A man and a woman have set a copy of the Koran on fire in the Swedish city of Malmö, one day before the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) celebrations start there.
A video showing two people setting fire to the holy book of Islam was broadcast live on the TikTok platform on Friday.
A Palestinian flag was also burned during the action in the centre of Malmö, not far from two ESC venues. The Swedish police were criticized for allowing the burning of the Koran so close to the major event.
Koran burnings in Denmark and Sweden last year led to angry reactions and sometimes violent protests in Muslim-majority countries, but in Sweden those fall under freedom of speech legislation and are legal.
Starting on Saturday, there will be numerous concerts and parties in the southern Swedish city for a week, culminating in the grand ESC final on May 11.
A total of more than 100,000 visitors are expected in Malmö for the week's festivities.
In addition to the music events, several protest actions have also been announced over the Gaza war, including both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations.
On Thursday, Israel's National Security Council (NSC) tightened the travel warning for the Swedish city. Israelis planning a visit to Malmö are advised to reconsider, it said.
Swedish artists had called for Israel to be excluded from the ESC in view of the Gaza war. The organizers rejected this.
Even though Israel is not a European country, it is allowed to participate in the ESC because Israel's public broadcaster is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest music show in the world.
Following Swedish singer Loreen's victory in the contest last year, the competition is being held in Sweden this year.
There will be semi-final shows on May 7 and 9 in which 11 of the 37 participating countries will be eliminated, leaving 26 for the final.