A video has surfaced wherein a man is seen attacking another who has a burning book in his hand, thereafter the mob is seen going into a frenzy and police intervening to stop the skirmish. The crowd from behind the barricades can he heard hooting.
This footage had been shot in the city of Kristiansand in Norway where a leader of a group, which has been holding rallies against the Islamification of Norway, was attacked initially by a Muslim man then subsequently by a mob for defying the police orders against burning the Quran.
According to reports, Lars Thorsen, the leader of an organisation named Stop Islamization of Norway (SIAN) burnt a copy of the Quran while two copies of the religious text (The Holy Quran) were thrown in a trash can during the rally.
The rally had been approved by local authorities, but police had warned SIAN against desecrating the Quran after the group said it planned to do so.
The action infuriated counter-protesters, who vaulted over the barricades and attacked the SIAN’s leader. The demonstration soon took an ugly turn and the Norwegian police were seen intervening, trying to calm down the situation.
The video of the confrontation shows Thorsen tossing away a burning Quran as a Muslim man, reportedly named Ilyas comes charging at him. The man manages to grab Thorsen’s jacket, jerking him around. However, the assailant falls to the ground after attempting to kick the anti-Islam activist. Police then scuttles to break up the fight as the mob is seen rushing at Thorsen.
Both Thorsen and his attackers were detained by police, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, the Muslim organisations in Norway have announced that they plan to press hate crime charges against the SIAN leader for burning their holy book as well as for verbal assault. Twitter users have also accused the Norwegian government and authorities to ignite religious hatred and humiliate Muslims.