Quran burnings ‘disrespectful, inappropriate,’ says Germany

BERLIN

Attacks against the Muslim holy book "seek to create division," a deputy spokeswoman for Germany’s government said on Wednesday, expressing Berlin’s condemnation of such "disrespectful and inappropriate" acts.

"We find such acts disrespectful and inappropriate. They seek to create division," Christiane Hoffmann said in response to a question from Anadolu at a news conference in Berlin.

"We stand against it. We condemn it," she said.

Hoffmann underlined that Berlin's stance on desecrations of the Quran has been clear, but declined to confirm whether German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen would discuss the matter in an upcoming meeting.

Recent months have seen repeated acts of Quran burning, desecration, or attempts to do so by Islamophobic figures or groups, especially in northern European and Nordic countries.

The provocations incited protests and sparked outrage across the Islamic world. Authorities in countries where these attacks took place faced criticism for their failure to act to prevent them, instead claiming they fell under “freedom of speech.”

Germany attaches great value to freedom, Hoffmann said, while emphasizing that it does not cover “hate speech or actions of hatred.”

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul