Denmark passes legislation criminalizing Islamophobic Quran-burning protests

COPENHAGEN, Denmark

Denmark passed legislation on Thursday effectively criminalizing Islamophobic Quran-burning protests on the grounds of "inappropriate treatment of writings with significant importance for a recognized religious community."

Following a heated debate among lawmakers, the bill was passed with 94 votes in favor and 77 votes against in the 179-member Danish parliament.

The bill makes it illegal to burn, tear, or defile holy texts in public or online to widely disseminate them.

Offenders can risk a fine or jail term for as many as two years.

While the three-party coalition government voted in favor of the bill, no coalition member stood to respond to opposition criticism during the debate in the parliament.

The Social Liberals (Radikale Venstre) was the only opposition party to vote for the bill.

The bill was first introduced in August but was later amended due to concerns raised within the ruling coalition about freedom of speech.

The bill would become law following the formal signature of the Danish monarch, Queen Margre, who is expected to sign it later this month.

The Danish Justice Ministry said in a statement that the law is aimed to combat "systematic mockery," which raises terror threat levels in Denmark.

"We must protect the security of Denmark and Danes," Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said, adding, "That is why it is important that we now get better protection against the systemic desecrations we have seen for a long time."

Earlier in August, members of the ultranationalist group Danske Patrioter, or Danish Patriots, burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen.

The perpetrators chanted anti-Islamic slogans during the provocative act, which was carried out under police protection.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in response to the Islamophobic protests said Türkiye will never yield to provocations or threats.

“We will eventually teach Western monuments of arrogance that insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought,” Erdogan told members of the Justice and Development (AK) Party via a video message.

Türkiye will “show our reaction in the strongest way until a determined fight against terrorist organizations and enemies of Islam is carried out,” he added.