A Danish anti-Islam political party has sparked heated reaction online after it burned copies of the Koran on the sidelines of a prayer rally hosted by a controversial Islamist group that has been banned in several countries.

Members from Stram Kurs (Strict Course) staged their counter-demonstration at Christiansborg Palace Square in Copenhagen on Friday, as members from Hizb-ut Tahrir Scandinavia gathered to pray for the Muslim victims of the recent Christchurch mosque massacres.

Footage of the counter-protest shows Stram Kurs leader Rasmus Paludan and other supporters of the fringe party gathered on the edge of the square, while the Islamist rally can be heard in the background.

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A man then proceeds to light the book in a small grill, while some warm their hands as it goes up in flames. The party has previously called such actions “Bacon a la Koran.”

🇩🇰 #RasmusPaludan, leader of the #StramKurs, anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic party, tried to provoke people by burning a copy of Quran. pic.twitter.com/jnFxcrV1JY — Chronicles of Shame (@ShameChronicles) March 23, 2019

The stunt has prompted a firestorm of criticism since the footage was shared by the party on social media over the weekend, with one commentator calling it “a useless provocation.”

“These guys are the poster children for Incels R’ Us,” another Twitter user wrote following an exchange with Stram Kurs, referring to the online subculture that has been criticized in the past for links to right-wing extremists.

These guys are the poster children for Incels R’ Us 🤣 — Ryan Cagle (@_ryancagle) March 25, 2019

However, others called both Stram Kurs and Hizb-ut Tahrir “extremist anti-democratic associations” and lamented how both groups have received “press coverage for 5 days” from Danish media.

2 yderliggående anti-demokratiske foreninger ”Stram Kurs” og ”Hizb-ut-Tahrir” opfører provokationer på Christiansborgs Slotsplads med hhv. Antimuslimsk Koranafbrænding og opfordring til at modarbejde folkestyret. De får pressedækning i 5 dage. #dkpol#dkmedier@uffeelbaekpic.twitter.com/xx8eBMBp11 — Sikandar Siddique (@sik_sid) March 24, 2019

Founded in 1953, Hizb-ut Tahrir is an Islamist organization that promotes the re-establishment of the Caliphate under Sharia law. It’s been banned in the vast majority of Arab countries as well as Russia, Germany, and China for its extremist views.

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Stram Kurs is an anti-Islam party that wants the religion banned and an end to non-Western immigration. Despite having no elected representatives, it has regularly made headlines with its Koran burnings, made possible since the revoking of a 334-year-old blasphemy law the same year Stram Kurs was founded in 2017.

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