Copenhagen, Feb. 9, (dpa/GNA) - Swedish police on Wednesday refused permission for a further Koran-burning protest to take place in the capital, Stockholm.
A demonstration last month that included a Koran burning set back the country’s NATO membership bid because it caused a diplomatic row with NATO member Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had threatened that Sweden could not count on his support for its NATO application. Ankara has long blocked Sweden’s planned accession to the defence alliance together with Finland.
All 30 NATO members must agree to the accessions, with 28 having done so already. Only Hungary and Turkey have not yet agreed.
The latest demonstration, which has now been banned, could have caused serious disruptions to national security, the authorities said, after consultations with Sweden’s Säpo intelligence service.
According to the radio station SVT, the demonstration was to have taken place on Thursday afternoon in front of the Turkish embassy.
Säpo had earlier warned that January’s protest had led to an increased terror threat. “Sweden is more in the focus of violent Islamism worldwide than it was before,” the intelligence service said.
GNA