Tehran, April 17 ( /Sputnik) Iran condemns the burning of the Muslim holy book Quran in the Swedish city of Linkoping, which took place at a demonstration organized by far-right Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Sunday. This past Thursday, Paludan and his anti-immigration political party Hard Line scheduled a demonstration that included burning a copy of the Quran in a Linkoping neighborhood with large Muslim population, with the permission of local authorities. The police had to intervene as Muslim counter-protesters stepped in, attacking officers and setting police cars ablaze. “The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the burning of the sacred word of God (the Quran) in the Swedish city of Linkoping by a Danish racist and extremist element that has occurred under the pretext of freedom of speech with the support of that country’s police,” the official was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency Tasnim. He slammed Paludan’s demonstration for spreading Islamophobia, undermining the idea of peaceful co-existence of religions and running counter to the freedom of speech. Khatibzadeh also expressed the hope that Swedish authorities will prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Far-right leader Paludan has a long track record of provocative acts against Muslim population in Europe, including a previous case of a Quran burning in the Swedish city of Malmo in August 2020. /SPUTNIK RNJ