The Copenhagen Post - June 01-07

Mikkelsen takes best actor award at Cannes

Looking for answers? Let vampires guide the way

18

10

Poland: Closer than you think

pol and - c

loser than

you think!

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION INSIDE

1 june 2012

advertisin

1 - 7 June 2012 | Vol 15 Issue 22

g supplemen

t

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk SCANPIX/KELD NAVNTOFT

NEWS

Several groups of protesters stage hunger strikes nationwide to bring attention to their uncertain futures

5

NEWS

... but not in Bahrain After 110 days, the most prominent hunger striker – Abdulhadi al-Khawaja – decides to eat again

7 InOut

“It should pay to work” Government rolls out its tax reform plan Ahead of the photography festival, a look at the best services on offer and an icon who bathed in Hitler’s tub

G3, G9

CULTURE

Danish drama ‘Borgen’ cleans up at the BAFTAs, but Danish entry bombs at Eurovision

18

9 771398 100009

Price: 25 DKK

PET arrest two, foiling “concrete terror action” CHRISTIAN WENANDE

Agony and ecstasy

The arrest of two Danish-Somali brothers is the first time potential terrorists arrested on home soil have received proper training, according to an expert

D

OMESTIC intelligence services have picked up two DanishSomali brothers suspected of plotting a terrorist attack.

The two brothers, who are believed to have connections to the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab, were arrested on Monday evening and appeared in an Aarhus court on Tuesday for preliminary questioning.

One of the brothers was arrested in Aarhus while the other was arrested at Copenhagen Airport. Authorities have

ransacked two addresses in connection prison for breaking terrorism laws. with the arrests.

PET and police in east-Jutland are Domestic intelligence agency PET continuing with their co-operative efsuspects the brothers, aged 18 and 23, forts to investigate the case, while the of planning a terror attack in Denmark. two brothers are expected to be remandPET said they heard them discuss po- ed after the preliminary questioning. tential targets, methodology and weapPET said that the arrests had defionry. Both brothers are Danish citizens nitely averted an act of terrorism. of Somali heritage who have lived in the “It is the belief of PET that a conAarhus area for about 16 years. crete terror action has been prevented One of the brothers is suspected to with these arrests,” PET wrote on have received training at an al-Shabaab its website. “But these arrests do not base in Somalia, which is a first for a change the assessment of the terror terror arrest in Denmark, according to threat level in Denmark, which is still Hans Jørgen Bonnichsen, PET’s former viewed as serious.” head of operations.

Jacob Scharf, the head of PET, said “It is the first time that an individ- that between 25 and 40 Danish-Somalis ual arrested in Denmark has received have received training or participated in training,” Bonnichsen told Politiken activities organised by al-Shabaab, and newspaper. many of meeting those involved were reOrganise a that personal The brothers could receive in on cruited by operatives in Denmark. and life sit in a class.

FULL TIME MBA

Peter Skaarup, a spokesperson for Dansk Folkeparti, was shocked by the number and said that anyone who has trained in the camps or has ties to alShabaab should be prevented from entering the country.

“The number is very surprising. Anybody who’s been in a terrorist training camp should never be allowed to enter Denmark again,” Skaarup told JyllandsPosten newspaper.

AarhuSomali, a group of Somali organisations, has vowed to help authorities with the case.

“I am concerned, shocked and sad about the situation concerning two young Somali brothers arrested for terror,” AarhuSomali spokesman Abdirahman M Lidle told Ekstra Bladet. “We want the case to be solved and will help any way we can.”

The one-year general management full-time MBA at CBS focuses on leadership, entrepreneurship, and real-world experience.

Organise a personal meeting and hear how the MBA can give Join Scandinavia’s most internationally diverse program your career a new dimension.

FULL TIME MBA Free access to 70 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

See more at copenhagencard.com

4

Organise a personal meeting E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022and sit in on a class The general management full-time MBA at CBS focuses on toone-year organise a personal meeting.

Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Practical Business Skills.

E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022 to organise a personal meeting

Copenhagen Business School

Copenhagen Business School Porcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksberg Porcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksberg www.cbs.dk/ftmba www.cbs.dk/ftmba

2

Week in review

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012 Scanpix/Torkil Adsersen

Castles made of sand

THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK Sex video stuns graduation ceremony Report finds immigrants suffer discrimination It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it Should’ve known better than to back Denmark Has the time come to separate church and state?

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. A group of 27 Iraqis end their six-day hunger strike at Copenhagen Cathedral.

FIVE YEARS AGO. Cyclist Bjarne Riis − the 1996 winner of the Tour de France – comes clean about using performance-enhancing drugs.

ONE YEAR AGO. Marmite scandal shocks Brits worldwide as The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration deems the British spread unfit in light of 2004 Danish legislation.

The Copenhagen Sandcastle Festival kicked off on Thursday at Ofelia Beach near Amalienborg, featuring 20 sculptures, a sand maze and more. The sculptures will be on display until August 5. For more details, see page G8

in the past. EVA looked at the effects of a pedagogical curriculum, which was introduced in 2004, and concluded that it has succeeded in increasing the level of learning at the nation’s daycare centres. Pedagogy professor Niels Egelund told Politiken newspaper that the results of the curriculum represented a “breakthrough”.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper Since 1998, The Copenhagen Post has been Denmark’s leading source for news in English. As the voice of the international community, we provide coverage for the thousands of foreigners making their home in Denmark.

Additionally, our English language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience.

In addition to publishing the only regularly printed English-language newspaper in the country, we provide up-to-date news on our website and deliver news to national and international organisations. The Copenhagen Post is also a leading provider of non-news services to the private and public sectors, offering writing, translation, editing, production and delivery services.

Visit us online at www.cphpost.dk

Stale market

The nation’s housing market will remain stagnant until at least 2014. The latest review from the economic council Det Økonomisk Råd said that house prices will continue to drop through 2012 and 2013 before making a modest 1.7 percent increase in 2014. Inflation at the time is expected to be at about 1.8 percent,

President and Publisher Ejvind Sandal Chief Executive Jesper Nymark Editor-in-Chief Kevin McGwin Managing Editor Ben Hamilton News Editor Justin Cremer Journalists Peter Stanners, Ray Weaver & Christian Wenande

effectively negating any increase.

Fixed interest rates for a housing loan are currently at a historic low of three percent on a 30-year mortgage. Credit experts are advising homeowners with variable interest rate loans to consider refinancing and to lock their loan in at the lower rate as a hedge against future increases.

Editorial offices: Slagtehusgade 4 – 6 DK 1715 Copenhagen V Telephone: 3336 3300 Fax: 3393 1313 www.cphpost.dk News Desk news@cphpost.dk 3336 4243 The CPH Post welcomes outside articles and letters to the editor.

Letters and comments can be left on our website or at: comments@cphpost.dk

Colourbox

Following a highly critical report on the nation’s daycare institutions, there is some rare good news in the area. A report from Danmarks Evalueringsinstitut (EVA), which was released on Tuesday, concluded that daycare providers have done a much better job of integrating learning into children’s play activities than

Colourbox

Colourbox

Play and learn

CORRECTION The correct name of the French ambassador is Veronique Bujon-Barre – not Berengere Quincy, as was reported on page 12 last week.

You’re fired

As politicians call on older workers to stay in their jobs longer, a recent study shows that the government itself lays off older workers first when cuts are made.

A list in the budget reduction plan project, ‘Effektiv Administration’, revealed that every third civil servant laid off since last December was 55-years-old or older, even

Sales, Advertising and Marketing sales@cphpost.dk Subscriptions subs@cphpost.dk

though they made up only one fifth of the state’s total workforce.

Two-thirds of those cut were over 45, even though that group made up only 40 percent of the total workforce. Unions are investigating claims of age discrimination and will seek compensation for workers who can prove they were let go due to their age.

Layout and design Justin Cremer Aviaja Bebe Nielsen Logo by Rasmus Koch

Annual home delivery rates: 1 year: 1,200kr 6 months: 750kr 1 year (online): 365kr Discounted bulk rates available.

The Copenhagen Post accepts no responsibility for the content of material submitted by advertisers.

The Copenhagen Post is published weekly by CPHPOST.DK ApS

Distribution distribution@cphpost.dk

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited by law.

Printed by Dagbladet, Ringsted.

Founded in 1998 by San Shepard

Do you speak Danish?

Regardless of your educational background and native language, VUF offers intensive Danish courses for foreigners.

Sign up now!

Contact our counsellors by phone 3815 8521 or read more about Danish for Foreigners at www.vuf.nu

VoksenUddannelsescenter Frederiksberg Falstersvej 3-5 • 2000 Frederiksberg • Phone 3815 8500 • www.vuf.nu

4

Cover story

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012

Workers the target of government’s tax reform Colourbox

Jyllands-Posten Government’s tax reform aims to reduce the tax burden of middle-class and blue-collar workers and increase the incentive to work for lowincome earners

H

ard-working low and middle income Danes will benefit the most from the government’s tax reform that was proposed on Tuesday.

Key among the proposals is an increase in the tax deduction for being employed as well as a rise in the threshold of the top tax bracket, topskat.

“What’s absolutely central to our reform is that it should pay to work,” the tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen (Socialistiske Folkeparti), said. “Many people will get more out of working with the reform. An ordinary unionised worker will make about 1,000 kroner extra a month after tax from working rather than taking social welfare. So it’s definitely something that will be noticed.”

Danes on pensions will not be covered by the planned increase to the topskat threshold, however, as the government has focused its reforms to benefit only those in work.

“We know that there are relatively few people working after the retirement age,” the economy minister, Margrethe Vestager (Radikale), said. “Pensioners who have a lot should also contribute to financing the tax reform.”

Opposition party Venstre has criticised the decision to exclude pensioners, however.

“It’s completely unreasonable that people should be paying more tax on your work simply because you have reached a certain age,” Venstre’s finance spokesperson, Peter Christensen, said.

But the economy minister disagreed and argued the proposal fit well within the overall target of the reform.

“We set out to lower tax on work, which is why we’re financing in a way that least affects the incentive to work,” Vestager said.

The tax reform is hoped to increase the workforce by 14,600 people. This will be achieved by raising the topskat threshold for

Factfile | Highlights of the government’s tax reform: • The threshold for the top tax bracket, topskat, will rise gradually from 390,000 kroner to 467,000 kroner a year. Costs the government 4.8 billion kroner • The tax deduction for being employed will rise from 5.6 percent to 10.65 percent of income. Costs the government nine billion kroner • The tax deduction on interest payments for home owners with annual interest payments of over 100,000 kroner will be cut.

Earns the government 2.6 billion kroner.

• Single parents will get an extra tax deduction of 6.25 percent or a maximum of 20,000 kroner a year. Costs the government 400 million kroner • The child benefit check for families earning over 761,000 kroner will be scaled down. Earns the government 300 million kroner.

• Businesses will be able to deduct 115 percent of investments instead of 100 percent during 2012 and 2013. Costs the government five billion kroner.

• The entrepreneurship tax will be abolished. Costs the government 390 million kroner.

• Social welfare benefits will rise only according to inflation and not according to the average wage increase. Earns the government three billion kroner.

• The government wants to close loopholes that allow workers from eastern Europe to avoid paying tax in Denmark. Earns the government 200 million kroner

The government says its tax relief will improve the incomes of thousands of middle-income earners

What’s absolutely central to our reform is that it should pay to work everyone below the retirement age so that 250,000 Danes currently paying topskat will drop below the threshold.

The idea is to make it more attractive for nurses and metal workers, for example, to take on extra shifts or go from part-time to full-time.

“Topskat was never meant to target so many metal workers, nurses and school teachers,” Pedersen said, adding that the 700,000 Danes currently paying topskat is far too many.

The government wants to spend 4.8 billion kroner reducing the topskat threshold, and another nine billion on increasing the employment deduction and the introduction of a special employment deduction for single parents.

This deduction is being called the ‘Carina deduction’ after the debate this winter about single mother ‘Carina’ who benefited very little from taking a job rather than staying on social welfare.

According to the government’s calculations, the reform would double the number of people who would earn at least 1,000 kroner more a month by working rather than taking benefits.

The reforms would also reduce the number of people benefiting less than 2,000 kroner a month from taking a job, from 150,000 to 95,000.

Economics professor Michael Svarer from Aarhus University agreed that the reform would increase the amount that Danes would benefit from working.

“If you want to make a socially-balanced tax reform, this is the most obvious way to do it,” Svarer said. “Because it is the lowest income groups that will benefit the most.”

The tax minister also stressed that the tax reform dealt with more than providing economic motivation for the unemployed. It was also about sending a signal for those who are working hard.

“It’s not just about money.

There are lots of people who have jobs even though they would earn more on social welfare. People want to work. But our starting point has to be that in Denmark you should be able to provide for yourself without feeling a fool. That’s why it’s reasonable that it should better pay to work,” Pedersen said.

Political battle lines drawn on reform debate Peter Stanners Venstre and Enhedslisten criticise government’s plan – though for entirely different reasons

W

ith negotiations on tax reform now underway, the government’s task is to secure as broad a political backing as possible without having to make such large changes that their position in power is undermined.

Their primary target in the opposition is Venstre – parliament’s biggest party – who gave its lukewarm approval for the increase to the threshold of the top tax bracket, topskat, but criticised the increase in property taxes.

“The government is taking money out of one pocket and putting it back in the other,” Venstre declared on its website. “That is the essence of the tax reform that the government laid out.”

Venstre argued that the government could have eliminated the top tax bracket entirely and reduced the tax burden on 725,000 Danes.

“If Venstre is to support the tax reform, we need it to be more ambitious,” the party’s online statement read. “The government has already pointed out

that 13 billion kroner could be gained through reforms. Venstre does not want to participate in an unambitious reform that simply moves money from one pocket to the other.”

