Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Dutch justice minister has rejected a call by a Christian party to stop Madonna staging a mock-crucifixion in concerts in Amsterdam.
Minister Piet Hein Donner said he understood the concerns of the SGP party which asked the minister to prevent Madonna performing the scene in concerts on Sunday and Monday, but said only a court could take action against the show.
"It is understandable that Christians feel offended by the crucifixion act that Madonna performs," he said in remarks posted on the SGP website. "It is a reprehensible way to attract attention at the cost of the deepest feelings of many people."
"That does not mean that this act can be classified as blasphemy," he said. "Judgment over whether the event in question constitutes blasphemy is not up to the justice minister, but up to prosecutors and ultimately a judge."
The youth wing of the Christian party, the SGP, said they were deeply disappointed by Donner's response and said they would launch a suit against Madonna for blasphemy after her concerts in Amsterdam, part of her worldwide "Confessions Tour."
"The SGP youth wing regrets that the freedom of expression is declared as being so holy that insulting the Son of God is part of that freedom," it said in a statement.
The Vatican accused Madonna of blasphemy and provocation when she staged the mock crucifixion in Rome last month.