How did Danish political leaders react to violence in Washington DC?
Danish politicians and commentators have condemned a night of violence in the capital city of the US, after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and other leading political figures in Denmark last night commented on the scenes in the United States as Trump supporters entered the government building in Washington, DC.
In a statement issued by the prime minister’s office, Frederiksen said that “Extremism, violence, polarisation and chaos are never the way forward. Horrifying images from Washington. May democracy be brought to work again”.
Statsminister Mette Frederiksen udtaler: “Ekstremisme, vold, polarisering og kaos er aldrig vejen frem. Forfærdende billeder fra Washington. Må demokratiet bringes til at virke igen”.
— Statsministeriet (@Statsmin) January 6, 2021
Frederiksen's statement did not blame Trump for the actions of his supporters, nor in fact did it mention him by name. That stands in contrast to the reaction of Stefan Löfven, the prime minister of neighbouring Sweden, who said that "President Trump and several members of Congress bear substantial responsibility for developments".
Deeply worrying developments in Washington, D.C. This is an assault on democracy. President Trump and several members of Congress bear substantial responsibility for developments. The democratic election process must be respected.
— SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) January 6, 2021
Former Danish government leaders did refer to Trump directly. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Frederiksen’s predecessor as PM, said he was “deeply saddened” by the scenes and called on Trump to address the nation to “stop this disgraceful madness”.
The U.S. has always been a symbol of freedom and democracy. I am deeply saddened by the ongoing events at Capitol Hill. Please @realdonaldtrump, follow the call from @joebiden to address the nation in order to stop this disgraceful madness.
— Lars Løkke Rasmussen (@larsloekke) January 6, 2021
Another former Danish prime minister and former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen called the events a “sad day for American democracy and for all of us who look to America for moral leadership.”
“Democracy will prevail over the mob, but the damage Trump is doing to American democracy plays straight into Moscow and Beijing’s playbook,” Fogh Rasmussen said.
This is a sad day for American democracy and for all of us who look to America for moral leadership.
Democracy will prevail over the mob, but the damage Trump is doing to American democracy plays straight into Moscow and Beijing’s playbook.
— Anders Fogh Rasmussen (@AndersFoghR) January 6, 2021
Former justice minister Søren Pind, who served under Løkke Rasmussen, called the actions of the Trump supporters “high treason”.
Det er højforræderi, de billeder vi ser fra Amerika lige nu.
— Søren Pind (@sorenpind) January 6, 2021
The current leader of the opposition centre-right Liberal party, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, wrote that the images from Washington DC were “deeply disturbing”.
“It’s a reminder we can never take anything for granted, including democracy,” Ellemann-Jensen wrote, adding he is “looking forward to Joe Biden being inaugurated as new president”.
Dybt foruroligende billeder fra USA, hvor demonstranter er trængt ind i Kongressen. Det er en påmindelse om, at vi aldrig kan tage noget for givet. Heller ikke demokratiet. Ser frem til at Joe Biden bliver indsat som ny præsident.
— Jakob Ellemann-Jensen (@JakobEllemann) January 6, 2021
Danish Conservative party leader Søren Pape Poulsen also tweeted, calling the scenes “terrible” and “deeply, deeply shocking” and criticised “the opponents of democracy” without mentioning Trump directly.
Denmark’s populist right wing party, the Danish People’s Party, is led by Kristian Thulesen Dahl. In his tweet, Dahl called the Trump supporters in the Capitol building “fanatics” and said they should be "stopped and made to take responsibility (for their actions)".
“The USA has elected Joe Biden as the next president. That must be respected!”, Dahl also wrote.
USA har valgt Joe Biden som næste præsident. Det skal respekteres! Den skare af fanatikere, som bryder ind i kongressen i Washington, må standses og stilles til ansvar. Mon ikke også amerikanerne finder ud af det? Jeg tror det - de er ikke novicer! #dkpol #dkmedier
— Kristian Thulesen Dahl (@Kristianthdahl) January 6, 2021
Some social media commenters criticised the use of the term 'demonstrators' in Danish media to refer to the pro-Trump mob.
