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The far-right journalist who worked for RT and posed in a Putin T-shirt “organized the Koran-burning stunt in front of the Turkish embassy that jeopardized Sweden’s bid to join NATO.”
- Chang Frick is accused of paying for the Koran burning stunt in Sweden
- The demonstration sparked a dispute between NATO ally Turkey and Stockholm.
- Sweden is trying to join the alliance after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
A far-right journalist with ties to Putin’s Russia is accused of masterminding the Koran-burning stunt that sparked a diplomatic spat between Turkey and Sweden that threatened the Scandinavian country’s bid to join NATO.
Chang Frick, who runs the populist site Nyheter Idag and previously worked for Russia Today (RT), is alleged to have paid the fee for the demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, where Swedish-Danish politician Rasmus Paludan set the book on fire.
Furious that the Swedish police had allowed Paludan to carry out the protest, Ankara canceled a visit by the Swedish defense minister and summoned the ambassador from Stockholm.
The stunt further damaged relations as Stockholm tries to convince Turkey to approve Sweden and Finland joining NATO in light of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Chang Frick, who runs the populist site Nyheter Idag and previously worked for Russia Today (RT), is alleged to have paid the fee for the demonstration outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
Frick posing in a Putin T-shirt
Rasmus Paludan burning the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm
Paludan told Swedish media that Frick paid for the stunt and claimed that the journalist, whose Twitter account includes photos of him posing in a Putin T-shirt and showing a Putin calendar, promised to cover the damages it incurred as a result of the demonstration.
In 2019, Frick accused the New York Times of misrepresentation on Twitter after the newspaper profiled him in a story about how Moscow was trying to sow political discord in Sweden, the Telegraph reported.
Frick said that RT was his client but not his employer and told the newspaper that he had been invited to meet Putin. He denied working for Russia. MailOnline has reached out to Frick for comment.
Paludan, a Danish-Swedish activist who has already been convicted of racist abuse, sparked riots in Sweden last year when he toured the country and publicly burned copies of the Koran.
Protesters burn a Swedish flag in front of the Swedish Consulate General during a protest in Istanbul.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Swedish consulate in Istanbul on Saturday night, where they burned a Swedish flag and called on Turkey to sever diplomatic ties with Stockholm.
Sweden’s bid has stalled amid Ankara’s demands that Stockholm hand over Kurdish activists and prevent demonstrations attacking Turkey’s leadership.
Many Muslim countries said they were outraged by the burning of the Koran on Saturday.
Morocco said it was “astonished” that authorities had allowed it to take place “in front of Swedish law enforcement.”
Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also condemned it, as did the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Jakarta said that “the act of blasphemy against the holy book has hurt and tarnished religious tolerance,” adding that “freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly.”