lördag 1 juli 2023
The Koran burnings increase the risk of terror in Sweden
Wolfgang Hansson
Freedom of speech
Freedom of expression has a price - are the Swedes prepared to pay?
This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.
Published 2023-06-30 21:37
Columnists
Swedish freedom of expression has a price. In the worst case, the price can be high.
For every Koran burning, the NATO hope fades, the terrorist threat against Sweden increases and the security risk for Swedes living and traveling in Muslim countries increases.
Are we prepared to pay that price?
After Wednesday's Koran burning in Stockholm, the Swedish embassy in Iraq was stormed and Morocco chose to recall its ambassador in protest. Photo: Twitter
In Sweden, reactions to the Koran burning outside the mosque at Medborgarplatsen in Stockholm were fairly restrained. Especially in comparison to the riots last Easter in a number of Swedish cities when the far-right Danish politician Rasmus Paludan went around on tour of Sweden and burned the Koran.
In the Muslim world, the picture looks very different. In Baghdad, a few hundred Iraqis stormed the Swedish embassy in scenes reminiscent of the violent riots that followed in several Muslim countries after the so-called Muhammad cartoons were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Morocco recalled its ambassador in protest against the latest Koran burning. Similar protests come from a number of other countries.
It is rarely about spontaneous popular reactions. Instead, it is extreme forces in Muslim countries who try to exploit what people do in Sweden in the name of freedom of expression to push their own political agenda.
In Baghdad, for example, it was the militant Shiite politician Muqtada al-Sadr who organized the demonstration and called on his followers to storm the embassy.
At the same time, it is not possible to turn a blind eye to the fact that many Muslims believe that whoever burns a Koran commits a heinous and offensive act. This has far-reaching consequences for Sweden just as it had for Danmark almost 20 years ago.
Mocking religion
We can of course say; "we don't care what you think, we have our freedom of speech". But we are still forced to live with the consequences.
By coincidence, the judges came today against some of those who participated in the Easter coup in Malmö. The punishments were severe. An important signal from society that this type of behavior cannot be tolerated, no matter how offended you feel.
For most Swedes, it has long been self-evident that one should be able to mock and push with religion, whether it is Christianity or Islam.
Our freedom of speech is extensive but it is not absolute. There are opinions that are forbidden to express. Defamation, racism and incitement against ethnic groups are illegal.
In April, a parliamentary inquiry put forward a proposal that all parties support that it will be illegal to deny the Holocaust and other genocides. A law that already exists in many countries and which Sweden is now expected to introduce after pressure from the EU.
Public burning of religious scriptures is permitted in Sweden but is prohibited in, for example, Norway and Finland. Countries that we assess are fully democratic.
In other words, there is a line that needs to be drawn.
The police have recently said no to a number of applications to burn the Koran. After the first two legal instances said that the police's decisions were illegal, they gave permission for the burning of the Koran at Medborgarplatsen, but at the same time reported the Iraqi who carried out the action to the police for incitement against a group of people.
Laws are reinterpreted
It is therefore likely to be tested in court whether it can constitute incitement against a group of people to burn the Koran outside a mosque. Which is far from obvious because Muslims are not a people group any more than Christians are. But it's all about how you interpret the law and what you put into the concept of ethnic group.
Look at democracy USA. A year ago, American women had a national right to abortion. Now that right is gone. The law is the same, but the lawyers have made a new interpretation.
For Sweden as a nation and for individual Swedes, the Koran burnings can have extensive consequences. Säpo has already warned that this means an increased risk of terrorist acts directed at Sweden, abroad or at home. Swedish citizens may run an increased risk of being exposed to violence. Swedish products and companies can be exposed to boycotts in Muslim countries, which took place against Denmark after the Muhammad attacks. We all remember the terrorist act against the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in France after the magazine republished the Muhammad cartoons.
What is most important?
Sweden is in a vulnerable security policy situation where we have applied for NATO membership but Turkey has so far blocked a Swedish membership citing, among other things, the Koran burnings. Thus, we do not have written guarantees from the whole of NATO about help if Sweden is attacked.
A little pointedly, one can ask the question if it is reasonable to let a Danish far-right politician and an Iraqi Christian carry out Koran burnings whose obvious purpose is only to provoke and spread hatred? When we also know in advance that the consequences for Sweden can be very negative.
Is freedom of speech for undemocratic individuals (the Iraqi wants to ban the Koran in Sweden) more important than Sweden's security as a nation?
These are difficult questions without easy answers. But regardless of your position, you cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the price for freedom of expression can be high.
In Ukraine, thousands of people are dying to defend their freedom. How many Swedes are prepared to die so that Paludan and a Christian Iraqi will be allowed to burn the Koran?
Riots everywhere - then Macron went to a concert
Emmanuel Macron
Macron met Elton John - while riots ravage the country
Leo Pettersson
Updated 12:14 | Published 2023-06-30 23:36
News
France was in flames.
Then President Emmanuel Macron took the opportunity to meet Elton John.
- Totally irresponsible, says Thierry Mariani, EU Member of Parliament for National Assembly.