Fellow opposition party Konservative had a similar message.

“With the coming negotiations, it is vital that tax comes down,” Konservative states on its website. “Tax reform should lead to lower taxes for all Danes, not just a redistribution in which the government takes from those who own their own home, from those who have saved for their retirements, and from those who buy goods in Denmark.”

Libertarian party Liberal Alliance had not released a statement responding to the government’s tax reforms on Wednesday, though their commonly-voiced opinion is their desire to remove topskat altogether, reduce the basic income tax rate and halve corporation tax.

Despite their relatively extreme views on taxation, the party seems willing to take part in negotiations after its leader, Anders Samuelsen, announced on Facebook that he had asked the Konservativer whether they would like to join forces.

Most political commentators, however, agreed that the

government’s tax proposal was designed to attract the support of Venstre – a move that Frank Aaen, a spokesperson for far-left government support party Enhedslisten, found surprising.

“It would be strange if the government wants to negotiate with the right-wing that wants to overthrow them,” Aaen wrote on Enhedlisten’s website.

Technically the government need only capture Enhedslisten’s support in order to pass its tax reform.

But the proposal’s focus on putting more money in the pockets of middle-class workers, while reducing the rate of increase of social welfare benefits, is a bitter pill for the party to swallow.

“The reform means that the unemployed welfare recipients and early retirees will end up paying, while bank directors and others with much higher incomes will end up earning more,” Aaen wrote, adding that he could not understand why the poorest would have to pay for the tax reductions of the wealthiest.

“If they want Enhedslisten’s support, then they need to sort out the social [imbalance]. Otherwise the government will have to make a deal with Venstre that will make [the reform] even worse than it already is.”

Online this week Cleaning giant hit with massive fine for underpaying

Councils criticised in their hunt for cheats

‘Oddset Janni’ found guilty

Forenede Service, the nation’s second-largest cleaning company, has been hit with a multimillion kroner fine for underpaying subcontractors, the trade magazine Fagbladet 3F has reported. Earlier in the year, investigations revealed that Forenede Service was systematically exploiting Romanian clean-

The parliamentary ombudsman has spoken out against the treatment of residents by councils on the hunt for social welfare fraudsters. The ombudsman, Jørgen Steen Sørensen, told Politiken newspaper that in the case of a woman who was receiving a range of welfare handouts by declaring that she

Known for the popular commercial slogan “There’s so much women don’t understand”, ‘Oddset Janni’ Christensen sure didn’t understand the guilty verdict she received in court last week. Christensen, who has repeatedly claimed her innocence,

ers who were being brought over to Denmark by one of the company’s subcontractors. In a settlement reached with the unions 3F and Serviceforbundet, the cleaning giant has agreed to pay a massive fine and clean up its hiring and payment practices. The exact amount of the fine was not revealed by the involved parties.

was a single mother despite actually living with her boyfriend, the council should have told the woman she was under suspicion of a punishable offence before it called her into a meeting. Sørensen also criticised the council for putting the word of an anonymous source over that of the woman.

was put on trial for doping and milking dry an old, sick man who has since passed away. She, along with two unnamed co-defendants, was accused of swindling the old man for millions of kroner.

Christensen was found guilty, but only on some of the charges.

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

news

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012

5 Katerina Pisackova

Ten of the 18 Syrian asylum seekers who were on hunger strike for over three weeks at the Sigerslev Asylum Centre before calling off their strike on Wednesday

Asylum seekers stage hunger strikes nationwide Several groups refuse to eat in attempt to draw attention to their uncertain futures

A

church in the Nørrebro district on Tuesday told asylum seekers who had taken refuge inside for almost a week to leave as they could not support their hunger strike.

They were just one of several groups of asylum seekers, numbering around 80 in total, who have been staging hunger strikes across Denmark. The groups have varying motivations – some have had their asylum cases rejected, while others are protesting against their standards of living as a result of being barred from working and living outside the asylum centres.

The most high-profile case concerns a group of eleven Iranian asylum seekers who have had their cases rejected and last week

on Wednesday sought refuge in Stefans Church in Nørrebro.

The church was initially unsure of how to treat the Iranians who are all on hunger strike, except for one who is a diabetic. On Tuesday, however, the church council gave them a noon deadline to either eat and stay, or continue their hunger strike elsewhere.

On Tuesday afternoon they vacated Stefans Church and have now taken up residence on the second floor of Demokratihuset, a community centre in the Vesterbro district with affiliations to the political left-wing.

In a written statement, the Iranians thanked the priest of Stefans Kirke, Pernille Østrem, and said they would continue their hunger strike.

“We are not using death as a political weapon, as has been claimed, but using a hunger strike as a means to draw attention to our situation, our desperation and our anger,” they wrote in the statement. “It’s a slow

huset, said they had no plans to evict the Iranians.

“We have neither the power nor the will to throw them on the street,” Gammelgaard told Vesterbro Bladet.

“They are people in need and we are monitoring the situation calmly.”

Under current rules, asylum seekers are not A group of eleven Iranian asylum seekers allowed to work, and are also staging a hunger strike many complain that this death being an asylum seeker for leads to isolation and related so many years.” mental health issues while they The Iranians are all Christians wait, often for many years, for and their hunger strike is a pro- the authorities to complete their test against their rejected asylum asylum claims and either grant cases and their fear of persecution them residency or deport them should they be returned to Iran. back to their home country.

They have been in Denmark Many rejected asylum seekfor different lengths of time, ers are forced to live in this though some have been living limbo indefinitely as they come in asylum centres for as long as from countries that the Danish eight years while they wait for government is unable to return their cases to be completed. them to, either due to political Stinna Gammelgaard, the or military instability or because spokesperson for Enhedslisten their own authorities refuse to Vesterbro that uses Demokrati- accept them back.

Scanpix / Jens Nørgaard Larsen

Peter Stanners

This is the case with a group of 18 Syrian asylum seekers that were on hunger strike for over three weeks at the Sigerslev Asylum Centre before deciding to eat again on Wednesday .

“Half of them have had their cases rejected, but they cannot be returned to Syria, so there is no certainty over how much more time they will have to live at the centres,” Helle Jørgensen, the head of the Sigerslev Asylum Centre, told Politiken newspaper. “I have tried to tell them that hunger striking is not a form of protest that we are used to in Denmark and that the authorities do not work under that sort of pressure. But then they say that they might as well die here because they would die in Syria anyway.”

One of the Syrian asylum seekers, 24-year-old Wasim Darwish (pictured upper left in top photo) explained that he was dissatisfied with the conditions he faced in the asylum centres.

“We didn’t come here to

get money from Denmark, but because it is dangerous for us in Syria,” Darwish told The Copenhagen Post. “We want to continue our normal lives in the camps, but they are like a prison.

We cannot meet normal Danish people, we cannot learn the language, and we cannot integrate.

It’s very wrong.”

Other asylum seekers on hunger strike include a group of 13 Iranians at the Sandholm Asylum Centre, 12 Syrians at the Jelling Asylum Centre who were on hunger strike up until Wednesday, five Syrians at a centre in Holmegård, and 15 Syrians at the Brovst Asylum Centre.

The government is currently considering giving asylum seekers the right to work after six months, although there are concerns that this right will not be extended to all asylum seekers, including those whose cases have failed and are waiting to be deported.

Katerina Pisackova contributed to the reporting

Rights of failed deportees heard at Supreme Court Peter Stanners An Iranian man argues that the strict living conditions he is forced to abide by violate his human rights

T

he strict restrictions on the movements and living conditions of foreigners who cannot be deported, despite being sentenced to expulsion, may have to be changed following the verdict of a case that started last week in the Supreme Court.

The case concerns 41-yearold Elias Karkavandi from Iran, who was placed under a regimen called tålt ophold after being re-

leased from prison following a 16-month sentence he served for acting as a police lookout for drug dealers in Christiania.

Tålt ophold is a regimen that individuals have to live under if they cannot be deported despite the wishes of the Immigration Service. Failed asylum seekers and individuals suspected of committing war crimes tend to end up living under the regimen, in which they are kept in close contact with the police while also having their freedom of movement severely limited.

These rules were tightened by the former Venstre-Konservative government in 2008 after it was discovered that one of the

three men suspected of planning to kill the Mohammed cartoonist Kurt Westergaard had travelled to within ten minutes of the artist’s home in Aarhus, despite living under tålt ophold.

Karkavandi was released from prison in 2007, but could not be deported after a ruling by the government’s refugee board, Flygtningenævnet, stated that as a Christian, Karkavandi may be executed if he returned to Iran.

As a result of the tightened rules, Karkavandi cannot work and cannot cook his own food at Sandholm Asylum Centre in north Zealand, where he must sleep in a shared dormitory with four other men. He is given 841

kroner of pocket money to live off every month and must report to the police several times a week.

With Karkavandi looking to spend the rest of his years living under these strict conditions, he and his lawyers have taken the case to the Supreme Court, alleging that his human rights are not being respected.

The case is being made in light of discoveries made by Information newspaper that even though the tightened regulations for tålt ophold were first designed to only apply to individuals who were deemed to be a threat to the state, the rules soon started to apply to all individuals on tålt ophold, even if they were not deemed a threat.

Karkavandi’s lawyer, Christian Dahlager, argues that his client does not pose any threat and that there are other ways for the authorities to keep a close eye on him.

“All that is needed is that the police are able to find him should they, for example, find it possible to send him back to Iran, and this could be satisfied by allowing Karkavandi to live with his girlfriend and report to a local police station,” Dahlager told Information.

The case has made it to the Supreme Court after the High Court ruled that the limits of freedom placed on Karkavandi were proportional and did not

break his human rights.

The Supreme Court’s verdict could set a precedent for the 35 other foreigners currently living under tålt ophold.

“If the court finds that the tightening of his living conditions were created in order to protect the security of the state, then they will have to dismiss the new tightened regulations of the immigration law that the former government introduced in 2008,” Anders Henriksen, a law professor at the University of Copenhagen, told Politiken newspaper, adding that it may even be the most important precedent case seen by the Supreme Court in the past decade.

6 News Building bridges with Europe’s troubled neighbours The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

Keeping Turkey and the Balkan states focused on the EU will help these countries in their efforts for reform, ministers argue

T

he promise of accession to the EU is being used by Danish ministers as a carrot to help the EU’s troubled neighbours in Turkey and the Balkans turn toward democratic reform and away from separatism and autocracy.

In Turkey’s capital Ankara on Friday, Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal (Socialistisk Folkeparti) met with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, to discuss a range of issues. With Denmark holding the EU presidency, however, high on the agenda was Turkey’s stalled negotiations for joining the EU. Speaking at a joint press conference with Davutoglu, Søvndal said he would seek to restart the negotiations – effectively frozen over the past few years – before the end of the Danish EU presidency on July 1.

“There are many in the Danish parliament who support improving political ties with Turkey, meaning that we can take on the role of ‘bridge-builder’ in the final stage of our presidency,” Søvndal said, according to Politiken newspaper.

The process of negotiating

accession into the EU requires that the candidate country align 36 different chapters of law with EU law. While Turkey has managed to align with seven of the chapters, little progress has been made on aligning the remaining 29.

As EU president, Denmark hopes, however, to reopen negotiations of at least one chapter, if only to symbolically demonstrate the desire for closer cooperation and integration.

But with Søvndal admitting that they would have to wait until after the French elections on June 17 to start the negotiations, the presidency only has a narrow two-week window to make any progress.

Cyprus, a country with a poor relationship with Turkey, assumes the rotating EU presidency on July 1. Relations between the two countries are so poor that they are unlikely to have any contact during Cyprus’s six-month term.

At the press conference with Søvndal, the Turkish foreign minister highlighted the urgency of making progress.

“The upcoming month is critical. We expect the Danish rotating presidency to play a leading role in overcoming this decadeslong problem,’’ Davutoglu said, according to Turkish Weekly.

While Danish media chose to focus on the plans to breathe new life into the accession nego-

Colourbox

Peter Stanners

1 - 7 June 2012

Villy Søvndal has promised to restart negotiations over Turkey’s accession to the EU

tiations, Turkish media sought to highlight the ongoing tension between the countries created by the Kurdish broadcaster, ROJ TV, which is based in Denmark.

ROJ TV was fined 2.6 million kroner in January after being judged by Copenhagen City Court to be the voice of the PKK, an armed Kurdish separatist group that the EU considers to be a terrorist organisation.

The trial was brought about after heavy political lobbying from Turkey, though they were ultimately disappointed that ROJ TV managed to keep its broadcasting licence despite the conviction.

According to Turkish Weekly, “Davutoglu said he

had voiced during [Friday’s] meeting Turkey’s expectation of Denmark to take concrete steps on the matter, such as putting the relevant court ruling into practise and banning the TV station’s broadcasts.”

Historically, Turkey has suppressed the rights of ethnic Kurds, only over-turning the ban on speaking the Kurdish language in the mid-90s.

However, Kurdish sympathisers are still being suppressed.

Kurdish MP Leyla Zana was recently handed a ten-year sentence for having given speeches in Kurdish – a topic that came up at last week’s meeting.

“I brought up the case of

Leyla Zana with the Turkish foreign minister as it concerns us when parliamentarians are convicted,” Søvndal said. “We will be following the case.”

Søvndal’s gesture to Turkey was matched by European Minister Nicolai Wammen’s (Socialdemokraterne) recent trip to the Balkans to visit the four countries furthest from becoming EU member states: Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Albania.

Wammen said he would use the remainder of his time as European minister after the end of the Danish presidency to help ensure that the Balkan

countries remained on the path toward the EU. “The Balkans have a great importance for peace and security in Europe,” Wammen told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “If we look at a map of Europe and look at where there is the greatest risk for conflict and disturbance, it’s the western Balkans – countries that want to join the EU and it is in our best interest that they join.”

