We strongly condemn the act of disrespect of a group of enemies of Islam and racists towards the Koran in Norway on August 29th. As we have always emphasized, such provocative actions target not only Muslims, but also the rule of law and democratic systems. These Nazi remnants surround and damage society like a virus.

Combating this kind of sick mentality will only be possible if populist politicians who spread these ideas are alienated. It is extremely wrong to see racism and Islamophobia within the context of freedom of expression. It is a serious threat that mainstream political parties do not prevent or partially adopt these racist discourses just for the sake of winning votes.

Turkey will continue its fight against racist-fascist trends. In this context, we call on European politicians and European institutions to take this threat seriously and to fight against it.

Unfortunately, such acts against our Holy Book have increased over the past few years, especially in the Scandinavian countries, which claim to be at the forefront of democracy, human rights and rule of law.

We expect the Norwegian authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure that such acts, similar to the one which took place last November, will not be repeated in future.