By Atila Altuntas
STOCKHOLM (AA) - Supporters of the PKK/YPG terrorist group on Saturday held a demonstration in Sweden targeting Türkiye and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Gathering at Medborgarplatsen Square in the capital Stockholm, the supporters of the terrorist group also called on the Swedish government to break the trilateral memorandum signed by Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland in June 2022.
Carrying pieces of cloth symbolizing the outlawed terror group and posters of its ringleader Abdullah Ocalan, they chanted slogans against Erdogan.
Later the group marched towards the Swedish parliament under police protection while shouting "No to NATO."
On Friday, in another provocative act, an effigy of Erdogan was set on fire in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, a provocation carried out under police protection.
A provocateur who expressed her opposition to Sweden's NATO accession also spoke out against the Turkish president.
On Sept. 13, taking advantage of the opening of the Swedish parliament, supporters of the terrorist outfit gathered in the city center of Stockholm.
Videos shared online show the supporters carrying banners of the banned PKK and posters of its ringleader Abdullah Ocalan, and burning an effigy of Erdogan.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, UK, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
Since Sweden announced its intention to join NATO, a host of provocative acts have been carried out in the country targeting Türkiye, the Turkish flag, Erdogan, and the Muslim holy book the Quran.
Sweden applied for NATO membership in February 2022, shortly after Russia launched a war in Ukraine. Türkiye, which, like all NATO members must approve Sweden's membership bid, has stated that in order to get membership, Stockholm must crack down on terrorists and Islamophobic actions on its soil.
Sweden has argued for membership by citing a new anti-terrorist law that went into effect this June, but Turkish officials say the law must be implemented, and the Turkish parliament will have the final say this fall.
- 3 arrested, trying to prevent desecration of Quran
Separately, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee living in Stockholm, attempted to burn a copy of the holy book Quran in the city of Malmo.
Police arrested three people who were trying to prevent the Islamophobic provocation.
Later, Momika left the scene escorted by 20 police vehicles, including 10 armored, and some 100 officers.
Along with Denmark and the Netherlands, Sweden has faced wide-ranging criticism for permitting public desecration of the Quran under police protection.
On June 21, Momika burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden.
He made headlines a week later when he burned a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm during Eid al-Adha, a major Islamic religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide.