Sweden has announced they had approved a demonstration where the organizer planned to burn a Koran outside Stockholm's largest mosque on Wednesday, June 28, the first day of the Muslim Eid-al-Adha celebration.
According to the police, the security dangers posed by the burning "were not of a nature that could justify, under current laws, a decision to reject the request."
CNN said that Sweden's prospects of joining NATO might be jeopardized by the decision to allow such a provocative protest, which has drawn criticism from Turkey.
The Green Light
The go-ahead came two weeks after a Swedish appeals court ruled against the police's order to refuse authorizations for two rallies in Stockholm that included Koran burnings, as reported by France 24.
Following weeks of demonstrations, demands for a boycott of Swedish products, and more delays in Sweden's NATO membership bid, police at the time cited security concerns after burning the Muslim holy book outside Turkey's embassy in January.
Muslim fury over the desecration of their sacred scripture has often resulted in violent demonstrations.
Swedish police said their country was now a "higher priority target for attacks" after the January protest.
Police authorizing the January rally particularly irked Turkey, which has stalled Sweden's NATO membership ambition because of Stockholm's perceived unwillingness to clamp down on Kurdish organizations that Turkey deems terrorists.
Both a single citizen and a group attempted to have an assembly outside the Turkish and Iraqi embassies in Stockholm in February, but police denied their requests because they included the burning of Korans.
The appeals court concluded in mid-June that police were incorrect in prohibiting them, stating that "the order and security problems" cited by the police did not have "a sufficiently clear connection to the planned event or its immediate vicinity."
Also Read : Turkey Maintains Objections to Sweden's NATO Membership as Military Alliance Scrambles Before Next Summit
Justification by Police
Police justified their decision to issue the new protest permit by stating that the security hazards and consequences it anticipated in connection with the rallies were not sufficient to justify them dismissing the request.
Notably, this Wednesday's rally was requested by the same private person whose first request was denied.
"I want to protest in front of the large mosque in Stockholm, and I want to express my opinion about the Koran... I will tear up the Koran and burn it," Salwan Momika, 37, documented in the application.
Momika, who had fled to Sweden from Iraq, told the newspaper Aftonbladet in April that he had not intended to hinder Sweden's NATO bid and that he had contemplated delaying the protest until after Sweden had joined the alliance.
Police stated on Wednesday that they had sent in more officers from all around the nation to keep the peace.
By Wednesday morning, according to an AFP journalist, there were already some police vehicles parked in the area around the mosque.
In spite of strong condemnation, Swedish lawmakers have staunchly protected the freedom of speech, even when it comes to the practice of burning Korans.
