Hundreds protest Sweden’s new anti-terror laws
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Stockholm city centre to demonstrate. — AFP pic
Monday, 05 Jun 2023 7:41 AM MYT
STOCKHOLM, June 5 — Hundreds of people protested in Stockholm on Sunday against new anti-terror legislation that was passed to address Turkiye’s opposition to Sweden joining Nato.
The demonstration was organised by groups close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), outlawed by Turkiye, which this week warned against “terrorists” being allowed to demonstrate in Sweden.
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far blocked Sweden’s Nato membership, accusing Stockholm of being a haven for the Kurdish activists.
To address his concerns, Sweden passed a new law that criminalises “participation in a terrorist organisation”.
“They are after the Kurds in Sweden,” Tomas Pettersson, spokesperson for the Alliance Against Nato, told AFP at the protest, titled “No to Nato, No Erdogan Laws in Sweden.”
Petterson added that the idea behind the law is “to have an arrest and a trial and a victim,” so that Erdogan “will then let Sweden into Nato”.
Protesters waved numerous PKK flags, along with signs reading “No to Nato.”
“Our membership in Nato would cause a lot of blackmail from Erdogan,” former Swedish MP Amineh Kakabaveh told AFP.
A spokesman for Erdogan on Tuesday said it was “completely unacceptable that PKK terrorists continue to operate freely in Sweden” and urged Swedish authorities to block the protest.
Even though the PKK is also considered a terrorist organisation in Sweden — as in the rest of the EU — its supporters are generally allowed to protest in public.
Sweden and Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied to join Nato in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Monday, 05 Jun 2023 7:41 AM MYT
STOCKHOLM, June 5 — Hundreds of people protested in Stockholm on Sunday against new anti-terror legislation that was passed to address Turkiye’s opposition to Sweden joining Nato.
The demonstration was organised by groups close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), outlawed by Turkiye, which this week warned against “terrorists” being allowed to demonstrate in Sweden.
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far blocked Sweden’s Nato membership, accusing Stockholm of being a haven for the Kurdish activists.
To address his concerns, Sweden passed a new law that criminalises “participation in a terrorist organisation”.
“They are after the Kurds in Sweden,” Tomas Pettersson, spokesperson for the Alliance Against Nato, told AFP at the protest, titled “No to Nato, No Erdogan Laws in Sweden.”
Petterson added that the idea behind the law is “to have an arrest and a trial and a victim,” so that Erdogan “will then let Sweden into Nato”.
Protesters waved numerous PKK flags, along with signs reading “No to Nato.”
“Our membership in Nato would cause a lot of blackmail from Erdogan,” former Swedish MP Amineh Kakabaveh told AFP.
A spokesman for Erdogan on Tuesday said it was “completely unacceptable that PKK terrorists continue to operate freely in Sweden” and urged Swedish authorities to block the protest.
Even though the PKK is also considered a terrorist organisation in Sweden — as in the rest of the EU — its supporters are generally allowed to protest in public.
Sweden and Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied to join Nato in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
kt comments:
For decades both Sweden and Finland have enjoyed peace despite neighbouring USSR-Russia because of their political non-alignment.
Why discard such 'neutrality' overnight because of precisely the reason Russia has attacked Ukraine, for wanting to be part of NATO which threatens Russia.
In other words, Finland & Sweden abandon their neutrality to join an anti-Russian military alliance which will attract Russian hostility - Memang Bodoh!
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Finland formally joined in April, however Turkiye and Hungary have yet to ratify Sweden’s membership bid.
Sweden’s justice minister reiterated on Friday that the new law is not aimed at attacking freedom of speech.
Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on Thursday hailed the new legislation as Sweden’s last step under an accord signed with Turkiye last year for Ankara to ratify Stockholm’s membership.
After meeting Erdogan in Turkiye, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday called on Ankara to drop its opposition to Sweden’s bid, saying Stockholm has addressed security concerns.
Ankara suspended negotiations with Sweden in outrage after protests in January that included a Koran burning outside Turkiye’s embassy in Stockholm. — AFP
There is today a dictionary term for what Finland endured in the 1940s - 1990s. It's called "Finlandization".
ReplyDeleteMy Finnish friend calls it "dishonour", and the majority of Finns will not tolerate it today.
Basically Finland accepted being a subordinate of the Soviet Union/Russia in return for No Invasion.
Sweden has always considered the USSR/Russia as "the enemy" and build its defences accordingly , even though it maintained neutrality while cooperating with the West.
What changed was Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 with 200,000 soldiers, bombed Kyiv , bombarded Kharkiv and butchered civilians in Ukrainian towns like Bucha.
To stop Ukraine from becoming part of NATO ?
The majority of Malaysians believe this,...BODOH... indeed.....no wonder thousands of Malaysians have at the same time lost millions of Ringgit to scammers.
The Swedes and the Finns have woken up to the fact that neutrality is no prevention to a Russian invasion.
NATO Article 5 IS....if Russia forces invade Finland today, they would soon be facing the 101st Airborne and the 1st Armoured Division (the Desert Rats) F-35s and Tomahawk cruise missiles...that would force the Russkis to think Five Times before making the decision to invade.
Finnish friend? Do you have any more friends amongst Indians (in India), American natives (in USA and Canada) - ask them what they think of the Poms and Wankees
DeleteWakakakaka…
DeleteFinlandization!
Wow… mfer have u checked the in&out of the historical geopolitical scenario of the then SU vis-a-vis Finland?
Obviously u didn't!
& yr majority of those dishonored Finns have had zilch experience & political understanding of their forefathers. Finlandization was/is a word coined by those demoNcratic f*cks to veil over the real geopolitical situation these current blurred Finns enjoyed & took for granted until been hoodwinked into joining NATO as of now. Bearing in mind, w/o that smart political manoeuvre then, Finland would never, THEN, managed to stay as an independent sovereign nation - neither allied to the NATO nor partnered Warsaw!
BTW, u could so easily side with that 'invasional' fear, imagined or real, by the Swedes & Finns about hostile external invasional forces, then why can't u given the same thought to the fear of the Russians?
NATO Article 5 is a Yankee concocted military play to minimize his military involvement in foreign friendly territories while maintaining his dominant master position!
If Russia is been forced to attack any NATO nation, then, be sure that the Russian highest military top brass have taken that jump with that f*cked NATO clause in mind. It's never a deterrent when used against a seemingly deadened conflict!
Bear that in yr wettest dream, mfer.
There is a long, long, long queue of Indians in India applying to be allowed to work in the USA, especially America's vibrant tech industry.
DeleteThose are the ones going through legal due proces.. in addition to many thousands every year who risk everything to enter USA illegally.
Wakakakaka…
DeleteThese Indians r those who have been intoxicated daily with Yankee soap operas/movies to think that the USofA is the land of free & milk&honey. Likening to the Mexicans & those Central Americans.
Ooop … in a twisted way, thinking similarly with yr blurred Finns & Ukrainians.
Maybe, mfer, u too r been taught & indoctrinated in the same. But what ain't u go their way?