New Right Wing Government with Support from Extreme Nationalists

The November 20 national, regional and local elections in Denmark resulted in a major leap to the right. The Social Democrats lost both national government and that of large cities - maybe even the capital. As this is written it is still uncertain whether Copenhagen after one hundred years under red rule has now fallen into the hands of a neo-liberal playboy with a declared crusade against the city’s strongholds of the radical left.

Like Austria, Denmark is now governed by a right wing/liberal coalition with the vital support of racist extremists. Unlike Austria, these nationalists - in Denmark called Dansk Folkeparti (‘the Danish Peoples Party’) headed by Pia Kjaersgaard (quote in Danish parliament after S11: ‘Islam is not a religion. It is terrorism. It should be fought by any means necessary.’) - are not in government, but their support is all-important to the two ruling parties (the Liberals and Conservatives). The election placed Dansk Folkeparti as the third largest party with 12,0 % of the votes. Therefore it is expected that especially Dansk Folkeparti’s racist views on the treatment of refugees and immigrants will influence the policy of the new government.
It should be noted that the Social Democrats’ policy on this issue has been neither social nor democratic. Under former Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Denmark adopted the most restrictive and overtly discriminating immigration policy in Europe – admired by even Jörg Haider in Austria.

Right wing road to success: New Labor upside down + racism
The new Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Liberals), once right wing ideological guru and author of the neo-liberal manifesto ‘From Social State to Minimal State’ (1993), has effectively promoted an image of being pro-welfare state and especially the guardian of the social conditions of the elderly. The right wing succeeded in using British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s strategy of stealing the opponent’s agenda. They stole a social agenda that traditionally belonged to the Social Democrats while using many voters’ lust for ‘trying something new’. Although this indicates that pure neo-liberal politics are unpopular, Anders Fogh Rasmussen will probably turn out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A part of his party’s proposal for next years state budget, which received little attention by the media during the election campaign, includes heavy cuts in social security for young people.
This along with attacks on refugees and immigrants that went even further than those of the Social Democrats gave the Liberals the best election ever and provided the Danish parliament with an absolute right wing majority unparalleled since 1929.

The entire election campaign has been characterized by a hard line policy of going one ‘better’ on so-called ‘criminal asylum seekers’, ‘Muslim mass rapists’ etc. etc. evoking many critical voices abroad but few within the country. Ironically, some of the loudest have been the ones representing corporate interests. Profit oriented motives like companies’ fear of a shrinking labor force have been behind the most heard ‘anti-racist’ arguments. Especially the tourist industry has complained about negative foreign reactions to the racist political climate.

Indeed, Denmark should be infamous for its nationalist selfishness and horrific treatment of refugees and immigrants and not celebrated as a fairy tale country known for the Little Mermaid and a welfare state.

And for anti-capitalist activists of all sorts this is unpromising news for the possible state handling of the upcoming protests at the EU-summit in Copenhagen 2002. Another central issue in the election campaign has been law and order. Although violent crimes have never been fever in the country, the Right and especially Dansk Folkeparti have constructed an image bloodthirsty immigrant gangs and radical left hooligans, legitimizing massive funding and new powers to the police.

Additional background on some of Dansk Folkeparti’s MPs:
Pia Kjaersgaard: Long time member of The World Anti-Communist League and member of the overtly xenophobic Danish Society (Den Danske Forening). In the mid-nineties The Danish Society used nazi-skinheads as bodyguards during rallies. Originally a member of an extreme neo-liberal anti-state party she now sells herself as national and social.

Soeren Krarup and Jesper Langballe: These two priests are both members of The Danish Society and of the obscure Christian sect ‘Tidehverv’ (Epoch), which argues that Christian charity is limited to people in the near surroundings (geographically and culturally). They also worship ideas of Denmark’s exceptional past.

Soeren ‘Goebbels’ Espersen: The mastermind behind the party’s propaganda (e.g. when Dansk Folkeparti in large newspapers published name lists of people granted Danish citizenship) has just recently been exposed as a secret member of the Danish Nazi-party DNSB.

Among the party’s local councilors are many with shady connections. These, however, rarely figures in the media as the party is extremely hierarchical with Pia Kjaersgaard as the unchallenged leader.

The Left:
The Danish parliamentary Left (SF and The Red and Green Alliance  http://www.enhedslisten.dk) both lost mandates, but not dramatically. Together they hold 8,8 % of the votes. The new oppositional status may force them to engage in social struggles outside parliament.