Swedes rally in support of Muslims after arson attacks against mosques

Two policemen stand outside a mosque in Uppsala, Sweden, Friday, Jan. 2, 2015 as police tighten security around some of Sweden’s main mosques. The mosque suffered a firebomb attack on Jan. 1, one of three arson attacks targeting the Muslim community in Sweden since Christmas Day. (AP Photo/Anders Wiklund) SWEDEN OUT (The Associated Press)

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Boys read the messages placed at the entrance of a mosque by neighbors pledging their support after an attack, in Uppsala, Sweden, Friday, Jan. 2, 2015. The mosque suffered a firebomb attack on Jan. 1, one of three arson attacks targeting the Muslim community in Sweden since Christmas Day. (AP Photo/Anders Wiklund) SWEDEN OUT (The Associated Press)

Two young girls carrying leaflets saying "don't touch my mosque" participate in a demonstration at the parliament in Stockholm on Friday Jan. 2, 2015. Three mosques have suffered arson attacks in Sweden since Christmas Day. (AP Photo/Fredrik Sandberg) SWEDEN OUT (The Associated Press)

HELSINKI – Hundreds of demonstrators in three major Swedish cities have rallied in support of Muslims, condemning recent arson attacks against mosques in which at least five people were injured.

Anti-racist demonstrators in the capital, Stockholm, waved placards and a banner with the words "Don't touch my mosque," as Muslim community leaders addressed the gathering preaching tolerance.

Last week, five people were injured in an arson attack against a mosque in the central city Eskilstuna which was also vandalized a day later.

The Friday rallies, also held in the south-western cities of Malmo and Goteborg, follow a recent rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in Sweden, known for its policies of tolerance in a country where more than 20 percent of the 10 million population has foreign roots.