(NL Times) DENK and four organizations representing Muslims and Dutch people of Turkish origin asked Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague to ban a “threatening hate action” that Pegida wants to hold in the city on Friday. The anti-Islam movement announced a demonstration at the Turkish embassy on its Facebook page with a video of a Koran burning. Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz expects that destroying or burning a Koran during protests in the Netherlands can lead to an increased terror threat, as in Sweden. But banning the protest is legally not possible, van Zanen said.
DENK and the civil society organizations fear that Pegida will burn or tear apart a Koran at its protest on Friday. “This is not freedom of expression, but open hate speech,” said a spokesperson for DENK. According to him, Pegida is out to insult Muslims “to the bone” and sow division in society.
