Turkiye summons Danish envoy after Quran-burning protest outside Denmark mosque, Turkish embassy

Turkiye summoned the Danish ambassador to the Turkish Foreign Ministry and “strongly condemned” and accused Denmark of endorsing a “hate crime” after Rasmus Paludan, a right-wing activist burned copies of the Muslim holy book, the Quran again in two different locations in Denmark on Friday (January 27). This comes after a week the leader of the Danish right-wing political party Stram Kurs or Hard Line who also holds citizenship of Sweden, staged a Quran-burning protest in Sweden. 

As per media reports, Paludan, on Friday, burned copies of the Quran near a Copenhagen mosque and outside the Turkish embassy in Denmark. He did something similar on January 21 outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Sweden which drew widespread condemnation and counter-protests in Turkiye. Additionally, he vowed to do so every Friday until Sweden is admitted into NATO which requires Ankara’s approval.

Turkiye has previously blocked Sweden and neighbouring Finland’s bid to join the military alliance that the two countries have sought following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the membership requires approval from all NATO members including Ankara which has indicated that it would block Sweden’s bid partially after Paludan’s stunt in Stockholm last week. 

The protests in Sweden also led to counter-protests in Istanbul where at least 200 people gathered outside the Swedish consulate in the city and burned Sweden’s flag in response to the Paludan’s burning of the Quran last Friday. 

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called the Danish politician an “Islamophobic charlatan” and said, “Showing tolerance towards such heinous acts that offend the sensitivities of millions of people living in Europe threatens the practice of peaceful coexistence and provokes racist, xenophobic and anti-Muslim attacks”, reported Al Jazeera.  

Additionally, according to Ankara’s state-run Anadolu Agency, the Danish ambassador was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry where officials “strongly condemned the permission given for this provocative act which clearly constitutes a hate crime”. The media report also said that the ambassador was also told that “Denmark’s attitude is unacceptable”, as Turkiye expected the permission to be revoked. 

According to a report by the Associated Press, Paludan was seen with a protective helmet and surrounded by riot police during the recent protest in Copenhagen which he live-streamed on Facebook and said, “This mosque has no place in Denmark”. Subsequently, since he had police protection Paludan was driven away in a police car.

Later that day, in front of the Turkish Embassy he said, “Once he (President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan) has let Sweden into NATO, I promise that I will not burn the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy. Otherwise, I will do so every Friday at 2 pm”, reported the AP. Aside from the recent incidents, Ankara has also blocked Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO demanding a crackdown on Kurdish armed groups and others that it considers “terrorists”. 

(With inputs from agencies)

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.