The Swedish Centre against Violent Extremism (CVE) has called for Sweden to amend its Public Order Act to ensure public events such as Quran burnings can be banned if they threaten national security.
There has been an uproar in the Muslim world after an Iraqi national burned a Quran outside a mosque in southern Stockholm last week, leading to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad being stormed by an angry mob.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry issued a statement last Sunday (2 July) strongly condemning the burning of the Quran, calling it ‘Islamophobic’ and an ‘expression of racism and xenophobia’. However, such burnings remain legal in Sweden as they fall under the umbrella of freedom of speech, making it impossible for the police to ban them.
In a ruling in June, the Administrative Court of Appeal said that concrete risks related to a Quran burning were necessary for the police to be able to reject an application but that general increased threat of terrorism throughout Sweden should not affect the assessment.
But now there are growing calls to change the law and allow the Swedish police to ban such public events, as Sweden faced a fierce diplomatic backlash and increased terrorist threats in the wake of the two Quran burnings in 2023.
One of these voices is the Swedish Civil Society’s Activities Against Extremism (CVE), a government initiative to counter extremism and radicalisation in the country, whose president is now calling to change the law.
“Change the Public Order Act and do it quickly.”, CVE president Jonas Trolle said.
In Sweden, the Public Order Act is the primary law to maintain public order, safety, and peace within society. It empowers authorities, including the police, to intervene in situations that threaten public safety or disrupt public order, covering public gatherings, protests, violence prevention, and addressing disturbances in public places.
According to Trolle, the Swedish constitution allows restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms in the interests of national security. But the Public Order Act does not.
“The constitution allows for refusal in the case of threats to national security, and it is obvious that what is happening right now is really not good in relation to the risks to Sweden,” he said.
He also emphasised that in countries such as the UK, Germany, France and Finland, burning Qurans is not possible, although all enjoy rather high degrees of freedom of expression, calling Sweden a ‘reality check’.
(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)
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