Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who sparked controversy in 2007 by drawing Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog, was attacked Tuesday while giving a lecture at a university, police said.
“The man was sat in the first row and suddenly he rushed at me. He punched me in the head and I lost my glasses,” said Vilks, adding that at the very most he was “a little bruised.”
Police said around 250 people were present at the time of the attack at Uppsala University, north of Stockholm.
“When Lars Vilks arrived, five persons started to protest against him with screaming. They calmed down and the lecture continued,” police said.
“When Lars Vilks talked about religion and showed a film, 20 persons tried to attack him, probably offended by the film.”
Police evacuated the lecture hall but some demonstrators resisted forcing officers to use tear gas. Two people were arrested.
In 2007, Swedish regional daily Nerikes Allehanda published Vilks’ satirical cartoon to illustrate an editorial on the importance of freedom of expression.
The cartoon prompted protests by Muslims in the town of Oerebro, west of Stockholm, where the newspaper is based, while Egypt, Iran and Pakistan made formal complaints.
An al Qaeda front organization then offered $100,000 to anyone who murdered Vilks — with an extra $50,000 if his throat was slit — and $50,000 for the death of Nerikes Allehanda editor-in-chief Ulf Johansson.