Days after a copy of the Qur’an was burned in front of a Stockholm mosque, social media users circulated a video that its publishers claimed was of the Swedish Prime Minister challenging the Arabs.
The video includes footage of what appears to be a press conference. In the background are the flags of Sweden and the flag of the European Union. “Listen to what the Prime Minister of Sweden says,” the accompanying caption read.
However, the video dates back to months ago, and the translation attached to it on Arabic communication sites is fabricated.
In the Arabic translation accompanying the video, phrases were attributed to the Swedish Prime Minister in which he stated that he did not care about the Arabs’ reaction to the burning of the Qur’ans in Sweden, and he was quoted as saying, “I challenge all Arab and Islamic countries to boycott Sweden’s products.”
The spread of this passage comes after the 37-year-old Iraqi Silwan Momica, who lives in Sweden, burnt pages of the Qur’an in front of a Stockholm mosque.
Swedish police had given Momica permission to protest in line with protections for freedom of expression, but authorities later said they had opened an investigation for “incitement”.
Position of the Swedish Prime Minister
In the wake of the outrage sparked by the burning of the Koran, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson called for calm.
He pointed out in a press conference that there was no reason to “insult other people,” referring to what Momika had done, adding, “I think that just because some things are legal, does not necessarily mean that they are appropriate.”
This raises doubts about the content of the circulating video, in addition to the mention of several phrases that are unlikely to be mentioned in an official press conference.
Video fact
As a result, the research concluded that the video dates back to a press conference that the Swedish Prime Minister held with his Romanian counterpart three months ago, which denies any connection to what happened recently in Sweden.
The full conference can be found on the official accounts of the Swedish government and the Romanian government on YouTube on May 31, 2023.
Returning to the content of the speech, the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson did not mention the issue of burning the Qur’an, and he discussed with the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Cioca, issues related to security and immigration in the European Union, and support for Ukraine.
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2023-07-03 16:47:21
