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Sweden was working frantically on Sunday to keep its Nato bid on track after a furious reaction in Turkey to a provocateur being allowed to burn a copy of the Koran outside its embassy in Stockholm.
The prime minister and foreign minister sought to defuse a wave of anger in Turkey, not just from the government but also opposition figures and the public.
Sweden, which has some of the strongest protections of free speech in Europe, granted permission for the Koran-burning protest, as it has done several times previously — even after it sparked riots in April.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act. I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm,” Ulf Kristersson, Sweden’s prime minister, wrote on Twitter.
Tobias Billström, Sweden’s foreign minister, added: “Islamophobic provocations are appalling. Sweden has a far-reaching freedom of expression, but it does not imply that the Swedish government, or myself, support the opinions expressed.”
The latest setback in Sweden’s attempts to convince Turkey to back its application for Nato membership came on Saturday afternoon when Rasmus Paludan, a notorious Danish rightwing provocateur, set fire to the Koran outside Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm.
Turkey had already cancelled a planned visit by Sweden’s defence minister Pål Jonson ahead of the burning, which itself was meant to be the first bilateral meeting since a Swedish group opposed to Nato membership hung an effigy of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan outside Stockholm’s city hall.
Hulusi Akar, Turkey’s defence minister, told Jonson the “vile and heinous” protests in Stockholm had rendered their planned January 27 meeting to discuss Nato membership “meaningless”, according to a statement from the Turkish defence ministry.
Turkey’s foreign ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador ahead of the Koran burning, the state Anadolu news agency said. “Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of ‘freedom of expression’ is completely unacceptable. This is an outright hate crime,” the ministry said in a statement. It added that the events showed the “alarming level” of Islamophobia and racism in Europe.
In Istanbul, nationalist groups protested outside the Swedish consulate on Saturday to read the Koran and demand that Sweden be prevented from ever joining Nato.
Paul Levin, director of Stockholm University’s Institute for Turkish Studies, said the Nato negotiations had “been thrown into a deep crisis”. “If Erdoğan stays in power, we may be looking at years, not months, before ratification, at least unless other Nato allies step in with any available carrots and sticks to convince Ankara,” he said.
The dispute with Sweden and Finland has given Erdoğan unusual leverage over western partners, and public anger over their candidacy could help galvanise his conservative base ahead of general elections expected in May, when he faces a tough campaign to retain power.
But outrage over the events in Stockholm provided rare consensus with the opposition. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, chair of the biggest opposition party, said on Twitter he condemned the attack on the Koran, calling it “fascism that is the pinnacle of a hate crime”.
Hungary has said it will ratify Sweden’s and Finland’s Nato applications next month, leaving Turkey the sole holdout among the alliance’s 30 members.
The US recently told Turkey it was “time” to welcome the two Nordic countries into the alliance, echoing comments from Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, while Lithuania has told Ankara the delay was hurting the Baltic states’ regional security.
Erdoğan has expressed dismay at Sweden’s previously close ties to Kurdish groups he regards as terrorists. He wants Sweden and Finland to extradite dozens of political asylum seekers he accuses of Kurdish separatism or involvement in an abortive 2016 coup.
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