The protest, which took place with the permission of the Swedish police, coincided with the start of the Muslim holiday “Eid al-Adha” (Feast of the Sacrifice).
“We will eventually teach the arrogant Westerners that insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought,” Erdogan said in a televised broadcast.
“We will show our reaction in the strongest possible way until a decisive victory over terrorist organizations and Islamophobia is achieved,” the Turkish president stressed.
Erdogan’s criticism of Sweden comes a week before Turkey’s and Sweden’s top diplomats meet in Brussels to discuss Stockholm’s bid to join NATO.
Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members that have not yet ratified Sweden’s admission. Western officials hoped to officially welcome Sweden into the bloc by the NATO summit, which will be held in Lithuania on July 11 and 12.
In its written decision granting permission for the protest, Stockholm police said the security risks associated with the arson “are not such as to justify a decision to deny the request under current law.”
Erdogan stated that Swedish officials are fully responsible for the incident. “Those who commit this crime, as well as those who allow it under the pretext of freedom of opinion, those who allow this despicable act will not be able to realize their ambitions,” the Turkish president said.
2023-06-29 14:07:06
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