2014 mosque arson attacks in Sweden

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2014 mosque arson attacks in Sweden
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Eslöv
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Uppsala
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Eskilstuna
2014 mosque arson attacks in Sweden (Sweden)
Location Eslöv, Uppsala and Eskilstuna, Sweden
Date25 December 2014 [1] [2]
1 January 2015 [3]
Attack type
Arson [4]
Weapons Molotov cocktails [4]
Motive Anti-immigration [5]
Anti-Islam [5]

The 2014 Sweden mosques arson attacks were a series of incidents all of which were initially believed to be arson attacks on three mosques in Sweden, that took place during one week at the end of 2014. [4] In the third incident, in addition to being struck by a Molotov cocktail, the mosque at Uppsala was vandalized with racist graffiti. [4] [6]

Contents

The first incident, the only one to have caused injuries, was found to have been an accident in the mosque kitchen caused by an overheated deep-fryer. [7] [8] [9]

Accident and attacks

On Christmas Day, five people suffered injuries when, according to early reports, a petrol bomb had been tossed through the window of a mosque in Eskilstuna. Up to 20 people, including children, were in the mosque at the time of the attack. [1] [2] Police later said they were investigating the incident as an accident, considering it unlikely to have been a deliberate attack. [7] It was later reported that an overheated deep-fryer was the probable cause of the fire. [8] [9]

The second event (and first indisputable arson attack) took place on 29 December in the southern Swedish town of Eslöv just after 3 am local time. No one was injured on that occasion. [5] [10]

Early on New Year's morning, there was another arson attack on a mosque, this time in Uppsala. [3] [11] [12] In this attack the mosque was also vandalized with racist graffiti. [6]

Background

The attacks happened at a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment and political tension over Sweden's status as the leading destination in the European Union (per capita) for asylum seekers. [13]

Response

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said that the attacks were "hateful violence" and denounced the crime. He said that the attacks were not representative of Sweden. and that "no-one in Sweden should be afraid of practicing their religion". [10] [ citation needed ]

Samir Muric, the imam in Eslöv, told a Swedish news agency: "Unfortunately this is probably something to do with Islamophobia. I live nearby, and it’s beginning to feel unsafe." [5]

On January 2, 2015, hundreds of anti-racist demonstrators in three major Swedish cities rallied in support of Muslims. [14] [15]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Arson attack at Swedish mosque leaves five injured". euronews.
  2. 1 2 "Five hurt in mosque arson attack". thelocal.se.
  3. 1 2 "Uppsala mosque hit in third firebomb attack". thelocal.se.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Sweden hit by third assault on mosque". Financial Times.(subscription required)
  5. 1 2 3 4 David Crouch. "Swedish mosque set ablaze in second suspected arson attack in a week". the Guardian.
  6. 1 2 "Sweden hit by third mosque arson attack in a week". straitstimes.com.
  7. 1 2 "Source: Police "no longer suspect arson" at Eskilstuna mosque". Sveriges Radio. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Local newspaper: Eskilstuna mosque fire caused by deep-fryer". Sveriges Radio. 9 March 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Report deep fryer started mosque fire". The Local . 9 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Second Swedish Mosque Targeted in Suspected Arson Attack". newsweek.com.
  11. "Sweden hit by third mosque arson attack". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. "Sweden suffers third mosque arson attack in a week". The National.
  13. "Swedes rally in support of mosques after arson attacks". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  14. ABC News. "Swedes Rally in Support of Mosques After Arson Attacks". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  15. "Swedes rally in support of Muslims after arson attacks against mosques". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-01-03.