Most agree, however, that there is a long way to go before any of these countries become fully-fledged EU members. All four countries are poor and dependent on varying levels of foreign aid while a few EU member states have yet to even recognise Kosovo as an independent state from Serbia. There are still over 6,000 NATO forces in Kosovo to help quell ethnic tensions in the new state where 45 percent of inhabitants live below the national poverty line.

Wammen, however, is determined to keep their attention focussed on Europe, rather than on their internal troubles that less than two decades ago were the cause of civil war and bloodshed.

“The message from the ministers who I spoke to is that they want to go the European way,” Wammen said. “It would be an historic mistake if we closed the door on countries that show a willingness to go the European way.”

CIA flight scandal losing altitude More pregnant workers losing jobs Christian Wenande A new report exonerates highranking Danish politicians on charges of double-dealing in the CIA prisoner flights’ case

A

new report from the Danish Institute of International Studies (DIIS) has dismissed the notion that the previous government had been double-dealing in the case of CIA prisoner flights over Danish and Greenlandic airspace.

The DIIS findings, which were released on Wednesday, indicate that the government followed proper protocol in the case and categorically rejected the notion that the government acted in a deceitful manner that betrayed national interests.

The issue stems from 2008 when allegations surfaced suggesting that the CIA were flying prisoners through Danish airspace.

At that time, the political parties that currently make up the government vehemently criticised the Anders Fogh Rasmussen-led Venstre-Konservative government over the supposed illegal flights and a DR documentary at the time about prisoner flights in Greenland forced the government to promise to probe the issue and question the American government.

But a brief by then-US am-

bassador James P Cain from 2008, which was leaked by WikiLeaks in 2011, indicated that the Danish government was not interested in investigating the allegations.

“Danish government officials have indicated, off the record, that they want the case to disappear as quickly and quietly as possible,” Cain’s brief specified.

But the new report has quashed any ill doings, saying that the accusations have no foundation whatsoever.

“The evaluation as a whole suggests that the handling by the Foreign Ministry in the case of the supposed CIA prisoner flights in Danish, Greenlandic and Faroese airspace was acceptable,” the report reads. “Furthermore, it is assessed that the obtained guarantee concerning future behaviour was a considerable result in foreign policy that can contribute to preventing illegal CIA flights in Denmark.”

But the report findings have not been able to subdue several voices who continue to maintain that the CIA flight scandal should be one of the topics investigated by the commission on the Danish role in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I am very surprised that they can conclude this when we all can read the account from the American ambassador,” Frank Aaen of Enhedslisten told Poli-

Women in the public sector say councils are firing them when they take maternity leave

It is difficult to accept the report’s conclusion that there is no proof of double-dealing tiken newspaper. “Now that we’ve seen the WikiLeaks documents, it is difficult to accept the report’s conclusion that there is no proof of double-dealing.”

Amnesty International also called the findings flawed, as they are sourced only from written evidence and also because DIIS has been too limited in their mandate to thoroughly investigate the claims.

But the DIIS report suggests that the focus should instead be on what the US is legally able to do over Danish airspace and how comprehensive the US guarantee from 2008 really is.

It is not the first time that the American activities in Danish territory have led to political calamity.

In 1968, an American B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons crashed near Thule Air Base in Greenland. This became a massive scandal in Denmark as the Danish official policy at the time strictly forbade nuclear weapons on its territory.

S

ocial worker Katinka Rørup said her world came crashing down when she received a pink slip from her employers in the autumn of 2010.

The dismissal notice came a short time after she had informed her employers at an alcohol clinic in Zealand that she was pregnant.

“It was terrible to be fired halfway through my pregnancy,” Rørup told trade union magazine Ugebrevet A4. “My employer claimed that they needed to cut two employees and that it had nothing to do with my maternity leave.”

Rørup, however, said that she did not doubt for a moment that she was let go because she was pregnant.

“They thought it was a waste of money to pay for my maternity leave so they let me go,” she said.

According to Ugebrevet A4, the number of women either pregnant or on maternity leave being dumped by their public sector employers has spiked in recent years.

Several trade unions – including FOA, HK and the Danish Nurses Organisation – told

A4 that the numbers are indeed rising, despite that fact that the firings violate the ligebehandlingslove (Equal Opportunity Law). The law forbids the firing of an employee who is pregnant or on parental leave. If an employee is dismissed, the employer must prove that the firing had nothing to do with either the pregnancy or the leave.

The unions said that there has been a marked increase in the number of women who feel that they were fired in connection with parenthood or pregnancy. FOA alone said that it is currently handling the cases of 30 women who felt they were wrongly dismissed.

Karen Sjørup, a researcher on labour and gender equality at Roskilde University, said shrinking budgets are behind the firings.

“The councils have forgotten that as a public authority, they have an even greater responsibility to comply with the law,” Sjørup told A4. “This is a bomb under our entire system of motherhood and the right to return to work following a pregnancy.”

HK chairperson Bodil Otto expressed outraged that councils are handing out pink slips to expectant mothers.

She said that HK has heard of several cases of women being let go who had not yet even become pregnant but were under-

going fertility treatments.

Michael Ziegler (Konservative), Høje Taastrup’s mayor and the chairperson for the municipal employees’ union Kommunernes Landsforenings, said that he has not heard of any cases in his jurisdiction and criticised the unions for talking behind his back.

“We haven’t heard of any cases in which pregnant women are being fired,” Ziegler told Ugebrevet A4. “If there was a problem that needed to be resolved, we would have certainly heard from the unions, and they have not contacted us.”

Ziegler said that pregnant women could simply be caught in the steep rise in the numbers of council jobs being cut overall.

“Obviously, when councils are cutting large numbers of jobs, some that are pregnant or on paternity leave may lose their jobs as well,” said Ziegler. “Those cuts do not violate equal opportunity laws.”

Otto said that Ziegler’s explanation does not tell the whole story and that councils have become too quick to let people go.

“Councils are becoming more combative as employers and our members can feel it,” Otto said. “We can also be combative. We had hoped to be able to resolve things amicably, but that seems to be becoming less of a possibility.” (RW)

News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012

7

Al-Khawaja calls off hunger strike Report: Immigrants suffer discrimination Peter Stanners

Justin Cremer

A report condemning Denmark’s treatment of immigrants and foreigners has been criticised by a think-tank for being biased

After refusing to eat for 110 days, jailed Danish-Bahraini activist says he has succeeded in bringing focus to human rights

I

A

fter 110 days, jailed human rights activist Abulhadi al-Khawaja has called off his hunger strike.

According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Al-Khawaja, who holds both Bahraini and Danish citizenship, decided to end his hunger strike on Sunday night despite not achieving his main goal of “freedom or death”. He claims that the Bahraini authorities have been force-feeding him in prison since April 23, which he and his family equate with torture.

BCHR said that, despite deciding to eat again, al-Khawaja told his family that he still felt he had succeeded in shining a spotlight on human rights issues in Bahrain.

His wife, Khadija al-Mousawi, told DR News that ending the hunger strike should not be viewed as an admission of defeat.

“There were two goals for [the hunger strike]: the first one was to be free, and the second was to have a focus on Bahrain’s cases and detainees,” al-Mousawi said. “The second goal, he did reach.”

Al-Khawaja will now follow a medical regimen devised by doctors to return him to a normal diet. According to Jens Kondrup, a nutrition professor at Rigshospital, when the body

Al-Khawaja has provided a rallying point for pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain

has become accustomed to not receiving food, it starts to shut down and a return to normality must be taken very slowly.

Kondrup predicted that alKhawaja would come out of his hunger strike without any permanent physical damage, particularly because he received liquids during the strike. “[The liquids] have been able to keep his critical functions going,” Kondrup told Ritzau. “I don’t think he will have any permanent injury, but it will take at least a year’s time before he is his normal self again.”

Al-Khawaja, who became a Danish citizen while living in Copenhagen with his wife and daughters in the 1990s, has been imprisoned in Bahrain since June 2011. He was given

a life sentence for protesting against the Bahraini regime.

Efforts by Denmark to secure his release have thus far been rebuked by the Bahraini authorities, but the Foreign Ministry has said that it is continuing to work on the case.

Last month, al-Khawaja won the right to a retrial in a civil court. On May 22, he appeared before the court and denied all of the charges against him. He also testified about the treatment he has received in prison, which includes torture, violence and sexual abuse.

One of al-Khawaja’s daughters, Zainab al-Khawaja, was released from a Bahraini jail on Tuesday. She was arrested last month for organising prodemocracy protests.

mmigrants in Denmark suffer racism and discrimination according to a report released last week by the Council of Europe’s anti-discrimination organisation, the ECRI. The report found that while Denmark created the Board of Equal Treatment in 2008 to handle complaints of discrimination and has introduced measures to integrate immigrants into the labour market, Danish immigration policies are still unnecessarily strict.

The report argued that the criteria for obtaining Danish citizenship, family reunification and permanent residence are very difficult for non-ethnic Danes to meet.

A press release accompanying the report also stated that “the negative political discourse on immigrants, including Muslims, has had a disproportionately adverse effect on these groups in a number of important areas of policy.”

The ECRI made three key recommendations to the Danish government. These included reviewing the family reunification laws to remove discriminatory elements, increasing efforts to recruit ethnic minorities into the police, and increasing the funding for non-governmental organisations working to increase co-operation between marginalised groups and the authorities.

Not everyone was convinced about the impartiality of the report, however, as the European Council anonymised many of the sources reporting racism and discrimination in Denmark.

The anonymous reports include concerns about the difficulty of raising complaints against individuals and politicians for making disparaging remarks about immigrant groups, particularly Muslims.

“Civil society actors have informed ECRI that they have in many instances made complaints against these politicians to no avail,” the report states without revealing who these civil society actors are.

According to the law professor Eva Smith, Denmark’s ECRI representative, claims made in the report are supported by testimony from at least two independent sources.

But with the report stating that “some media have continued to portray minority groups, in particular Muslims and Roma in a negative light,” Jacob Machangama from libertarian thinktank Cepos argued that the report’s findings are biased.

“It’s a deeply biased view that Danish media promotes racial discrimination,” Machangama told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

“There is no justification for it. If you spoke to the chairman of [the journalists’ union] Dansk Journalistforbund, you would probably get a different point of view.”

Machangama pointed out that two outspoken anti-immigration organisations were interviewed for the report, SOS mod Racisme and the human rights organisation Dokumen-

We can’t exactly paint a rosy picture of Denmark tations- og rådgivningscenteret om racediskrimination (DRC), and could be the two sources needed to support the claims in the ECRI report.

The head of the DRC, Niels-Erik Hansen, confirmed to Jyllands-Posten that he was one of the sources. He said that he told the ECRI that despite a slight easing of the immigration law, the policies were still very heavy-handed and that it was still difficult to pursue cases of discrimination.

“We are continuously pointing out Denmark’s problems abiding by international conventions. So we can’t exactly paint a rosy picture of Denmark to the ECRI,” Hansen said. “I understand that Jacob would have liked to have been consulted, but it makes sense to ask those who specialise in discrimination.”

The report is not fully up to date, however, and only covers developments up until December 2011. The new government that came into power in September promised to ease immigration law, and earlier in May several major reforms came into force, including the abolition of the points system for family reunification and the immigration test (invandringsprøven), as well as a reduction in the economic safety net from 100,000 kroner to 50,000 kroner.

Sex video stuns graduation ceremony Christian Wenande School not pressing charges against student in video but those who filmed and edited the clip may face punishment

U

sually a graduation ceremony includes speeches, gowns and applause. But no-one was clapping when a sex video featuring one of the graduating students appeared on a big screen at a high school in Hellerup.

Around 450 people were present at the morning ceremony at Gammel Hellerup Gym-

nasium in order to view a film about the graduating class.

As clips of smiling students filled the screen, the atmosphere quickly changed as the film suddenly cut to one of the male graduating students having sex with an unidentified woman in what looked like hidden camera footage. The sex clip was apparently loaded onto the computer used for the big screen presentation, to which students were allowed to contribute their own photos and video clips.

“It started off with some pictures, and we thought that it was really fun,” a student who didn’t want to be named told Politiken

Everyone was shocked, but it wasn’t turned off newspaper. “But then it changed and turned into a sex video. Everyone was shocked, but it wasn’t turned off. It completely crossed the line and those 30 seconds that the video played for seemed very long.”

Jørgen Rasmussen, the

headteacher at Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium, said he knows the identity of the male student in the video but will not file police charges against him, adding that the real perpetrators in the case are the ones who secretly recorded and uploaded the video.

“We’ve agreed not to press charges,” Rasmussen told Berlingske Nyhedsbureau. “However, we have encouraged the two young people who appear in the video to proceed with the case.

It is really them, not the school that was violated.”

The woman shown in the video does not attend Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium and may

not even be aware of the footage, but she would have a solid case if she took legal action, according to media law expert Oluf Jørgensen.

“Because the footage was shown at the morning ceremony, we’re talking about the disclosure of material that is offensive and that is a clear violation of criminal law,” Jørgensen told Politiken. “Revealing sexual activity is a very serious violation, and if the woman in the video files a civil suit demanding financial retribution, she’ll most likely win.”

Headteacher Rasmussen told Berlingske that the school knows who edited the video clip into

the ceremony, and that the guilty parties have been punished by the school, but he would not elaborate further.

Jeppe Hald, the national project leader for the family planning association Sex og Samfund, contended that a student choosing to insert the sex clip into the graduation ceremony video is a reflection that the lines between private and public have been blurred due to the proliferation of reality television.

“When they see people have sex on TV, it influences the limits of what they want to show of their private and intimate life,” Hald told Politiken.

