Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is calling for drastic measures to be taken by the governments in Stockholm and Copenhagen because of Koran burnings. This debate has sparked controversy in the two countries, with the opposition raising the issue of freedom of expression if the burning is banned.
Against this backdrop of tension, another flashpoint of conflict between Stockholm and Ankara was caused by the gathering of members of the LGBTI community in Stockholm, with the participation of Kurdish protesters.
Demonstrators carried an effigy of the Turkish president holding the rainbow flag of the LGBTQ+ community and raised symbols and banners of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) organisation.
According to ERT, the participants in the march shouted slogans against Sweden's application for membership in NATO and demanded that Turkey's conditions not be accepted.
The reaction of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the representative of the AKP spokesperson, Ömer Çelik, was strong.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms that the PKK affiliated group was allowed once again to carry out a propaganda activity with the symbols of the terrorist organization and to heinously target H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan during an event held in Stokholm today (5 August). We would like to remind the commitments that Sweden has assumed to prevent the activities of the PKK and its extensions," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In his post on Twitter, Ömer Çelik also wrote: "We expect an effective and consistent policy from Sweden against all hate crimes, away from the logic of double standards, in the fight against terrorism. We expect a consistent policy."
İsveç makamlarının Türkiye ve İslam düşmanı çevrelere karşı vurdumduymaz tavrı, aşırılıkçı çevrelere cesaret vermektedir.
İsveç'ten terörle mücadeleye yönelik çifte standarttan uzak, tüm nefret suçlarına karşı etkili ve tutarlı bir politika bekliyoruz.
— Ömer Çelik (@omerrcelik) August 6, 2023
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