Iran Press/ Europe: Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin on Tuesday said there are “clear connections” between actors in Iran and Russia and the “misinformation” spreading about the Quran burnings in Sweden.
This is the second time that Stockholm officials have made such baseless accusations against Iran.
In July, the Swedish authorities said that Iran and Russia were trying to use the Quoran burning incident in their propaganda.
The Swedish defense ministry had said that “certain actors outside Sweden are spreading and perpetuating false claims that the Swedish State is behind the desecration of copies of holy scriptures.”
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On July 26, 2023, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson shared a post on Instagram, claiming his country had become the target of a coordinated Russian disinformation campaign.
Addressing his 148,000 followers, Kristersson warned, “Sweden is currently exposed to influence campaigns supported by states and state-like actors, whose very purpose is to harm Sweden and Swedish interests.”
Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, elaborated further on the nature of this threat in a statement issued on Twitter, claiming, "Russia-backed actors are amplifying incorrect statements such as that the Swedish state is behind the desecration of holy scriptures."
Bohlin said that Swedish interests "are still the target of foreign targeted information influence campaigns from Russia and Iran, among others."
While the Swedish government has not elaborated on potential responses to Russian activity in this space, Kristersson reassured his followers, "The government is now working hard to push back the incorrect image that is being spread of Sweden, here and in other countries."
Kristersson’s statement comes after weeks of heightened tensions elicited by the public burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm. This act was carried out in front of a mosque by Salwan Momika who later staged a similar action outside the city’s Iraqi embassy.
His deplorable actions provoked an intense backlash worldwide, especially in Islamic countries.
Several acts of desecration of the holy book in recent months sparked anger in the Muslim world, including Iran, which in protest summoned the Swedish ambassador to Tehran.
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