The DW headline says “clashes break out,” but as you can see from the article, what really happened was that a SIAN member ripped pages from the Qur’an and spat upon them, whereupon counter-protesters began throwing eggs and attacked a police van. People in the West who should know better will blame SIAN for this, displacing the blame from Muslims, as is so often done. In reality, one controls one’s own reactions, and is responsible for them. You may think that the SIAN member who ripped the Qur’an is a rude lout, or a racist, bigoted “Islamophobe.” But that gives you no license to commit acts of violence, and that violence is the responsibility of those who commit and no one else.
“Norway: Clashes break out at anti-Islam rally,” by Rebecca Staudenmaier, DW, August 30, 2020:
Clashes broke out at an anti-Islam rally in the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Saturday, prompting authorities to end the event early.
The rally, organized by the group Stop Islamization of Norway (SIAN), took place near the parliament building.
Hundreds of counter-protesters also gathered, banging drums and chanting “No racists in our streets,” reported news agency DPA.
The situation came to a head when a female member of SIAN ripped pages from the Quran and spat on them, news agency NTB reported.
The woman, who has previously been charged and acquitted of hate speech, told counter-protesters: “Look, now I will desecrate the Quran.”
Nearly 30 arrested
Clashes then erupted, with counter-protesters throwing eggs at SIAN members and attempting to jump police barricades.
Some counter-protesters also began kicking a police van and climbing on the hood of the vehicle….
The protest in Norway comes on the heels of a similar incident in the Swedish city of Malmo on Friday, where protesters clashed with police after right-wing extremists burned a copy of the Quran.