ALGIERS – Wednesday, 25 January 2023 (APS) – Algeria strongly condemned Wednesday the attempt to undermine the symbols of Islam following a serious breach from a far-right leader who tore a copy of the Holy Quran in The Hague (Netherlands), calling on the governments of the countries concerned to take the necessary measures to prevent such provocative acts, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad in a statement.
“Algeria has strongly condemned the attempt to undermine the symbols of Islam following a serious misconduct from a Dutch official who tore a copy of the Holy Quran in The Hague (Netherlands),” said the source.
Algeria condemned, once again, “the repetition of these provocative acts that have serious consequences on social peace,” calling on the governments of the countries concerned to “take the necessary legal and practical measures to prohibit and repress the attack on religious symbols, fight against hate speech and extremism, and work to ensure the values of tolerance and living together.”
The leader of the Dutch far-right anti-Islamic group “Pegida”, Edwin Wagensveld, tore up and desecrated Monday a copy of the Quran in front of the Parliament building in The Hague.
The incident comes after the leader of a far-right party, the Swedish-Danish Rasmus Paladan, burned, last Saturday, a copy of the Quran in front of Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm under police protection. The police prevented citizens from approaching him while he committed his crime.