The British government has banned a Scandinavian politician from entering the country after he announced plans to burn a copy of the Quran—Islam’s holy book—in the West Yorkshire city of Wakefield.
Security minister Tom Tugendhat said Rasmus Paludan would not be allowed into the UK because it would not be “conducive to the public good.”
Wakefield, a city with 11,000 Muslim residents, has seen considerable community tensions in the last month after an incident when a Quran was damaged by a schoolboy.
A year 10 student took a copy of the Quran to Kettlethorpe High School on Feb. 23 and its cover was torn and pages dirtied by a 14-year-old boy, apparently after he was dared by others.
The boy, who has not been identified, subsequently received death threats from some members of the town’s Muslim community.
His mother said he has “high functioning autism” and West Yorkshire Police said although they originally treated the Quran damage as a “hate incident” they had investigated and decided no criminal offence had been committed.
West Yorkshire Police said “words of advice” were given to one student at the school who sent “malicious communications” to the boy.
Kettlethorpe High School said it suspended four students over the incident.
Paludan Added to ‘Warnings Index’
Paludan, who is Danish and the leader of the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, which was founded in 2017, has been added to the UK Border Force’s “warnings index” and will be turned away if he tries to enter the country.Paludan has burned the Quran on a number of occasions, often leading to violent counter-demonstrations by outraged Muslims.
The Aftonbladet newspaper said Paludan had been denied permission to have a meeting in Malmo and was stopped at the Swedish border.
On Sunday, Paludan posted a video on Twitter in which he said he planned to burn a copy of the Quran in a public square in Wakefield to mark the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Lightwood said: “Far-right Islamophobic Danish politician Rasmus Paludan said he is going to travel from Denmark to Wakefield for the sole purpose of burning a Quran in a public place.
He added: “Mr. Paludan was previously jailed in Denmark for his hateful and racist statements. He is a dangerous man that should not be allowed into this country. Can the home secretary assure me and my community that the government is taking action to prevent this?”
Yorkshire Teacher Got Death Threats Over Cartoon
In March 2021 a teacher at a grammar school in the Yorkshire town Batley went into hiding after receiving death threats after discussing the controversy over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a lesson.Paty showed his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a civics lesson to illustrate the concept of liberty.
It prompted accusations of Islamophobia from at least one parent and the controversy led to his murder.
