Denmark to put legal limits on protests involving Quran burnings

Denmark's government on Sunday said it would put legal limitations in order to stop the demonstrations involving the burning of the Islam's holy book Quran in certain circumstances, citing security concerns.

This move came after global condemnation over protests involving burnings and desecrations of the Quran in Denmark and Sweden.

"The burnings are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals. These few individuals do not represent the values the Danish society is built on," Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said separately in a statement.

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"The Danish government will therefore explore the possibility of intervening in special situations where, for instance, other countries, cultures, and religions are being insulted, and where this could have significant negative consequences for Denmark, not least with regard to security," he said.

"This must of course be done within the framework of the constitutionally protected freedom of expression and in a manner that does not change the fact that freedom of expression in Denmark has a very broad scope," the Danish government said in a statement from the foreign ministry, further stressing it as one of the country's most important values.

Several incidents involving the desecration of the Quran have elevated diplomatic tensions throughout the Middle East with the two Nordic countries.

The Danish government noted that the protests have "reached a level where Denmark, in many parts of the world across continents, is being viewed as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries."

It added that the "primary purpose" of some of the actions had been to provoke and "could have significant consequences."

Turkey urges Sweden to take steps

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday urged Sweden to take substantial steps to stop incidents related to the burning of the Quran, as per a Turkish foreign ministry source.

In a phone call, Fidan told his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom that the continuation of such "vile actions" under the garb of freedom of expression was 'unacceptable', the source said.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in close contact with Mette Frederiksen

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson released a statement saying that he was in close contact with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen and that a similar process was already underway in Sweden.

"We have also started to analyse the legal situation already... in order to consider measures to strengthen our national security and the security of Swedes in Sweden and around the world," Kristersson said in a post to Instagram.

Earlier, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed deep concern over the potential consequences of further demonstrations related to the desecration of the Quran.

Kristersson acknowledged the growing anger among Muslims due to attacks on Islam's holy book in both Sweden and Denmark. The attacks have drawn global condemnation, especially from Muslim countries like Turkey, whose support is crucial for Sweden's goal of joining US-led NATO amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies)

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