GAZA,(Reuters) – Palestinian demonstrators hurled stones at European Union offices in the Gaza Strip on Monday and pulled down the EU flag in protest over caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad first printed in European newspapers.
Thrusting their fists into the air, the crowd chanted: “Down with Denmark. Down with Norway. With our blood we will redeem our Prophet.”
Palestinian riot police surrounded the EU building to prevent the crowd of several dozen students from entering.
Security forces fired into the air as one protester pulled the EU flag down. Some demonstrators threw stones at the building.
A wave of anger has swept the Muslim world over the publication of the cartoons, one of which shows the Prophet Mohammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.
The cartoons were first printed in Denmark. The cartoons have since been reprinted in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and the United States.
On Sunday, Muslim protesters set ablaze the Danish consulate in Beirut. Syrians set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus on Saturday.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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