News Brief
Quran Burning Protests Posing Security Threat To Sweden But No Plans For Now To Change Freedom of Speech Laws: PM Ulf Kristersson
Quran Burning In Sweden
Security threats to Sweden have increased after recent Quran-burning protests, but the government has no plans for now to make sweeping changes to the country's freedom of speech laws, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said.
"We stand up for the Swedish freedom of speech," PM Kristersson said while addressing a news conference on Tuesday.
"In a free country like Sweden, you have a great deal of freedom. But with that great degree of freedom comes a great degree of responsibility," Kristersson said.
"Everything that is legal is not appropriate. It can be awful but still lawful. We try to promote a respectful tone between countries and peoples."
PM Kristersson's response came after the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), representing 57 countries, held a special session on Monday to discuss the recent developments, condemning the burnings and seeking the UN to intervene.
In a 35-point action plan, the organisation called on the UN secretary-general to appoint a special rapporteur on combating Islamophobia. It urged all governments to fully implement existing laws or adopt new legislation if needed, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Quran Burning In Sweden
A group of protesters burned pages torn from a Quran outside Sweden's parliament in Stockholm on Monday, the third such demonstration in recent weeks.
The Swedish government has repeatedly condemned Quran burning as "Islamophobic."
In July, the Iraqi government expelled the Swedish ambassador in Baghdad as a diplomatic row escalated over a protest in Stockholm in which Quran was burned.
Angered over the burning of the Quran, protesters in Baghdad stormed the Swedish embassy's walls, set fires within its compound and clashed with riot police.
In January this year, a local politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Quran in front of Turkey's embassy in Stockholm.
Sweden, which has constitutionally enshrined a commitment to absolutely free speech, permitted Paludan to burn a copy of the Quran. Swedish police also authorised anti-Turkish demonstrations after determining it was protected by the country's liberal freedom of speech laws.
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