The Copenhagen Post: October 21 - 27

Germans patrolling our skies? It could happen

How touchy-feely rugby is trying to win us over

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21 - 27 October 2011 | Vol 14 Issue 42

Pay a visit to the human zoo

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Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk ORIGINAL PHOTOS : SCANPIX

NEWS

An estimated 2,000 take to town hall square as ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement goes global

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Make mine a double Columnist Clare MacCarthy toasts the proposed change to Denmark’s dual citizenship rules

OPINION | 9

CULTURE

Pity poor Mads Mikkelsen – nearly every time he makes the big time, he has to cover up half his face

18 Who needs Danish?

The German doctor who stole the king’s wife and throne without even learning the language. And don’t worry ladies, our friend Mads makes a much more dapper appearance here

HISTORY | 19

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Helle who? Voters view Vestager as the real PM But the real power lies with the media and the maths, say insiders

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LTHOUGH Helle ThorningSchmidt enjoys the historic position of being the nation’s first female prime minister, three out of four Danes think it is actually another woman who is calling the shots.

Some 75 percent of all Danes questioned in a new Rambøll/Analyse Danmark opinion poll thought the Social Liberals’ Margrethe Vestager had more political power than Thorning-Schmidt, a Social Democrat. Just 10.7 percent thought the PM had the most influence.

Some 2.4 percent said the Socialist People’s Party’s (SF) Villy Søvndal was the

most powerful.

“We had a remarkable election, and that winning position has affected people’s perception. But the government common policy is a compromise,” the Social Lib group chair, Marianne Jelved, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

Jelved added that if Vestager and the Social Libs were as powerful as people said, the government common policy would look different than it does today.

Social Dem political spokesperson Magnus Heunicke said the media has a lot to do with why the vast majority of voters think Vestager, and not ThorningSchmidt, is in charge.

“Even before we had seen a comma of the common government policy the

Macaroons and French pastry, in a modern enviroment

press proclaimed the Social Libs the winners and the Social Dems and SF the losers. That affected perceptions about things,” Heunicke said.

Coalition insiders noted that Vestager’s apparent power surplus is really a matter of party politics and simple maths. Because the Social Libs are more closely aligned with the Liberal, Conservative and Liberal Alliance opposition parties on economic policy, the party has had the 90-seat majority needed to win on those issues.

“There are of course some very symbolic things like [ending] early retirement and [blocking] the millionaire tax that the Social Liberals fought for.

But you only have to count to 90 to get

your policies through,” the SF’s political spokesperson Jesper Petersen said.

By contrast, Vestager has not been as influential when it comes to the immigration law reforms she campaigned for.

That’s because neither her coalition allies on the left nor the opposition parties on the right support them. (JB)

The government of broken promises?

The rise of Margrethe Vestager not only affects perceptions; her party’s success has forced several compromise that have led to charges that S and SF broke their campaign promises

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Week in revieW

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21 - 27 October 2011 Scanpix

Apple time

The Week’s MOsT Read sTORIes aT CphpOsT.dk Massive fine in denmark’s first ever ‘sampling’ copyright case dual nationality proposal seen as a godsend by many denmark qualify for euro 2012 ‘Fez Fez’ expelled from country Middle east conflict in Copenhagen

FROM OUR aRChIVes Ten YeaRs agO. The right-wing progress party announces a proposal that would deport every Muslim in the country.

FIVe YeaRs agO. a Malmö primary school teaches a class in swedish and danish as an effort to increase ties between the two cultures.

One YeaR agO. The danish wine industry saw life through rosé-tinted glasses as it celebrated its tenth anniversary.

This week was the autumn half-term holiday, and many families spent time picking Danish apples, considered by many to be among the world’s best

ing from income, jobs and housing to health, education and the environment. Canada and Norway finished second and third, while China came in last. perhaps not everyone was convinced, however. on our Facebook page, a spirited debate ensued over just why Denmark always seems to top these sorts of studies.

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

Taxi uproar

CopENHagEN’s taxi Council announced plans to introduce education requirements for prospective taxicab owners.

John lindbom, the council’s chairman, explained that taxi licences are in high demand and the requirement of an education would ensure that licences go to service-minded individuals.

President and Publisher Ejvind sandal Chief executive Jesper Nymark editor-in-Chief Kevin Mcgwin Managing editor ben Hamilton news editor Justin Cremer Journalists Jennifer buley & peter stanners

The board of Equal treatment complained that the plan indirectly discriminates against immigrants, who account for the majority of cab drivers in the capital today. lindbom called the charge of discrimination “offensive”. “We’re the industry that historically has integrated the most ethnic minorities,” he said.

