May 2006
Background information about the political situation in Denmark
for the 20th International Antifascist and Antiimperialist Youth Camp
July 28th - August 5th 2006 in Isterød, Denmark
www.iul2006.net
May 2006
Denmark used to be known as as a country striving for progress, tolerance and social equality. A representative of the Nordic ‘model of social welfare'. Now Danish flags have been burnt all over the Middle East . The name of the country has become synonymous with islamophobia and hostility to immigrants. The gains of the struggle of generations of workers are systematically being dismantled.
What has happened? A bunch of neoconservatives have since November 2001 formed the government of Anders FoghRasmussen. They have led the country on the road of disaster.
Click to see the poster of the Camp
MESSAGE FROM THE GRASSROOTS: THE OTHER DENMARK
After the publication of provocative racist and anti-muslim drawings in Jyllands Posten, a major Danish neocon newspaper, known for its fascist leanings in the 30es of the last century, millions of muslims turned out in the streets in protest. During the height of the ‘cartoon crises' famous Danish composer and musician Thomas Koppel (Savage Rose) wrote an open Letter to Denmark, calling for the creation of a popular movement to force the Fogh Rasmussen-government out of office.
In this letter Thomas Koppel wrote:
”The Danish neocon movement from prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the so-called Dansk Folkeparti (ultra right Party whose votes are decisive for the government coalition) and Jyllands Posten (major Danish right-wing newspaper) have all over the planet turned us into a nation without any kind of culture.
The fierce global, popular protests are not only against a couple of drawings and not at all against our freedom of speech. They originate in anger and despair accumulated over decades over the growing persecution of Muslims in many countries, with Denmark unfortunately notorious as a front runner; and over a genocide on Arab peoples killing close to two million men, women and especially children since 1991; and an "Ausradierung" of several sovereign nations. The Danish government and a considerable section of the parliament are actively responsible.
Jyllandsposten‚ Dansk Folkeparti and Anders Fogh Rasmussen have directed this huge anger towards Denmark .” (February 8 th 2006)
Thomas Koppel called for the formation of a popular movement – Message from the Grassroots – demanding among others
- The resignation of the Fogh-government and an independent investigation of its lies and role in the Danish war participation and the Cartoon crises
- Immediate withdrawal of the Danish troops from the illegal wars and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan
- Retraction and cancellation of the series of racist anti-immigrant laws that has turned Denmark into a darling of European and world reaction
- Cancellation of the undemocratic and unconstitutional laws against terrorism (the government has in March this year proposed a new law turning Denmark into a police state )
- A public debate about the Danish membership of the European Union and its consequences
See the entire letter here
Denmark, Where Are You? A Story Of Longing
By Thomas Koppel
(1944-2006)
Several hundred well-known personalities – including many artists and intellectuals – signed this statement in the following weeks - and then Thomas Koppel suddenly died on February 25 th, only 61 years old - from a heart attack in his and his wife Annisette's (lead singer in The Savage Rose) home in Puerto Rico .
His death caused a sense of national grief, and his burial in Copenhagen on March 11 th turned into a splendid manifestation of another, a progressive Denmark – of red flags and peace banners of the anti war movement, progressive trade unions and popular movements.
At a Memorial Concert on April 27 th the popular movement MESSAGE FROM THE GRASSROOTS which he initiated was launched as a national political movement ...
See
Budskab fra Græsrødderne website
Thomas Koppel Memorial Concert April 27th
Photos from The Grey Hall, Christiania
NEOCONS IN POWER
The Fogh neocon government profited from a boom in the Danish economy with a rather low unemployment rate, partly caused by the giant war profits of the A.P. Moeller-Maersk transnational company, the Number One Danish monopoly, a big shipping and oil company and the main foreign contractor of the US Army. An unprecedented rise in the price of property and a ‘tax stop' policy, favouring the rich, has created a feeling of times of properity.
In the beginning of 2005 the Fogh government was re-elected for a second term in spite of a clear majority of the Danes wanting an end to the participation in the illegitimate war in Iraq and a majority being against the Constitution of the European Union, that was defeated by the French and Dutch No.
As one of his closest allies the Fogh government was chosen by George Bush to host his birthday. His visit to Denmark on July 6 th 2005 called forward the largest demonstration since the beginning of the war against Iraq . More than 35.000 people marched from the US embassy to the Danish parliament in protest, where outstanding bands – among them Annisette and Thomas Koppel, The Savage Rose, played.
See
Photos from the Stop Bush demonstration
The electoral victory of the neocons was the signal to push ahead an unprecedented neoliberal offensive during the autumm of 2005 and the first half of 2006. A big ‘reform' of the administrative structures of Denmark was adopted by parliament, paving the way for further privatisations and sackings in the public sector.
A major change of the entire educational system from basic school to universities and higher education has been proposed, but not implemented as yet. A new series of ‘anti-terrorist laws', suspending traditional civil rights and giving powers to the police and intelligence agencies for superveillance, that have never been seen before, have been passed by the parliament.
NEOLIBERAL 'WELFARE REFORM'
On the 4 th of April this year a socalled ‘reform of social welfare' was introduced as a bill to parliament after a long preparation by the corporate media to convince the Danes, that major social rights have to be abolished in order to secure the future of the ‘welfare society'. This is a culmination of the neoliberal offensive of the European Union, applied to Denmark . Among its elements is to change the general retirement age from 65 to 67 years and to cancel a special early retirement arrangement, making it possible to retire at 60. This special possibility will still exist – but from the age of 63 – if you have paid to it for 30 years and joins the arrangement from you are 30.
The unemployment benefits will be reduced. After 2 ½ years unemployment benefits – in which period you will be forced to act as cheap labour in the public sector or private employers, but without normal workers' rights – you will be transferred to the social security system and a livelihood around the minimum of existence, unless you find job for a whole year (now it is 6 months) to be able to receive unemployment benefits again.
