Sooner or later,
If Abdul will pray,
To a smoking crater.
Posted on 02/04/2006 3:48:14 PM PST by Shermy
DAMASCUS (AFP) - Angry crowds stormed the buildings housing the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus, setting fire to both in protest over the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, an AFP correspondent said.
They then moved on to the French embassy, but were kept at bay by riot police using tear gas and water cannons.
The Chilean embassy, located on the first floor in the same building as the Danish mission, was the one damaged. The fire did not appear to touch the Swedish embassy located on the second floor, nor the Danish embassy on the third.
Several dozen demonstrators among what state news agency SANA said was a crowd of several thousand, scaled the facade. Some climbed over the balcony of the Chilean embassy, broke in and threw potted plants, furniture and computers out.
Others on the ground used the furniture as fuel to start a fire. The flames set light to the Chilean balcony but it was not clear if they reached inside.
Initial reports said demonstrators had broken into the Danish embassy and trashed it before setting it on fire. These reports were later denied.
In Copenhagen and Oslo, the governments reacted by advising their nationals to leave Syria immediately.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said he had telephoned his Syrian counterpart, Faruq al-Shara and told him "this was completely unacceptable."
He added that Shara "had distanced himself from the attack, and he apologized."
The Swedish government said it would lodge an official complaint with the Syrian authorities, while there was no immediate reaction from Chile.
The afternoon's violence was preceded by a demonstration in which protesters converged in the capital's Rawda Square, carrying banners saying: "chase out of the country the ambassadors of all the countries that have insulted the prophet."
They carried copies of the Koran, portraits of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the flags of Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
An American flag was burned, and demonstrators called for boycotting US products and "punishing those who dare to insult our sacred principles."
During the angry protests outside the building housing the Danish, Swedish and Chilean embassies, demonstrators ripped the three countries' coats of arms off the walls. One later triumphantly brandished the Danish crest in the air.
The protesters threw rocks at riot police who had set up a security cordon and tried to block fire trucks from reaching the scene.
A number of them then headed towards a four-storey building housing the Norwegian embassy, one kilometre (0.6 miles) away. Riot police had set up a security cordon there and initially beat back the crowd, using batons and tear gas.
Eventually the demonstrators broke through and entered the embassy, setting fire to the second floor. They first sacked the offices and threw furniture out of the windows.
There were no reports of injuries at any of the diplomatic missions.
Around 20 demonstrators were hurt in the clashes with police outside the Norwegian embassy and had to be hospitalized.
After the attack on the Norwegian mission, the crowd moved on to the French embassy.
There security forces used tear gas and water cannons to prevent demonstrators from storming the building, AFP reporters said. By late Saturday night, virtually all of the demonstrators had dispersed.
During the incidents at the French embassy, Syrian Minister for Religious Affairs Mohammed Ziad Ayyoubi stood atop a fire truck and called for calm, telling the demonstrators the "interests of the country" were at stake.
After the Danish and Norwegian missions were attacked, other protesters took to the streets denouncing the publication of the cartoons.
"With our souls and with our blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for the prophet," shouted several hundred marchers.
"We will not keep quiet," and "There is but one God," they also shouted.
Telephone text messages had been circulating in Damascus claiming that Danes were going to be gathering in one of Copenhagen's main squares on Saturday to burn copies of the Koran. People were urged to gather at the embassy to protest.
These were similar to messages being sent in Egypt earlier this week.
"Denmark wants to burn the sacred Koran on Saturday in Copenhagen in response to the Muslim boycott (of Danish products)," the message in Egypt said, calling on Muslims to curse the Danish.
"Send (this message on) and you will be rewarded," the text said.
Twelve cartoons, first published last September by the conservative Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, have caused an uproar in the Muslim world and set off a new cultural battle over freedom of speech and religious tolerance.
Incensed Muslims have demonstrated against Danes and other Europeans, burned Danish flags and boycotted the country's products.
In some Muslim countries, Danish ambassadors have been recalled and Westerners threatened.
The attack in the Syrian capital was not the first against a Danish diplomatic mission.
On Friday, a crowd of around 100 men stormed the building housing the Danish embassy in Jakarta, chanting "Let's go (on) jihad (holy war). We're ready for jihad."
The group broke through security to enter the building's lobby, where they smashed lamps and threw eggs, but were quickly ejected by police and their own leaders.
Outside, several of them then pelted the embassy's coat of arms with eggs.
In Jerusalem, thousands of angry worshippers demonstrated in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, shouting: "Condemnations are not enough. You have to reply with fire."
Ferret Face is allowing the mob to do this.
This recent French article states the Danish Embassy wasn't touched. The protestors burned the first floor Chilean Embassy.
My comedy post of the day.
Bummer.
What's he got against Chileans?
Or are his supporters not the sharpest of tools...
Maybe the check didn't clear. Or he lost control of his rent-a-mob. Wouldn't be the first time.
"Several dozen demonstrators among what state news agency SANA said was a crowd of several thousand, scaled the facade. Some climbed over the balcony of the Chilean embassy, broke in and threw potted plants, furniture and computers out."
That's right, burn and destroy, maim and kill ... all in the name of Allah. Doesn't matter if the targets are innocent or not.
What a filthy "religion."
If the Danes want a real message to be had, they should respond with military strikes in Mecca. I suppose that's too early in this game of cat & mouse (or should I say infidel and mohammedan?), however, they need to show some of that tough Viking heritage and bloody some of these turbaned crazies. Europe, wake up, before it's too late. Send them home, now. No matter what the rest of the world thinks, any intelligent non-mohammedan would understand.
"Condemnations are not enough. You have to reply with fire."
For years I had thought it was about Israel. In recent years it seemed to be Israel and the US.
But now the truth is known. These Krazy mofos are just angry angry angry.
It seems islam is not capable of producing serene, happy people.
They seem to seek their natural state, which is violence and anger. All over the world.
Their religion comforts them to believe quite sincerely that it "all about them."
The rest of us are 2nd class pukes, even in our native lands.
They raise the word "fire" and it fits the solution, quite correctly.
Ok now that the Islamo nazies have burned down the Chilean embassy, the Chileans have got to print those cartoons. An offese must surely be met by a reciprocal offense. No?
FWIW, George, I don't think all practicing Muslims are bloodthirsty, loony Islamists any more than I think all devout Christians are abortion clinic bombers.
they should respond with military strikes in Mecca
I don't know if I'd attack Mecca. But they aren't even fighting back at this point. They seem to be yielding. Need to let the lead fly.
They will do something sooner or later that demands that we retaliate or perish.
My comedy post of the day.
Only the Arabs can eff up a riot.
These animals reject Jesus as the Christ (and instead choose death and destruction), so what exactly do they have to live for?
Sooner or later,
If Abdul will pray,
To a smoking crater.
"I don't think all practicing Muslims are bloodthirsty, loony Islamists"
Tell that to the Parisians who lost 10,000 cars to arson.
Tell that to the victims of Bali.
Tell that to the victims of the USS Cole.
Tell that to the victims of the 9-11 attacks.
Tell that to the victims in Madrid.
Tell that to the victims in London.
Tell that to Satan's children when they slit your throat for going into Iraq to help children in a hospital.
The Danes and Norwegians seem to be the Europeans who still have some stiffness in the spine.
Rioting at the drop of a hat. Perhaps the more appropriate cartoon would be Mohammed as the Tasmanian Devil?
Does Chile have a carrier?
Denmark?
Norway?
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