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Rasmus Paludan burned the Koran and angered the Muslims. Photo/Fredrik Sandberg/TT
LONDON – In January, Rasmus Paludan burned a Koran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Sweden and Turkey and clouding the Nordic country’s hopes of joining NATO.
Danish-Swedish politician and founder of the suburban Hard Line party Rasmus Paludan has been barred from entering the UK over plans to burn Korans in Wakefield, Yorkshire.
Paludan voiced plans to burn Muslim holy books in front of the Wakefield school, where four students were expelled in February after tampering with Korans.
The activist previously rose to fame by desecrating the Koran in every way possible, making it part of his political repertoire and framing it as an exercise in free speech.
Paludan himself said he would demonstrate in Britain “against undemocratic forces”.
However, UK Security Secretary Tom Tugendhat subsequently informed the House of Commons that Paludan would not be allowed into the country.
This decision was taken after Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood urged ministers to take action on the matter.
Lightwood called Paludan a “dangerous man” and said he had been sentenced to prison in Denmark “for his hateful and racist remarks”.
Paludan was given a suspended prison sentence for racism in 2019.
