Sweden police refuse permission for new Quran-burning protest, citing security fears

Police in Sweden have refused to grant permission for a new rally that would have included a Quran- burning incident, citing increased security concerns.

In January, a far-right activist first burned a copy of the Mulsim holy book outside a mosque in Copenhagen, and then a few days later replicated the stunt in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. 

Rasmus Paludan, who holds dual Danish and Swedish nationality, sparked protests across the Middle East and Asia, with Turkey branding his actions a "hate crime" 

Now, Stockholm Police tell Euronews they turned down a new application for a protest which stated a Quran would be set on fire, because it "increased the risk of attacks against Sweden." 

It is understood that organisers of the new rally have appealed against the police department's decision.

Earlier this month, Sweden's domestic security agency SAPO warned that the threat of attacks in the country has increased in the weeks after Paludan's stunt. 

The agency noted that international reactions to the events outside the embassy in January "have been extensive” and "the assessment is that the security situation has deteriorated.”

"Sweden is judged to be in greater focus than before for violent Islamism globally," said SAPO. 

The security agency, however, did not change Sweden's terror threat level, which already stood at three on a five-point scale.

Rasmus Paludan is a lawyer, and has established far-right parties in both Sweden and Denmark that have failed to win any seats in national, regional or municipal elections. 

In Sweden's 2022 parliamentary election, his party received just 156 votes nationwide.

During one of his protests he said over a bullhorn: "Once he (Erdogan) has let Sweden into NATO, I promise that I will