COPENHAGEN: The Danish government will seek to “find a legal tool” that would enable authorities to prevent the burning of copies of the Holy Quran in front of other countries’ embassies in Denmark, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told the national broadcaster DR on Sunday.
“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,” Rasmussen said separately in a statement.
“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.
Denmark and Sweden have found themselves in the international spotlight in recent weeks following anti-Islam protests where the Holy Quran has been damaged or burned, offending Muslims around the world.
Both countries have said they deplore the burning of the Holy Quran but cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech.
In his statement, Rasmussen added that whatever measure was taken “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 very broad scope”.
Earlier, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had 0said he is “extremely worried” about the consequences should further demonstrations go ahead during which copies of the Holy Quran are desecrated, he said on Thursday.
“There are a number of further requests for permission for desecration that have been made,” he told Swedish news agency TT.
“If they are granted, we are going to face some days where there is a clear risk of something serious happening. I am extremely worried about what it could lead to.”
Separately, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said the Swedish state does not sanction or condone Holy Quran burnings but they are permitted by Swedish freedom of speech laws.
“In some countries, there is a perception that the Swedish state is behind or condone this. We don’t,” Billstrom told reporters.
“These are acts committed by individuals, but they do it within the framework of freedom of speech laws,” he said.
On Wednesday, Sweden accused Russia and other state-sponsored actors of spreading disinformation designed to harm Sweden’s reputation and damage the Nordic country’s bid to join Nato.
Billstrom said he had been in touch with the foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq, Algeria and Lebanon among others as well as the United Nations secretary-general.
“And just now I will speak to the secretary-general for the Organisation of Islamic Countries,” Billstrom said.
