As part of our Resolving Conflict newsletter, Mouna explores a controversial new party in Denmark...
My Instagram feed is flooded with posts about a new Danish political party: the Denmark Democrats, or officially, the “Denmark Democrats – Inger Støjberg”. The establishment of new political parties is nothing unusual in Denmark but there is something striking about this one.
It was established by the former minister of immigration and integration, Inger Støjberg, who recently completed a prison sentence for deliberately breaching the Ministerial Responsibility Act in 2016, after illegally separating asylum-seeking couples when the woman was under 18.
Whilst the Denmark Democrats do not yet have an established message, Inger Støjberg highlights that the political party is intended to serve the interests of the majority by shifting the focus from Copenhagen to the rest of the country. At the same time, the party will maintain Inger Støjberg’s harsh views on immigration and integration.
A focus beyond Copenhagen is necessary, but the establishment of the Denmark Democrats highlights a central problem in Denmark. The very constitution of the party is emblematic of a wider issue within Danish democracy, that democracy is only extended to a ‘true Danish’ majority. The establishment of this party can be viewed as part of the increasing influence of ethnonationalist sentiments within Europe. Under the guise of supporting the marginalised majority, the Denmark Democrats are really promoting ideas of ethnic supremacy: ostensibly resolving one conflict by stoking another.
Other Resolving Conflict pieces include Faith Greco's inquiry into Canada’s response to Roe v Wade, Vlad Alforov's examination of a moment of rare political unity in Georgia and Shuaib Morawaji's description of escalating ethnic division in Afghanistan.