Quran tearing leads to Dutch–Turkish spat

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Dutch deputy ambassador on Monday to express its dissatisfaction with the public tearing of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in The Hague on Friday.

The tearing, which was carried out by the leader of the Dutch Pegida branch, Edwin Wagensveld, is the latest in a series of similar incidents taking place across several countries in Europe – most notably in Sweden, where a number of Quran burnings severely impacted the country’s negotiations to join NATO at the time.

The Netherlands finds the incident “utterly tasteless” and “deliberately provocative and offensive”, the Dutch official stated, according to the Foreign Ministry.

However, “ultimately, in the Netherlands, it is up to the courts to determine whether the law has been broken, not the government”, he added.

Turkish diplomatic sources told TRT that “it was once again emphasised that Turkey condemns and protests these actions in the strongest possible terms”.

On the day of the incident, a counter-protest organised by the Dutch political party DENK condemning Wagensveld’s actions had formed across the street from the Turkish embassy, which police forces had cordoned off. Some protesters tried to break through the police barrier and threw stones at the Pegida leader.

“This man, that racist standing there, he can tear up as many Qurans as he wants, but Islam is not about to leave the Netherlands,” DENK MP and leader Stephan Van Baarle stated during the counter-protest, adding that he will submit a complaint against The Hague’s mayor, Jan Van Zanen (VVD/Renew), for allowing the tearing to go through.

Outgoing Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius (VVD), who will lead her party into the upcoming elections and has Turkish roots, called Wagenveld’s action “pathetic and primitive” while adding that it is legally permissible in the Netherlands.

She added that the incident may lead to an increased terror risk in the country.

(Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)