Hundreds protest Sweden's new anti-terror laws

Hundreds of people protested in Stockholm on Sunday (Jun 4) against new anti-terror legislation that was passed to address Türkiye's opposition to Sweden joining NATO.

Hundreds of people protested in Stockholm on Sunday (Jun 4) against new anti-terror legislation that was passed to address Türkiye's opposition to Sweden joining NATO.

The demonstration was organised by groups close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), outlawed by Türkiye, which this week warned against "terrorists" being allowed to demonstrate in Sweden.

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far blocked Sweden's NATO membership, accusing Stockholm of being a haven for the Kurdish activists.

To address his concerns, Sweden passed a new law that criminalises "participation in a terrorist organisation".

"They are after the Kurds in Sweden," Tomas Pettersson, spokesperson for the Alliance Against NATO, told AFP at the protest, titled "No to NATO, No Erdogan Laws in Sweden."

Petterson added that the idea behind the law is "to have an arrest and a trial and a victim," so that Erdogan "will then let Sweden into NATO".

Protesters waved numerous PKK flags, along with signs reading "No to NATO."