Denmark Considers Limiting 'Holy Books Burning Protests'

Denmark's government announced Sunday that it will study legal ways to curb protests, which in some circumstances involve burning copies of holy books.

The government referred to "security concerns", after violent responses to movements in Denmark and Sweden that included desecration of the Koran.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that the government wanted to "study" the possibility of intervening in cases that "involve insults to other countries, cultures, and religions, and may have significant negative repercussions for Denmark, especially in terms of security".

The ministry pointed out that "similar demonstrations are exploited by extremists and cause division."

But the ministry made it clear that "this must of course be done within the framework of freedom of expression protected by the constitution, and in a manner that does not alter the fact that freedom of expression in Denmark is very broad."

In a separate statement, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson confirmed that he is in close contact with his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen and that a similar process is already taking place in his country.