Danish-Swedish right-wing activist Rasmus Paludan, who burned the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January, has not welcome in England. The British government has blacklisted him.
Paludan plans to burn the Koran in a public square in the town of Wakefield, England. The burning of the Koran must take place on Wednesday, March 22, the day of the start of the Ramadan fast.
His intention sparked an uproar in the British Parliament. Labor MP Simon Lightwood asked Tom Tugendhat, Secretary of State for Security, whether the UK government wanted to ban Paludan from entering the UK.
“Danish right-wing Islamophobic politician Rasmus Paludan said he would travel from Denmark to Wakefield with the sole aim of burning the Koran in a public place,” Lightwood said. Paludan was previously jailed in Denmark for his hateful and racist remarks. He is a dangerous person who should not enter this country. Can the Minister of Home Affairs assure me and my community that the government is taking action to prevent this?’
Tugendhat answered Paludan indeed persona non grata and blacklisted. His trip to Britain was not conducive to the public interest, the minister said, and he was therefore not allowed into the country.
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