Sweden’s civil protection minister claimed his nation is being the goal of a “Russia-backed” disinformation marketing campaign to discredit its picture as a NATO candidate within the face of latest Quran burnings.
Sweden’s bid to affix NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put it within the worldwide highlight, whereas a lot of demonstrations at which protesters have burned copies of the Muslim holy e-book have angered Muslims all over the world.
“Sweden is the target of a disinformation campaign supported by state and state-like actors with the aim of damaging Swedish interests and… Swedish citizens,” the minister, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, informed reporters at a news convention.
“We can see how Russia-backed actors are amplifying incorrect statements such as that the Swedish state is behind the desecration of holy scriptures,” he stated.
“That is, naturally, completely false,” Bohlin stated, including that such state actors tried to “create division and weaken Sweden’s international standing.”
There was no instant reply from the Russian embassy in Stockholm to a request for remark concerning the minister’s remarks.
Mikael Ostlund, a spokesman for Sweden’s Psychological Defence Agency, informed the press convention: “Russia is using these opportunities to promote its agenda in the media and the message there aims, of course, at splitting us in the West and at creating increased concern and division here in Sweden.”
“Obviously, one such ambition from Russia’s side is to be able to complicate our joining NATO.”
In a press release earlier this month, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom stated the desecration of holy texts was “offensive and disrespectful.” “Expressions of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in Sweden or in Europe,” he stated.
Copies of the Quran have been burned at a number of demonstrations in Sweden and Denmark this summer time, inflicting outrage amongst Muslims and prompting protesters to storm and vandalize the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.
Denmark and Sweden have stated they deplore the burning of the Quran however can’t stop it underneath guidelines defending free speech.
Türkiye, which holds a veto over Swedish NATO membership, has condemned the protests and referred to as on Stockholm to take motion in opposition to the perpetrators.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sweden’s safety service, SAPO, warned that Sweden’s safety scenario had worsened on account of the latest controversy over freedom of speech.
“The image of Sweden has changed. We have gone from being seen as a tolerant country to being a land that is anti-Muslim – that’s how we are seen… mainly the Muslim parts of the world,” Susanna Trehorning, Deputy Head of the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Subversion Unit at SAPO, informed Swedish state broadcaster SVT.
Sweden’s security-alert stage has not been modified, nonetheless, and is at the moment at 3 on a scale of 5, indicating “heightened risk.” Five is the best stage of risk.
Islamophobic actions carried out by small teams in Sweden and Denmark, wherein Quran editions have been burned, have not too long ago led to offended protests in a number of Muslim nations.
Reactions have been significantly sturdy in Iraq, whose authorities expelled the Swedish ambassador. Earlier, demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish embassy and set fireplace to it.
On Monday, the Swedish radio station SVT reported {that a} Quran burning introduced for Saturday had been canceled by the individual accountable. However, additional actions have been deliberate.
Sweden’s status suffers as a result of Quran burnings
According to the key service, Sweden’s status suffered on account of the actions in reference to disinformation campaigns that had already been happening for a while.
Instead of being a tolerant nation, Sweden is now seen as hostile to Islam and Muslims, the assertion stated. This consists of the notion that assaults on Muslims in Sweden are tolerated and Muslim youngsters are “kidnapped” by social providers, it stated.
“As an entire, this will likely improve the risk posed by people within the violent Islamist setting.
According to the report, Swedish safety providers commonly take care of threatened assaults in opposition to Swedish residents and Swedish pursuits overseas.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
