Published 4 April 2023 at 14.16
Domestic. The police's decision to deny permission for Koran burnings at embassies in Stockholm is now overturned by the administrative court.
Share the article
TwittraShare
In February 2023, an association and a private person applied for permission to organize public gatherings with Koran burning outside Turkey's and Iraq's embassies in Stockholm.
The police authority denied the permits and judged that public order and security as a result of the planned gatherings could not be guaranteed. Reference was made to an assessment made by Säpo that Koran burnings could increase the threat of attacks against Sweden and “Swedish interests”.
The association and the private individual appealed the decisions and stated that the Police Authority's decision is against the law.
The Administrative Court now states that freedom of assembly and demonstration are constitutionally protected rights and that there is therefore a limited possibility to refuse permission for a public assembly. One reason for denying such permission is that it is necessary for reasons of order and security. According to administrative law, it is then required that there are relatively concrete circumstances that indicate that disturbances of order or security risks will arise at the assembly itself.
– The possibilities available to refuse permission for a public assembly are very limited. The administrative court does not consider that the threat presented and which has been the basis for the Police Authority's decision to deny the permits is sufficiently concrete and connected to the gathering in question. The police authority has therefore not had sufficient support for its decisions, says Eva-Lotta Hedin, lawyer, in a press release.