Malaysia
Cops warn against planned protests against Swedish Embassy over Quran-burning
Protesters hold copies of the Koran and shout slogans as they demonstrate in front of the Consulate General of Sweden after Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 22, 2023. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — The police cautioned the public today against joining two planned marches to the Swedish embassy here on Friday as both would violate public assembly laws.

In a statement today, Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Noor Dellhan Yahaya said participants would consequently be liable to prosecution.

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"The police did not receive any notification of assembly from any party to hold any assembly as provided under Section 9 (1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

"Assembly without notification is an offence under Section 9 (5) of the same Act,” he said.

He said that the police have noted three posters on social media at about 9pm yesterday, calling for the public to attend two gatherings and marches.

According to the police, one march was scheduled for approximately 8.30am this coming Friday, from the Tabung Haji Mosque to the Swedish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

The other was scheduled for about 2pm the same day, after the compulsory Muslim Friday prayers, marching from the As-Syakirin KLCC Mosque to the embassy.

Last Saturday, Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish party Stram Kurs (which translates to "Hard Line”) burnt a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, causing backlash from Muslim countries across the world.

However, Swedish authorities have said the act did not violate any of the country’s laws.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday called the act a hate crime and a "grave provocation” to the more than two billion Muslims across the world.

The same day, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations put out a statement saying that Rasmus’ act was "an expression of hatred towards Muslims”.

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