COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s government said Sunday it would explore legal means of stopping protests involving the burning of holy texts in certain circumstances, citing security concerns following backlash over protests involving burnings and desecrations of the Qur’an in Denmark and Sweden.
Noting that such protests played into the hands of extremists, the government wants to “explore” intervening in situations where “other countries, cultures, and religions are being insulted, and where this could have significant negative consequences for Denmark, not least with regard to security,” it said in a statement from the foreign ministry.
Meanwhile, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday urged Sweden to take concrete steps to prevent burnings of the Qur’an, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
In a phone call, Fidan told his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom that continuation of such “vile actions” under the guise of freedom of expression was unacceptable, the source said.
Fidan and Billstrom also discussed Sweden’s NATO military alliance membership application, the source added.