Police called over Danish exhibit on Brussels, Paris bombers
A Copenhagen art show was reported to police on Monday on allegations of encouraging terrorism for plans to portray suicide bombers killed in the Brussels and Paris attacks as heroes.
In an exhibit partly inspired by Tehran's Martyrs' Museum, a Danish group of artists plans to include brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El-Bakraoui, who detonated bombs in the deadly Brussels attacks on March 22, and Foued Mohamed-Aggad, who blew himself up at the Bataclan music venue in Paris on Nov. 14.
The installation will have the look of a museum, using images of the "martyrs," replicas of their belongings and plaques to explain who they are.
DAESH claimed responsibility for both the Paris attacks, which left 130 people dead, and the Brussels bombings, which killed 32.
The suicide bombers will be featured alongside historical figures considered to have died for their cause, such as French heroine Joan of Arc and Greek philosopher Socrates, said Ida Grarup Nielsen of artist collective The Other Eye of The Tiger. "A guide will talk about Foued Mohamed-Aggad and the events at the Bataclan, during which the room will also be [filled] with sound and light," she told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The story would be told "more from his point of view," she said.
Even though the el-Bakraoui brothers would not be included in the guided tour, photos of them and replicas of their belongings would be displayed. A black leather glove that Ibrahim el-Bakraoui reportedly wore to conceal a bomb detonator would be among the belongings.
The exhibit is scheduled to be on display from May 26 until June 10 in a former abattoir in Copenhagen's trendy Meatpacking District.
The venue is home to a theater group whose artistic leader, Christian Lollike, courted controversy in 2012 by staging a play based on the manifesto of Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik. "Our exhibit is really about describing the term 'martyr' from as many different angles as possible and through history," Nielsen said. Everyone is "the hero of [their] own story," she added.
Danish gunman Omar El-Hussein, who killed two people in twin attacks in Copenhagen in February last year, would not be part of the exhibit since it was unclear whether he had been willing to die for his beliefs, she said.
The 22-year-old was killed in a shootout with police hours after killing a security guard outside the city's main synagogue.
The incident is reminiscent of when the Belgian government in March allowed supporters of the PKK terrorist organization to pitch tents near the European Union Council building. The move sparked outrage among Turkish officials as the tent was set up just two days after a terrorist attack killed dozens of people in the Turkish capital, Ankara. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized Europe for its ambiguous stance toward terror incidents in Turkey. He said he expects more empathy from European countries, and that he will listen to their advice and that of other international institutions as long as they are fair.
Speaking to Daily Sabah, former member of the European Parliament and Daily Sabah columnist Ozan Ceyhun said it is easy to recognize the double standard on terror. Ceyhun emphasized the importance of avoiding discrimination among terrorist groups and understanding every kind of terrorism is a threat to the whole world.
A member of the local Danish ruling Venstre party, Diego Gugliotta, on Monday reported the event and its organizers to police for "encouraging terror." Portraying international terrorists as heroes could push some people to "take the last step and join a terror organization," he wrote on Facebook.
In an exhibit partly inspired by Tehran's Martyrs' Museum, a Danish group of artists plans to include brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El-Bakraoui, who detonated bombs in the deadly Brussels attacks on March 22, and Foued Mohamed-Aggad, who blew himself up at the Bataclan music venue in Paris on Nov. 14.
The installation will have the look of a museum, using images of the "martyrs," replicas of their belongings and plaques to explain who they are.
DAESH claimed responsibility for both the Paris attacks, which left 130 people dead, and the Brussels bombings, which killed 32.
The suicide bombers will be featured alongside historical figures considered to have died for their cause, such as French heroine Joan of Arc and Greek philosopher Socrates, said Ida Grarup Nielsen of artist collective The Other Eye of The Tiger. "A guide will talk about Foued Mohamed-Aggad and the events at the Bataclan, during which the room will also be [filled] with sound and light," she told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The story would be told "more from his point of view," she said.
Even though the el-Bakraoui brothers would not be included in the guided tour, photos of them and replicas of their belongings would be displayed. A black leather glove that Ibrahim el-Bakraoui reportedly wore to conceal a bomb detonator would be among the belongings.
The exhibit is scheduled to be on display from May 26 until June 10 in a former abattoir in Copenhagen's trendy Meatpacking District.
The venue is home to a theater group whose artistic leader, Christian Lollike, courted controversy in 2012 by staging a play based on the manifesto of Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik. "Our exhibit is really about describing the term 'martyr' from as many different angles as possible and through history," Nielsen said. Everyone is "the hero of [their] own story," she added.
Danish gunman Omar El-Hussein, who killed two people in twin attacks in Copenhagen in February last year, would not be part of the exhibit since it was unclear whether he had been willing to die for his beliefs, she said.
The 22-year-old was killed in a shootout with police hours after killing a security guard outside the city's main synagogue.
The incident is reminiscent of when the Belgian government in March allowed supporters of the PKK terrorist organization to pitch tents near the European Union Council building. The move sparked outrage among Turkish officials as the tent was set up just two days after a terrorist attack killed dozens of people in the Turkish capital, Ankara. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized Europe for its ambiguous stance toward terror incidents in Turkey. He said he expects more empathy from European countries, and that he will listen to their advice and that of other international institutions as long as they are fair.
Speaking to Daily Sabah, former member of the European Parliament and Daily Sabah columnist Ozan Ceyhun said it is easy to recognize the double standard on terror. Ceyhun emphasized the importance of avoiding discrimination among terrorist groups and understanding every kind of terrorism is a threat to the whole world.
A member of the local Danish ruling Venstre party, Diego Gugliotta, on Monday reported the event and its organizers to police for "encouraging terror." Portraying international terrorists as heroes could push some people to "take the last step and join a terror organization," he wrote on Facebook.