In the spring, the Metropolitan Police refused such a permit, but the court to which the organizers of the action appealed found the police officers’ decision to be erroneous.
The prosecuting authorities are now referring to a court decision according to which the refusal to hold a public meeting must have a clear connection with the fear of a breach of order and security, which the police do not see in this case.
At the beginning of February, the organizers of two actions contacted the security forces in which the Koran was to be burned in front of the Turkish and Iraqi embassies in Stockholm.
However, on the recommendation of the Swedish Security Police, the agency refused the organizers permission, arguing that such actions had previously posed a threat to the country and further actions would increase the risk of terrorist attacks.
This decision was criticized by several lawyers, who said the law did not give the police the right to do so.
In early June, after examining these decisions, the Administrative Court of Second Instance ruled that law enforcement officials had no legal basis for a refusal. According to the Ordinance Act, permits for public demonstrations can only be refused if this is necessary for reasons of security and order in connection with a specific demonstration.
In early 2023, a major scandal erupted between Türkiye and Sweden over the burning of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
On January 21, the leader of the far-right Hard Course party, Rasmus Paludan, publicly burned the Koran in front of the diplomatic mission.
During his speech, he criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and showed a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed.
Police also stopped Paludan from burning the Koran in Norrköping in April 2022.
However, the Court of Appeal hearing the case ruled that the police’s decision was wrong because the Public Order Act does not give them the power to cancel gatherings simply because there has been, or the possibility of, a disturbance Protest.
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