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The already increasing tension between Sweden and Turkey after a Kurdish group hanged a mannequin of the Turkish President in Stockholm last week is due to rise even more with other anti-Turkey demonstrations to be held on Saturday.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned Sweden’s ambassador on Friday after Swedish police gave permission to a far-right activist from Denmark, who also holds Sweden citizenship, to protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, by burning Islam’s holy book, the Quran. The anti-Islam activist, Rasmus Paludan, who has planned the protest, has staged similar protests in both Denmark and Sweden before.
Furthermore, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday morning that they’ve cancelled Swedish Defense Minister Pol Jonson’s visit to Turkey which was scheduled for 27 January.
Akar defined Paludan’s protest as “unacceptable” and said that Jonson’s visit “has no meaning or importance anymore”.
Turkish government officials expressed that they expect the anti-Islam protest to not be allowed and condemned the “provocative” action.
However, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström described Paludan’s planned protest as “freedom of expression”.
“Freedom of expression is quite broad in Sweden and it is part of our democracy that such demonstrations can take place,” Billström said.
Turkish authorities also stated that “allowing terrorist organisations and their supporters’ propaganda activities is a clear violation of the trilateral memorandum,” referring to the pro-Kurdish demonstrations which will also be held on Saturday in the Swedish capital.
Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a trilateral memorandum at the NATO summit held in the Spanish capital Madrid on 28 June. While the two Nordic states accepted a number of demands from Turkey, Turkey also agreed to support the invitation of the two countries to become members of NATO.
