The recent burning of a Quran in Stockholm, which has jeopardised Sweden's Nato membership bid, was funded by a far-right journalist with ties to Kremlin-backed media, it has emerged.
The incident occurred last Saturday near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, carried out by Rasmus Paludan, a far-right politician and anti-Islam activist. Swedish media report that the demonstration permit, costing 320 Swedish krona (£25), was paid for by Chang Frick, a former contributor to the Kremlin-backed channel RT. Frick has confirmed he paid for the permit but denied orchestrating the burning.
The act has sparked widespread criticism across the Islamic world and deepened tensions with Turkey, whose approval is required for Sweden's Nato accession. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that such blasphemy cannot be tolerated, effectively blocking Sweden's membership bid. Turkey's foreign ministry has deemed further talks 'meaningless' and summoned the Danish ambassador over the incident.
Frick, a former Sweden Democrats official and founder of a far-right website, has a history of provocative statements. In a 2019 interview, he joked about his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, brandishing rouble notes and referring to Putin as his 'real boss'. He now hosts a show on a channel affiliated with the Sweden Democrats, which supports the current coalition government.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström condemned the act as an 'appalling Islamophobic provocation', but emphasised that Sweden's freedom of expression does not imply government endorsement of such views. Sweden and Finland have been in trilateral talks with Turkey to address Ankara's concerns over their Nato membership, but Turkey demands further actions, including the extradition of 130 individuals it considers terrorists.
