On Saturday, over 200 people protested in Stockholm to oppose Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which also saw demonstrators burning the Quran outside the Turkish embassy.
Rasmus Paludan
The controversy struck after Rasmus Paludan, a far-right and anti-immigrant politician from the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy. In the police permit for the protest, Paludan said that he was conducting the demonstration to oppose Islam and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s attempts to contain freedom of expression in Sweden.
"Aşağılık o. çocuğu!..."
— İbrahim Karagül (@ibrahimkaragul) January 21, 2023
Cevap videoda. İzleyin...
STOP SWEDEN pic.twitter.com/VszISx2SfH
Paludan is known for spearheading the anti-immigration and anti-Islamic Hard Line movement, and has threatened to burn the Quran on multiple occasions.
For instance, in 2019, Paludan, a Danish lawyer who also holds Swedish citizenship, found himself at the centre of a controversy after he burned a Quran that was wrapped in bacon. In 2020, as a result of several incidents of racism and hate speech, he was charged and sentenced to three months in jail in Denmark.
Paludan has been charged with several such short sentences for acts of discrimination and defamation since the formation of his party in 2017. In fact, he was briefly barred from entering Sweden for two years, but can no longer be prevented from entering the country after acquiring citizenship in 2020. In April 2022, he organised a protest and burned a Quran in Norrkoping, Sweden.
Turkish protesters filmed burning Sweden's flag following worldwide anger over Stockholm's support of racist Quran burning outside Turkish Embassy. 🇸🇪 🔥 #Sweden #Quran #Türkiye 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/opMxU2KiCy
— Robert Carter (@Bob_cart124) January 22, 2023
A group of Turkish supporters also hosted demonstrations outside the embassy on Saturday.
Meanwhile, several pro-Kurdish groups and left-wing supporters protested in other parts of the city in support of Kurds and in opposition to Sweden’s bid to join NATO. The protestors were extending their support for the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been banned in Turkey, Sweden, and the US.
Sweden’s Response
PM Ulf Kristersson condemned the misuse of freedom of expression, stressing that while the act is “legal,” it was not “appropriate.” He highlighted that burning the Quran is a “deeply disrespectful act,” and offered his sympathy for all the Muslims offended by the incident.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said that the freedom of expression guaranteed in Sweden does not mean that the government supports the sentiment of the protests.
Islamophobic provocations are appalling. Sweden has a far-reaching freedom of expression, but it does not imply that the Swedish Government, or myself, support the opinions expressed.
— Tobias Billström (@TobiasBillstrom) January 21, 2023
Turkey Lashes Out
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the “vile attack” in the “strongest possible terms.” The statement also lashed out at Sweden for “[permitting] this anti-Islam act” under freedom of speech protections. To this end, it called on Stockholm to punish the perpetrators and take steps to prevent Islamophobia.
Prior to the protests on Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu decried the Swedish police for granting permission for an anti-Islam protest despite Turkey’s warnings.
Turkey also cancelled a visit by Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson to Ankara scheduled for 27 January due to the Nordic country’s inability to contain the protest. Speaking about the decision to cancel the trip, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said that Sweden’s inaction is “unacceptable.”
Lol, someone working at Sweden’s Istanbul Consulate hung a paper to window which says “we do NOT share that book burning idiot’s view”
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 22, 2023
Swedish take on the Quran burning pic.twitter.com/XlBxpevsDL
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the meeting was cancelled as their talks “lost significance and meaning.”
Meanwhile, a protest by over 200 activists broke out in Istanbul to oppose the Quran burning, with demonstrators burning the Swedish flag outside the consulate. The demonstrations, which stretched on to Sunday, witnessed several demonstrators condemning Sweden’s “state-supported Islamophobia.” A sign outside the consulate also read, “We do not share that book-burning idiot’s view.”
Condemnations from the Muslim World
Several Arab countries, including UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Morocco, and Jordan, expressed their dismay at the incident. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also said, “Saudi Arabia calls for spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism.”
No words are enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden. The garb of the freedom of expression cannot be used to hurt the religious emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world. This is unacceptable.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) January 22, 2023
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called the incident a “disgraceful act.”
Pakistan opposed the “senseless and provocative Islamophobic act” that impacted the sensitivities of Muslims globally.
The Taliban’s interim Foreign Ministry in Kabul condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms” and called on Sweden to punish the perpetrators.
Sweden’s NATO Bid
The series of events have heightened the tiff between Sweden and Turkey as they continue to spar over Ankara’s opposition to Stockholm’s bid to join NATO.
Turkey is a member of @NATO but isn’t acting like one. Seriously considering their expulsion or suspension will emphasize the stakes of their coming elections, making it harder for Erdogan to subvert the vote, and give opposition candidates a real chance. https://t.co/TRcma7gX54
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) January 17, 2023
Sweden and Finland applied to become members of the NATO military alliance last year. Their bid will only be successful if all 30 allies accept their application. However, Turkey has been blocking Stockholm’s application over concerns about its stand on terrorists, particularly the Kurdish community, which Turkey views as militants who organised a coup in 2016.
Consequently, Sweden and Finland signed an agreement with Turkey in 2022 to address Ankara’s concerns, which Sweden insists it has already fulfilled. Turkey is additionally demanding the extradition of 130 people it considers terrorists.