According to a report in Dawn, the Mayor of Kristiansand, where the incident took place, has condemned the incident and has expressed compassion for the Muslim community.
The mayor, in an interview to Norwegian media, stated that Kristiansand was a city for everyone, and they worked systematically to create diversity. He added that such acts were provocative and regrettable.
On Friday, members of the local Christian community – politicians, Christian leaders, ordinary citizens – gathered outside Kristiansand’s mosque to express solidarity with the Muslim community. They held placards that stated, “Together, even if we are different.”
A leader of a Muslim union stated to media that SIAN, the organisation that carried out the anti-Islam demonstration, did not represent Norway and such people were very few in number.
Regarding the act, a local student stated that the act of burning the holy book was disrespectful and provocative, aimed at creating anger instead of mutual understanding.