Protestors hit Norwegian embassy with firebombs
A group of about 50 protesters hurled stones and firebombs at the Norwegian Embassy in the Iranian capital tonight, marking the second straight day of violent protests against European missions over the publication of caricatures of Islam’s prophet.
A small fire outside the embassy was quickly contained but the protest continued, underlining Iranian anger over the drawings on a day that saw the government break all trade ties with Denmark.
Also today, a Tehran newspaper announced a contest for caricatures of the Holocaust, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called a “myth.”
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meanwhile, called the prophet drawings a scandal, particularly as they came “from those who champion civilisation and free expression.”
In a speech aired on state-run radio, Khamenei said the drawings were part of a “conspiracy by Zionists who were angry because of the victory of Hamas.”
However, the cartoons were first published in September – four months before the Palestinian elections.
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