The campaign with the Quran burning in Stockholm, after which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that he would not support Sweden’s NATO bid, was helped by journalist Chang Frick. About that writes The insider . SMI notes that Chang Frick has previously cooperated with Russia Today.
In an interview with The Insider, Frick confirmed permission to hold the action was paid for, but said he didn’t ask anyone to burn any religious books. “There was no intention, this idea is mine,” said the journalist.
Responding to the question about his relationship with RT and Russia, Frick noted that he has not worked with the channel since 2014 nor has he supported Russia’s position since then. Now he helps Ukrainian refugees, collects money and works with Ukrainians.
“If Miss Simonyan called me after this event (I don’t know Miss or Mrs, I don’t know what it is), or she explained to me that after the elections in Turkey, Sweden will be admitted to NATO. There are a lot of problems in Turkey – inflation, poverty. They are using all this to divert attention.”
He also said that the action was not directed against the Islamic world, but was linked to the support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK, considered terrorist in Turkey). According to the journalist, the Swedish liberal government should support the Kurds, adhere to the right to freedom of expression and show that it is not afraid of Turkey.
On January 21, the leader of Denmark’s far-right Stram Kurs (“Hard course”) party Rasmus Paludan gave a speech condemning Islam at the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, then burned the Quran. This action sparked a storm of resentment in the Islamic world and strained relations between Sweden and Turkey. Due to the fact that the Swedish authorities sanctioned this gathering, Turkish President Erdoğan declared that Turkey would not support Sweden’s application for NATO membership.
Earlier, the Swedish publication SVT reported that Chang Frick had paid the claim for holding the action (320 crowns) and guaranteed coverage of all related expenses.
Sam Frick initially said he would pay for the Paluda shares, but it was confirmed that he negotiated the money transfer through an employee of the Swedish nationalist website Exakt24. And Exakt24, in turn, said it was Frick who “asked to know someone who could burn the Quran.”
In 2014, Chang Frick said he was cooperating with the Russia Today TV channel, but later noted that he just sold his news clips to the Russian TV channel.
The 41-year-old Danish lawyer and founder of the far-right “Hard Course” party Rasmus Paludan has repeatedly organized actions in which the Quran has been burned. The politician has also repeatedly organized anti-Islamic demonstrations. In 2020, he was sentenced by a Danish court to ten years in prison and a further two months suspended on 14 different counts, including charges of racism, spreading defamatory information and dangerous driving.
Now it remains to be seen who was behind the Dutch activist Edwin Wagensveld, who tore up the Holy Quran in The Hague. Initially, ten wanted to burn the Quran, but the municipal authorities did not allow it. Then he decided to tear up the script.
The police, who in previous actions in Wagensveld had always intervened in the events, this time did nothing.
The city’s municipality has yet to comment on the incident.
