A post is being shared on social media with a claim that Muslims of Sweden formed human chains to protect Sweden churches and Synagogues. In the post, we can see a human chain formed by Muslim women. During the recent violent protests in Bangalore, we come across news of similar human chain formation by Muslims to protect a Hindu temple. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Muslims forming human chains to protect Churches and Synagogues in Sweden.
Fact: Photo in the post shows a group of Muslim women forming the human shield at a Synagogue in Oslo, Norway in the year 2015. In 2015, over 1000 Muslims formed the human chains at a Synagogue in Oslo city to express their solidarity against the anti-Jewish violence in Denmark. It has nothing to do with the recent Sweden riots. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, we found the same image in an article published on 23 February 2015, by ‘+972 Magazine’ website. In the article, it is mentioned that the photo is related to a solidarity protest organized by the Muslim youth at a Synagogue in Oslo, Norway. In 2015, over 1000 Muslim youth formed the human chains in front of a Synagogue in Oslo to express their solidarity against the anti-Jewish violence in Denmark.
Sharing the same photo along with multiple other photos from the event, the ‘INDEPENDENT’ also published an article about this human chain organized by Muslims in Norway. It is mentioned in this article that over 1000 Muslim supporters chanted ‘No to anti-Semitism, no to Islamophobia’ while they form a human shield which they call ‘ring of peace’ around the Jewish place of worship.
For context, on ‘25 August 2020’, violence erupted in the Swedish city of Malmo where over 300 Muslims gathered to protest against anti-Islamic activities. Protests began after a copy of the Quran was burned in Malmo by the members of far-right Danish party Stram Kurs (Hard Line). Various reports suggest that protesters threw objects at the police and burnt car tyres. Following the riots in Sweden on ‘26 August 2020’, clashes broke out in an anti-Islam rally conducted near the Parliament building by the ‘Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN)’ in Oslo City, Norway.
To sum it up, an old 2015 photo related to the solidarity protest in Norway is falsely shared as the Muslims of Sweden forming human chains to protect Churches and Synagogues.
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