28 January, Stockholm (Reuters) – In response to protests in Turkey over the burning of the Koran by a far-right lawmaker in Stockholm last week, Sweden’s foreign ministry issued a warning to its citizens there on Saturday to stay away from crowds and gatherings.
Following the protest during which Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish far-right political organization Hard Line, burnt a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Turkey this week stopped negotiations with Sweden and Finland on their bids to join NATO.
Paludan’s acts have sparked protests in Turkey as well as in other Muslim nations.
The foreign ministry advised Swedes overseas on its guidance page to “keep informed about the development of events and to avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations.”
US, Germany and France embassies in Turkey released security alerts, warning their citizens that terrorists may target places of worships and venues frequented by Westerners as retaliation to Quran burnings in Sweden
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 27, 2023
In the upcoming days, “ongoing protests can be anticipated outside the embassies in Ankara and Istanbul.”
“But what is appropriate is not always what is legal. It is extremely disrespectful to burn books that many people consider to be holy. “On Twitter, Kristersson stated.
After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Sweden and Finland submitted applications to join NATO.
They require the backing of the Alliance’s 30 members. Turkey has argued that before supporting NATO membership for the two Nordic nations, Sweden, in particular, needs to take a stronger position against what it perceives as terrorists, primarily Kurdish militants and a group it holds responsible for a 2016 coup attempt.
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