Turkey summons Swedish ambassador over anti-Islam demo

Turkey has summoned Sweden's ambassador to condemn an anti-Islam demonstration planned by a Danish-Swedish extremist politician in Stockholm this weekend, a diplomatic source has said.

According to Press TV, Rasmus Paludan, whose anti-Islam actions sparked riots across Sweden last year, has obtained permission to protest on Saturday in front of the Turkish embassy in the Swedish capital.

Paludan is a notorious leader of a far-right political party that stood in the last Danish elections – receiving only 1.8% of the vote and failing to win a seat. In 2020, he was jailed for racism.

Paludan had expressed his intention to burn copies of the holy Qur'an. Paludan desecrated the holy book outside Stockholm Central Mosque last year. He attempted to burn another copy of the holy book, but local Muslims chased him off, with one nearly being run over in the process.

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials told the Swedish ambassador on Friday, "We condemn this provocative action which is clearly a hate crime -- in strongest terms."

They also blasted Sweden's "unacceptable" authorization of the demonstration under the pretext of defending democratic rights, the source added.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry told the ambassador it expects Stockholm not to allow the protest to go ahead, according to the source.

In April last year, Paludan's announcement of a holy Qur'an burning "tour" for the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan sparked demonstrations across Sweden.  

Throughout the month of Ramadan Paludan has toured Sweden burning copies of the holy Qur'an in several Muslim-majority areas. He sparked four days of unrest over the Easter Weekend.

Paludan, accompanied by police, went to an open public space in the southern Swedish city of Linkoping and reportedly placed the Muslim holy book down and tried to set it on fire while ignoring protests from onlookers.

The blasphemous act prompted counter-protesters to break into the rally and clash with the members of the far-right party and Swedish police.

The counter-protesters urged police not to allow Paludan to commit the sacrilegious act but the pleas were conveniently ignored, sparking violent clashes and stone-pelting.

ME