Norwegian police on Thursday banned a protest that planned to burn copies of the Holy Quran on Friday, in front of the Turkish embassy in Oslo, hours after the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador in Ankara, the Anadolu Agency reported.
Police said that a group of protesters planned to burn the copies of Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Oslo on Friday, February 3, 2023.
Oslo police said – in a statement, quoting intelligence information it had received – “The police confirm that burning the Quran is a legitimate political expression in Norway, but this protests cannot move forward due to security concerns.”
The move came after the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Norway’s ambassador, Erling Skjonsberg, over the planned protest.
Earlier on Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Oslo’s ambassador to Ankara, Erling Schönsberg, after receiving information about preparations to carry out an attack on the Holy Quran on Friday in Norway.
The ministry informed Schonsberg of its strong condemnation of Norway’s approach to not preventing this provocative act, which is clearly a hate crime, according to what diplomatic sources reported to Anadolu Agency.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed to the ambassador that this position is “unacceptable” and that it is waiting for Norway not to allow its implementation.
The incident comes after a protest in the Swedish capital last month– January near the Turkish embassy, where the far-right Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Holy Quran, which was widely condemned by the Turkish government.
Accordingly, Turkey canceled a visit by the Swedish Minister of Defense with the aim of overcoming Ankara ‘s objections to its membership in NATO.
