NATO membership, which was supposed to be fast for Finland and Sweden, was soon completely derailed. As Turkey continues to add the extradition of people it accuses of terrorism to its list of demands, uneasiness is growing in Sweden. And this leads to several protests.
After an Erdogan dummy was hanged in Stockholm and a Koran was burned, Sweden’s entry into a military alliance seems like a dream, at least until the Turkish elections in May. All NATO member states, including Turkey, have agreements.
The Swedish government condemned the action, but this pragmatic attitude towards Turkey resonates with the Swedish people: “Erdogan cannot be imposing his own vision of freedom of expression on the Swedes.” specialist magazine De Journalist.
Erdogan cartoon
The magazine has experience in publishing critical cartoons such as Charlie Hebdo cartoons (2015) and Swedish artist Lars Vilks’ cartoon of Mohammed fleeing a terrorist attack in 2015 (2007).
This week, De Journalist published the winning cartoon of the contest organized by the leftist Flamman magazine for the best satirical picture of Erdoğan. The winning cartoon is another retelling of Spanish painter Goya’s famous painting Saturn Swallows His Son. Only the Greek god was replaced by the Turkish president, who instead of his son ate a Kurdish warrior trying to keep Erdogan’s mustache.
The editors of De Journalist quickly agreed that the winning cartoon also belonged to the trade magazine. Security measures have been increased in the magazine building. Gierta has been threatened before, and more injunctions have been added with the current Erdogan cartoon. Gierta: “You’ve already noticed: It’s pretty hard to get in.”
Sad
The Swedish government’s continued tolerant attitude towards Erdogan also causes frustration on the streets. “The Swedish government is acting cowardly,” says Annika Forsmark, 59. “I want Sweden to join NATO, but that goes too far. Turkey has already said yes to Sweden and will oppose it from now on.”
Forsmark hates the burning of the Qur’an by Swedish-Danish far-right Rasmus Paludan last weekend, but does not believe Turkey can enforce a ban. “Erdogan is pedantic towards us when it comes to democracy. It really pisses people off here.”
Forsmark is confident that Sweden’s NATO membership will finally come to fruition after Turkey’s elections in May: “And if not, there’s nothing we can do about it in Sweden anyway.”
Golden times for satire
To make room for anger, the Turkish president is regularly mocked in Sweden. It’s something sensitive to Erdogan, who has been in a diplomatic confrontation over satire in Germany and France, where he’s been a target before.
It means golden times for satirical programs in Sweden. TV show Svenska Nyheter or Swedish News aired an entire program late last year called ‘Veto-Turk’.
The Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea were recently blown up, and Svenska Nyheter showed a photo of Erdogan in his red jersey. The moderator explained that the gas bubbles in Nord Stream were caused by the Turkish President who ate too much kebab. Then a Kurdish-Swedish comedian took over and showed a photo of the Turkish president in underwear on all fours and compared it to an Ikea Sultan bed.
“Magnificent Actions”
The Swedish Rojava Committee, a campaigning network for Kurdish fighters in Syria and Turkey, is also planning further protests. The network organized the protest with a Erdogan dummy hanging upside down from a lamppost in front of Stockholm City Hall.
“It’s a successful operation,” said Tomas Pettersson, a 43-year-old historian and truck driver who runs the Rojava Committee’s webshop. “We are planning new great campaigns.”
Sweden’s new terrorism law, which will be enacted soon after years of preparation, will prohibit fundraising for terrorist organizations. The Kurdish PKK is also seen as a terrorist movement in Sweden.
This has implications for sales of goods managed by Tomas Pettersson, such as PKK flags and T-shirts. The webshop’s bank account will be officially closed next week. Pettersson believes the Swedish security service is now all too well known: “Otherwise they wouldn’t be doing their job properly.”
Source: NOS
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
