Fire Attack in Denmark: Minister of Integration targeted
nopyro | 10.06.2005 14:03 | World
Fire Attack in Denmark: Minister of Integration targeted for her governement's xenophobic policies. The action condemned by most, but celebrated by some - and supporting the action may be punishable with up to two years in prison. The newly formed Danish collective is drowning in attention and postings.
STATEMENT FROM INDYMEDIA DK IN CONNECTION WITH FIRE ATTACK ON MINISTER OF INTEGRATION'S HOME:
On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, June 8, 2005, an unknown group naming themselves "Borderless Beate", set fire to the car and garage of the Minister of Integration, Rikke Hvilshoej, near Copenhagen in Denmark.
The motive for the action is, as the group claims in a press release:
"We will not apologise - we will take action.
In protest against the Danish migrations policies we have set fire to the car of the integration- and refugee minister Rikke Hvilshoej at her home in Greve"
Rikke Hvilshoej, her husband and their two children made it safely out of the house, but the garage and the car has suffered quite some damage by the fire.
The leftwing parties in Denmark, along with the government and the conservative press, are all condemning the action strongly, and a heavy police investigation has commenced. Suspects have apparently been identified, but no arrests have been made so far.
Indymedia DK (Denmark) has been contacted by the mainstream media on the newswire (and through other channels) encouraging anyone who sympathize with "Borderless Beate" to participate in TV news programmes. According to legal experts it is punishable with up to two years of prison to support the action in any way.
So far no one has supported the action in mainstream media, but some postings to the Indymedia DK newswire has celebrated the action. As mentioned above, merely applauding the action is illegal, which may have implications for Indymedia DK, given that there are such opinions expressed on the newswire.
On the front page of Indymedia.dk there is a feature article in which the collective distances themselves from the action, but given the pervasive terror laws we are faced with some serious questions concerning whether or not to hide certain comments and as a newly formed collective this is proving quite some challenge and forcing us into some quick decision making that may compromise our ideals of openness and consensus. Indymedia DK appeals to the rest of the Indymedia network and the wider public and global civil society in favour of Freedom of Speech to support our project to provide a platform for marginalised, silenced groups and individuals in the face of this challenge.
On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, June 8, 2005, an unknown group naming themselves "Borderless Beate", set fire to the car and garage of the Minister of Integration, Rikke Hvilshoej, near Copenhagen in Denmark.
The motive for the action is, as the group claims in a press release:
"We will not apologise - we will take action.
In protest against the Danish migrations policies we have set fire to the car of the integration- and refugee minister Rikke Hvilshoej at her home in Greve"
Rikke Hvilshoej, her husband and their two children made it safely out of the house, but the garage and the car has suffered quite some damage by the fire.
The leftwing parties in Denmark, along with the government and the conservative press, are all condemning the action strongly, and a heavy police investigation has commenced. Suspects have apparently been identified, but no arrests have been made so far.
Indymedia DK (Denmark) has been contacted by the mainstream media on the newswire (and through other channels) encouraging anyone who sympathize with "Borderless Beate" to participate in TV news programmes. According to legal experts it is punishable with up to two years of prison to support the action in any way.
So far no one has supported the action in mainstream media, but some postings to the Indymedia DK newswire has celebrated the action. As mentioned above, merely applauding the action is illegal, which may have implications for Indymedia DK, given that there are such opinions expressed on the newswire.
On the front page of Indymedia.dk there is a feature article in which the collective distances themselves from the action, but given the pervasive terror laws we are faced with some serious questions concerning whether or not to hide certain comments and as a newly formed collective this is proving quite some challenge and forcing us into some quick decision making that may compromise our ideals of openness and consensus. Indymedia DK appeals to the rest of the Indymedia network and the wider public and global civil society in favour of Freedom of Speech to support our project to provide a platform for marginalised, silenced groups and individuals in the face of this challenge.
nopyro
Comments
Hide the following 3 comments
That's the way
10.06.2005 18:10
Viking
That sucks
11.06.2005 14:48
He's been critisized for doing it, but I think it was a good call.
Private sites are one thing, but what Indymedia provides is a public meeting area for awide range of left-of-center people. People that endanger that meeting area with illegal activities should be kicked out - period. Granted, it can be a slippery slope, once you start bowing to political laws, but advocating violence is not generally a good thing...
Anyhow, I deeply sympathize with you. It's a tough decision to make.
Jim
Richmond IMC
Jim
e-mail:
jim@richmondindymedia.org
Its not indymedia's fault
11.06.2005 17:00
In any democratic society that has freedom of the press and freedom of speech there should be no repression of people who speak their minds, even if you disagree with them. It is abominable that this government is doing this. There is a difference between saying you think that this was ok, and saying you are going to do it yourself, a difference that is as vast as the ocean. The ability to voice dissent is a necessary componant of any free and democratic society, and if Denmark doesn't allow people to do this, then Denmark is not a free and democratic society.
This is not to say that what this group did was ok, to endorse it in any way, or to try and argue that their actions were legal. This is to say that people should be free to argue this, if they choose. This is to say that Indymedia, who provides a forum for critical discussion and argumentation about the pros and cons of such actions should be free to conduct such a discussion, without government repression. If not, then Denmark is no better than countries that disappear people who speak out against their governments, who torture and kill those who disagree with the ruling class, and is no better than when it was ruled by the divine right of kings. If this is how it is, maybe the unwashed rabble should take their pitchforks and storm the castle, and we can all have a good laugh at how midieval the whole comic farce is, at least until the plague of anti-democratic monarchistic repression begins to spread outwards from the festering boil that is this pathetic country who wants to micromanage its "subject's" speach.
GO DENMARK! GOOD ONE!
uniqay