Denmark's famous Little Mermaid sculpture has been draped in a Muslim headscarf as controversy rages in the country over the wearing of veils.

A passerby discovered the statue's head and body draped in red and burgundy cloth similar to a Muslim headscarf and alerted police, who removed the covering.

Debate over the Muslim veil erupted in Denmark several weeks ago after Asmaa Abdol-Hamid, a Palestinian-born Dane standing in the 2009 legislative election, declared that she would wear her veil in parliament if elected.

The Little Mermaid, one of Denmark's biggest tourist attractions, has been at the centre of political statements regularly in recent years.

In 2004, she was covered in a burqa and the text "Turkey in the EU?" was splashed across her torso, in protest against Ankara's attempts to join the European Union.

Little Mermaid goes Muslim