Turkey summons Danish envoy over attacks on Koran and Turkish flag

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey summoned the Danish ambassador in Ankara to express its strong condemnation and protest over what it said had been attacks on the Koran and on the Turkish flag on Friday, the Foreign Ministry said.

“It is unacceptable to allow these vile attacks under the pretext of freedom of expression, despite all our warnings,” the ministry said in a statement, without specifying what attacks it was referring to.

The Danish ambassador in Ankara was previously summoned two weeks ago after a far-right group in Denmark burnt a copy of the Koran and the Turkish flag in front of the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen.

“We will undoubtedly continue our efforts in bilateral and multilateral platforms against this vile attack and similar hate crimes, which are clear examples of Islamophobia and xenophobia that have increased alarmingly in Europe recently,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Ali Kucukgocmen and David Holmes)