Sweden readies for tense anti-Turkey protests amid NATO 'terrorists' row

NEWS WIRES
Fri, 20 January 2023 


© Ali Unal, AP

Sweden is bracing for demonstrations Saturday that could complicate its efforts to persuade Turkey to approve its NATO accession.

A far-right activist from Denmark has received permission from police to stage a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, where he intends to burn the Quran, Islam’s holy book.

Meanwhile, both pro-Turkish and pro-Kurdish groups are planning demonstrations in the Swedish capital.

Turkey has so far refused to approve bids by Sweden and Finland to join NATO, which needs sign-off by all member states.

Turkey says Sweden in particular needs to crack down on Kurdish and other groups that Ankara considers terrorists.

Sweden has assured Turkey it won’t allow any terrorist groups on Swedish soil. But pro-Kurdish and anti-NATO groups have complicated matters for the Swedish government by staging anti-Turkey demonstrations that have infuriated the Turkish government, including an effigy of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that was briefly hung outside Stockholm’s City Hall last week.

(AP)