Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Saturday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Sian leader Lars Thorsen ended the demonstration by setting fire to the Koran.
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– For the sake of the safety of those involved and those who were in the center, and not least to the business community, the police have seen it necessary to end the marking of Sian on Saturday afternoon ahead of time, says police station chief in Sandefjord, Siw Thokle to VG Saturday afternoon.
According to Thokle, there must have been 300-400 counter-protesters at most during the marking.
Thokle confirms that the Koran was set on fire towards the end of the anti-Islamic organization Sian’s celebration in the city.
Just before 6 pm on Saturday, VG’s reporter on the spot reports that the police use gas grenades to drive the last counter-protesters away from Sandefjord center.
Thokle tells NTB that one counter-demonstrator during the burning of the Koran got over the fence that was set up around the Sian members. The person was immediately arrested by the police.
According to Thokle, several people were expelled from the place. The station chief does not have a full overview of the number of apprehended, but there must be more than one.
According to VG’s reporter, the police asked people on the spot to withdraw because some of the counter-protesters are said to have thrown cobblestones.
VG’s reporter has seen stones and bottles being thrown at the police.
Thokle confirms that the police used grenades with tear gas to disperse the counter-protesters.
According to the station chief, damage has been done to two of the police vehicles. No injuries were reported among police employees, she states.
– The event was planned by the police for a long time. We follow we were well prepared, not least with the preventive work. We have conducted dialogue work prior to the event, says Thokle.
– We had a desire for a peaceful demonstration and peaceful counter-demonstration, but we were also prepared – in connection with the announcement that the Koran would be burned – that there could be a great atmosphere. We have seen this at other demonstrations, she says.
– Burning the Koran is not a criminal offense, but we know it is perceived as offensive to many and that it can thus be experienced as a provocation, Thokle adds.
Saturday’s Sian demonstration and Koran burning take place after several riots in Sweden after the anti-Islamic Danish politician Rasmus Paludan burned and announced that he would burn the Koran in several Swedish cities.
Paludan has been reported for incitement against one population group after the burning of the Koran in Sweden.
Dozens of policemen and civilians were injured, and police cars and buildings were set on fire. Swedish police have said they believe criminal gangs, and not ordinary protesters, were behind the riots.
Paludan was in Norway in February where he attended a Sian celebration in front of the Storting, but he did not burn the Koran during his appeal
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