Danish police arrest 23 after unrest in Copenhagen

That is the most accurate headline of all the English language reports I have read so far. It is from Reuters. While the violence was caused by those demonstrating against Danish critic of Islam Rasmus Paludan the others were slanted to hint that he caused the trouble. 

For example the Copenhagen Post – Copenhagen wakes up to carnage after anti-Islam protest turns into riot
Rasmus Paludan is known to burn Korans, but his protests have never been this incendiary before.

and the Danish edition of the Local – Copenhagen police arrest 15 in unrest following demo by far-right agitator

I don’t know enough about Rasmus Paludan to decide whether he really is ‘far right’, or like Tommy Robinson just ‘not far wrong’. But regardless the violence was caused by those who opposed him. 

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Twenty-three people were arrested in connection with riots in Copenhagen, Danish police said on Monday, as counter-protests against a demonstration by a right-wing activist escalated. The unrest spread on Sunday to several parts of the capital after Rasmus Paludan, the founder of the anti-immigrant party Hard Line, held a demonstration.

Paludan’s demonstration on Sunday took place at Blågårds Plads in Inner Nørrebro, a popular part of the multicultural Copenhagen neighbourhood with a large number of nearby bars and restaurants. He was escorted from the area by police before being able to burn Qurans as part of his planned protest, Politiken reported.

People reacting to the demonstration directed some of their anger at police and cobblestones were thrown, Copenhagen Police said. The city’s fire service reported that several small fires had been started, including in cars and waste containers.

Earlier in the day, the police decided to move the protest from Mjølnerparken to Blågårdsplads, a square closer to the city centre, after a car had earlier exploded in the park at around 1 am on Sunday morning. It proved to be the first of many vehicles set on fire over the following day. In total, the police report at least 70 such fires.

As counter-demonstrators moved in to attack Paludan, police officers chose to protect him, at which point an estimated gathering of 200 people started hurling cobblestones at them.

The Daily Mail has more photographs

The unrest spread to other parts of the city, where dustbins and bicycles were set on fire and police responded with tear gas after missiles were thrown at them. Copenhagen police said they had used tear gas and were yesterday urging people to stay away from the area, or stay indoors if they were already there.   

Other parts of the city also saw violence and arson, including nearby Nordvest – which also has a high Muslim population – Amager, at the entrance to Christiania, and the Bolsjefabrikken culture house in Østerbro.

Danish PM Lars Loekke Rasmussen called Paludan’s actions a ‘meaningless provocation’ and urged his countrymen to ‘meet him with arguments, not violence’.