Arnhem-Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The leader of the anti-Islam Pegida movement in the Netherlands, Edwin Wagensveld, was injured during a demonstration in the city of Arnhem during which he wanted to burn the Qur’an. Despite the intervention of riot police, the counter-demonstrators were able to attack him, according to a media report in neighboring Belgium on Monday morning.
The mayor of the Dutch city, Ahmed Markoush, of Moroccan origin, told the Dutch news agency ANP that many police officers were also injured. He added that the police were attacked and threw fireworks and stones.
The mayor was "extremely angry" at the violence. “I understand the feelings that burning a Bible arouses. But violence is unacceptable. You have to fight ideas with ideas.” Three people were arrested. Markoush does not rule out more arrests in the coming days.
Wagensfeld had obtained permission from the municipality to burn the Qur’an, provided that ten other people accompanied the person who attempted it. Markush said that this measure caused a lot of unrest in the Muslim community. A leaflet from an Islamic organization was distributed on Friday calling for a counter-demonstration. “We also wanted to facilitate that,” but in a different location, the mayor said. When the counter-protesters refused to move, the police intervened.
According to the Belgian News Agency, Wagensfeld was arrested several times in the past during demonstrations by the anti-Islam group. He was also convicted of insulting Muslims.
According to the video published by the media in Belgium, the person who had obtained prior permission to burn a copy of the Qur’an stood up and when he began to light the copy of the Qur’an, he was thrown with stones. People opposing the burning of the Holy Qur’an rushed in his direction and succeeded in bringing him down. He was one of the police officers, but the police intervened to try again and beat him. Whoever tried to rush to the place where the Qur’an was burned, and yet the attempt was repeated and other people rushed in, they succeeded in injuring the person trying to burn the Qur’an and thwarting the attempt.
Wagensfeld said in the aftermath that the order was canceled and he could perform it at another time, which was safer, after the two attempts failed for security reasons.