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The heavily fortified Baghdad Green Zone, a central hub housing numerous foreign embassies and the cradle of Iraq's government, faced a significant security threat when hundreds of Baghdad residents attempted to breach its defenses.

Disturbances Following Quran Desecration

In response to reports of a Quran burning incident outside the Iraqi embassy in Denmark by a far-right group, nearly 1,000 protesters took to the streets early on Saturday. Chants of "Yes, yes to the Quran!" resonated through the crowd, largely comprising young men. The protesters also expressed support for influential Iraqi Shia religious and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr, displaying images of the leader, flags of his movement, and the Iraqi flag.

Security forces successfully held the protesters at bay, barricading the Jumhuriya bridge leading to the Baghdad Green Zone, and effectively preventing them from reaching the Danish embassy. Nonetheless, another protest has been scheduled for later in the day.

Danish Incident Spurs Iraqi Outrage

Danish media reported that Danske Patrioter, a far-right ultra-nationalist group, set ablaze a copy of the Quran and an Iraqi flag outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, live streaming the incident on Facebook. This blatant act of sacrilege sparked the protests in Baghdad.

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed strong condemnation of the desecration incident, calling on the global community "to stand urgently and responsibly towards these atrocities that violate social peace and coexistence around the world," in a statement released on Saturday.

Ensuring Diplomatic Security

In a separate statement, the Iraqi government reiterated its commitment to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, assuring protection and security for diplomatic personnel. It vowed to prevent incidents similar to the one at the Swedish embassy.

Fallout Extends to Other Incidents

In a related development, demonstrators set fire to the headquarters of the Danish Refugee Council in the Basrah governorate of Iraq, as reported by local media and Sky News. These incidents follow a wave of public outcry when the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was stormed and set on fire after a Quran desecration event in Sweden, prompting a temporary relocation of the embassy to Stockholm.

Following the desecration, Iraq severed diplomatic ties with Sweden, sparking further protests and condemnation from Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East. The Swedish incident involved Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Christian Iraqi refugee in Sweden, who previously ignited pages of a Quran on June 28, resulting in mass protests in Iraq and disapproval from Muslim-majority countries.