Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt has criticised Swedish police in Stockholm for allowing Danish anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan to carry out the burning of the Qur’an.
Bildt, who served as Swedish Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994 and later as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2014, slammed the police for allowing the Qur’an burning protest to take place, noting the negative effect the incident has had on Sweden’s relations with Turkey and other countries in the Islamic world.
“We have a difficult security situation for Swedish interests in a number of countries. This is something you should not take lightly,” Bildt told broadcaster SVT and added, “I notice that secular friends in Turkey do not understand that we can allow what they regard as a hate crime against their religion and culture.”
Sweden Will Not Be Allowed to Join NATO Until Qur’an Burning Is Banned: Turkey https://t.co/5jCH2E3kdX
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 4, 2023
Bildt stated that Stockholm police should have taken the same approach as their counterparts in Norway, who revoked permission for a Qur’an burning protest and said the incident should spark debate on the limits of free expression in Sweden.
In the wake of the Qur’an burning, Turkey has halted its negotiations on approving Sweden for NATO membership after the relationship between the two countries had already been tense, with Turkey accusing Sweden of supporting and harbouring terrorists.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated last week that the door for Sweden to enter NATO was closed until the country bans the burning of the Qur’an saying, “As long as you allow my holy book, the Qur’an, to be burned and torn apart, we will not say yes to your entry into NATO. Our view of Finland is positive, but not of Sweden.”
Swedish Populist on Qur’an Burnings: If They Get Upset, Burn a Hundred Morehttps://t.co/pMPedGN5MS
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 28, 2023
Finland, which is also attempting to join the military alliance, shut down a proposed Qur’an burning demonstration before it ever happened as police stated that the burning would violate Finnish law.
The Swedish Agency for Psychological Defense has also warned of an increased risk of terrorist attacks due to a variety of factors, including Qur’an burnings, stating that attitudes toward Sweden were becoming more aggressive overseas.
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