Swedish Prime Minister condemns Turkish National Association racist remark against Armenians

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has responded to anti-Armenian statements expressed at the joint event of the Turkish and Azerbaijani diasporas on Sergels in the capital Stockholm.

“In Sweden, it is totally unacceptable to incite [hatred] against other groups, whether religious, ethnic or political,” said Stefan Löfven in his statement. “Here, all political activities must be conducted democratically and with respect to the values of equality and rights. These principles are not negotiable. “

Alice Bah Kuhnke, Swedish Minister for Culture and Democracy, also responded to the incitement to violence by Barbaros Leylani, former Vice President of the Turkish National Association domiciled in Sweden.

“What happened Saturday [April 9] and the repugnant statements are of course unacceptable,” said Bah Kuhnke. “They put me ill at ease.”

On April 9, the Azerbaijani Associations Coordination Centre of Sweden had organized an anti-Armenian demonstration in Stockholm, and the event was attended by about 100 people, including Turks and Iraqi Turkmens.

Speaking at the event, Barbaros Leylani, then vice president of the Turkish National Association had engaged in numerous anti-Armenian nationalist statements.

In particular, he called for the death of the “Dogs of Armenians.”

The video of his remarks was quickly spread in Sweden, and she got wide media coverage.

But in a telephone interview with Swedish television TV4, Barbaros Leylani said he had not prepared a speech for the demonstration, and that he had not meant to say such things.

Representatives of the Armenian community in Sweden, however, have complained to the Swedish police and asked that person to be prosecuted.

They noted that this issue is beyond the statement of one person, since the Turkish and Azerbaijani associations in Sweden are increasingly aggressive and also target other national minorities in the country.