Sweden’s government announced Tuesday that it planned to “intensify” border controls in response to a worsening security situation following recent rallies involving Koran desecrations.
Tensions have risen between Sweden and Muslim countries as a result of various protests including public desecrations of the Koran, including the burning of pages on fire.
“People with very weak ties to Sweden should not be able to come to Sweden to commit crimes,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference, adding an official decision to step up border controls was expected Thursday.
Two Iraqi males, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, torched the Muslim holy scripture in front of Sweden’s parliament on Monday.
Similar protests outside Stockholm’s largest mosque and Iraq’s embassy in the Swedish capital had previously sparked significant outrage and censure.
Protesters in Iraq stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice, setting fire to the compound on the second occasion.
Sweden ordered 15 government departments, including the armed services, various law enforcement agencies, and the tax office, to step up anti-terrorism measures last week.
The increased border checks, according to Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer, are for so-called inner border controls, which are for those traveling into Sweden from other Schengen countries.
“The inner border controls enable us to identify incoming travellers that can threaten our security,” Strommer told reporters.
Sweden reintroduced inner border controls in May 2022 citing a worsened security situation, a decision made in line with common EU legislation.
Strommer also noted that new Swedish legislation came into force Tuesday, giving police wider powers to conduct controls within Swedish borders, including vehicle and body searches.
“The purpose is to strengthen police work and prevent threats to domestic security,” Strommer said.
On Monday, the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation voiced “disappointment” with Sweden and Denmark for not taking action following the spate of burnings.
The Swedish government criticized the desecrations, emphasizing the country’s constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression and assembly.
However, Kristersson repeated on Tuesday that the administration was studying Sweden’s legal system in order to consider prospective changes.
“It would be about widening the process for handling permits for public gatherings so that one can look at a wider security perspective,” the head of government said.
Over the weekend, Denmark also announced it would explore legal means of stopping protests involving the burning of holy texts in certain circumstances.
