SWEDISH GOV'T PRESSURES COMPANY TO SHUT DOWN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000192

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR DRL
STATE FOR EUR/PPD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PTER SCUL ECPS EINT PINS PROP KPAO KMDR
SW
SUBJECT: SWEDISH GOV'T PRESSURES COMPANY TO SHUT DOWN
WEBSITE WITH MOHAMMED CARTOONS

STOCKHOLM 00000192 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) Summary. On February 9 a Swedish internet company
shut down a small, right-wing political party website that
featured the Jyllands-Posten Mohammed cartoons and planned
to publish additional ones. The Swedish government, which
beforehand had cautioned the company on the danger the
images posed to Swedish lives and interests, denies it
forced the shut-down. The web-site editor, and associated
political party secretary disagree, accusing the government
of improper interference with the freedom of expression.
The Foreign Minister in a February 9 official statement
characterized the website's actions as "provocation," and
apologized for the existence of Swedish extremists "who
insult other people's religion." The Minister, in comments
to the press the same day, expressed government fears of
the potential reaction in the Middle East and beyond to the
website's publication of the cartoons. End Summary.

Website Shut Down After Caution From MFA, Police
-------------- ---


2. (U) On February 10 Sweden's domestic media gave
prominent coverage to the shutting down of the far-right
party Sverigedemokraterna (SD) website, which had published
drawings of the prophet Mohammed. The site --
www.sd-kuriren.info -- was shut down late on February 9,
after Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Swedish
Security Police (SAPO) contacted the webhost. Sweden's
leading daily paper Dagens Nyheter noted that SAPO had for
a long time been monitoring the SD site content and
considered that, in light of the recent violence spurred by
the Mohammed cartoon controversy, it presented a danger for
Sweden and Swedes abroad. The paper quotes SAPO Chief Klas
Bergenstrand as stating "We have had contact with the web
host and presented our threat assessment, the content of
which is secret." The news story quotes an executive in
the web host company, Levonline, as stating that "We
determined that it was best [to shut down the site] after
SAPO and the Foreign Ministry contacted us."

ForMin Apologizes for Existence of Swedish Extremists;
-------------- --------------


3. (U) Foreign Minister Freivalds on February 9 issued an
official statement "On the Provocation by SD-Kuriren,"
criticizing Sverigedemokraterna for arranging a competition
for cartoons depicting caricatures of the Prophet
Mohammed. In the statement Freivalds noted "I will defend
freedom of the press no matter what the circumstances, but
I strongly condemn the provocation by SD-Kuriren. It
displays a complete lack of respect." Freivalds stated "It
is deplorable that a small group of extremists expose
Swedish citizens and Swedish interests to clear danger."
She then formally apologized, "I apologize that there are a
few individuals in Sweden who are so callous and who
consciously insult other people's religion." The same day
Freivalds on February 9 told Radio Sweden that the
SD-Kurirens website contained the cartoons that appeared in
Denmark's Jyllands-Posten, and an additional one depicting
Mohammed looking in a mirror, with the reflection's eyes
blocked out by a banner reading "Mohammed's self
censorship." SD-Kuriren intended to publish the yet-unseen
competition drawings both on-line and in its bi-monthly
party newspaper's March edition.


4. (U) Background. Sverigedemokraterna is a right-wing,
nationalist party that won 1.4 percent of the vote in the
last (2002) general election -- far below the 4 percent
threshold necessary to gain seats in parliament. SD's
party newspaper, SD-Kuriren, is published bi-monthly in the
city of Lund in the south of the country.

Fears Sweden's Involvement in Cartoon Controversy
-------------- --------------


5. (U) Freivald's statement, and the Foreign Ministry and
SAPO contact with SD's webhost, follow media reports in the
Middle East earlier this week commenting on the SD cartoon
competition. On February 7 Israel's Yedioth Group's Ynet
News posted an online story about the SD contest. On
February 8 the Middle East's Al Bawaba Group news website
posted an article stating "a rightist Swedish newspaper on
Tuesday launched a new competition of drawings on the
profit Mohammed." The Al Bawaba piece commented: "Thus far
Sweden has remained relatively clear of the cartoon row.
Tuesday's developments will likely change this, however,

STOCKHOLM 00000192 002.2 OF 002


with several Muslim groups already calling for the
destruction of SD-Kuriren." The Dagens Nyheter article
(noted above) said the Syrian government had called in
Sweden's ambassador to complain about this issue. It
quoted Foreign Minister Freivalds as commenting that in
fact several media outlets in the Middle East have reported
that "a large Swedish newspaper" publicized the Mohammed
caricatures. In the February 9 interview with Radio
Sweden, Freivalds said the SD story had drawn a reaction
from Damascus, and expressed fear that similar reactions
would come from other directions.

Minister Denies Gov't Forced Shut-down; Editor, Party Sec.
See Otherwise
--------------


6. (U) Freivalds has since denied (in an interview with
Radio Sweden) media allegations that the government obliged
Levonline to shut down the SD site. She has stated that
the MFA and Police only informed Levonline of the
consequences dissemination of the images could have for
Swedish interests, and that the company subsequently made
its own decision to shut down the site. SD-Kuriren chief
editor Richard Jomshof told Radion Sweden that SD is a
legal party that has broken no Swedish laws. He expressed
surprise and dismay that the Foreign Ministry would contact
a private internet company about a political party website
operating within the law. SD party secretary Bjorn Soder
told Sweden's TT news service that he believes "political
powers" are behind the decision to shut down the website.

Comment
--------------


7. (SBU) As this issue plays itself out we will
undoubtedly gain a clearer understanding of the actions and
motivations of the parties involved. For now, however, it
appears that the authorities -- highly fearful of Muslim
extremist reaction and consequent threat to Swedish lives
and interests around the globe -- pressed Levonline to shut
down the SD party website.

NOBLE