Sweden: Police appeal court ruling allowing demonstrations where Qurans would be burned

Swedish police said on Thursday they had appealed a court ruling overturning its decision to ban two rallies where protesters planned to burn Korans.

The burning of a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January has angered the Muslim world, leading to weeks of protests, calls to boycott Swedish products and helped block Sweden's bid to NATO membership.

Harm to diplomatic relations

Stockholm police refused to allow two similar protests planned for February, citing security concerns.

They did not take place.

However, in a judgment delivered on Tuesday, the Stockholm Administrative Court overturned this decision, finding that the security risks invoked were not sufficient to limit the right to demonstrate.

"

," said judge Eva-Lotta Hedin.

The Swedish police had authorized the demonstration organized in January by Rasmus Paludan, a Swedish-Danish activist already convicted of racist insults.

Paludan also caused riots in Sweden last year when he toured the country and publicly burned copies of the Koran.

The destruction of the Koran in January also hurt Sweden's relations with Turkey, which resented the police's permission to protest.

Read alsoNATO: Turkey and Hungary called upon to approve Sweden's membership

Ankara blocks Sweden's NATO bid (which must be unanimously approved by Alliance members) over what it sees as Stockholm's failure to crack down on Kurdish groups based in Sweden , whom she considers to be “

”.

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Turkish President Recep said. Tayyip Erdogan in January.

Swedish police said the January protest made Sweden "

".

Swedish politicians criticized the destruction of the Koran, but also vigorously defended freedom of expression in the country.