Following Paludan’s protest, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson stated that he supported freedom of expression.
Christerson said on Twitter, “But what is legal is not fair. For many people, the burning of holy books is an act of utter disrespect.”
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He needs the support of all 30 members of the Alliance. Turkey has said Sweden should take a clearer stance especially against those it sees as terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and a group it blames for the 2016 coup attempt, in order to He was able to support NATO membership for the two Nordic countries.