranian embassy in Stockholm this Saturday.
In addition to a Koran, the man plans to set fire to a picture of Iran’s leader and two doll heads. The purpose of the burning is to protest the way Iran’s population is treated.
– I cannot accept that our people live in ignorance and superstition, the man says SVT.
If the application is approved, it will be one of several Koran burnings in Sweden recently, which has received a lot of attention in large parts of the world.
Troubled in Baghdad
Hundreds of protesters tried to storm the Green Zone in Baghdad, where government buildings and embassies are located, early Saturday morning. It happened after an alleged Koran burning outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen.
The protesters were pushed back by security forces, who prevented the mob from taking
to the Danish embassy in the Iraqi capital. This is written by the news agency AP. The new protest takes place two days after the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was stormed and set on fire.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly and repeatedly condemns the incident of abuse of the Holy Koran and the flag of Iraq in front of the Iraqi embassy in Denmark,” wrote the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the incident.
The ministry calls on the international community to “quickly” take a stand against actions that “violate social peace and coexistence in the world”.