For the youth under 25 special rules have applied, when they are unemployed. They are forced to work when they finish an education or don't have a job at rates far below a salary you can live from. Already today more than 10 percent of the jobs in the pubic sector are so-called job-training or activation. Now this special and discriminatory rules will be applied to everybody less than 30 years old.
These are the realities of the much proclaimed Danish or Nordic labour model: Hardly anything is left of what ‘used to be'. The Danish model is the neoliberal European Union model, being applied to our conditions.
The Danish educational system is systematically put on a neoliberal basis, according to the designs of the European Union.
As Lars Grenaa, secretary of the PLS,
The National Organisation of Pedagogical Social Education Students,
and one of the spokesmen of Message from the Grassroots, puts it:
- The policy of the neoconservative Fogh government is making the monopolies and their hunt for profits conrol everething and everybody. This means war on foreign nations, class war here. The government will privatise the childrens institutions, make the schools subject to the needs of the big companies, get rid of everything positive in the Danish educational system. The children of the rich can buy 1st class tickets - everybody else have to make it on there own - and to hell with the rest.
In the holy name of globalisation the government will create elite kindergartens, elite educations and elite people. This is the perspective of anti wellfare reforms and school reforms. And that is what the pupils and students won't accept. That is we we take to the streets in protest - like the youth everewhere.
Lars Grenaa is one of the young people from Denmark, who will participate in the 20th International Youth Camp against Fascism and Imperialism 2006. On March 18th 2003, when the government would declare its participation in the war against Iraq, he and a comrade threw red paint in the parliament on Anders Fogh Rasmussen and foreign minister Per Stig Møller. Lars shouted: 'You have blood on your hands'. This action was shown on television all over the world.
They were subsequently imprisoned for three months. This action showed the world, that the Danes did not accept or approve this war of aggression.
POPULAR RESISTANCE AND THE FRENCH REVOLT
Denmark is living through a significant moment in its history. The pro-Bush war policy, the neoliberal offensive against the rights of the workers and people, and the racist policies of the government, resulting in the Cartoon crises, has shaken the traditional parliamentary consensus policy between government and opposition. It has caused a polarisation of Danish society, and a radicalisation of the poles, seldom seen before.
The Berlusconi-like Fogh government is deeply and widely hated and despised. The parliamentary ‘opposition' of social democrats and left parties followed the course of compromise, and are not profiling an alternative. In this situation a feeling is spreading that the future course of Denmark will not be decided in the parliament, but outside, in the streets, by the popular and mass movements.
School children, students and teachers at all levels have been protesting the educational reforms, a huge debate concerning the terror laws is unfolding – and the new welfare reform will be met with strong opposition.
And in this context the revolt of the French youth sets an inspiring example. The development of this movement from the No to the European Constitution over the complex revolts of the suburbs to the focused mass protests of today, uniting youth and workers in a joint protest against the neoliberal politics of Villepin, Sarkozy and Chirac is followed with great enthusiasm.
On the 28 th of March the Danish students, pupil and trade union youth organisations organised a demonstration in support of the struggle against CPE in front of the French embassy in Copenhagen, where several hundred youths took part.
See
« Non au cpe » jusqu'à Copenhague
MAY 17TH: THE BIGGEST MASS PROTESTS IN DENMARK IN TWENTY YEARS
Denmark has a population of 5½ million. On May 17th it saw the largest mass protests for 20 years, when more than one hundred thousand workers and youth in Copenhagen and the major cities of Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg turned into the streets to protest the neoliberal anti-'welfare reform'.
Arial photo: Around 100.000 demonstrators in front of the Parliament on May 17th 2006
The demonstration was supported by trade unions, the student and pupils organisations and many others. The demands were to withdraw the proposed 'reform' - including the attacks on pensions, the unemployed and the school reforms, including reduction of the student allowances (SU). The demand for the Fogh-government to resign was strongly voiced.
The youth held a prominent place in these manifestations. Tens and tens of thousands of school pupils and students joined the demands - and decided to carry the struggle forward also after this giant manifestation. From many educations and institutions the schools were closed and marches were organised to meet the main demonstration,. University students, apprentices, health students and many others organised and mobilised local manifestations and joined with the workers.
This is not a struggle of generations, they declared. We are together to fight back the cutbacks as a whole.
In the following days the universities of Aalborg, Aarhus, RUC (Roskilde) and Copenhagen and the Copenhagen college of social education were succesively occupied by students. Many actions have been undertaken. Apprentices made a brick wall at the entrance of the Ministry of Education, so the despised minister could sense how it is like to be kept out of job.
The protest will reach a climax if the 'welfare reform' is adopted by a majority of parties, including the socialdemocratic so-called opposition. And major new manifestations are already prepared for the autumn.
See photos from May 17th
100.000 in the streets in Copenhagen
May 17th: Demonstrations all over the country
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CAMP 2006 IN DENMARK
From July 28 th to August 6 th 2006 the 20 th International Antifascist and Anti imperialist Youth Camp will be held in Denmark , at a beautiful site north of Copenhagen . Among the main topics will be exactly the resistance of the youth, the workers and the popular movements to the joint neoliberal offensive of the European monopolies and the political agents. The French experience as a front runner in this struggle will hold a prominent place among the themes of the camp.
It will be supplemented with the Danish experience, of the struggle of the Danish youth and its organisations, of the Message from the Grassroots, the anti-war and anti-imperialist initiatives, as well as the experience of this struggle all over Europe – and indeed all over the world.
In the end it is the same struggle.
See
International Youth Camp Flyer (English, pdf)
International Youth Camp Paper (Danish, pdf)
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