Quick version
* France has been rocked by riots after 17-year-old Nahel was shot dead by police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. As the violence escalated, President Emmanuel Macron and his wife witnessed an Elton John concert, sparking a storm of criticism. Macron was described as "totally irresponsible" by MEP Thierry Mariani.
* Macron held an emergency emergency meeting following the violent response to Nahel's death, which he called "inexplicable and unforgivable". He described the violence of the protesters as "unjustifiable" and called on France's parents to take responsibility, stressing that it is not the role of the state to act as parents.
* The violence continued on Friday with more arrests and injuries. Macron has had no comment on his concert visit. The situation has escalated so much that the mayor of Marseille has appealed to the police for reinforcements. Police have now banned unannounced demonstrations around specific locations and will use armored vehicles. The French interior minister states that "the coming hours will be decisive".
On Tuesday, 17-year-old Nahel was shot dead by a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
The day that followed has rocked France with riots described as ”a theater of urban violence”.
As violence hit the streets in full force on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte attended Elton John's concert in Paris.
In a video, he is seen stomping along to the music. Elton's husband David Furnish later posted a picture of the two couples hanging out backstage.
A post shared by David Furnish (@davidfurnish)
Protests in Strasbourg during Friday.
1 / 2Photo: Jean-Francois Badias / AP
"Truly a priority"
Thierry Mariani, Member of the European Parliament for the National Assembly, describes Macron's concert visit as "totally irresponsible".
- While France is burning, Macron was not at the side of his ministers or the police. Instead, he chose to applaud Elton John, says Mariani according to The Independet.
As usual, criticism has also been pouring in on social media.
The comment field for the Furnish instagram post above is a good example of that.
"This concert was indeed a priority for Macron".
"While a child is being murdered by the police, he is enjoying a show. Shame on Macron for his crime”.
"Did you know that France was burning when this picture was taken?".
Burnt buses outside Paris. Photo: Michel Euler / AP
The call to parents
On Friday, Macron held an emergency crisis meeting in Paris. This after a night described as "rarely violent"
- where over 660 people were arrested and around 200 police officers were injured.
After the meeting, Macron described Nahel's death as "inexplicable and unforgivable".
At the same time, he said that the violent response from the protesters is "unjustifiable" and urged the country's parents to take responsibility.
- It is not the state's task to act in place of parents, he says according to AP.
"Like they're playing video games"
Macron stated that a third of all those arrested on Thursday night were "young or very young".
- We sometimes get the feeling that they are ravaging the streets as if they were playing a video game.
However, there was no comment about the concert visit.
Thierry Mariani, Member of the European Parliament for the National Assembly: "Totally irresponsible" Photo: Daniel Cole / AP
Continued violence
The violence continued on Friday night. At 00:30, 270 people had been arrested, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted. Two hours later, the number was 471, Darmanin stated.
Among other things, there were violent confrontations between demonstrators and the police in central Lyon during the evening. Le Monde describes it as "scenes of chaos", with burning barricades, rocket fire at the opera house and police helicopters hovering over the city.
Earlier in the day, unrest was reported in Strasbourg, where an Apple store in a shopping center was vandalized.
Appeals for reinforcement
In Marseille, the situation has escalated so much that the mayor Benoît Payan appealed to the police for reinforcements.
- The scenes we see of looting and violence are unacceptable, Payan said according to TT.
Many of the night's arrests took place in Marseille, where police used tear gas against protesters who threw objects at police cars in the port district popular with tourists.
In Grenoble, hundreds of hooded youths were able to rob several stores in the city center, especially clothing and phone stores, before the police could intervene, according to an AFP journalist according to Le Monde.
The police have now banned unannounced demonstrations around places such as the Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées and the Champ de Mars, according to French media.
Élisabeth Borne has announced that the police will use armored vehicles.
"These next few hours will be decisive," writes Minister of the Interior Darmanin in one
letter to police officers, according to TT.
Killed the 17-year-old in Paris
Demonstration in Paris. A woman holds up a sign with the message "the police are racists and kill children." Lewis Joly / AP
Killed the 17-year-old in Paris
Swedish Foreign Ministry on the concerns: Avoid public gatherings in France
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges Swedes to avoid public gatherings in France, reports SVT Nyheter. However, there is no travel advisory.
The country has been rocked by protests after Nahel, a 17-year-old of North African descent, was shot dead by police at a traffic control this week.
Clashes in Paris/the post that caused reactions. TT/David Furnish,
Instagram
Emmanuel Macron is criticized for his concert visit - amid fiery protests
French President Emmanuel Macron is under fire for attending Elton John's concert in Paris, as violent riots rock the country. The Independent reports.
A picture that Elton John's husband David Furnish posted on Instagram on Thursday shows the two couples together.
Criticism is heard both on social media and from the political corridors.
The French EU parliamentarian Thierry Mariani, party mate of the far-right's Marine Le Pen, describes Macron as "completely irresponsible". When France is on fire, the president would rather applaud Elton John, he notes.
994 people were arrested in the fourth night of rioting, according to France's interior ministry. 79 police officers have been injured in the past 24 hours.
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