The police refuse permission for a new Koran burning outside the Turkish embassy after dialogue with the Security Police. The announcement comes after Säpo warned of an increased number of assassination threats from violent Islamists.
– The situation is such that a gathering can cause serious disturbances to Swedish national security, then the ordinance says that we should not give permission if we cannot guarantee security, says Ola Österling, the police spokesperson in the Stockholm region to TV4 Nyheterna.
According to the police, it is a private person who represents a cultural association that applied for permission to burn the Koran outside the Turkish embassy at 12 noon on Thursday.
“In recent times, public gatherings to burn the Koran have provoked very strong reactions, which has resulted in a changed threat picture against Sweden,” the police write on their website.
The police authority’s decision can be appealed to the administrative court.
Säpo’s warning
The security police warn that the threats against Sweden have increased after the strong reactions to the Koran burning outside the Turkish embassy in January, the deteriorating security situation in general and the international LVU campaign against Swedish social services.
– All of this has created a greater focus on Sweden and we see an increased flow of terrorist threats directed at Sweden and Swedish interests, says Fredrik Hallström, head of counter-terrorism at Säpo.
The authority has previously stated that the situation may be threatening, but now the assessment is that the security situation has deteriorated.
– We literally work day and night to assess the threats and be able to dismiss or confirm them. We see a greater flow and it has not stopped.
Hear Ola Österling, the police’s press spokesperson, in the player above.
Sweden’s path into NATO has been tricky and triggered conflicts between Sweden and Turkey – which made several demands on Sweden to let the country into the defense alliance. Actions against NATO and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sweden have sparked anger in Turkey and led to protests.
Here is a selection from recent events:
On January 11, a doll representing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hung by the feet outside Stockholm City Hall. The action, in which Erdogan was compared to the Italian dictator and fascist Benito Mussolini, arouses strong reactions in Turkey.
On January 12, Turkey summons Sweden’s ambassador due to the action and the following day Turkey cancels the visit that the speakers of Sweden and Finland were to make to the Turkish parliament.
January 21, far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burns a Koran during a permitted demonstration near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Protests against Sweden break out in Turkey, and several other countries. Sweden’s embassy in the country is temporarily closed during the protests.
February 6, the US embassy urges its citizens in Sweden, among other things, to avoid public gatherings and keep a low profile.
February 8, Säpo warns of an increased number of threats against Sweden and assesses that the security situation has deteriorated since the Koran burning outside the Turkish embassy.