STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Protests in Stockholm on Saturday towards Turkey and Sweden’s bid to affix NATO, together with the burning of a duplicate of the Holy Quran, heightened tensions with Turkey at a time when the Scandinavian nation wants Ankara’s assist to realize entry. for the navy alliance.
Turkey’s International Ministry stated, “We condemn within the strongest phrases the despicable assault on our holy ebook… Permitting this anti-Islamic act that targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, beneath the quilt of freedom of expression, is totally unacceptable.” He stated.
Her assertion was issued after a far-right anti-immigration politician burned a duplicate of the Quran close to the Turkish embassy. The Turkish Ministry urged Sweden to take essential measures towards the perpetrators and known as on all international locations to take concrete steps towards Islamophobia.
A separate demonstration happened within the metropolis in assist of the Kurds and towards Sweden’s try to affix NATO. A gaggle of pro-Turkish protesters additionally held a rally outdoors the embassy. All three occasions had police clearances.
Swedish International Minister Tobias Billström stated the anti-Islam provocations had been appalling.
“Sweden has far-reaching freedom of expression, nevertheless it doesn’t imply that the Swedish authorities, or I, endorse the opinions which might be expressed,” Billstrom stated on Twitter.
The Koran was burned by Rasmus Paludan, chief of the Danish far-right Arduous Line get together. Paludan, who additionally holds Swedish citizenship, has organized plenty of demonstrations previously the place Qurans have been burned.
Paludan couldn’t be instantly reached by electronic mail for remark. The assertion he obtained from the police acknowledged that his protest was towards Islam and what he known as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s try to affect freedom of expression in Sweden.
A number of Arab international locations, together with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, condemned the burning of the Qur’an. “Saudi Arabia requires spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism,” the Saudi International Ministry stated in an announcement.
Sweden and Finland final 12 months utilized to affix NATO within the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however all 30 member states should conform to their presents. Turkey stated Sweden particularly ought to first take a clearer stance towards what it views as terrorists, principally Kurdish militants and the group it blames for the 2016 coup try.
On the demonstration to protest Sweden’s bid for NATO and to indicate assist for the Kurds, audio system stood in entrance of a big pink banner studying “We’re all of the PKK”, referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Employees’ Celebration (PKK) in Turkey, Sweden and the US. Amongst different international locations, he addressed a number of hundred pro-Kurds and leftists.
“We are going to proceed to oppose Sweden’s request for NATO,” Thomas Peterson, a spokesman for the coalition towards NATO and one of many organizers of the demonstration, advised Reuters.
Police stated the state of affairs was calm throughout the three demonstrations.
The go to of the Minister of Protection was cancelled
Earlier on Saturday, Turkey stated that because of a scarcity of measures to curb protests, it had canceled a deliberate go to to Ankara by the Swedish protection minister.
Swedish Protection Minister Hulusi Akar stated, “At this stage, Swedish Protection Minister Pal Johnson’s go to to Turkey on January 27 has develop into meaningless. Due to this fact, we now have canceled the go to.”
Johnson stated individually that he met Akar on Friday throughout a gathering of Western allies in Germany they usually determined to postpone the scheduled assembly.
Akar stated he mentioned with Erdogan the dearth of measures to curb protests in Sweden towards Turkey and conveyed Ankara’s response to Johnson on the sidelines of a gathering of the Ukraine Protection Contact Group.
“It’s unacceptable to not take a step or reply to those (protests). Essential measures ought to have been taken,” Akar stated, in keeping with an announcement from the Turkish Protection Ministry.
The Turkish International Ministry had already summoned the Swedish ambassador on Friday over the deliberate protests.
Finland and Sweden signed a trilateral settlement with Turkey in 2022 geared toward overcoming Ankara’s objections to their NATO membership. Sweden says it has fulfilled its a part of the warrant, however Turkey calls for extra, together with the extradition of 130 individuals it considers terrorists.
(This story has been corrected to take away the faulty reference to Morocco within the ninth paragraph.)
Reporting by Omer Berberoglu in Istanbul and Niklas Pollard and Simon Johnson in Stockholm (extra reporting) By Moaz Abdelaziz in Cairo Writing by Ezge Erkoyun and Niklas Pollard Modifying by Toby Chopra and Frances Kerry
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