Danish former MP makes homophobic remark about French President-elect Macron
Søren Krarup, a member of the Danish parliament from 2001-2011, said on Danish television that he would “never vote for that nice little gay boy” in reference to Emmanuel Macron.
In a debate about the French election result on national broadcaster DR’s Debatten programme Monday night, Krarup, a former priest as well as politician with the populist Danish People’s Party (DF), made the remark while telling fellow guest Rune Lykkeberg that he would have preferred to vote for Macron’s opponent Marine Le Pen.
Krarup starts by saying that he does not know much about Marine Le Pen before asserting that he would not have voted for Macron.
“I would have given her a vote in the absence of [a better option]. I would never vote for that nice little gay boy, I was about to say,” Krarup says, before host Clement Kjersgaard eventually breaks in to ask him to clarify his remark.
“What makes you use an expression like that?” Kjersgaard asks, before Krarup appears to retract the remark to some extent.
“Ah, that’s also wrong. I would have used a slightly nicer expression, but when standing face to face with you here, it can often be difficult to find it,” Krarup says.
“I would have said well-behaved little schoolboy,” the former MP then adds.
Krarup said Tuesday that he had "no sympathy" for homosexuality, although he regretted his poor choice of words.
"I ended up using a stupid word that I didn't mean to use. That's how it goes sometimes in this world," Krarup told Politiken.
When asked by the newspaper for his general opinion on homosexuality, the former DF politician responded that he does "not like" it.
"It is not something I have any sympathy for," said Krarup when asked to elaborate.
Macron, whose private life has been the subject of much talk among the media and public given that his wife Brigitte Trogneux is his former school teacher and 20 years his senior, laughed off rumours he was having a homosexual affair during his election campaign.
READ ALSO: Strangest political story in Denmark just got stranger
Politicians called for Krarup to apologise following the broadcast.
Jakob Engel-Schmidt, education and research spokesperson with the Venstre (Liberal) party, called Krarup’s appearance “embarrassing and disappointing", adding that he should apologise "asap".
Pinligt og skuffende, at Krarup bruger udtrykket "bøssedreng" som nedsættende skældsord. Hæv niveauet og undskyld asap #dkpol #debattendr2
— Jakob Engel-Schmidt (@engelschmidt) May 8, 2017
The opposition Social Democrat party’s Jesper Petersen wrote that: “Homophobia is disrespectful and un-Danish.”
Homofobi og respektløshed er udansk. Krarup taler om nyvalgt franske præsident: "Ville ikke stemme på den pæne lille bøssedreng". #dkpol https://t.co/Q8X336wnVR
— Jesper Petersen (@Jesper_Pet) May 8, 2017
The exchange can be viewed on DR’s website here and the full programme here.
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In a debate about the French election result on national broadcaster DR’s Debatten programme Monday night, Krarup, a former priest as well as politician with the populist Danish People’s Party (DF), made the remark while telling fellow guest Rune Lykkeberg that he would have preferred to vote for Macron’s opponent Marine Le Pen.
Krarup starts by saying that he does not know much about Marine Le Pen before asserting that he would not have voted for Macron.
“I would have given her a vote in the absence of [a better option]. I would never vote for that nice little gay boy, I was about to say,” Krarup says, before host Clement Kjersgaard eventually breaks in to ask him to clarify his remark.
“What makes you use an expression like that?” Kjersgaard asks, before Krarup appears to retract the remark to some extent.
“Ah, that’s also wrong. I would have used a slightly nicer expression, but when standing face to face with you here, it can often be difficult to find it,” Krarup says.
“I would have said well-behaved little schoolboy,” the former MP then adds.
Krarup said Tuesday that he had "no sympathy" for homosexuality, although he regretted his poor choice of words.
"I ended up using a stupid word that I didn't mean to use. That's how it goes sometimes in this world," Krarup told Politiken.
When asked by the newspaper for his general opinion on homosexuality, the former DF politician responded that he does "not like" it.
"It is not something I have any sympathy for," said Krarup when asked to elaborate.
Macron, whose private life has been the subject of much talk among the media and public given that his wife Brigitte Trogneux is his former school teacher and 20 years his senior, laughed off rumours he was having a homosexual affair during his election campaign.
READ ALSO: Strangest political story in Denmark just got stranger
Politicians called for Krarup to apologise following the broadcast.
Jakob Engel-Schmidt, education and research spokesperson with the Venstre (Liberal) party, called Krarup’s appearance “embarrassing and disappointing", adding that he should apologise "asap".
Pinligt og skuffende, at Krarup bruger udtrykket "bøssedreng" som nedsættende skældsord. Hæv niveauet og undskyld asap #dkpol #debattendr2
— Jakob Engel-Schmidt (@engelschmidt) May 8, 2017
The opposition Social Democrat party’s Jesper Petersen wrote that: “Homophobia is disrespectful and un-Danish.”
Homofobi og respektløshed er udansk. Krarup taler om nyvalgt franske præsident: "Ville ikke stemme på den pæne lille bøssedreng". #dkpol https://t.co/Q8X336wnVR
— Jesper Petersen (@Jesper_Pet) May 8, 2017
The exchange can be viewed on DR’s website here and the full programme here.
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