Stockholm (Agencies): A woman, professing to be a Christian activist, has reportedly staged a Quran-burning protest in Stockholm, Sweden. The incident, which took place on April 26, was reported by Turkish news outlet A Haber.
The woman, identified as 48-year-old Jade Sandberg, was seen in a video torching the Muslim holy book while waving a Christian cross and shouting “Islam out of Sweden!” The protest is believed to have been sanctioned by local authorities, as police officers present at the scene did not attempt to stop it.
Sandberg, who claims to be a “priest, exorcist, and demonologist,” as well as an “activist and crusader against the devil’s religion of Islam,” posted footage and photos from the demonstration on her social media account. This week’s Quran-burning is reportedly at least her second this year.
Such protests have been occurring across Sweden since 2023, when Danish right-wing politician Rasmus Paludan, who also holds Swedish citizenship, burned the Islamic text in front of the Turkish embassy. While Swedish authorities have condemned these acts, they have largely allowed them to proceed, citing the country’s laws guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression.
The burnings have been condemned as Islamophobic by many Muslim-majority countries. Türkiye even threatened to block Sweden’s NATO accession plans as long as it allowed the desecration of the Quran. However, Ankara later ratified the bid, and Sweden was formally admitted to the US-led military bloc last month.
Stockholm said last year it planned to amend the Public Order Act in order to prevent Quran-burning incidents in the future. Swedish regulators are expected to finalize their review of the draft law by early summer.
Earlier this month, Swedish television channel SVT reported that police had received another request to hold a Quran-burning demonstration on May 3, the day before the start of the Eurovision song contest, which this year takes place in the southern Swedish city of Malmö.