A man has been arrested after appearing to burn a copy of The Quran in Manchester city centre today. The act was advertised beforehand and streamed live on social media earlier today (Saturday).
In footage streamed on X, formerly Twitter, a man could be seen standing in The Glade of Light - the memorial to those killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing - near Victoria Station.
He then was filmed as he set light to pages of the Islamic holy book. A man could be seen approaching him and trying to grab the book out of his hand as he did it.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have confirmed a 47-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. He is currently in custody for questioning they said.
Assistant Chief Constable Stephanie Parker said: “We understand the deep concern this will cause within some of our diverse communities and are aware of a live video circulating.
“We made a swift arrest at the time and recognise the right people have for freedom of expression, but when this crosses into intimidation to cause harm or distress we will always look to take action when it is reported to us.”
The force urged anyone with information about the incident to call them on 101, quoting incident 3713 of 31/01/2025.
Posts accompanying the video on X said the act was carried out 'in solidarity' with Salwan Momika. He sparked unrest when he set fire to a copy of The Quran outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023 and was charged with four counts of 'agitation against an ethnic group.' He was last week shot dead in an apartment in Stockholm. Swedish police said five people had been arrested in connection with his death.
