VZCZCXRO4912
PP RUEHAT
DE RUEHSM #0198/01 0441334
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131334Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9774
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION COLLECTIVE
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 0250

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 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶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; 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶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