A Swedish prosecutor has brought charges against 12 men and one woman connected to rioting in August after a copy of the Islamic Quran was burned in Malmö.
The suspects have been charged with various crimes, with three accused of instigating the rioting and 10 others accused of taking part in violent rioting. Three were minors when the incidents took place last year.
In a press release, the public prosecutor’s office stated that the riot occurred after a planned demonstration that had been cancelled.
“Despite great efforts by the police and other representatives from the community to calm the mood, the situation escalated into a violent riot with extensive vandalism and stone-throwing at the police,” prosecutor Tomas Olvmyr stated.
“Eight people have already been convicted of complicity in the riot, and a further 13 people are now being prosecuted,” Mr Olvmyr added.
In December, a 31-year-old man and six teens were convicted of charges relating to the rioting but were handed light sentences. The man received probation, and the teens received youth service orders.
Judge Fredrik Forsman commented on the riot at the time of sentencing, saying: “Many of the police officers that we have heard have said that this is by far the most serious thing that they have experienced, and some of them have served in Afghanistan.”
The press release states that the property damage resulting from the rioting was estimated to have cost several million Swedish kronor and that 15 police were injured and 20 police vehicles were damaged as a result of the riots.
The riots took place after members of the Danish anti-Islam activist group Stram Kurs (Hard Line) burned a copy of the Islamic holy book.
While an investigation was launched into the group’s actions, prosecutors determined in November that the burning of the Quran did not violate Swedish law, with district attorney Sofia Syrén refusing to pursue hate crime charges.