Danske medier: "Demonstranterne..." pic.twitter.com/GrGVKP7c1p
— Khaterah Parwani (@khaterahparwani) January 7, 2021
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Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and other leading political figures in Denmark last night commented on the scenes in the United States as Trump supporters entered the government building in Washington, DC.
In a statement issued by the prime minister’s office, Frederiksen said that “Extremism, violence, polarisation and chaos are never the way forward. Horrifying images from Washington. May democracy be brought to work again”.
Statsminister Mette Frederiksen udtaler: “Ekstremisme, vold, polarisering og kaos er aldrig vejen frem. Forfærdende billeder fra Washington. Må demokratiet bringes til at virke igen”.
— Statsministeriet (@Statsmin) January 6, 2021
Frederiksen's statement did not blame Trump for the actions of his supporters, nor in fact did it mention him by name. That stands in contrast to the reaction of Stefan Löfven, the prime minister of neighbouring Sweden, who said that "President Trump and several members of Congress bear substantial responsibility for developments".
Deeply worrying developments in Washington, D.C. This is an assault on democracy. President Trump and several members of Congress bear substantial responsibility for developments. The democratic election process must be respected.
— SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) January 6, 2021
Former Danish government leaders did refer to Trump directly. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Frederiksen’s predecessor as PM, said he was “deeply saddened” by the scenes and called on Trump to address the nation to “stop this disgraceful madness”.
The U.S. has always been a symbol of freedom and democracy. I am deeply saddened by the ongoing events at Capitol Hill. Please @realdonaldtrump, follow the call from @joebiden to address the nation in order to stop this disgraceful madness.
— Lars Løkke Rasmussen (@larsloekke) January 6, 2021
Another former Danish prime minister and former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen called the events a “sad day for American democracy and for all of us who look to America for moral leadership.”
“Democracy will prevail over the mob, but the damage Trump is doing to American democracy plays straight into Moscow and Beijing’s playbook,” Fogh Rasmussen said.
This is a sad day for American democracy and for all of us who look to America for moral leadership.
— Anders Fogh Rasmussen (@AndersFoghR) January 6, 2021
Democracy will prevail over the mob, but the damage Trump is doing to American democracy plays straight into Moscow and Beijing’s playbook.
Former justice minister Søren Pind, who served under Løkke Rasmussen, called the actions of the Trump supporters “high treason”.
Det er højforræderi, de billeder vi ser fra Amerika lige nu.
— Søren Pind (@sorenpind) January 6, 2021
The current leader of the opposition centre-right Liberal party, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, wrote that the images from Washington DC were “deeply disturbing”.
“It’s a reminder we can never take anything for granted, including democracy,” Ellemann-Jensen wrote, adding he is “looking forward to Joe Biden being inaugurated as new president”.
Dybt foruroligende billeder fra USA, hvor demonstranter er trængt ind i Kongressen. Det er en påmindelse om, at vi aldrig kan tage noget for givet. Heller ikke demokratiet. Ser frem til at Joe Biden bliver indsat som ny præsident.
— Jakob Ellemann-Jensen (@JakobEllemann) January 6, 2021
Danish Conservative party leader Søren Pape Poulsen also tweeted, calling the scenes “terrible” and “deeply, deeply shocking” and criticised “the opponents of democracy” without mentioning Trump directly.
Denmark’s populist right wing party, the Danish People’s Party, is led by Kristian Thulesen Dahl. In his tweet, Dahl called the Trump supporters in the Capitol building “fanatics” and said they should be "stopped and made to take responsibility (for their actions)".
“The USA has elected Joe Biden as the next president. That must be respected!”, Dahl also wrote.
USA har valgt Joe Biden som næste præsident. Det skal respekteres! Den skare af fanatikere, som bryder ind i kongressen i Washington, må standses og stilles til ansvar. Mon ikke også amerikanerne finder ud af det? Jeg tror det - de er ikke novicer! #dkpol #dkmedier
— Kristian Thulesen Dahl (@Kristianthdahl) January 6, 2021
Some social media commenters criticised the use of the term 'demonstrators' in Danish media to refer to the pro-Trump mob.
Danske medier: "Demonstranterne..." pic.twitter.com/GrGVKP7c1p
— Khaterah Parwani (@khaterahparwani) January 7, 2021
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