OUR Norwegian police announced today that, for security reasons, it has decided to ban a planned demonstration that was scheduled to take place tomorrow outside the Turkish embassy in Oslo.

The Verdens Gang previously reported that a group of anti-Islamic activists planned to burn the Koran at the demonstration, as was done at similar demonstrations last month in Sweden and Denmark.

“The police stress that the burning of the Koran is a legitimate political statement in Norway, but this mobilization cannot be carried out for security reasons,” Inspector Martin Strand said in a statement.

In the morning, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador and asked him to cancel the permission of the Oslo authorities to hold a demonstration.

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Ankara raised the issue of this mobilization. “Our ambassador mentioned (to the Turkish authorities) the constitutional right to freedom of expression in Norway and added that the Norwegian government does not support or participate in the planned demonstration,” a ministry spokesman said.

The Oslo police must be informed in advance of planned demonstrations and can only ban them if there is any danger to citizens.

Source: APE/MEB