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Protest in Istanbul after a Koran burning in Sweden
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Onur Dogman/ IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
Turkey has warned its citizens of attacks in Europe and the US.
Turks living in or traveling to European countries or the United States should behave cautiously in the face of possible racist harassment and attacks, Turkey's Foreign Ministry recommended on Saturday evening.
They should also stay away from areas where there could be more demonstrations.
Islamophobic and racist acts and propaganda demonstrations against Turkey by groups linked to terrorist organizations have increased in some European countries, it said.
These actions showed the "dangerous extent of religious intolerance and hatred in Europe."
Several European countries, including Germany and Sweden, as well as the USA, had previously recommended that their citizens avoid large crowds in Turkey.
A statement from the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin said, for example, that the security authorities believe the risk of terrorist attacks in Turkey has increased following the recent burning of the Koran in Sweden.
The background to the tensions are several Islamophobic actions in Europe.
In Sweden, a right-wing extremist burned a copy of the Koran - the holy book of Islam - in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Ankara took this as an opportunity to continue blocking Sweden's accession to NATO.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's threat to block Sweden's NATO membership because of the controversial protest action.
Freedom of expression is a valuable asset "in Sweden and in all other NATO countries" and such protests are "not automatically illegal," said Stoltenberg.
Meanwhile, the United States suspected that the right-wing extremist Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan might have committed an act of sabotage against the NATO unit.
Sweden wants to join the western military alliance together with Finland as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
All 30 current members must agree to this.
There is still no yes from Turkey and Hungary.
svs/dpa