By Meena Kar
Stockholm, May 12, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Swedish artist Lars Vilks who angered Muslims all over the world by depicting Prophet Muhammad as a dog was reportedly assaulted while he was giving a lecture at Uppsala University. Lars Vilks has said to media sources that a member from the audience came up to him and then head-butted him while he was at the middle of his lecture on the limits of artistic freedom. Lars Vilks also said that his looking glass was broken due to the assault.

Lars Vilks’s lecture in Uppsala University was being attended by around 250 people. The artist mentioned to media sources that there were around fifteen people who were shouting during his lecture and trying to interrupt him when all of a sudden the man came forward from the audiences’ seats and attacked him. The assault was captured by many cameras and a Swedish newspaper has uploaded the video on its news website. The video shows that the police had to use batons and pepper spray to control the unruly crowd that was shouting “God is great” in Arabic. Lars Vilks was hurriedly escorted out of the lecture hall.

Though Lars Vilks has faced many criticisms from all over the world for his depiction of Prophet Muhammad, it is for the first time that he has been physically assaulted. In 2007 an Iraqi group which had alleged links with the al-Qaeda had gone on to offer a reward of $100,000 for killing Lars Vilks. Earlier this year another American lady Colleen LaRose, who called herself allegedly “Jihad Jane” was charged with a murder plot for killing the artist. She had however pleaded not guilty of the charges.