STOCKHOLM (NEWS.am)—Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven reacted to the anti-Armenian statements expressed at the demonstration of the Turkish and Azerbaijani diaspora in Sergels Square in Stockholm.
“In Sweden, it is completely unacceptable to incite against other groups, be it religious, ethnic or political,” mentioned Löfven in his statement. “Here, all political activities should be conducted democratically and with respect to the values of equality and rights. These principles are not negotiable.”
Alice Bah Kuhnke, the Minister for Culture and Democracy of Sweden, also reacted to the incitement to violence by Barbaros Leylani, the former Vice President of the Turkish National Association of Sweden.
“What happened on Saturday [April 9] and the disgusting statements made are, of course, unacceptable,” said Bah Kuhnke. “They made me feel bad.”
On April 9, the Coordination Center of Azerbaijani Associations in Sweden had staged an anti-Armenian demonstration in Stockholm, and the event had brought together around 100 people, including Turks and Iraqi Turkmen.
Speaking at the picket, Barbaros Leylani, then Vice President of the Turkish National Association of Sweden, made numerous anti-Armenian and nationalist statements, such as calling for the death of “Armenian dogs.”
The video of his remarks went viral in Sweden, and it got a wide media coverage.
But in a telephone interview with TV4 Swedish television, Leylani stated that he had not prepared a speech for this demonstration, and that he had not meant such a thing.
Representatives of the Armenian community in Sweden, however, petitioned to the Swedish police and requested that this person be prosecuted.
They noted that this matter is larger than the statement of just one person, since the Turkish and Azerbaijani associations in Sweden are becoming more aggressive and are targeting other national minorities in the country.
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