Online this week Three-party meetings gather momentum

Cold War journalist outed as mole

High court challenge over secrecy of spy trial

After weeks of deliberations through the media, the three-party talks have finally begun in earnest. The government is negotiating with the employers and labour unions in order to get more people to work, increase competitiveness, and funnel more funds into the state treasury. Prime Minister

Cold War historian Thomas Wegener Friis caused a stir in April when he claimed to have uncovered the identity of a Danish man that he said was involved in “serious cases” of subversive activities and espionage against his own country. At the time, Friis declined to release the name of the suspected mole. However,

Timo Kivimäki, a 49-yearold Finnish humanities professor at the University of Copenhagen who is accused of spying for the Russians, is being tried at the city court in Glostrup behind double-locked doors, meaning no information about

Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Socialdemokraterne) was satisfied after the preliminary sessions last week on Thursday, indicating that while the going may get tough, all the parties are dedicated to agreeing on a solution.

“The strong point is that we are all want a result that benefits our country,” Thorning-Schmidt said.

now Per Michaelsen, a former journalist for Ekstra Bladet, has been named by Politiken newspaper as the person who collaborated with the notorious East German intelligence agency, the Stasi during the Cold War period. Friis said he had “no comment” about the speculation that Michaelsen was the spy.

the trial, including the precise charges, can be disseminated.

But following demands from both Kivimäki’s lawyer and the Danish media, he has been granted permission to appeal against the decision to hold the trial in secret.

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

8

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Turkish Muzak

W

HILE its musical merits are debatable, this past weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest, as always, provided a valuable lesson in just how vastly different Europeans are. So different, in fact, that the social media sites during the broadcast were awash with people asking whether host Azerbaijan, or any of the other recent newcomers to the contest, even qualify as ‘European’.

That question of what it takes to be European has come up countless times as the borders of the EU have inched towards the states of the former Soviet Union and, in particular, Turkey.

In Turkey’s case, despite the objections of opponents that the cultural differences between Europe (Christian) and Turkey (Muslim) were too great to bridge, it was permitted to begin the membership process in 2002, when Denmark last held the EU presidency.

After making some initial progress, those talks have been pushed off the agenda: partly by Europe’s financial problems, partly by political resistance in Germany and France. Elections earlier last month in both those countries appear to have made it possible for discussions to resume, but unfortunately, the détente couldn’t come at a worse time: in July, Cyprus, a sworn rival of Turkey, takes over the EU presidency, and few expect any progress to be made.

That means that tapping into the momentum from the election results will need to be done in the next four weeks, as fate would have it, by another Danish presidency. Despite clear statements by Copenhagen that it wishes to see the process reopened, its envoys have been received coolly in Ankara, due in part to the Eastern High Court’s refusal to revoke the broadcasting licence of ROJ TV, a Kurdish station based in Denmark.

Even with the strained relationship, Turkey’s desire to move closer to the EU, and Denmark’s desire to improve its standing among Muslims after the damage done by the Mohammed drawings, could provide the groundwork for quick progress to be made before the line goes dead for six months.

Opponents of letting Turkey into the European choir, including Dansk Folkeparti, would be more than happy to let silence reign. And while human rights concerns do remain a sour note, so too does the increasing influence of Islam within Turkish public life, and the political and security situations just beyond its borders in the Middle East and in the Caucuses.

In the end this weekend, Sweden won Eurovision, not just with the votes of a few old-world neighbours, but with the solid support of most of ‘Europe’, showing that when something is really worth getting behind, Europeans can agree. We can only hope that Søvndal can do the same thing and find a tune Europe and Turkey can listen to for the next six months.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

twitter.com/cphpost

1 - 7 June 2012

An open letter to our dear brothers in the US

TOBIAS AHNFELT-RØNNE

W

E HEAR so much about you over here in Denmark. We love hearing about you because we think it’s interesting to learn about people who resemble ourselves in so many ways, yet who are still different. You are Americans. You are nationalistic.

You are independent, enterprising and enthusiastic people who like to drink Coke and eat fast food. You are the home of the biggest stars, the brightest minds, the richest economy, the wildest cities. At least that’s how you are portrayed here in Denmark. Or at least that’s the positive story that’s told about you here. There’s also a less flattering story and it’s filled with narcissistic, Christian, gun-toting idiots who are corrupt warmongers. You are plagued by murder and crime. Even your state is licenced to kill.

It’s this less flattering image I’m writing to you about. It’s not because I don’t like you. I do. I’m enamoured with the US and I am crazy about your culture. I love your musicians, directors, actors and authors. But I want to understand America’s darker side, and why American citizens accept things that are clearly unjust.

I started thinking about this a few years ago when I read one of those studies saying that Danes are the happiest people in the world. The study apparently also found its way to your side of the pond, all the way to Oprah, who just had to visit this tiny, happy country at the northern edge of Europe. She spoke with a few Danes and tried to work out what made them happy. Her conclu-

sion: our welfare state, and something or other about bikes.

Can that be right? I asked, and wound up drawing my own conclusion from her conclusion.

A welfare state like we have in Denmark, which relies on one of the world’s highest tax rates, stifles progress. It is undeniably expensive to operate a company in Denmark. And because of that we see our companies moving to other places where it’s more profitable to operate. This causes unemployment, and work is the cornerstone of our happiness, according to the aforementioned study. If that’s true, then, wouldn’t our welfare state be making people unhappy?

Another argument, though, is that we get a lot of social security for the taxes we pay. And it is precisely that security that lies at the heart of the welfare state. Free schools, free hospitals, free universities and high levels of public assistance all take away people’s insecurity. And the fewer concerns people have, the more likely they are to be happy.

What theory do you, as Americans, subscribe to? You live in a society that considers ‘tax’ to be a four-letter word, and the first stop on the road to the ultimate swear word: ‘communism’. You believe in the right to individual self-determination, and that the state should be involved as little as possible in people’s lives. America is the land of opportunity, where you can arrive with nothing and end up with everything. In a word: freedom. That’s the way you see yourselves. Reality, sadly, is a different story.

Poverty begets poverty. America’s poor are stuck in poverty.

They attend the worst schools and can’t afford to send their children to college. They can’t afford a doctor, and if they ever do save up enough money, it’s often too late to be worth the expense.

Money is the key. If you don’t have money in America, you either join the military, you become a criminal, or you’re a sponge and you need to get your act together.

Of those three options, the best

is probably to join the military because it’s the only one that allows you to maintain your selfworth. Unfortunately, America is a country that’s almost always at war, which means serving in your armed forces is a dangerous occupation. We know a little about this here in Denmark, given that we’ve been your steadfast ally through a handful of wars. One of our former prime ministers, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was bosom buddies with George Bush Jr and many young Danes have met their end on foreign soil in the fight against an enemy America more or less conjured up on its own. In return for his support, Rasmussen was appointed NATO secretary general.

Most of your recruits are poor. Life for them is so meaningless that they might just as well put it on the line. Our military is made up of wild young volunteers looking for “adventure” – as soldiers put it in the documentary ‘Armadillo’. That’s right, Americans, because there’s almost no poverty in Denmark, our army has to find other ways to recruit people. We sell action, adventure and the chance to live out your boyhood dreams.

Another problem – in the US and here in Denmark – is the media. News coverage plays a role here in two respects: hate and fear. Inspired by American news outlets, both are creeping into the Danish media. On any given weeknight, we can witness murder, violence, home invasions, terrorism and war, all from the comfort of our living rooms.

I’m not saying it’s a problem that we report them. It’s the way we report them that’s the problem, because it stigmatises certain groups. In the US, it’s typically ‘blacks’, in Denmark, it’s traditionally been ‘immigrants’ (read as: anyone with Turkish, Somali or Iraqi heritage), but it’s increasingly also eastern Europeans and ‘gypsies’. We never miss the chance to say what nationality a perpetrator was, and the crimes we report have almost always been committed by someone who

isn’t ethnically Danish. This, despite the fact that most crimes are actually committed by your run – of – the – mill, pork-eating Dane.

The news, though, is much more interesting when you can add a racial element. This pushes one on a path towards an increasingly fearful society, and it explains why Danes feel it’s permissible to make semi-racist comments that years ago at best would have been frowned upon and at worst resulted in a lawsuit.

The situation is worse in America, of course. You need to sleep with a gun under your pillow, lock yourself behind security doors and turn on multiple alarms. But, trends always take a little while to reach us here in Denmark. We’re increasingly installing surveillance cameras in our homes, and an increasing number of people admit to having a weapon within reach of their bed. You never know when an eastern European is going to violate your home in the middle of the night. We still can’t buy handguns like you can, so we need to settle for baseball bats, knives and the like. But, then again, these weapons might also be a little more cathartic.

As you can see, we resemble you a lot, Americans.

I’m not trying to moralise here. No-one is better than anyone else. It makes sense that a little country like Denmark would look up to America, its big brother. We try to be like you, in so many ways, so it’s only natural that we learn things about you – good and bad things. We’re inspired by America, no doubt about that. Sometimes, though, I wish the inspiration went both ways. I wish the US was better at noticing what’s going on in the world around it. I wish you would be inspired and learn, instead of believing that you ALWAYS know best. Otherwise, fear and pessimism is going to, slowly but surely, eat us alive.

The author teaches Danish and social studies at the Copenhagen adult education centre KVUC.

READER COMMENTS

facebook.com/copenhagenpost Join us on Facebook and Twitter to be updated on current news and debate the issues that matter to you.

www.cphpost.dk

Has the time come to separate church and state?

just another civil service job.

SNCO by website

The church has no place in the state – they ought to be separated.

David Bruce Curtis by website

Copenhagen announces ambitious climate plan

Isn’t a ‘National Church’ mainly symbolic? I thought it had nothing to do with any of the state’s functioning or decision-making.

So why would you do this? It will alienate the true believers.

Jan Tonnesen

by Facebook A family friend was a domprovst; and years ago I asked him if Folkekirken actually required Danish priests to believe in God. He told me: “No, but believing in God did bring some advantages to the job.” That about sums it up: in Denmark a career in the Church is

Increased efficiency and lower consumption cannot be argued against and should always be a goal. Bicycles, for example, can fill many personal transportation needs and are sustainable, they almost don’t pollute, they use a fraction of the space, and their fabrication and use is quite profitable. It’s indeed thoughtful and smart to take public space, expenditure and infrastructure from cars and to allot it to bikes. On the other hand, let’s hope that it will not bring much higher lighting bills, forever.

That the extra cost will go towards creating really sustainable energy

alternatives, i.e. producing an actual profit from their operation and able to stand on their own.

Just remember that the money (and energy) used to forever subsidise the ‘green’ alternatives that cannot be made sustainable has to come from some other place.

Loroferoz by website 20% reduction in heating use, 10% reduction in electricity use by households, and 20% reduction in electricity use by businesses. That means a 20% reduction in the income the city gets from tax on heating bills. If we combine the 10% and 20% electricity reduction of an average 15%, that is a 15% reduction in the income the city gets from taxing electricity bills. That totals to a 35% reduction in taxes the city collects from

utility bills. Anybody want to bet where the city is going to make up that money? Hint: solar tax, masstransport tax, alternative fuel tax, and so on. Where is the legitimate economic incentive to do this?

Will the City of Copenhagen pass an ironclad moratorium on new taxes to guarantee an economic incentive to become green? I didn’t think so.

Tom by website “That totals to a 35% reduction in taxes the city collects from utility bills.” You are in serious need of elementary math.

DanDansen They will produce less energy and just charge more for it. Governmental greed never ends.

Larry by website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 June 2012

9

‘The Lynch Report’

BY STUART LYNCH English-Australian theatre director Stuart Lynch has lived in Copenhagen since Clinton impeached his cigars and writes from the heart of the Danish and international theatre scene. He is married with kids and lives in Nørrebro. Visit his Danish theatre at www.lynchcompany.dk.

How to piss off a Dane (not) CÆCILIE PARFELT VENGBERG / WWW.VINDFANG.BLOGSPOT.COM

I

DON’T LIKE football.

I do like boxing. I sat through this year’s Champions League final at a Copenhagen sports bar in order to see Mikkel Kessler fight Allan Green. I like Kessler because he is a good if not great boxer. I also like him because in a country where getting into a fight seems almost as impossible as not getting into a fight in South London, the Danes produce a staggering amount of top-dollar fighters.

During half-time, I found myself in conversation with a genuine English chav. He was an ex-mobile phone salesman from Chelsea who had lived here for five months after meeting the love of his life on a Christmas holiday in Thailand.

Her name was ‘Rikke’, ‘Mette’ or ‘Ditte’ – he was unclear on the details, but could quite rightly remember that she had done him wrong.

He had travelled to Denmark on January 5 to, as he put it, “love her forever ‘coz she’s proper magic in bed”, but had discovered to his dismay that Danish women don’t like being called ‘Pet’, ‘Doll’ or ‘Darlin’ and respond very badly to remarks like: “Pick that up or you’ll get a slap”, “What’s for dinner?” and “What, a new pair of underpants every day?”

And now, he was drowning his sorrows bemoaning their unfair split, which had occurred when his new love threw him out on the unreasonable grounds of him having vomited over her “Arne Jacobsen antique collector’s chair” and, I quote: “Expectin’ me to clear it up!”

I expressed incredulity at his

ability to remember the name of the chair, but not the name of his ex-girlfriend. He replied with surprise: “But it’s a classic.”

However, from hereon in, it was an anti-Danish rant. He showered me with proof of how horrible living in Denmark was. He showed me several articles on his phone. One caught my eye:

‘How to piss off a Dane’. Fascinated, I began to read whilst the second half of the football unwound. The American writer of this ‘How To’ article referred to six tactics bound to piss a Dane off. I am not sure they would piss off a Dane, but they certainly did the trick with me.

