Danish police fear anti-Muslim protests over controversial cartoon COPENHAGEN : Police in Copenhagen said they were bracing for anti-Muslim protests in the Danish capital in reaction to Muslim anger over the publication of controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
"We are aware that there are calls from several groups circulating, notably on the Internet, for protests. We are ready," deputy police director Mogens Kjaergaard Moeller told AFP Wednesday. He said he was aware of "rumours" that Danish right-wing youths were planning anti-Muslim protests in the central Town Hall Square, but police had not received a request for permission to hold a demonstration. Moeller refused to disclose details of the measures being taken by police, but said security in the capital was high. "Obviously ... we are watching what is happening very closely. That is reflected in our current security level in Copenhagen," he said. "We are maintaining the very high level that we already have in place," he added. According to Danish news agency Ritzau, Danish youths may burn copies of the Koran in order to demonstrate their "distance to Islam". The protest could also be held on Saturday. Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published the 12 cartoons of the prophet on September 30. Muslim anger over the images depicting the Prophet Mohammad has boiled over into a diplomatic crisis threatening Danish relations with the Muslim world. Danish flags have been burnt, products have been boycotted and threats of violence have been made against Scandinavians in Muslim countries in recent days. The caricatures include a portrayal of the prophet wearing a turban shaped like a time bomb, and were reprinted in a Norwegian magazine in January. Islam considers images of the prophet blasphemous. On Tuesday, Jyllands-Posten's offices in Aarhus and Copenhagen were evacuated after a bomb threat. The alert was called off as a hoax after two hours. Ritzau reported on Tuesday that security guards stood outside the paper's Copenhagen offices. - AFP /ct http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/191184/1/.html Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/