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

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it probably came as a surprise to no-one, but Denmark once again staked its claim as the happiest country in the world. in a new oECD publication entitled ‘How’s life?’, Denmark came out on top of a study that asked people in 40 countries about how satisfied they are with their lives by assessing eleven aspects rang-

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Still happy

CORReCTIOn last week’s main business article included the opening paragraph of the previous week’s story

Pay back

april CHris, the manager of the En Varm seng (a Warm bed) homeless shelters, was asked this week to repay the almost two million kroner she received in state subsidies. The demand came after she failed to account for how the money had been spent on the two shelters in Copenhagen and Horsens.

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Chris instead delivered a box of invoices and receipts that an accounting firm had given up trying to make sense of. Chris faces allegations that she abused the 1,795,115 subsidy and spent the money on personal matters.

Chris declared bankruptcy on the same day the social Ministry demanded she repay the subsidy.

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all Photos: Peter stanners

21 - 27 October 2011

Casper Møller (above with megaphone) was one of the many speakers to make his thoughts heard; others expressed themselves through signs and the Guy Fawkes masks made popular by the film ‘V for Vendetta’ (below)

protesters voice discontent at Occupy denmark rally Peter stanners hundreds take to Rådhuspladsen as Wall street protests go global

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OLItICaL corruption, welfare cuts, economic uncertainty and unemployment – these are the issues that have brought hundreds of thousands on to city streets across the world over the past five months.

The protests started in Spain this May with the ‘Real Democracy NOW’ campaign that saw tens of thousands set up camps in city squares and violent confrontations between police and protesters. Similar scenes unfolded this month during the ongoing ‘Occupy Wall Street’ demonstrations in New York, as protesters gathered to condemn the banking sector for its role in the economic crisis.

‘Occupy’ has since gone global, with dozens of cities worldwide staging their own protests on October 15 – the five-month anniversary of the first Spanish protests. In Copenhagen, 2,000 people gathered for the ‘Occupy Denmark’ rally at the town hall square, Rådhuspladsen.

Speaking through a megaphone on the steps to the building, people took turns to explain why they had come.

The reasons ranged from showing solidarity with the movements in Spain and america, to dissatisfaction with the political left-wing, to defending against attacks on the welfare state.

One of the speakers was 22-year-old Casper Møller, dressed in a black Chris-

tiania hoodie and reading a prepared speech from an iPad. “I’m here because of the fractional banking reserve system. It’s a Ponzi scheme that creates money out of nothing,” he told The Copenhagen Post after finishing his speech.

“I want a moneyless society. That’s my dream, to get rid of money because we could do it differently. People say you can’t live without money, but we already do in our communal situations with our families and friends.”

Møller explained that he was inspired by what he saw unfold in Spain this May. He and some friends set up a group ‘Real Democracy NOW Denmark’ soon after the Spanish protests gathered momentum. They have been holding regular meetings since, but Saturday’s rally was the largest turnout so far in support of the cause.

But to say it is a singular cause would be misleading. Placards endorsed a range of messages, including: ‘Stop the growth of inequality! Put ethical ceilings

on wealth’; ‘We are the 99%’; and ‘I live under the poverty line and pay more tax than Coca Cola’. One poster depicted a banker with the message ‘0% interest in people’ while another read: ‘Support the Egyptian uprising’.

Listening to the speakers, however, the overarching theme was a dissatisfaction with the capitalist economic model, in which one percent of the world’s population controls 40 percent of the wealth (the basis for the movement’s oft-repeated rallying cry “We are the 99 percent”).

“In the monetary system, the only way to get forward is by being selfish, because you can’t make money without stealing it from someone else,” 23-yearold Remi Bachmann told The Copenhagen Post. “We’re trying to advertise a system of working together instead of trying to further yourself.”

Bachmann, together with his two friends, 22-year-old Sandro Bedin and 23-year-old Nicolai Locke, attended the demonstration as members of the Zeitgeist movement, a “global sustain-

ability advocacy group” that is critical of growth-driven and monetary economics.

“We want to wake people up and see that we all share one world and that we should focus on our planetary resources,” Locke said. “We need people to understand that people and the world are the important things in the society – not money and capitalism. We need to support each other.”

Bedin argued that while Denmark has suffered less than many European countries as a result of the banking crisis, the country is still vulnerable due to its lack of physical resources.

“We need to change our train of thought. Of course we’re wealthy and prosperous, but in the big picture Denmark doesn’t have any resources apart from pigs, and that’s a real problem,” Bedin said.

While Denmark has weathered the financial crisis well compared to some EU members – particularly Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland – the country has witnessed a series of high-profile banking failures including Roskilde Bank, amagerbank and Max Bank. according to one of the speakers at the rally, Hans Schultz from the Schiller Institute, this exposed how the current global financial system makes Denmark vulnerable.

