Burka covers 'Little Mermaid'
2004-12-16 14:46
Copenhagen - Unidentified pranksters covered Copenhagen' famed statue The Little Mermaid with a black robe resembling a burka in a stunt apparently intended to question mostly Muslim Turkey's bid to join the European Union.
The 91-year-old Copenhagen landmark was covered during the night, and police said the robe was removed on Thursday by a tourist guide.
The stunt occurred hours before EU leaders were to meet in Brussels to discuss Turkey's long-held wish to open membership talks with the 25-member bloc.
The Little Mermaid statue, a bronze that sits on a rock at the entrance to the city harbour, was covered with a black robe and a white sash reading "Turkey in EU?", television footage showed.
Before leaving Copenhagen for Brussels, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday that Denmark supported starting the accession talks with Turkey but stressed there was "no guarantee that Turkey can become a member".
The 1.6m high statue is a popular tourist attraction and also a frequent target for vandals.
In the past the Little Mermaid statue has been beheaded, doused in paint and blown off her perch by vandals who used explosives.
The statue is based on a mythical sea king's mermaid daughter who, according to the Hans Christian Andersen tale, falls in love with a prince and must wait 300 years to become human.
- AP