At a press conference with Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, announced on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, that he has been working tirelessly to contain the threat posed by Quran burning protests in Sweden.
The press conference, Kristersson’s first since the crisis broke out at the end of June, was focused on the country’s security policy measures to protect Swedish citizens following the recent spate of Quran desecrations.
In recent weeks, Sweden and neighbouring Denmark have experienced series of protests in which copies of the Quran, the Islamic holy book, were burned, or otherwise damaged, leaving Muslim countries incensed and prompting demands for a stop to such incidents.
Responding to criticism that he has been absent during the crisis, Kristersson averred, “I have worked day and night, together with (Justice Minister) Gunnar Strömmer.”
He added, “There’s been no holiday here, that I can say.”
Kristersson disclosed that he and his government were “currently in daily contact with Swedish intelligence services” about the threat of a retaliatory terror attack, noting Sweden security agency’s report which states that Quran burnings have shifted the Nordic country from being a “legitimate target” for terror groups to a “priority”.
Also, Kristersson divulged that the government would temporarily improve internal security and border controls, giving police wider authority to stop and search people.
Sweden’s government, he said, now plans to task police to use their new extended powers to carry out stop searches at borders, search buildings and demand ID documents, to make it more difficult for potential terrorists to enter the country.
“People with a weak connection to Sweden should not be able to come to Sweden to commit crimes or act counter to Swedish security interests.”
Ulf Kristersson
Meanwhile, the Swedish Prime Minister defended his country’s respect for freedom of expression, saying, “We stand up for the Swedish freedom of speech.”
However, he urged people to use the freedom of speech responsibly and respectfully.
“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.
“Everything that is legal is not appropriate. It can be awful but still lawful. We try to promote a respectful tone between countries and people.”
Ulf Kristersson
“No Current Plans To Change The Law On Agitation Against An Ethnic Group”
On his part, Swedish Justice Minister, Gunnar Strömmer informed the press conference that the government was not currently planning to modify its hate laws to include a ban on burning religious books.
He divulged that instead, the government plans to launch an inquiry into how the Public Order Act could be altered to give both police and the government greater powers to restrict such demonstrations.
“There are no current plans to change the law on Agitation against an Ethnic Group.
“That would mean changing the constitutional laws on free expression and our starting point is that this should take place within the framework of today’s constitutional protection for free expression.”
Gunnar Strömmer
Moreover, Strömmer said that one possibility would be to extend the emergency powers the government has under the Public Order Act to stop demonstrations.
“Today it says ‘in war or in danger of war’, the question is whether risks of a terror attack should also be included,” Strömmer said.
However, he admitted that this would take time, meaning that the government’s immediate response to the crisis would need to be carried out using existing legislation.
Relations have soured between Sweden and Muslim countries due to several protests involving public desecrations of the Islamic holy book.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an extraordinary session on Monday, July 31, 2023, to discuss the recent developments where it strongly condemned the Quran burning.
In a statement after the meeting, the group called upon member states to take appropriate action, whether political or economic, in countries where the Quran is being desecrated.
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