Sweden to tightens border controls after Quran burning incident

GENEVA (AA) – The Swedish government wants to prevent people from entering the country to commit crimes.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry said the government had decided to reintroduce border controls in May.

“In May this year, the Government decided to reintroduce border controls. We were clear about the reasons for this: it was primarily due to the elevated threat to Sweden, linked to events such as previous demonstrations at which Qur’ans were burned,” the statement said.

The statement was released against the backdrop of the burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in Stockholm last week.

 A 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant with ties to Shiite militias committed the crime of desecrating the holy book on the eve of the Muslim holiday Eid al Adha.

 The statement said that the Ministry of Justice had been informed about how the Swedish police control the borders.

It goes on to say that freedom of expression enjoys strong protection in Sweden. However, it was clarified that this does not mean that the government supports every opinion expressed.

“In Sweden, freedom of expression enjoys strong protection. But naturally this does not mean that the Government supports every opinion that is expressed. Public gatherings that are entirely legal can also be polarizing and offensive,” the ministry said.

The statement acknowledges that such actions have serious consequences for Sweden’s internal security.

It said that in both cases the perpetrators came from outside.

Police have the right to prevent people from entering Sweden if they threaten important public interests under the rule of law.