“In Europe’s tense security situation, it is time to build partnerships,” the Danish Foreign Ministry says in its statement.
in Denmark and in Sweden governments are seeking legal means to prevent the burning of Korans in front of embassies.
The Danish government is trying to find a legal way to prevent the burning of Korans in front of embassies in Denmark, says the country’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen the country’s public broadcaster with DR. He says that on Sunday alone there have been five fires and that there will be more on Monday.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the country’s government plans to find out how, in special situations, the invasion of other countries that is in conflict with Denmark’s interests can be prohibited.
The Danish Foreign Ministry published on Sunday statement, in which it emphasizes the importance of freedom of expression but says burning the Koran is deeply offensive and causes divisiveness. The statement also states that the government plans to explore opportunities to intervene in situations where other countries, cultures and religions are insulted and which may have significant negative consequences for Denmark, especially from a security perspective.
The ministry points out that in some cases the main purpose has been to offend and provoke reactions in other countries, which can have harmful effects for both Denmark and other countries.
“In Europe’s tense security situation, it is time to build partnerships, not sow discord between nations,” the statement reads.
Ministerial the statement emphasizes that the country’s government has clearly condemned the burning of Korans and that the people who did the burning do not represent the values on which Danish society is built. According to the ministry, the action “plays into the bag of extremists” and benefits countries that want to cause rifts between Western countries and the global south.
Foreign Minister Rasmussen says on DR that he does not believe the plan endangers freedom of expression. However, he says that he knows that the task is not easy, so “the legal pen has to be sharpened”.
“We have made the good people of the Ministry of Justice work overtime,” he says.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also points out that freedom of expression is not perfect. For example, hate speech is prohibited in Denmark, and according to the foreign minister, burning a Koran in front of a foreign embassy or burning a Jewish Torah in front of an Israeli embassy is pure mockery.
The Danish news agency Ritzau reported earlier that the foreign minister has invited representatives of the foreign affairs administration to a meeting on the burning of Korans on Monday.
Korans has also been burned in Sweden. Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson says on Sunday in his Instagram updatethat during the past day he has had a close dialogue with the Danish Prime Minister by Mette Frederiksen with and that the governments of the countries have discussed burning holy books with each other. According to him, an evaluation of the legality of the operation has also been started in Sweden.
Kristersson calls the current security political situation the most serious since the Second World War and points out that many states, state-like actors and individuals can use the situation to their advantage.
Correction on July 30, 2023 at 9:35 p.m.: In the ministry’s statement about playing into the pockets of extremists, not terrorists, contrary to what was previously stated in the story.
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