Orhan Karan, a journalist of Turkish descent, says Swedish police have dropped the case on an attack he suffered at the hands of an aide to Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan.
“A crime in which you were the plaintiff has been closed,” said a statement by police. “The prerequisites for proving a crime do not exist.”
Karan told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Valentin Mointes, an aide to Paludan, whom he saw in previous demonstrations, suddenly and aggressively approached him and started shouting verbal abuse before threatening to attack him before a Quran burning by Paludan in Stockholm on Jan. 21.
“Then he turned his abuse into a physical attack. Police at the scene had detained him as they had witnessed the incident. Police informed me, saying they have removed him from the area,” said Karan, adding that Paludan arrived shortly after but refused to get out of his vehicle unless his colleague was released.
Under normal circumstances, detainees are transported via a police vehicle and questioned at a police station. “The police had bowed down to Paludan’s demand and brought the person back to the scene of the demonstration, meaning permitting a person who got involved in a criminal offense and an act of violence,” said Karan, who added that Paludan tasked Mointes to live stream the burning of the Quran. Karan said police initially told him that an officer would reach out to him to ask questions about the case before proceeding with a prosecutor. However, he said no one had contacted him, and he received an email from the police late Friday that said the case was closed. In addition to filing a legal complaint against the officers, who are accused of enabling Paludan to stage his act, Karan said he would appeal against the closure of the case by the police.
Karan said on the day of the incident, police apologized to him after releasing Mointes and said the far-right leader, who was given legal protection for his demonstration, would not come out of his vehicle. Stunned by the police reaction, Karan said any other detained individual would be taken to a police station under normal circumstances.
