Protesters breached the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday morning to rail against a planned burning of the Quran in Stockholm.
The protesters who stormed the embassy were showing support for Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who called for protests after news broke that two people were planning to hold a demonstration outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm on Thursday. One of those people had reportedly burned the Quran outside the Iraqi Embassy last month, a move that also sparked protests at the Swedish Embassy.
Stockholm police said that a permit was approved for a demonstration outside the embassy on Thursday but did not say whether a Quran would be burned. Iraq has warned Sweden it would cut off diplomatic ties with the country if the Quran was burned.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said all embassy staff are safe.
“We condemn all attacks on diplomats and staff from international organizations,” the ministry said in a statement. “Attacks on embassies and diplomats constitute a serious violation of the Vienna Convention. Iraqi authorities have the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and diplomatic staff.”
The Swedish Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement Thursday that it is closed to visitors.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the protests Thursday, which included lighting a fire within the embassy. Video footage shows a small fire being set, protesters climbing over the walls and police and other officials gathering at the site at dawn, where plumes of smoke remained.
“The Iraqi government has instructed the competent security authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and take the necessary security measures in order to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators of this act and hold them accountable according to the law,” officials said.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the U.S. “strongly condemns” the attack on the Swedish Embassy.
“Freedom of peaceful assembly is an essential hallmark of democracy, but what occurred last night was an unlawful act of violence,” Miller said. “It is unacceptable that Iraqi Security Forces did not act to prevent protestors from breaching the Swedish Embassy compound for a second time and damaging it.”
“We are in contact with our Swedish partners and have offered our support. Foreign missions should not be targets of violence. We call on the Government of Iraq to honor its international obligations to protect all diplomatic missions in Iraq against any intrusion or damage, as required by international law,” Miller added.
The Associated Press contributed.
Updated at 9:13 a.m.