A Danish Government ban on Quran-burning protests would not represent any kind of assault on freedom of speech, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, has claimed.
Frederiksen, the head of the country’s Social Democrats, argued in an interview that such methods of protests appeared to go beyond the remit of free expression.
“I don’t consider it a restriction on freedom of expression [to say] that you can’t burn other people’s books,” she said, insisting that a proposed government ban on the practice would not represent a “slippery slope” for free-speech protection in the country.
Her statement comes amid increasing security fears in Denmark, with the recent spate of Quran burnings prompting fears of violent Islamist reprisal attacks.
Danish police have now been forced to tighten border controls due to such concerns, with the country’s justice ministry announcing on August 3 it was ratcheting-up security.
“Authorities have today assessed that it is currently necessary to strengthen the focus on who is travelling into Denmark in order to counter the concrete and current threats that Denmark is facing,” the justice ministry said.
Islamic countries denounced the Quran-burning protests in a recent statement published by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The international body also announced that it would be sending a delegation of senior officials to Brussels to lobby for protests involving the torching of the Quran to be banned under European Union law.
Speaking to Brussels Signal, the Brussels branch of the OIC said it was not yet sure when this delegate mission would take place, saying that would largely depend on the availability of relevant EU officials.
The OIC has also demanded that further controls be put on social media sites to prevent the spread of “hate speech” and “Islamophobia”.