Tactic #1 was to ask a Dane: “How are you?” Apparently Danes find the asking of this question insincere and, I quote, “in passing with no intention of stopping and listening to the response”. Is there anybody that finds this level of insincerity not irritating? Not just the Danes methinks.

‘Speak their language’ was tactic #2. The writer proposed that this upsets the Dane. While it is true that Danes speak a level of English that few foreigners can match when speaking Danish, an attempt to speak Danish does not, in my experience, piss them off. When speaking to a waitress, the writer makes the suggestion: “Demand the right to speak the language. She’ll go tight-lipped and speechless.”

Yes, this is just what a waitress wants at the end of an eighthour shift: a foreigner insisting on speaking bad Danish. It is not the speaking of the language that is the piss-off here, but the belligerence of the writer.

I would therefore propose that

the writer changes this tactic to dogs)’ and ‘Act like a human at simply ‘Be rude’. the grocery store’. Other than Tactic #3 was ‘Fail to signal the fact that the writer’s definiin the bike lane’. My favourite. tion of human and my own are The author adquite differvises that one ent, I think the will piss off a psychology has Dane if one become clear. fails to signal a If the smiling move to either I expressed incredulity by the author the right or to at children and the left in the at his ability to dogs has the bike lane. I remember the name of same level of quote: “Fail to ‘sincerity’ as signal and you the chair, but not the exhibited in will trigger a name of his ex-girlfriend Tactic #1, then chain reaction perhaps the key of last-minute to the ‘pissing braking and a string of surpris- off’ is not so much the tactics ingly violent hisses from passing themselves, but the borderline bikers.” Surprising? I would like sociopathic indicators exhibited to know in which country self- by the writer. ish, egotistical and dangerous It was now very close to the behaviour makes risking others’ end of the 90-minute football health okay. match as I turned to my moAs for Tactic #4, this con- bile phone-selling chav with my fused me somewhat. It was: conclusion: “Perhaps the Danes ‘Wear your sweatpants in pub- were not so much pissed off by lic’. Apparently this will drive the tactics as by the writer herDanes into wild indignation. self …” He froze. Captivated.

Where did this person live while Had my words found a place in in Denmark? Surely not in Nør- his chav consciousness, and had rebro, Vesterbro or Amager. I the cognitive gears of self-realiwill concede that the sweatpants sation slid into place? Suddenly, worn in Frederiksberg and Øs- and violently, he jumped and terbro are of a higher quality, turned to me in pure joy and but they are nevertheless sweat- screamed in my face the word: pants.

“DROGBA!” Tactics #5 and #6 were You need to have seen the ‘Smile at their children (or match, I guess.

CPH POST VOICES

‘PERNICKETY DICKY’

‘STILL ADJUSTING’

‘TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK’

‘MACCARTHY’S WORLD’

English by nature – Danish at heart.

Freelance journalist Richard Steed has lived in Copenhagen for nearly five years now. “I love this city and want Copenhagen to be a shining example to the rest of the world.”

A proud native of the American state of Iowa, Justin Cremer has been living in Copenhagen since June 2010. In addition to working at the CPH Post, he balances fatherhood, the Danish language and the ever-changing immigration rules. Follow him at twitter.com/justincph

Born in 1942 on the Isle of Wight, Englishman Frank Theakston has been in Copenhagen 32 years and is on his second marriage, this time to a Dane. Frank comes from a different time and a different culture – which values are the right ones today?

Clare MacCarthy is Nordic correspondent for The Economist and a frequent contributor to The Financial Times and The Irish Times. She’ll go anywhere from the Gobi Desert to the Arctic in search of a story. The most fascinating thing about Denmark, she says, is its contradictions.

10 News In the name of Dracula, Edward and the True Blood The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

If the findings of a recent PhD thesis are anything to go by, ‘Twilight’ may just be the latest nail in the coffin for the church

I

t’ll come as no surprise to anyone that Danish teens, like much of the country, are no longer looking to traditional religion for answers. Yet the findings of a recent PhD thesis reveal that an odd force of nature is at play: vampires.

According to Line Nybro Petersen, from the University of Copenhagen, Danish teens are instead looking to American films and television, particularly vampire films such as the ‘Twilight’ series, for the answers to life’s big questions.

In her thesis, entitled ‘Wicked Angels, Adorable Vampires!’, Petersen studied the consumption of TV shows with supernatural and religious themes by 72 Danish teenagers, as well as a smaller study involving nine Danish teen fans of ‘Twilight’.

The study found that films and shows with supernatural themes were offering young people a safe space in which to think about life, decisions and moral dilemmas in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

However, Rasmus Nøjgaard, the priest at Sankt Jakobs Church in Østerbro, takes a very different view on Petersen’s findings. “She is jumping to conclusions,” he said. “We are all fond of the well produced movies.”

Whilst Petersen stresses that teens are of course drawn to teenage themes, she also points out that they are fascinated by the role reversal that vampires have had in recent times. “Vampires that are traditionally portrayed as evil often come across as heroic characters,” she said.

Rebecca Johansen, 17, who was one of the teens who participated in Petersen’s study, agrees that ‘Twilight’ helped her to realise that people aren’t

all good or bad, and points to ‘Twilight’ character Edward as an example.

“People aren’t born good or bad, it’s the way you choose to live your life that matters – just like Edward. He chooses to make something good out of the bad creature he believed he was, but maybe he wasn’t bad after all,” she said.

However, Nøjgaard points out that vampire stories have had a very important folkloristic role since the 19th century because they deal with life and death, as well as moral issues that he believes are very basic religious questions.

In a modern context, he believes that “the vampire genre also deals with transformations of sex and the passing from life to death, which is important for teenagers since they have to clarify their own sexual behaviour in a world where you are supposed to create your own identity.”

This creation of one’s identity is something that Johansen believes is problematic for teens in current Christian contexts.

“I think a lot of things are hard to understand nowadays since the Bible was written a long time ago,” she said. “We want to make up our own opinions about things instead of listening to a priest who tells us what to do and what not to do. We’re more independent nowadays.”

Petersen points out that some young Danes hold an idolisation of films such as ‘Twilight’ that is so intense that it is actually starting to resemble a new form of religious worship.

“I have observed the ‘Twilight’ fans at premieres and noted how they, through a number of rituals, show or perform their affiliation with the series. They cry, shriek, and sing,” she said.

Johansen recalls that she would often watch the films several times a day and had so many posters in her room that the walls couldn’t be seen underneath. And she also followed rituals, particularly ahead of attending a premiere.

“Usually my friends and I

Colourbox

Jessica O’Sullivan

1 - 7 June 2012

Sex and death: no wonder the teens like it

just talk a lot about our expectations. I had never dressed up though. But since my friend knitted me the hat Bella wears in ‘Eclipse’ when she is going camping with Edward, I wear that and pretend that I’m Bella.”

According to Nøjgaard, this phenomenon isn’t new at all.

“At all times in the history of cinema, people – specifically young people – have made rituals combined with series. For

example, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’,” he said.

In spite of this, Nøjgaard strongly denies the notion that ‘Twilight’ and other supernatural movies and television shows are drawing Danish teenagers away from traditional religion.

“They deal with a lot of the same questions as Christianity and are a great supplement!” he said.

Despite undertaking a fairly

At all times in the history of cinema, people – and in specific, young people – have made rituals combined with series

small study that cannot be representative of all Danish teens, Petersen’s findings are supportive of a greater cultural shift in Denmark: the move away from church towards state.

Whilst approximately 80 percent of the population are members of the Church of Denmark, attendances at regular Sunday services have fallen to only around five percent of the adult population.

State funding of artists needs a rethink, opposition says Shandana Mufti Two governmental bodies dole out millions of kroner a year to support artists, including lifelong support for some

T

he Danish system of providing funding for artists has recently come under fire in parliament, Politiken newspaper reports.

Venstre (V) and Danske Folkeparti (DF) want parliament to re-assess a system in which two independent bodies, the Statens Kunstfond and

the Statens Kunstråd, dole out money to Danish artists, and have criticised the distribution of funds to wealthy artists.

Statens Kunstfond has 95.3 million kroner at its disposal for 2012, while Statens Kunstråd supported artistic projects in 2011 to the tune of 400 million kroner. There are 275 artists who receive livelong financial support from the Kunstfond, which costs the state 27 million kroner a year.

While V recommends that a time limit be established for how long artists may receive funding and wants to institute a minimum number of pieces that must be produced in order to receive

We want to take the money from the rich artists, so there will be more for those who don’t earn that much the money, DF would prefer to eradicate the system altogether.

“We want to take the money from the rich artists, so there will be more for those who don’t earn all that much from their art or work in a field in which there

isn’t much money,” V’s cultural spokesperson Michael Aastrup Jensen told Politiken.

Both parties agreed that in place of funding, high-earning artists should receive honorary recognition for their work.

Socialdemokraterne (S) didn’t reject the opposition’s suggestions out of hand, but remained wary of efforts to cut funding for artists with high incomes. Party spokesperson Flemming Mortensen said that instead the state should address the imbalance between the support provided to visual artists and writers and the support provided to artists working in other

mediums like architecture.

Also under discussion is the current structure, in which two separate governmental bodies provide funding to sustain artists. V and DF are in favour of a proposal to merge the Statens Kunstfond and Statens Kunstråd under a single director, while S favours a simplified version of the current, two-body model.

The culture minister, Uffe Elbæk (Radikale), did not comment on V and DF’s proposals.

The artistic funding system came under further criticism last week when 21-year-old singersongwriter Carl Emil Petersen was given a stipend from Statens

Kunstfond of 285,000 kroner a year over three years.

Petersen fronts the indie rock band Ulige Numre, who have had a breakthrough hit with their single ‘København’, but have only released a total of six songs.

It was speculated that Petersen was friends with the musician Jens Unmack, who is one of the three people on the Kunstfond board, and that this could account for how an artist with a relatively thin track record could receive the stipend.

Unmack, however, denied the charges to Politiken, saying he had only met the young singer-songwriter a few times.

11 Hot like Copacabana and the weather wasn’t bad either COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 June 2012

CLIVE THAIN WORDS BY BEN HAMILTON

Temperatures hit 27 degrees over the bank holiday weekend, which was great news for the scantily-dressed dancers in the Carnival, and even better news for the rest of us.

Thousands hit the streets and parks of Copenhagen (or was it Copacabana?) as the party atmosphere came to town on Friday. In Fælledparken, seven stages offered a variety of music from electronica to salsa, and Middle Eastern to Balkan. There were opportunities to learn some grooves and practice your moves on the various parades, while the kids had an absolute ball, forming their own procession on Friday

Anyone fancy a calypso?

If you were lucky enough to venture into the city, you were in for a big surprise (Photo: Bev Lloyd Roberts)

And the drums kept on playing

Brazil won, so why is a Greek fan doing the samba? (Photo: Bev Lloyd Roberts)

The king of the carnival ... (Photo: Bev Lloyd Roberts)

and the queen ... (Photo: Bev Lloyd Roberts)

Our vote has to go for the cowboy boots

Where’s the snake?

and the joker (Photo: Bev Lloyd Roberts)

And the children were kids all weekend

This time with his hat on

Feathery fun was all the rage

12

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 June 2012

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

(UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)

The Jewish Film Festival concluded last week on Wednesday. Present at the reception for the acclaimed Israeli film ‘The Footnote’, which was this year nominated for an Oscar, were (left-right) festival organiser Anne Boukris, Ziv Naveh, the director-general of the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund in Jerusalem, and Dan Oryan, the Israeli Embassy’s deputy head of mission.

Where would we be without cosmetics, so thank the lord for Madara, a Latvian company well known for its natural and organic products that held court at an event last week on Tuesday to draw the media’s attention to Time Miracle, its new anti-ageing cream. An array of Danish celebs gathered – including, on the right, Prince’s former girlfriend Mayianne Dinesen (that’s mega stardom) – none of whom, of course, need the cream; they were just taking a healthy interest.

Georgia celebrated its independence day on Tuesday with a reception at the Hellerup Park Hotel. Pictured here is Georgian ambassador Nikoloz Rtveliashvili, with his wife (right) and his deputy head of mission.

Prince Henrik was at hand to officially cut the ribbon to open a new exhibition at the National Museum about Danish food culture. Pictured with him is Tove Faerch from Arla Karolines Køkken, who was present to oversee the release of a new cookbook. And then on the right, the Prince Consort is pictured with rapper Per Vers (left), who wrote a special verse for the occasion, and 87-year-old pianist and composer Bent Fabricius Bjerre (right), who played some music. Abroad he is better known as Bent Fabric – sounds like a rapper’s name!

COMING UP SOON The Children’s Fair Valbyparken (Hammelstrupvej entrance); Sunday 17 June, 14:00-17:00; free adm – sign up at www.eventbrite.com The Copenhagen Post is once again hosting its popular annual event, the Children’s Fair.

The fair aims to introduce international families to various clubs and associations located throughout Copenhagen, providing a free day of fun for international and Danish families alike. Along with the many clubs and organisations present, there are a wide variety of activities and performances suitable for children aged two to 13, including: pony rides, face painting, balloon artists, live demonstrations by the sports association DGI, a mini-show performed by the Copenhagen Police with their K9s and motorbikes, the Copenhagen libraries’ waffle wagon, a raffle to raise funds for the Danish Red Cross, a playground, stalls selling crafts, free snacks and beverages, and animals for petting courtesy of Børnenes Dyremark. Bring along a picnic basket and enjoy the cosiness of the fair!

