SWEDISH GOV'T PRESSURES COMPANY TO SHUT DOWN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000198

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 00000198 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 peoples
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-kurien.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 Dagen's 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;
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3. (U) Foreign Minister Freivalds on February 9 issued an
official statement "On the Provocation by SD-Kurien,"
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-Kurien. 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-Kurien 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-Kurien, 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, with several
Muslim groups already calling for the destruction of

STOCKHOLM 00000198 002.2 OF 002


SD-Kurien." 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-Kurien 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