Turkey summons Swedish ambassador over planned Quran burning
A far-right Swedish politician's planned Quran-burning protest has heightened tensions between Turkey and Sweden.
ANKARA — Turkey summoned Sweden’s ambassador on Friday over an upcoming Quran burning protest, state broadcaster TRT reported.
Far-right Danish-Swedish political leader Rasmus Paludan reportedly received permission to burn a copy of the Islamic holy book near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Saturday.
Officials summoned Ambassador Staffan Herrstrom to the Foreign Ministry on Friday to “strongly condemn” the protest, describing it as a “hate crime” and “provocation.” The Turkish officials also told Herrstrom that Stockholm granting permission for the protest was “unacceptable.”
The Turkish side also conveyed its displeasure over a separate rally by Kurdish activists to be held over the weekend.