The Danish Democracy – Denmark and the Danes Cph Volunteers, Nyropsgade 3, ground floor, Cph V; Mon 4 June, 19:00; free adm; www.expatindenmark.dk Get a introduction to Danish values and political culture. There will be a focus on the Danish tradition for dialogue and compromise, for consensus and negotiations. Send an email to info@ cphvolunteers.dk if you would like to sign up for this lecture.

Guided tour of the Danish parliament Christiansborg Slotsplads, Cph K; Mon 11 June, 18:30; free adm; www.expatindenmark.dk Join this excursion to the Danish parliament, where you’ll be visiting the chamber where most of the parliamentary sessions are held, see the Danish Constitution from 1849, and hear about the history of the Danish parliament and the funny stories about the place. The excursion will be guided by members of the administrative staff of the Danish Parliament, who work there on a daily basis and know everything about the history of the place. Send an email to info@cphvolunteers.dk if you would like to sign up for this lecture.

Foreigners in finance KPMG, Osvald Helmuths Vej 4, Frederiksberg; Fri 8 June, 18:00; free adm; www.kpmg.com Foreigners in Finance is Denmark’s largest network for expat finance professionals, established to help you get the most from Danish business and culture and keep up to date with the latest developments in finance and accounting. Have a drink with fellow foreigners in finance, be enlightened on the latest from the world of accounting and finance, receive invaluable personal taxation tips, and enhance your presentation skills with KPMG’s graphic facilitators.

Queen’s Jubilee celebrations Sankt Nikolai Pub and Restaurant, Nikolajgade 18, Cph K; Mon 4 June, 17:00; 50kr; www.sanktnikolai.dk The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is the 60th anniversary of the accession of the British monarch. You can watch the live concert at Buckingham Palace from the upstairs lounge at Sankt Nikolai. For 50kr there will be a welcome drink, cake, strawberries, snacks and, most importantly, good humour.

MIKE HOFMAN

AN ACTOR ’S LIFE A resident here since 1990, Ian Burns is the artistic director at That Theatre Company, and very possibly Copenhagen’s best known English language actor thanks to roles as diverse as Casanova, Oscar Wilde and Tony Hancock.

Noises we love and hate I asked my Facebook friends to let me know what noises they liked and disliked. Try and guess the gender of who said the following. Some of them are mine: “Birds chirping in the garden, babies laughing, water running in the bath tub, bells chiming, a Ferrari engine! Boat masts flapping in the wind, a match being lit, the sound of a kiss, silk fabric being creased, footsteps on dead leaves, the wind in the trees in the forest.”

“Since my children were born, I have become an expert on noise, allergic to noise and surrounded by noise. I am three months away from my first teenager. Noise is kind of a staple food around here. I wear earplugs all weekend!”

“Children screaming is high on most people’s dislike list, but babies don’t scream for long, in the grand scheme of things. You tend to forget the sleepless nights very quickly. Kids are great.

Mind you, I’m a big kid myself ...”

“Champagne corks, wine being poured out of a bottle, a goal, a try, or a century being scored and the triumphant roar of the crowd, cats purring, rain on the roof of a caravan, audiences laughing.”

“Police sirens, next-door neighbours arguing behind the bedroom wall, barking dogs, people eating popcorn at the cinema, nails on blackboard, the rattling of a fork on a plate, the alarm clock in the morning.”

“The roar of airplane engines, the sounds from a tempestuous day on or by the sea, the clattering of heels on the street in the summer with a concert in the background, the hissing of an espresso machine.”

“Rain falling, water running over stones, the ocean, windchimes, wind in the trees ... and silence is never overrated.”

“Adverts, shouting, demanding attention, noisy neighbours, dripping taps, things that go bump in the night!”

“That final tick on the alarm clock right before the alarm actu-

ally goes off in the morning.”

“The silence of expectation just before one of your performances at the theatre.” (I didn’t write this one, honest!)

“I dislike the screeching of train breaks, shattering glass and the weird sound automatic blinds make when they roll open.”

And finally, short and sweet: “When people are having sex loudly, it should irritate me, but it doesn’t”; “People talking loudly on their cell phones”; “Amateur violinists practicing”; “Seagulls crying as they soar over the sea”; “Do the voices in my head count as noise, as only I can hear them?”; “Music, singing, poetry”; “Your child’s first laugh is the best sound in the world”; “Children playing immersed in their own imaginary worlds”; and “Fusion jazz kills me. I’d rather have ten hours of trash metal.”

How did you get on? What sounds drive you to distraction and what makes you smile. Send your answers to me via The Copenhagen Post’s website.

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 June 2012

13

Sky’s the limit for British artist building a solid reputation DAVE SMITH

When he’s not in and out, he’s out and abouting, making an impression on the Danish art scene

R

EADERS of InOut will recognise the name Daniel van der Noon as the writer of its music listings. However, they are probably not aware that the Englishman is also an accomplished artist, already with several successful exhibitions under his belt.

Van der Noon made his first foray into the Danish art scene during his year-long stay in the capital as an exchange English literature and philosophy student a couple of years ago. Disillusioned by the idea of surviving life in bustling London, he returned late last summer, with only his special roller-ball pens in hand and acres of enthusiasm.

Testing the waters in the winter months and working his way into the small yet rich, young, contemporary art scene in Aarhus – working closely with the Parisian-styled art shop Tank, which is located just a few doors down from his current studio, and becoming a popular blogger on art blog idoart.dk – he soon found himself exhibiting at the city’s top gallery for young artists, Lunchmoney Gallery for Contemporary Art.

Welcoming their first international artist to exhibit in the space, it fast became evident that he wasn’t a mere flash in the pan. The show was sold-out and was followed by a string of invitations from the Netherlands, Germany and Copenhagen to make appearances at arts festivals, feature in creative magazines and participate in group exhibitions. The Danish art scene was quickly cottoning on to his highly individualised work, as artists, media and the general public took a particular liking to his trademark skylines.

“The buildings are more of a vehicle for my drawings,” explains Van der Noon. “The city is something very natural to construct – it comes as second-nature to me. I like to travel a lot, visit new cities, see new places, hear new noises.

Through these skylines I guess that these desires and perks that I get from travelling around are amplified in ink.”

But there’s a number of aspects that act on the eyes through his work. His illustrations are a lucid symposium of colour, detail and composition. When people observe his work, they are consumed by the details, seemingly entering a state of mind that is not quite conscious, thereby blurring the distinction between illustration and art. Many of his drawings appear to have an impact that renders them more than illus-

Van der Noon’s piece ‘Metropolis’ is two metres wide and took him 100 hours to complete. It’s his Sistine Chapel

trations.

“I studied art history and the philosophy of art as part of my degree,” explains Van der Noon. “The more I learned about the nature of art, what can be considered art and whether there is a standard of taste, the further I found myself from an ideal – the intuitive idea of art that I had as a kid.”

Van der Noon even questions whether he likes his own art. “There’s only a few doodles I have hanging in my bedroom, the rest is hidden in folders, behind wooden slats, on top of my cupboard,” he confess-

es. “There’s a few that I like, or I guess you could say I am proud of. I don’t know, I think they’re all reflections of myself.

What stares back at me when I see these things are chunks of myself, so I don’t really think about them as drawings per se, I look at them from a different perspective. I guess that’s proof that I’m not narcissistic. But, of course, I do like them. I pour my soul into these drawings – this is my livelihood.”

When I visited him in his studio, he was just adding the finishing touches to a giant rendering of the New York skyline:

a drawing that expands almost two metres in width and has taken over 100 hours to complete.

I was alarmed by the amount of time he must spend alone staring into these thousands of tiny windows, no bigger than grains of rice, each speedily etched into paper with surprising precision. “People often ask this.

I surround myself with what I refer to as ‘props’. When I draw, there’s more often than not a film playing, or a playlist playing, and I sometimes work with other artists in town or happen to be commissioned in some ‘normal’ working environment

in the city. I’m surrounded by people more than I think.”

With a loose plan to concentrate more on Copenhagen over the second half of the year, there’s a few things lined up throughout the summer, including an invitation to this year’s Reeperbahn Arts Festival in Hamburg and a group exhibition of international artists sponsored by Red Bull in Copenhagen.

To see more of Van der Noon’s work, visit www.danielvandernoon.co.uk.

Or follow his Facebook arts page at Daniel van der Noon Illustration.

Too many books? Send them off! Where continental cultures collide Volunteers in Denmark collect second-hand books to send to Ethiopia’s educational institutions

MIKE HOFMAN

COLOURBOX

ELISE BEACOM

With more nations present at than the UN, Kultur Fusion is the place to be on June 10

H

A

NUMBER of universities have recently opened in Ethiopia to tackle the shortage of trained manpower in the country, but there is one crucial thing missing from the new facilities: books.

This problem came to the attention of a group of Ethiopian and Danish university students, who decided to collect secondhand books suitable for university study, to donate to the under-resourced institutions in Ethiopia.

The initiative, run by a group of volunteers in Denmark, complements efforts made by the Ethiopian government to meet student demand for educational materials.

One of the volunteers, Anne Sophie Vinther Hansen, is involved in the project because she believes education is a valuable commodity. “Knowledge is the most important gift you can give,” she said. “By providing knowledge, you can assist in empowering people, giving them the possibility to create the life they most desire.”

Similarly, volunteer Gebeye-

Don’t keep your old books to look pretentious - give them away

hu Manie said donating a book was “probably the most profitable investment”.

Fikadu Reta said she thought the donation programme was worthwhile because she had seen the shortage of materials in Ethiopia first hand. “I studied and worked in one of our universities in Ethiopia,” she said. “I know the problem of a shortage of books from experience. Thus, sending books is the best way I can help our students back home during my stay in Denmark.”

Anyone who wishes to donate their used books can take them to the Faculty of Life Sciences Library at the University of Copenhagen, at Dyrlægevej 10 in Frederiksberg.

The volunteers also plan to set up collection boxes at all the libraries affiliated to the University of Copenhagen. Alternatively, people wishing to donate can call Anne Sophie on 3114 8286 or Fikadu on 7169 0157 or send an email to asvhansen@gmail.com or fikadureta@gmail.com to arrange a collection.

OW about a spending your Sunday enjoying some Filipino food and sipping Georgian wine, whilst listening to African music? If that sounds good to you, you might want to join the free family-focused Kultur Fusion event in Frederiksberg (Den Gule Villa, Dirch Passers Allé 2) on Sunday 10 June at 14:00.

It will be showcasing local, national and international artists and performers.

Get your African swag on by getting an African-style haircut.

Dance teachers Naby Bangoura and Sellasi Dewornu will make sure you get that booty shaking and will help you to try some different African percussion instruments. Kenyan-born Chéché Gachery will present her clothing line – she uses African fabrics and incorporates western styles to her funky and stylish clothes. “I want my clothes to give people the experience of shopping at an African market,” Gachery said. After the fashion show, you can relax and listen to different types of African music played by DJ Ernest and Kenyan singer Vqee.

Remember, don’t mix your continents on the grill

But it’s much more than just African culture. Sarah Kolding – who says she’s inspired by traditional Indian embroidery, weaving techniques, colour and texture – will present her women’s clothing collection. And you can paint with the famous Danish artist Kristian Vodder Svensson.

Kolding and Gachery met last year around Christmas.

They talked about making a joint fashion show with a fusion

of cultures as the focal point – and so the idea was born. “It is exciting for Denmark and the Danes to learn more about other people’s cultures,” Kolding said.

Kultur Fusion is a familyfocused event, so there will be plenty of activities to keep the little ones entertained. Kolding says she thinks it’s important for kids to explore their creativity.

All the activities are free and there is no need to sign up.

14

sport

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012

As the Danish women celebrated their Olympic qualification, the men of AG København were in mourning after losing their Champions League semi-final

T

he Danish women’s handball team have qualified for the Olympic Games in London this summer after finishing second in their qualification group over the weekend.

The ladies struggled to beat Tunisia in the first game 28-24, but then thrashed the Dominican Republic 3821 on Saturday to book their ticket to London.

“It means everything and I am really happy with the result,” coach Jan Pytlick told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

“It is essential for Danish handball that we are in the Olympics – and the hype extends to the club level.”

The only blemish came on Sunday as they lost the final game to group winners Russia 20-27. The loss meant that Russia was seeded higher in the Olympic group stage draw on Wednesday evening, meaning that Denmark now face a more difficult path on their quest to win the gold.

But while the Danish women’s team booked their place at the games,

photo: Bo Amstrup Scanpix

christian Wenande

photo: Lars Moeller/Scanpix

Ladies take the high fives, men finish empty-handed

The ecstasy of the women ...

Ben Hamilton Recent form surggests replacement Stephan Andersen has a safer pair of hands

A

and the agony of the men

AG København’s bid to become the first Danish men’s club team to win the Final4 Champions League came abruptly to an end in Cologne on Saturday night.

Having beaten the Spanish powerhouses Barcelona in the quarter-finals, AGK were looking to dispatch another Spanish team, Athletico Madrid, on their way to the final.

But despite leading by three goals at half-time, a second half collapse combined with some suspicious officiating in the final minutes led to the Spaniards triumphing 25-23 and reaching the final. AGK had to settle for the

bronze after beating German outfit Füchse Berlin 26-21.

Despite the disappointment for the AGK players, one of them did experience some personal success as Mikkel Hansen won the Champions League top scorer title with 98 goals, edging out Macedonia’s Kiril Lazorov by a single goal. ”I am happy about winning the top-scorer title, but it’s a huge disappointment that we lost to Athletico,” Hansen told sporten.dk. “But we hope to be back next year and win the final.

Naturally, it’s a nice title to win, but I couldn’t have done it without my team-

mates.”

AGK owner Jesper Nielsen is satisfied with the season and is confident that they will win the Champions League trophy one day.

“We have got to the point where we want to win it and we have played Kiel, Barcelona and Athletico,” Nielsen told Ekstra Bladet newspaper. “If we stay on this level for some years, then we will also have a Champions League title at some point.”

