Rasmus Paludan, the hard-right Danish-Swedish politician known for anti-Islam activism, has been blocked from entering Italy and issued a five-year ban, according to statements he gave to the Swedish outlet Samnytt.
Paludan, who arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport on Thursday for what he said was a holiday, was stopped by authorities and informed of the decision made by the prefect of Varese.
“I can’t leave the airport,” Paludan said in a phone call from Milan. “The prefect of Varese has decided that since other people will get angry if I’m in Italy, it’s best if I’m not allowed into the country for five years.”
Paludan said he has retained a lawyer and is awaiting a judge’s ruling on whether the ban will be upheld or overturned.
While he characterized the trip as a vacation, Paludan acknowledged that he had also planned to attend a gathering in Milan known as the Remigration Summit, scheduled for Saturday.
The conference’s speakers are set to include Afonso Gonçalves from Portugal, Austria’s Martin Sellner, former French MEP Jean-Yves Le Gallou, Eva Vlaardingerbroek from the Netherlands, and Belgian political activist Dries Van Langenhove.
“Different activists and politicians would gather on Saturday, give speeches, and you could talk to each other,” Paludan said, clarifying that he was not scheduled to speak. “No, the idea was just to be involved.”
Paludan expressed skepticism that the judge would overturn the decision.
This is not the first time Paludan has faced restrictions on his international movements. In 2023, he was banned from entering the United Kingdom after publicly vowing to burn the Quran in Wakefield, a city with a significant Muslim population, during the beginning of Ramadan.
Then-state security minister Tom Tugendhat said at the time that Paludan’s presence “would not be conducive to the public good.”
In November last year, the Malmö District Court in Sweden sentenced Paludan to four months in prison for inciting hatred against an ethnic group. The charges stemmed from protests in 2022 during which he burned copies of the Quran and made derogatory statements about Muslims.
The court determined that his remarks had gone beyond protected political expression and were designed “to defame and offend,” rather than contribute to public debate.
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