Paludan Prosecuted for Desecrating the Quran

The Danish-Swedish Islam critic Rasmus Paludan is once again facing trial after Quran burnings in Copenhagen. This is according to an indictment obtained by the Danish news agency Ritzau.

Paludan, founder of the party Stram Kurs, which is present in both Denmark and Sweden, is being prosecuted for incidents at five separate occasions in 2025. According to the indictment, the actions took place outside several foreign embassies in the Danish capital.

The indictment concerns five episodes where Paludan is accused of desecrating the Quran. He denies any wrongdoing.

Speaking to Ritzau, Paludan says he expects the prosecution to seek a prison sentence. Paludan also argues that such a sentence would contravene the case law developed by the European Court of Human Rights.

This is not the first time Paludan’s anti-Islam meetings have led to legal consequences. He has also been convicted in Sweden after a widely noted demonstration.

After a campaign speech on April 16, 2022, at the Skånegården Rest Area outside Malmö, Paludan was convicted of incitement against Muslims and one count of insult. The Malmö District Court ruled that the Islam critic had “slandered Islam” and sentenced him to four months in prison.

The verdict was later appealed, and the Court of Appeal for Skåne and Blekinge overturned the prison sentence. Paludan was acquitted of the charges related to the Quran burning and statements made in connection with his criticism of Islam and Muslims.

In all circumstances, the statements made by Rasmus Paludan on this topic were aimed at arguing that, in his opinion, Islam is not compatible with Western democracy and freedom of expression. It is therefore most natural to interpret his statements as religious criticism. These statements are therefore not punishable as incitement against an ethnic group.

– The Court of Appeal

The Danish-Swedish politician was also acquitted for statements he made about Islam during a public gathering on September 6, 2022.

However, Paludan was convicted for sarcastic remarks about the intelligence of Arabs and Africans and their tendency to commit crimes. The penalty resulted in a conditional sentence and daily fines.