Right-wing extremist provoked
Ankara enraged Koran burning in Stockholm
01/21/2023 9:51 p.m
Relations between Stockholm and Ankara have been strained for months. Now the mood is getting even rougher: A right-wing extremist politician sets a Koran on fire at a demonstration in the Swedish capital.
A participant burned a copy of the Koran at an anti-Turkish demonstration in the Swedish capital Stockholm. This intensified the already tense relations between the two countries. The head of the far-right Danish party Harte Linie, Rasmus Paludan, who also has Swedish citizenship, set fire to the Koran near the Turkish embassy. The foreign ministry in Ankara immediately declared that it condemned the “disgusting attack on our holy book” in the strongest possible terms. Sweden must take action against the perpetrator and the international community must take a stand against Islamophobia.
Other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, also condemned the burning of the Koran. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom spoke of “appalling” Islamophobic provocations. Sweden has a wide range of freedom of expression. “But this does not mean that the Swedish government or I myself support the opinions expressed,” he wrote on Twitter. Turkey had previously canceled a visit by Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson scheduled for late January, citing Paludan’s approval of the rally as the reason.
Jonson was in Ankara to discuss Sweden’s NATO bid after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, which is a member of the alliance, has been blocking accession for months.
Saudi Arabia is also outraged
The politician Paludan had also organized demonstrations in the past in which he burned the Koran. In the registration for his rally, which had been approved by the authorities, he stated that his protest was directed against Islam and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s attempt to influence freedom of expression in Sweden.
Turkey said the burning was an Islamophobic act directed against Muslims “and insulting our sacred values.” Allowing such a protest under the guise of freedom of expression is completely unacceptable. Saudi Arabia called for “spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance and coexistence”. Hatred and extremism would be rejected.
Anti-NATO demonstration
There were two other authorized demonstrations in Stockholm on Saturday. One called for support for the Kurds and at the same time demonstrated against Sweden’s application to join NATO. On the other hand, pro-Turkish protesters held a rally in front of the embassy.
At the demonstration against Sweden’s NATO bid and in support of the Kurds, speakers stood in front of a large banner reading “We are all PKK.” They were referring to the Kurdish workers’ party PKK, which is banned in Turkey, Sweden and the USA, among other places.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. For this to happen, all 30 member states of the alliance would have to agree. However, Turkey has set conditions for this, including the resumption of arms deliveries. Finland and Sweden have signed an agreement with Turkey to overcome Ankara’s objections. Sweden recently said it had done its part, but Turkey is demanding more – including the extradition of 130 people whom Turkey believes are terrorists.
Presidential elections are coming up in Turkey soon, in which Erdogan, who has ruled for many years, is running again. Some of his potential opponents are ahead of Erdogan in terms of approval ratings.