The report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, an independent human rights watchdog of the Council of Europe, criticised Paludan’s provocative act of burning the Koran in the Danish capital Copenhagen
In the report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) within the European Council based in Strasbourg, it was indicated that perpetrators of hate crimes in Denmark are benefiting from police protection under the guise of “freedom of expression.” The report highlights the recent incidents involving the leader of the far-right party, the Hard Line Party, Rasmus Paludan, burning the Quran in Denmark with police protection, similar to what happened in Sweden.
The situation in Denmark is reflected in the documents of European organizations, and the ECRI’s 2022 Denmark report points to the police protection provided against hate crimes in the country under the guise of “freedom of expression.” Despite some progress in the fight against hate crimes in Denmark in recent years, the report points out that there are still problems in some areas and notes that “Muslims in Denmark are often described as a threat to the culture and values of the country by many sectors, including politicians and different political parties.”
The report states that “the most concrete example of hate crime during the period in which this report was prepared is the use of police protection by the leader of the extreme right-wing party (Paludan) under the guise of freedom of expression, who is said to advocate for the ethnic cleansing of Muslims, the threat, degradation and contempt of Muslims and blacks.”
The report, which indicates that Paludan’s party has the ability to receive significant financial support from the public, also includes a warning from the ECRI to public institutions. The report calls for “withdrawing all support from all political parties and organizations that use hate crimes or do not prevent their members from doing so.”
The report also warns that school-age minority children may be faced with hate speech and points out that focusing too much on freedom of expression in Denmark may pose a risk of not taking enough steps to prevent hate crimes against children.
