Wagensveld, the leader of the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) movement in the Netherlands, shared the image of him tearing the Quran in front of Amsterdam Municipality on his social media account.
Wagensveld stated that he gave a statement today to the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office where he was questioned for “insulting a group” and that the best way to express his opinion is to tear the Quran again.
Wagensveld tore the Holy Quran in a demonstration he held alone in the city of The Hague on 22 January under police protection in front of the temporary Dutch parliament building, and on 13 February in the city of Utrecht.
Similarly, the action of PEGIDA, which planned to burn the Qur’an in Rotterdam on October 22, ended before Wagensveld was taken into custody.
Muslim groups gathered at the place where the demonstration in Rotterdam was planned, held a counter-demonstration because PEGIDA’s demonstration was not banned despite the announcement that it would burn the Quran.
Wagensveld, who was released the same day after being detained, wanted to carry out a similar action in The Hague the next day, but the police detained Wagensveld again on the grounds that he did not comply with the demonstration rules.
In a written statement made by the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office on 17 November, Hz. It was reported that Wagensveld, who was detained by the police for insulting Muhammad, would not be prosecuted on the grounds that he insulted the religion itself, not the members of the Islamic faith, and that he did not commit any crime.
WAGENSVELD IS QUESTED FOR “INHALING A GROUP”
The Dutch Prosecutor’s Office announced yesterday that a person in The Hague would be questioned for “insulting a group” because of the racist expressions he used while tearing the Quran.
In the statement made by the prosecutor’s office, a 54-year-old Dutchman living in Germany tore the Quran in front of the Dutch Parliament in The Hague on January 22, 2023, “The Quran is a fascist book. As bad as Mein Kampf. His followers follow the same ideology as Hitler.” It was stated that he used the expression.
In the statement, it was noted that the suspect was suspected of “insulting a group” due to the statements he used while tearing the Qur’an and a judicial investigation was launched.
It was stated that a judicial investigation was launched against the suspect and he was summoned to the Netherlands for questioning.
It was shared that in the Netherlands, deliberately humiliating a group of people because of their religion or belief can be punished, while tearing the Qur’an is not considered a crime.
It was pointed out that tearing up the Quran was seen as a criticism of faith, but the prosecutor’s office was aware that this action caused unrest in the Muslim community.
Local media reported that the prosecution pointed to Edwin Wagensveld, the leader of the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) movement. (AA)