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The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk
7 - 13 December 2012
Christian Wenande Library’s director-general brushes aside the criticism, saying that a Turkish version of the events will go ahead as planned
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he Royal Library has attracted heavy criticism after agreeing to let Turkey co-arrange an alternative exhibition about the Armenian Genocide. The library has complied with the wishes of the Turkish ambassador Berk: Dibek to be involved with the exhibition, ‘The Armenian Genocide and the Scandinavian response’, which is currently on display at the University of Copenhagen. The Turkish Embassy has been granted the opportunity to stage a Turkish version of the historical events in a move that has generated criticism from a number of circles, including politicians, historians and the Armenian Embassy in Copenhagen. “This is giving in to Turkish pressure and it won’t do. Without comparing the two events, it’s like asking neo-Nazis to arrange a Holocaust exhibition,” Søren Espersen, a spokesperson for Dansk Folkeparti (DF), told Berlingske newspaper. Turkey refuses to use the term ‘genocide’ to describe the deaths of over an estimated one million Armenians who died during the mass extermination carried out by the Ottoman Empire be-
Wikimedia Commons / Henry Morgenthau
Royal Library under fire for allowing Turkish take on Armenian Genocide
tween the years of 1915-1923. Turkey counters that the deaths were a by-product of the First World War and that the issue should be left to historians. But Matthias Bjørnlund, a historian and leading Danish expert on the Armenian Genocide, is perplexed over the Royal Library’s decision in the case. “If you believe that all versions of history are equal, then you’ve undermined your role as a research institution,” Bjørnlund told Berlingske. “It was genocide and not all interpretations of this history are correct.” The Armenian ambassador, Hrachya Aghajanyan, who is a co-host of the original exhibition, is disappointed by the move. “I hope that the Royal Library will reconsider its decision and not give in to
Søvndal: Israeli Former PM: Put settlement plan foreigners in “dangerous” worse prisons Denmark joins European condemnation of retaliatory move
Rasmussen says nation too “naïve” in its approach to foreign criminals
enmark’s foreign minister, Villy Søvndal (Socialistisk Folkeparti), summoned Israel’s ambassador for consultation on Monday to discuss Israel’s decision to build 3,000 new settlements east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. The settlements would be illegal under international law and are widely considered to be a retaliatory move following the decision by the UN to grant Palestine the status of non-member observer state. Israel is also withholding over 500 million kroner in tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority that Israel gathered on its behalf. “Israel’s decision to build more illegal settlements and punish President Abbas and his Palestinian government is a very sad and dangerous reaction that makes it difficult to see the connection between Israel’s expressed goal for a two-state solution and a political will to enable it,” Søvndal told the Ritzau news bureau. “The EU and Denmark have firmly stated that all Israeli settlement on Palestinian land is illegal according to international law and limits the opportunities for peace.” Søvndal was not alone in condemning Israel’s decision, and Israeli ambassadors in France, the UK, Sweden and Spain were all summoned over the move to build the new settlements in the E1 area east of Jerusalem. (PS)
ars Løkke Rasmussen, the former prime minister and leader of opposition party Venstre (V), has said that foreign criminals should not be entitled to the same quality of incarceration as Danish inmates and criticised the government for not doing enough to deport them. “The standard of treatment they receive in Danish prisons is far higher than they would expect in eastern Europe,” Rasmussen told Sjællands Nyheder newspaper. “Foreign criminals are a major problem. We have just been so very naïve about how to tackle the challenge that foreign criminal networks pose.” Rasmussen said that Denmark should follow Norway’s lead and find ways to have foreign criminals serve their prison sentences in their home countries. According to Sjællands Nyheder, Norway deported 52 foreign criminals last year while Denmark only deported two. Rasmussen’s statements were criticised, however, particularly as V did not support the recent prison services bill that focused on tackling the rising number of foreign criminals in Danish prisons. The bill passed without V’s support. “Venstre did not want to join the deal, so I think it is rather incredible that Lars Løkke Rasmussen is now proposing essentially the same thing,” Ole Hækkerup, the legal spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne, told Berlingske. (PS)
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A photo from ‘Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story’, considered to be one of the primary sources on the Armenian Genocide, shows the bodies of dead Armenians
the possible Turkish pressure,” Aghajanyan told Berlingske. But Erland Kolding Nielsen, the director-general of the Royal Library, denied that the institution buckled under pressure from Turkey. “One can’t pressure us, and we have not spoken about removing the Armenian exhibition. We have simply given them the opportunity to show their alternative exhibition,” Nielsen told Berlingske. Currently, 24 nations – including France, Germany and Russia – officially consider the killings as genocide, but Denmark has yet to make that assertion. It is not yet known when the Turkish exhibition version will debut, but the Turkish Embassy said that preparations were underway.
Curtain falls on history-rich citizenship test Proponents of new citizenship exam say it’s about time that the test was modernised, while detractors lament the move
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hen over 2,500 people took the citizenship test on Monday, it marked the last time that the exam, known as ‘Indfødtsretsprøven’, will be used in its current form. The government is due to present a proposal in January that will create a more modern version of the citizenship test. The new test, to be named ‘Statsborgerskabsprøven’, is still being developed, but will reportedly focus on aspects of daily life and politics. In addition, the Danish language proficiency demands will also be eased as part of the government’s ambition to relax immigration laws. “We’re doing away with the current citizenship test. The new test will focus more on societal issues than the old test did,” Lennart Damsbo-Andersen, a spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne (S), told Berlingske newspaper. “The test taker won’t have to know all about Denmark’s history, the royal lineage or all the little towns in Funen, because all that is being removed.” Immigration lawyer Aage Kramp hailed the change but said he felt the new test should have been introduced earlier.
“It’s definitely a move in the right direction. Whether the first Holstein War began in 1848 or 1849 doesn’t reflect someone’s ability to be a Danish citizen,” Kramp told The Copenhagen Post. “It’s only reasonable that the new citizenship test reflects a Being as Danish as these guys will no longer modern view on require arcane knowledge becoming a Danish citizen.” hear the government’s proposal The test has been a part of on the new test before assessing the naturalisation process for the move, but Christian Langforeigners since 2005, when the balle (Dansk Folkeparti) called it former Venstre-Konservative a “sad day”. government, together with its “It’s a shame and I simply key ally, the right-wing Danish cannot believe that they would People’s Party, managed to push want to scrap the citizenship through a law requiring that ap- test. We Danes are a product of plicants for citizenship should our own history, and it’s essential be tested on their knowledge of that people who come here know Danish society and history. that history,” Langballe told BerIn 2008 the test was made lingske. “Dansk Folkeparti will even more difficult when appli- do everything it can to reinstate cants were given less time to an- the test in its current form.” swer the questions and more corTo obtain citizenship in rect answers were required to pass. Denmark, applicants must have The opposition at the time permanent residence, currently argued that the test was so diffi- live in Denmark, have no debt, cult that many ethnically Danish be self-sufficient and speak Dancitizens couldn’t even pass it. A ish. The primary difference besurvey by weekly publication A4 tween permanent residence and in 2010 showed that every fifth citizenship is that citizens have Dane would fail the citizenship the right to vote. test if they had to take it. Should parliament approve Jan E Jørgensen (Venstre) the new test, it would come into indicated that he would wait to effect in June 2013.
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