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The leader of the extreme right-wing Danish party Harte Linie, Rasmus Paludan, in front of the Koran burning
Photo: FREDRIK SANDBERG / AFP
Targeted provocation: At an anti-Turkish demonstration in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, a participant burned a copy of the Koran.
This intensified the already tense relations between the two countries.
The leader of the far-right Danish party Harte Linie, Rasmus Paludan, who also has Swedish citizenship, set fire to the Koran near the Turkish embassy on Saturday.
The Foreign Ministry in Ankara immediately declared that it condemned in the strongest possible terms the "disgusting attack on our holy book".
Sweden must take action against the perpetrator and the international community must take a stand against Islamophobia.
Other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, also condemned the burning of the Koran.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom spoke of "appalling" Islamophobic provocations.
Sweden has a wide range of freedom of expression.
"But that does not mean that the Swedish government or I support the opinions expressed," he wrote on Twitter.
Turkey had previously canceled a visit by Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson scheduled for late January, citing Paludan's approval of the rally as the reason.
In Ankara, Jonson wanted to speak about Sweden's application for NATO membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey, which is a member of the alliance, has been blocking accession for months.
The politician Paludan had also organized demonstrations in the past in which he burned the Koran.
In the registration for his rally, which had been approved by the authorities, he stated that his protest was directed against Islam and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's attempt to influence freedom of expression in Sweden.
Turkey said the burning was an Islamophobic act directed against Muslims "and insulted our sacred values."
Allowing such a protest under the guise of freedom of expression is completely unacceptable.
dop/Reuters