SWEDISH GOV'T PRESSURES COMPANY TO SHUT DOWN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000196

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 00000196 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, accuQthe 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 "wQsult Q 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
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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

SIPDIS
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 competQ
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 laQespecQ Qeivalds 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
launchedQcompetition 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, with several

STOCKHOLM 00000196 002.2 OF 002


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