In 2017, Denmark took a historic step in favor of free speech by rescinding its blasphemy law after 334 years. For those of us in the free speech community, it was an important moment in Europe where free speech is being rapidly reduced.
Bretibart (h/t Nita) “The unfree, medieval forces of the Middle East have won a victory today”, Denmark’s former immigration minister has said as the nation’s present government ploughs on to mollify criticism from the Muslim world by banning Qur’an burnings.
Denmark was the last Scandinavian country to still have historic blasphemy laws on the books when it scrapped its 334-year-old statute in 2017, but now the nation’s left-led government is bringing them back. A new law is being drafted, targeted at a surge in Qur’an burning protests recently which would make desecrating any holy book illegal, with the government saying the legislation is a matter of national security.
Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard spoke on the new law Friday, saying terror threats had increased recently and this was a reason to show more respect towards Islam, calling the wave of Qur’an burnings “meaningless insults which have no other purpose than to create discord and hatred”. The protests harmed the interests of the Danish state, he added.
According to reports the change in law will be achieved by amending the present rules which punish with up to two years imprisonment offences against foreign nations by publicly insulting them, including flag burnings. Consequently, Denmark proposes to punish burning all religious texts including the Qur’an with prison time.
Denmark’s Radical Left party (Radikale Venstre) has said it will support the law, despite recently having said it was against new restrictions on freedom of expression. National broadsheet Berlingske reports Christian Friis Bach, one of their members of parliament, who said of the U-turn: “We had no desire to intervene until very recently… “But there have been over 100 Koran burnings in recent months with the sole purpose of creating discord”.
But exactly what constitutes “improper treatment of objects with religious significance” will be up for the courts to decide, the minister said, saying “only the imagination sets the limits” when it comes to deciding what is insulting conduct or not. At the press conference, questions by attending journalists seemed to tease out that burning a headscarf would not, while walking on a Qur’an would be considered hateful.
As also observed by law professor Frederik Waage and reported by BT, the changes being punished now are essentially rolling the law back to how it was before 2017, when Denmark’s historic blasphemy laws were repealed. When that law was repealed after 334 years on the books, every party in the Danish Parliament voted in favour of abolition except the left-wing Social Democrats, whose leader Mette Frederiksen is now Prime Minister, and whose Peter Hummelgaard is now the Justice Minister pushing the law.
The reversal in Denmark illustrates the dire situation for free speech in Europe and the growing danger here in the United States.
The Poster says
There is something rotten in Denmark, and it is the Muslims.
The Woke Ender says
The Danish government is filled with massive pussies.
Enjoy the death of your country under the vicious jackboot of Islam. 🥾🪦🇩🇰🕌☪️
Daniel Erbstoesser says
They have to do all that they want then the country is full with them and yes they have the majority in this country and soon in many others , either through birthrates or import rates.
Jack Rider says
the sane defenders of Western tradition must engage the islamic invasion on all levels. the first level is to broadly inform the entire native populations of what the substance of islamic teachings are, not the white-washed public relations of muslim advocacy groups. the societies must be informed of where this comes from and to where it all leads. the native populations must know what the stakes are for freedom and prosperity and public safety. the native populations must know what they are & will be fighting for. the desensitized liberal leaders must meet a just final accounting for their betrayal of their obligations to protect their societies and nations. the era of anythong goes; i’m ok – you’re OK is rapidly ending. the price of treason and treachery will be paid.
The Speaker says
Hey Denmark, forgot about protecting the Muslim religion of Islam and its Koran. Allah is a mythical personification of all that is wrong and evil. And Mohammed was a man who only did all that is wrong and evil throughout his whole life. And the words in the Koran claiming to be the words of their Allah is simply the words of Mohammed pretending to be the words of their Allah. The Muslims are a war people who live only for war and to steal the material possessions of the innocent people they slaughter. Their religion is a war religion with a war god with a warlord Mohammed and a heaven and hell system opposite of Christianity. What Islam preaches is that evil, bloodthirsty rapists, murders, and thieves go to Heaven and the good, ethical, kind, nice innocent people go to Hell. Denmark, Islam, the Koran, and the Muslims are your enemies.
Charles Martel says
A big defeat for the free speech community
The Tasmanian Devil says
Someone should do a study on the phenomenon of why Europeans have a death wish.
BLR says
Protect the unholy koran and ban the Cross , road to Hell … don’t say you didn’t know when you get there people
puzzled says
Denmark now protects the very “dirt age” book that condemns Denmark and its people, to death……… as well as civilization.
Ramez Fekry says
Scandinavia, along with The Netherlands 🇳🇱, Belgium 🇧🇪, Spain 🇪🇸, Cyprus 🇨🇾, Greece 🇬🇷, Malta 🇲🇹, the entirety of the Balkans, Canada 🇨🇦, and New Zealand 🇳🇿 will fall to Islam ☪️ within a decade, unless islamocritical White Christians ✝️ follow in the footsteps of Baruch Goldstein, Alexandre Bissonnette, and Brenton Tarrant, en masse and ASAP!