There have been strong reactions in several countries, not least Turkey, after the Danish-Swedish right-wing radical activist Rasmus Paludan burned a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Paludan has promised to burn a Koran every week in front of the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen until Sweden is admitted to NATO. The Islamophobic group Stop the Islamization of Norway (Sian) has demonstratively burned the Koran several times to mark its opposition to Islam. The group applied to hold a demonstration in front of the Turkish embassy in Oslo on Friday. A Koran was reportedly set on fire there. On Thursday afternoon, the police decided to put an end to the demonstration. Police inspector Martin Strand in the Oslo police district denies that the decision is related to a possible burning of Islam’s holy book. – We do not consider whether the organizers should burn the Koran or not. It is a political expression that is permitted in Norway and which we do not tolerate. – What we have assessed is the security of the event, and with the information we have, we find it safest to stop it, says Martin Strand to news. He refers to intelligence information, which the police do not want to make public. The police inspector says they always do a security assessment of all events. – Here we have come to the conclusion that the security would not be good enough, neither for those who watch nor for those who arrange it, says Strand. There were few spectators when Rasmus Paludan held his protest on 21 January. But the incident has had major repercussions for Sweden. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg / AP Summoned on the carpet A few hours before the Oslo police announced their decision to stop the demonstration, Norway’s ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the Turkish authorities wanted to protest against a demonstration in Norway of which they had been notified and where a Koran was to be burned. The Turks are said to have requested that the demonstration be stopped. – Our ambassador pointed out that freedom of expression is enshrined in the constitution in Norway, and that the Norwegian authorities neither support nor stand behind the announced demonstration, Foreign Ministry press officer Mathias Rongved tells news. Sian leader Lars Thorsen tells NTB that a commemoration is planned, “but it is not good to say where and when”. In the Netherlands too, there has been “support burning” of Islam’s holy book. Danish police are guarding the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen after Rasmus Paludan has threatened to burn the Koran in front of the embassy every Friday until Sweden’s NATO application has been approved by Turkey. Photo: SERGEI GAPON / AFP Koran burning banned in Finland Koran burning was the topic of the meeting between the Swedish and Finnish prime ministers in Stockholm. Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson took on Finland’s Sanna Marin. Sweden and Finland chose to apply for membership in NATO in May last year, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Admission to the defense alliance depends on all 30 member states saying yes. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a number of demands on Sweden. After the Koran burning in Stockholm, he was furious. All calls are now put on hold. Prime Ministers Sanna Marin (Finland) and Ulf Kristersson (Sweden) made it clear that the countries will stick together during the NATO process, despite setbacks. Photo: TT NEWS AGENCY / Reuters Sanna Marin was asked why Finland has a ban on Koran burning, unlike the other countries in the Nordics, even though the right to free speech is strong. – It is enshrined in the Finnish constitution that it is not allowed to set fire to sacred religious writings out of respect for those who believe. That also applies to the Bible, said Marin. – In addition, we have another provision, which states that it is not permitted to set fire to anything in public places, so we actually have two provisions that prevent such actions, she added. Ulf Kristersson had the following message for his compatriots: – Let’s calm down and focus on the big picture, he asked. The Swedish Prime Minister had to endure criticism when he made the same wish after the Koran burning in Stockholm. He said those who want to protest through provocations – such as burning the Koran or hanging a doll of the Turkish president – must understand the seriousness. That the provocations weaken Sweden’s security. The prime minister was accused of compromising freedom of expression. On 21 January, Kurds demonstrated in Stockholm against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Sweden’s aim to join NATO. Photo: TT NEWS AGENCY / Reuters Sweden and Finland will stick together Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he views Finnish NATO membership positively, but not Swedish. The Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto caused a stir when he left the door open for Finland to join NATO alone, if Turkey puts a complete stop to Sweden. Prime Minister Sanna Marin slammed the door on this – at least publicly – at the press conference. – It is in the interests of the entire alliance that we become members together. Our security is so tied together, said Sanna Marin. – We started the journey together, and we continue the journey together, said Ulf Kristersson. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is greeted with applause as he arrives at the Turkish National Assembly on 1 February. Photo: ADEM ALTAN / AFP In an opinion poll published in the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, 53 percent of those questioned answered that Finland should become a NATO member without waiting for Sweden. Only 28 percent think that Finland should only join NATO together with Sweden. 19 percent have no opinion. – We must remember that around 1,000 people have been asked, said Sanna Marin. She avoided answering what Finland will do if Turkey blocks Sweden “forever”. – I understand the frustration. Had the situation been reversed, we too would have been frustrated, said her Swedish colleague. The Finnish prime minister said it bothered her that the neighboring country has been labeled a “troublemaker”. – Sweden is not a “trouble maker nation”. They have fulfilled all the requirements that have been set. We have responded to all the concerns that Turkey has addressed, says Marin. The hope is that Erdogan will become more compliant after the Turkish presidential election on 14 May. Turkish riot police guard the entrance to the Swedish Consulate General in Istanbul on January 21. Photo: UMIT BEKTAS / Reuters Closes consulates A few hours after the press conference in Stockholm, the news came that the ambassadors from nine countries had been summoned to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The nine, including the USA, France and Germany, have chosen to close their consulates for security reasons. They have also warned of an increased risk of attacks, especially in Istanbul. The backdrop is the demonstrations outside the Swedish Consulate General in the capital Ankara and Istanbul after the Koran burning in Stockholm. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also warns of the danger of unrest and attacks, especially in the central Beyoglu district and around the very busy Taksim Square. According to press guard Mathias Rongved, Norway’s ambassador was not invited to this meeting. There were protests against the burning of the Koran in several places in the world, here from Lahore in Pakistan. Photo: ARIF ALI / AFP Warn against Koran burning The Jewish religious communities in Denmark, Norway and Sweden are also concerned about the new wave of Koran burnings. In a joint statement, they write that democracy and freedom of expression are being abused to normalize hatred of Muslims: “We are deeply concerned about recent developments in our countries. The number of attacks on minorities such as Jews and Muslims has risen and become normalized over the past few years. Our tragic European history has taught us that book burnings often signal the beginning of a normalization of hatred against a social group. Historically against Jews, and at the moment against Muslims. Any act or sign of prejudice and hatred is unacceptable, and all individuals in democratic societies have the right to feel safe and valued”. The statement is signed by the Mosaic Community in Norway, the Jewish Community in Denmark, the Jewish Central Council in Sweden, and the Jewish-Muslim partnership Amanah in Sweden. Follow the development in news’s News Centre:
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Now the Norwegian police are putting their foot down for Sian – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