German club THW Kiel beat Athetico Madrid 26-21 in the final on Sunday to win the Champions League trophy.

Lions remove coach after losing title on final day Christian Wenande FC Nordsjælland are league champions for the first time in their history after beating Horsens last week on Wednesday

F

C Copenhagen coach Carsten V Jensen has bitten the bullet after his club’s failed title campaign and been moved back to the position of sports director, a position he held before assuming the illfated coaching reins back in January.

Jensen also revealed that he was only a caretaker coach and it was the plan all along for him to step down at the end of the season.

“This is going as planned and then I will return to my usual position as sports director, but it’s not a sacking,” Jensen told DR Sports. “I have also been told that I did a good job and I know that too. People around me have approved of the work we’ve done. The only thing missing was one little goal up in Farum.”

Despite FC Copenhagen beating Silkeborg 2-1 last week on Wednesday evening, a nervy 3-0 win over Horsens

secured the Superliga crown for debut winners FC Nordsjælland.

The history books will show FCN won by three goals, but it wasn’t all plain sailing, and it wasn’t until the last ten minutes that they could relax and start to believe.

Indeed, for 27 minutes FCK were champions. But then the Tigers roared.

In the last minute of first-half stoppage time, Mikkel Beckmann popped up to settle a nervy FCN side and send them on their way to the title.

Horsens missed a one-on-one in the second half before Andreas Laudrup sealed the deal with ten minutes left.

Laudrup raced onto a defence-splitting pass and sublimely finished a goal that his legendary father Michael, who was watching from the stands, would have been proud of.

Andreas Bjelland then scored a third goal, and minutes later, FCN were champions.

“A Hollywood script couldn’t have been written better,” FCN captain Nicolai Stockholm told MetroXpress newspaper. “The way we had trailed all season, and then end up winning it at our own packed stadium, is absolutely

Sørensen injury boosts Denmark

massive!”

FCK won 2-1 but the win for was in vain, and as FCN captain Stockholm hoisted the Superliga trophy to the skies a few kilometres north, the FCK players were left to wonder how they had managed to squander a six-point lead with five games to go. That, and who their new coach will be.

Instead of becoming the first Danish team to automatically qualify for the Champions League next season, they will face a difficult qualification process, which will probably require them to beat a perennial group stage participant.

“We were not good enough to handle the situation. We lost the plot while FCN kept collecting points,” Jensen told MetroXpress newspaper. “It just feels terrible to lose it [Champions League spot], and I don’t really care which team got it.”

For FCN, it could well prove to be the boost the club needs to rise to the next level. Although defensive prodigy Bjelland has already been sold to Dutch club FC Twente, the financial windfall and high-profile exposure that comes from participation in the CL group

stages provides an opportunity for FCN to attract better calibre sponsors and players.

Many will predict they are headed for six games of misery in the Champions League, citing the example of Herfølge, the last surprise Superliga winners from 2000, who were soundly spanked 0-6 in a qualifying round by Rangers.

Things could be worse for FCN though, like having to downgrade their expected earnings by 150 million kroner. That’s what FCK have had to do.

Elsewhere, FC Midtjylland capitalised on Horsens’ defeat to take third place, although both of them will be playing in the Europa League next season.

HB Køge and Lyngby were relegated, while Esbjerg and most likely Randers will be promoted from the First Division.

Meanwhile, while Nordsjaelland may have won the title, the league’s team captains have voted it as having the second equal worst playing surface, a long way behind FCK, which was adjudged to have easily the best pitch.

FCM had the second best surface, and relegated club HB Køge the worst.

n injury sustained by national keeper Thomas Sørensen in Denmark’s dismal 1-3 defeat by the Brazilian Olympic side on Saturday will keep him out of Euro 2012.

Stephan Andersen is expected to replace him for Saturday’s friendly against Australia at Parken, and the opening game at Euro 2012, against the Netherlands on June 9. Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel, meanwhile, has been called up as cover.

Nevertheless, it is doubtful whether Sørensen would have kept his place after yet another poor performance.

A horrible howler – one of three highprofile mistakes the Dane has made in the last six months (the most memorable being against Russia in February) – led to the Brazilians’ opening goal in the eighth minute, and it was all downhill from there as the samba boys raced to a convincing 3-0 half-time lead.

The Danish keeper should have easily dealt with Hulk’s 25-metre dipping shot that hit the ground and flew into the net under his body. And then five minutes later, Brazil went further ahead after Christian Poulsen lost possession in a dangerous area and Niki Zimling scored an own goal with a clumsy clearance attempt.

Andersen, who like three other members of the squad plays for French side Evian, then replaced an injured Sørensen in the 25th minute, but could do nothing about Brazil’s third and Hulk’s second – this time capitalising on a mistake by Daniel Agger in the 40th minute.

Denmark improved after the break – most notably due to the introductions of Dennis Rommedahl and Thomas Kahlenberg – and grabbed a consolation in the 71st minute through Nicklas Bendtner.

It was a disappointing performance by the national team against a mostly under-23 Brazilian side preparing for the Olympics – particularly as they were missing their star striker Neymar.

Meanwhile, Morten Olsen has confirmed Nordsjaelland defender Jores Okore and Groningen striker Nicklas Pedersen as the final names in his squad of 23 for Euro 2012. Olsen initially named 20 players on May 16, adding Manchester United keeper Anders Lindegaard after he passed a fitness test.

Okore’s inclusion takes the Superliga champions’ contingent up to three, while Pedersen made a late appearance in Denmark’s defeat to Brazil.

Sports news and briefs Danes slain in semis

Bendtner Bundesliga bound

Hands up for Ireland

Woz that okay, coach?

Historic for two reasons

Funny old futsal

The national team lost 1-3 to South Korea in the semis of the biennial Thomas Cup, badminton’s world men’s team championship. World number seven Lee Hyun-Il came from a set down to beat Peter Gade in the first match, Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen drew the tie level, before two more Korean wins saw them through to the final, where they were easily beaten by hosts China.

For the second year in succession, various media outlets are suggesting that Nicklas Bendtner will swap the English Premier League for the German Bundesliga in the summer – with Borussia Dortmund the most likely destination. I have talked to other clubs,” the Arsenal player, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, told media. “But I have told all the clubs that I want to wait until after Euro 2012.”

The Irish Olympic Handball Association (IOHA) has signed a deal with its Danish counterpart for its staff to observe how the game is coached here, which will enable them to scout for players!

“We are very keen to get a message out to players living in Denmark who may qualify to play for Ireland by right of birth, parentage or grandparents,” Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin, the IOHA general manager, told danskirsk.dk.

Caroline Wozniacki over the weekend revealed she had appointed Thomas Johansson as her new coach, ahead of beating Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou 6-0, 6-1 in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday. However, it is believed the Swede, who won the 2002 Australian Open (Scandinavia’s last grand slam triumph), won’t travel with the Dane and will just coach her when she is at home in Monaco.

Danish interest in this year’s Stanley Cup has ended following the elimination of Mikkel Bødker’s Phoenix Coyotes by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth game of the Western Conference play-offs. A 4-3 overtime win for the Kings sealed a 4-1 triumph.

Bødker, 22, ended the season with 32 points (15 goals and 17 assists), including eight points (four and four) in 16 games in the play-offs

People say football’s a funny game, but on the evidence of Denmark’s futsal friendlies against England over the weekend, the smaller format is a laugh riot.

Denmark beat England 5-1 on Friday, but then lost 3-0 a day later. Both new to the sport, England had 31 shots to Denmark’s 14 in the first game, but could not live with the Danes’ counter-attacking punch – a tactical problem they corrected in the next game.

WELCOME TO DENMARK. STAYING LONG?

Learn Danish fast and efficiently with

We are located in the heart of

a focus on oral communication and

Copenhagen, close to the Central

conversational skills. Our professional

Station. Contact us today – new

teachers use modern learning tools

classes start every month.

and the teaching level will always suit your individual progress.

Enroll now – call 33 21 31 31

www.cphlanguagecenter.dk | Valdemarsgade 16 | 1665 Copenhagen V

Learn Danish Start the weekend with instructive and efficient language learning

A Danish course at IA Sprog on Saturdays offers: • A combination of classroom instruction, self study and online learning • The newest technology and learning tools • Professional teachers • Speed and level tailored to each student

Busy working or studying during the week?

Try IA Sprog: Contact: 3888 3233

IA SPROG

Hejrevej 26, 2nd floor 2400 Copenhagen NV Phone: 3888 3233 Mail: info@iasprog.dk web: www.iasprog.dk

employment

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012

Rygaards International School

IBMYP HuManItIes teacHer grades 6-8 coPenhagen international school is looKing Full-time, temporary position from 1st August, 2012 to 31st July, 2013, to cover a maternity leave. to fill the folloWing Positions:

Invites experienced, enthusiastic and well-qualified teachers, familiar with and experienced in British-style education, to apply for the following teaching position. Applicants should be lively, energetic and committed professional teachers. They must also be native English speakers. The jobs will be for August 2012.

The successful applicant should be a qualified teacher with a strong background in Humanities and grade 1 teachers teachingPre-Kindergarten, and at least two years Kindergarten full-time teaching experience in this field. The ability to teach Language A (English) would be an advantage.

Applicants should have desire to work The successful applicants should be qualified teachers with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working within an early years aprogramme.

The positioncollaboratively will start on August across 1st 2012.the curriculum.

Rygaards School has a Danish and an International English-speaking school each teaching its own separate curriculum. Rygaards International School consists of Key Stages 1 – 4 (Years 1 – 11).

Rygaards is a Catholic school founded in 1909 by the Assumption sisters. The school has strong ecumenical traditions and welcomes applicants who are interested in actively supporting Christian values. It would be an advantage but not a requirement that the applicant be willing to teach in the Catholic Religion Programme.

We are looking for teachers have knowledge and experience of the international Baccalaureate Primary yearswhich can be Please see thewho Copenhagen International School IBMYP Teacher Job Description, programme (iB PyP), and who: found on our website www.cis.dk, for more details of the general responsibilities attached to this • can design effective and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities position. We are looking for teachers who have: • can demonstrate a track record of excellent classroom practice including in-depth understanding of differentiated instruction, second language acquisition and play based learning • Knowledge of the MYP; • have a strong work ethic and excellent organizational skills • have a track record of being an effective collaborator and team player • excellent classroom practice; • have willingness and commitment to contribute to the development of the curriculum • a strong work ethic; • have willingness and commitment to contribute to the greater school community • strong collegial relationships; • will demonstrate professionalism in its broadest sense

• • •

The teaching position is as follows: • A Y2 primary class teacher.

• A secondary teacher with a combination of the following subjects; French, RE and PE.

a willingness and commitment to contribute to the development of the curriculum a willingness and commitment to contribute to the greater school community demonstarte Kindergarten professionalism inand its broadest gradesense.

1 assistants

Terms of employment in accordance with contract between The Ministry of Finance and LC (Teaching Unions) Applications should be addressed to The Board of Governors and for the Secondary position sent by e-mail to The Head of the Secondary School, John Barker, john.paul.barker@rygaards.com. For the Primary position, applications should be sent by e-mail to The Head of the Primary School, Shirley Jacobsen, shirley.jacobsen@rygaards.com. Applications should include a cover letter and CV containing the names and e-mail addresses of two referees.

The Kindergarten and Grade 1 teams are looking for additional Assistants to join the existing teams. The successful candidates should be qualified to work Candidates interested in this positions should email a letter of application, CV and contact details with children between the ages of 5 and 7 with a strong background and experience in early years’ education and with a minimum of two years of experience of three current referees to Suzanne O’Reilly at sor@cis.dk. The closing date for applications is June working in an early years programme. The position will start on August 1st 2012.

4th, 2012, however applications will be handled on an on- going basis and appointments may be

madeforprior to thiseducators date. who: We are looking early years’ • have a caring and nurturing approach with children • are organized and demonstrate effective classroom practice Hellerupvej 22-26 • have a strong work ethic 2900 Hellerup T +45 3946 3311 • have a track record of being an effective collaborator and team player www.cis.dk • preferably have knowledge and experience of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. (IB PYP)

Information about the school can be obtained from our website www.rygaards. com Stockholmsgade 59 2100 Copenhagen Ø T +45 3946 3309 www.cis.dk

Closing date for applications: Monday, the 4th June, 2012.

Biotech Job Vacancies Primary & middle school danish teachers

We are looking to fill one full-time and one part-time position (60%) to join our team of Danish teachers. These positions are to teach both Danish Language A and Danish as an Additional Language.

The positions will start on August 1st 2012. The successful applicants should be qualified teachers with at least two years full time teaching experience.

The successful applicants must be Danish native speakers.

Lundbeck

Student Assistant We are looking for teachers who: • can design effective and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities IT Specialist • can demonstrate a track record of excellent classroom practice including in-depth understanding of differentiated instruction, second language Learning Consultant acquisition and play based learningAnalyst Manager Global Pricing • have a strong work ethic and excellent organizational skills Regional Market Access Manager • have a track record of being an effective collaborator and team player Head of Section in Biometric Programming • have willingness and commitment to contribute to the development of the curriculum Market Analystto&contribute Insights Partner • have willingness and commitment to the greater school community Specialist in Biostatistics • will demonstrate professionalism in its broadest sense Interns • have a professional level of written and spoken English

interested candidates should email a letter of application, cV and contact details of three current referees as well as any further inquiries to mette trock-Jansen at mtj@cis.dk. the closing date for applications is may 31st 2012, however applications will be handled on an on-going Novozymes basis and appointments mayTechnician be made prior to this date.

