According to the professor of the Swedish National Defense University, the information about the possible connection to the events is significant and the chain resembles an information operation. The party denies any connection to the events.
Danish-Swedish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that burning the Koran near the Turkish embassy was not his own idea, but that he was asked to travel to Sweden to express his opinion.
According to Paludani, the idea came from the host of the YouTube channel Riks From Chang Frick and from the editor of a far-right website that Paludan did not name.
According to Paludani, he also received help from Frick with the payment that was required to process the application for a demonstration permit at the police. Frick confirmed to Dagens Nyheter that he had paid the fee in question. According to him, the reason was that the bank transfer from Denmark to Sweden would have taken longer.
However, Frick tells Expressen that he only found out after paying the fee that Paludan was going to burn the Koran. According to Frick, he tried to “hint” that Paludan could do something else instead of burning the Koran.
According to Frick, Paludan told him he needed the Koran. To this, Frick stated that he didn’t know where he could get the Koran, but he could arrange a Turkish flag.
– I personally would not encourage anyone to burn religious writings or do it myself, Frick told Expressen.
Frick said he wanted to give his support “against Turkey, not to annoy Muslims.”
“Such an event raises questions”
Dagens Nyheter describes Riks as the “communication channel” of the Sweden Democrats. Also according to Expressen, it is a channel of the Sweden Democrats. Riks himself describes himself on his Youtube pages as a “conservative news media”.
Professor at the Swedish National Defense University Kjell Engelbrekt said to Dagens Nyheter that Chang Frick’s connection to the events is significant information in this light. According to him, the whole chain resembles an information operation.
– This is definitely worth noting, and questions must be asked of the Swedish Democrats. If you as a party support NATO membership, such an event raises questions.
Also professor of political science at Stockholm University Goran Sundström stated to the newspaper that the Sweden Democrats should resign from the events.
– This is about a person who supported activities that made the government’s work difficult. This person works in a party channel, so the connection is obvious, he said.
Press manager of the Sweden Democrats Oskar Cavalli-Björkman denied to DN that the party had anything to do with the matter.
– Questions about the matter should be asked of those who are affected by the matter.
However, he stated that on the larger scale of freedom of speech, the party’s approach is “crystal clear”.
– Freedom of speech is something we do not compromise on.
The burning of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy angered Turkey, which has now said that it is pointless for Sweden to expect support for NATO membership.
Watch the video below in which the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan showed his anger to Sweden on Tuesday: