## Danish Opposition Parties Protest Government Move to Ban Quran Burnings

Seven Danish opposition parties expressed their opposition on Thursday to the government's efforts to make the burning of Qurans illegal, stating that "enacting legislation in this regard would be an unacceptable restriction on freedom of expression." The opposition parties declared in a joint statement that "banning the burning of Qurans would contradict the principles of freedom of expression in Denmark." They affirmed that "all the parties signing below are committed to fundamental Danish civil rights and support the view that civil liberties must always take precedence over religious doctrines." The parties added that "by yielding to external pressures, the government could also open the door for foreign states to interfere in national politics" and stated, "The right to objection should not be dominated by the violent man and should not set limits on Danish politics and Danish democracy." The seven opposition parties together hold 72 seats in the parliament out of 178, while the government, which comprises three parties, has a total of 88 seats. For his part, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard told the Danish National Broadcasting Corporation that "the government will continue working to prevent the burning of Qurans despite the protests."