Laboratory

Head of Technical & Investments ISG Business Analyst contact details: CMC Project Manager Hellerupvej 22-26, 2900 Hellerup Customer Communications Coordinator T +45 3946 3311 Recovery Scientist www.cis.dk mtj@cis.dk

17

Novo Nordisk Project Engineer Tools and Moulding Statistician Purification specialist to Biopharm API Support Logistics Coordinator Safety Medical Writer Safety Publisher Editor, Corporate Communications International Trial Manager Head of CMC API Business Support Production Engineer – Automation/IT

Ferring Student, Global Regulatory Affairs, Development Projects

Leo-Pharma Regional Finance Director EU5+

For more information, deadlines and other job vacancies visit our webpage www.cphpost.dk/jobvacancies Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

18

culture

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012

Euphoria for Sweden - we should have known better Who is ...

D

enmark finished 23rd in Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final, its worst performance since failing to make the final in 2007. And to make matters worse, its arch-rivals Sweden won the 26-country final, notching up the second highest points total in history.

And it could have been worse. At the half-way point in the voting, Denmark, along with Norway, the eventual winner of the wooden spoon, had yet to win a point.

Heading into the contest, Denmark’s Soluna Samay had every reason to be confident that her performance of ‘Should’ve Known Better’ had done well in the semi-finals. The bookies’ odds, which tend to reflect the public’s interest in the song on Google during the semi, had held firm, ranking her the tenth most likely song to win – suggesting she had, at the very least, finished in the top five in the semi.

Only she hadn’t – she’d finished ninth, making it to the final with just 18 points to spare.

Meanwhile, Sweden’s entry, ‘Euphoria’ by Loreen, had entered the final as an even-money favourite after romping home in the second semi.

Loreen had courted controversy ahead of her victory by being the only entrant to meet local human rights’ activists. Protests inspired by the Arab Spring are ongoing in the country. Fur-

Jens Astrup /scanpix

Denmark endures worst Eurovision performance since failing to make the 2007 final

Peter Aalbæk?

VANO SHLAMOV/Scanpix

Ben Hamilton

Malene Ørsted He’s a Danish movie producer and co-founder of Zentropa, whose nickname is ‘Ålen’ (the eel).

It was only once Loreen was at the winner’s press conference that she learned Denmark had come fourth from bottom

thermore, the Azerbaijani government reportedly carried out forced evictions to clear part of the city for the construction of the venue, and Human Rights Watch reported a “violent crackdown on protesters” ahead of the contest.

“Human rights are violated in Azerbaijan every day,” Loreen told the media before the final.

“One should not be silent about such things.”

But besides standing up for human rights, there is little Denmark’s entry could have done to improve her final points total, particularly given that two coun-

tries who gave her high scores in the semi (Switzerland, ten; Latvia, eight) gave her nul point in the final.

It wasn’t a night of rabid regionally-biased voting, though.

Greece and Cyprus gave each other 12 points, of course, as did Turkey and Azerbaijan, and Romania and Moldova – but they were the only reciprocal maximums. Beyond that, it was all Sweden, who took 12 points from 18 countries in all.

In the end Denmark did have one fan who felt they had been hard done by. “My next highlight is Denmark’s song Should’ve

Known Better by Soluna Samay, which only got 21 points and finished 23rd,” the ATV Today showbiz reporter and reviewer, Queenie Le Trout, noted – and her name suggests she (or he) knows her onions.

“This song deserved to do so much better darlings – it was the best bloody one in the competition. It certainly deserved to do better than those Russian grannies or the scary lady with rope from Albania!”

Ominously for Denmark, it hasn’t won since 2000 … the last time Eurovision was held in Sweden.

Shandana Mufti Mads Mikkelsen, Hollywood’s favourite monocular character actor, has become the first ever Dane to win the best actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival

M

ads Mikkelsen, a veteran of Danish film best known internationally for playing Le Chiffre in the 2006 James Bond film ‘Casino Royale’, was awarded the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday for his role in the psychological thriller ‘The Hunt’ ‘Jagten’, which is set in Denmark and directed by Dane Thomas Vinterberg.

‘The Hunt’ premiered on May 20 at Cannes, after which reviewers were generous with their praise for Mikkelsen’s performance. The film was popular with critics and buyers alike, and has thus far been sold to 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Israel.

“Propelled by Mads Mikkelsen’s shattering performance as the blameless man whose

ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT

One-Eyed Mads in hunt for leading man roles The tightknit community is shocked into action by these allegations, and Lucas finds himself ostracised. The film follows Lucas’s struggle with isolation in a society quick to shun an innocent man.

“He would call me at any time asking different questions about the scenes Mikkelsen with both eyes on the prize and coming up with life threatens to be destroyed, the new lines,” Vinterberg said of film is superbly acted by a cast Mikkelsen’s performance in an that never strikes a false note or interview with Film4 Magazine. softens the impact with consola- “And when an actor gets the feeltory sentiment,” wrote a reviewer ing that he knows the character through conversation and imfor The Hollywood Reporter.

Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a provisation, then all the small dekindergarten teacher recovering tails come. He feels calm enough from a bitter divorce and separa- to disappear into the unknown.”

The award will cement tion from his son, Markus. Klara, the five-year-old daughter of Mikkelsen’s status as one of cinLucas’s friend Theo, develops a ema’s leading men and opens up crush on Lucas, which he tries to a wider range of roles for him, acdiscourage gently. Klara responds cording to Filmmagasinet Ekko by telling kindergarten supervisor editor Claus Christensen.

“His career has already taken Grethe that Lucas exposed himoff, but maybe bigger directors self to her.

will also want to be a part of it now,” Christensen said.

‘The Hunt’, which will be released on 10 January 2013 in Denmark, also won a prize, the 2012 Ecumenical Jury award.

The jury praised the film for “showing us a new way of looking at modern society where men and children are concerned; things are not always what they seem”. Lars von Trier won the same award in 2009 for ‘Antichrist’.

And Charlotte Bruss Christensen, the cinematographer on ‘The Hunt’, won the ‘Vulcain Prize of the Technical Artist’ for her work, securing a total of three honours for the film.

‘The Hunt’ was also in the running for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s award for best film, but lost to ‘Amour’, an Austrian film directed by Michael Haneke.

Mikkelsen dedicated his win to Vinterberg, who was back at Cannes 14 years after his acclaimed incest drama ‘Festen’ won the Jury prize.

“More than 80 percent, maybe 82 percent, of this is Thomas Vinterberg’s prize,” Mikkelsen said as he accepted the award.

Factfile | Sweden’s Eurovision win Sweden’s winning points total of 372 points (from 41 nations, out of a maximum possible of 492) was the second highest in history, just 15 points behind Norway’s winning total of 387 (also from 41 nations) in 2009.

Last triumphant in 1999, Sweden’s the only country to have won it twice since 1996.

Sweden joins a group of nations (France, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom) that have won Eurovision five times – the second highest number behind Ireland, which has won it seven times.

‘Borgen’ wins big at BAFTAs Political drama beats ‘The Killing’ to claim the BAFTA TV award for best international series

T

elevision series ‘Borgen’ was on Sunday named the best international series for 2012 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

The win marks the second year running a Danish series has earned the award.

Last year, the BAFTA award went to crime drama ‘The Killing’, which had been nominated in the same category again this year – this time for its second series.

Both ‘The Killing’ and ‘Borgen’, a fictional political drama about Denmark’s first female prime minister, were shown this year on British television in their original language.

‘Borgen’, which won the award for its first series, also beat American comedy series ‘Modern Family’ and Australia’s ‘The Slap’.

So ... who is he again?

He is to Danish movie production what Aaron Spelling is to US melodrama: the man controlling the purse strings. He’s easy to spot in his colourful clothes and square glasses, always smoking a fat cigar with a big grin on his face – unless he’s watching children perform.

He doesn’t like children?

He might have three himself, but when he appeared as a judge on the Danish talent show ‘Talent 2008’, he quickly became known for telling (un)talented kids they were useless to their faces.

Besides that, where might I know him from?

He’s produced more than 100 films, winning many awards, since he co-founded Zentropa with Lars von Trier in 1992.

What kinds of films and prizes?

It all started with the Dogma films, but lately his awards have included two Silver Bears for ‘A Royal Affair’ and the 2010 Oscar for best foreign film for ‘Hævnen’ (‘In a Better World’).

I thought Susanne Bier won that Technically, it was an award for the producer, although she did seem to claim it. Maybe she did it to spite him, as apparently, according to B.T. newspaper, he tried to strangle her many years ago.

Why did he do that?

Because she was both smarter and prettier than him - or so his story goes.

Any other interesting director ‘issues’?

In most other cases, it’s the directors who make his life difficult.

Just last year, he had to deal with Von Trier’s Nazi comments at Cannes.

That’s a tough gig. Ålen’s no stranger to controversy.

At Zentropa, he hired a known paedophile, claiming he was a “good fellow”. He told Ekstra Bladet tabloid that “it sends a signal that Zentropa is a really tolerant company. Jesus was the first to nurture relations with prostitutes and thieves, so it´s something that we read in the Bible.”

Denmark through the looking glass The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 June 2012

19

Immortalised on stone forever, the founding rock of the nation

The Carta marina

Jaya Rao King Gorm dedicated the first of the Jelling Stones to his wife, Queen Thyra, and then their son, Harald Bluetooth, dedicated the second to his parents – with good reason as they helped transform Denmark

K

The Danevirke enclosed Denmark for almost a millennium. Here it is marked in red on a 16th Century map Joachim Müllerchen

ing Gorm the Old and Queen Thyra, the parents of Harald Bluetooth, are widely credited with beginning the royal lineage of Denmark. Little is known for certain about the couple, but the impact of their reign is undeniable, as it helped the country to emerge from its Viking chieftain era as a Christian nation state with a bright future.

In ancient Denmark, a cluster of small provinces were ruled by belligerent tribal chiefs who proclaimed themselves as kings. It was not until the tenth century that these small provinces were united into one large kingdom by a famous chieftain known by the Danes as Gorm the Old (Gorm den Gamle).

Gorm the Old, the Viking of Vikings, was the first historically recognised King of Denmark and ruled from 936 until his death in 958. Very little is known about Gorm – most of what we know is speculative. Many historians claim that he has one of the most misunderstood personalities in the history of Denmark, confused by many with his rabidly anti-Christian father. Citing his intolerant attitude towards Christianity, these historians overlook his enormous contributions towards uniting the smaller realms.

Gorm is believed to be the descendant of the Danish rulers of East Anglia in England, and one of his ancestors was named Guthrum, an English version of the name Gorm. A German medieval chronicler, Adam of Bremen, contended that Gorm was the son of the semi-legendary Danish king, Harthacnut of Northmannia (Northmen). Historians speculate that Adam could have either meant Norway, Normandy or even northern Jutland. Adam wrote that in around 916 or 917, Harthacnut invaded western Denmark and founded a kingdom within the realm of a young king named Sigtrygg Gnupasson.

When he died of old age in around 947, his young son Gorm took over. According to Heimskringla, an old Norse kings’ saga by poet and historian Snorri Sturluson, Gorm then usurped part of Gnupasson’s dominion. However, Adam of Bremen claimed that the kingdom had been divided prior to Gorm’s ascension to the throne. Tenth century runestones in Jelling record that Gorm “won all of Denmark”, but it is believed that he probably only ruled Jutland from his capital in Jelling.

According to early sources, Gorm was open-minded, and this was reflected in his relationship with his Christian wife Thyra – to whom he dedicated the oldest of the Jelling Stones – and his Christian neighbours to the south of his kingdom.

There is very little known about Thyra (even the information about her parentage is contradictory and chronologically doubtful) beyond her strong support of Christianity. She is credited with helping to spread it across Danish lands – territory that she also helped protect, overseeing the refortification of Danevirke.

This massive wall, which ran between the Schlei (a narrow inlet of the Baltic Sea) and the Treene river across what is now Schleswig, helped protect the kingdom

How the Danevirke looks today

from hostile southern neighbours, especially the Saxons. Started in 737, Thyra’s tenth century renovation added a ditch and earthen foundation capped by a timber stockade above it.

The historian Saxo Grammaticus, and also his contemporary Svend Aggesen, record how (with an element of fantasy, perhaps) Thyra ordered the construction after getting a year’s respite from the German emperor, Otto I, who was both a suitor and a threat to Denmark. With Gorm overseas on a military campaign that was to end in the disastrous battle of Louvaine, Otto came calling, only to be told by Thyra that she needed a year to give him an answer.

Gorm and Thyra had three sons: Toke, Knut and Harald, who later became known as King Harald Bluetooth, after whom today’s Bluetooth technology is named. Little is known of Toke, but Knut died at an early age, killed unjustly while watching a night game. Thyra saved most of her affections for Harald, who

she brought up to be a Christian – a religion he would later enforce as the country’s official faith.

According to runic inscriptions, Thyra is believed to have died when she was still young, some time before Gorm. She was buried at Jelling, and her burial mound was massive. On one of the stones there she is described as ‘tanmarkar’ – which historians claim means either the mother of Denmark, Denmark’s adornment, or Denmark’s salvation.

The runestones also call her ‘Danebod’ - the pride of Denmark.

Gorm, meanwhile, died in 958 (according to studies of the timber used in his burial chamber). It is believed that he was initially buried in Thyra’s mound, but then later moved to the site of the first Christian church of Jelling by his son Harald Bluetooth. Gorm learns of the death of his son Knut (in a painting by August Carl Vilhelm Thomsen)

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

WANT TO SPEAK DANISH THIS SUMMER? INTENSIVE SUMMER COURSES JULY 2ND – JULY 20TH

Bernstorffsvej 20 2900 Hellerup

T 3946 3050 F 3946 3051

E info@sprogcenterhellerup.dk W sprogcenterhellerup.dk