“The whole world banking system is interconnected – they are all woven together like a carpet,” Schultz explained.

“I’m here because the financial system is bankrupt because the system is created in a way that functions so that special interests control the system.”

Schultz and the Schiller Institute are calling for Denmark to introduce banking regulations similar to the american Glass-Steagall act, which would separate the ordinary commercial arms of banks from their riskier investment arms. The investment arms would then not be protected by national governments and would be allowed to fail.

“Banks proclaim free market principles, but then want to be bailed out,” Schultz said. “It’s strange because they

usually argue that if you’re not fit to survive as a company then you should close down. But investment banks have bankrupted themselves through the speculation system as a result of the deregulation of the banking system.”

The original Glass-Steagall act was introduced in the US in 1933 under President Franklin Roosevelt during The Great Depression to tackle deflation and prevent the collapse of banks due to investment failures. The repeal of the act in 1999 is widely considered to be one of the root causes of the global economic crisis.

But while the collapse of Danish banks has been blamed mostly on defaults of loans to small and mediumsized businesses rather than the failure of risky investments, Schultz believed banks require greater regulation. He found it essentially unjust that they hoard assets while governments enact austerity measures that cut public investment to reduce national debt.

“You can’t get out of a crisis by saving money, you have to invest,” he said. “The crazy thing is that there’s a huge amount of money in the banks worldwide, but there is somehow no money available for creating jobs, getting business going and developing infrastructure.” after the demonstration, a small group set up camp at the square. On Monday, via their Facebook page, they posted a list of provisions they need, such as sleeping bags, work tools and food and drink. They intend to stay for several months, but the group announced on twitter late Wednesday that they were facing eviction from police.

While the rally was undoubtedly political, there was a noticeable absence of flags and banners from political parties and organisations, especially those connected to the left-wing. In that sense it is a people’s movement, attended by those who, despite living in a country largely insulated from the worst of the economic crisis, still believe that our current economical model requires a serious rethink.

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21 - 27 October 2011

The government of peter stanners Lacking a clear majority, the social dems and socialist people’s party had to turn to parties on both their left and right and abandon many of their campaign vows

a Ombudsman censures Immigration

Birthe Rønn hornbech’s handling of the ‘stateless’ scandal cost the former immigration minister her job

Ministry twice in one week Jennifer Buley Former Immigration Ministry and Immigration service under fire for withholding information and illegal acts

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HE PARLIAMEnTARY ombudsman Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen has criticised the former Immigration Ministry for suppressing information in connection with the stateless citizenship scandal earlier this year. It was the second time in one week that the ombudsman censured the Immigration Ministry and its administrative arm, the Immigration Service.

Gammeltoft-Hansen announced on Monday that the Immigration Ministry under the previous Liberal-Conservative government obstructed the public’s right to freedom of information by delaying the disclosure of facts requested

by Jyllands-Posten newspaper for over two months.

In January 2011, it transpired that the Immigration Ministry had been illegally rejecting the citizenship applications of stateless youths born in Denmark, in clear violation of Un convention, from 2002-2010, or throughout the tenure of the previous government. The immigration minister at the time, Birthe Rønn Hornbech, said in a press conference that precedents for such illegal rejections could be found between 1999 and 2000 under the previous Social Dem-led government, and that three such cases occurred on the Social Dems’ watch.

But when Jyllands-Posten asked her to provide information about the dates of those three cases, Hornbech refused.

The newspapers did not give up, however, citing the freedom of information act, but the Immigration Ministry took more than two months to oblige. By the time it was turned over to the journalists, Hornbech had been fired for her role in the scandal and the case was no longer on the front pages.

Furthermore, when the information was finally delivered, it was revealed that the three cases were under the LiberalConservative government’s tenure, not earlier as Hornbech had claimed at the press conference.

Gammeltoft-Hansen charged on Monday that Hornbech and the Immigration Ministry knew precisely when the three cases were rejected, but withheld the facts from the press and public. The ombudsman also claimed that ministries past and present have a responsibility to provide information ”somewhat faster” so the public can be informed while cases are current.

On Friday last week he also criticised the former Immigration Service centre (Udlændingeservice) for failing to fulfil its legal obligations to unaccompanied child refugees. The Immigration Service was the case administration centre and public access point for the Immigration Ministry until both were closed by the new government earlier this month.

Gammeltoft-Hansen censured the Immigration Service for failing to help a 16-year-old Iraqi boy, who came to Denmark in 2008 as an unaccompanied child refugee, find his relatives. The Immigration Service told the boy he would have to find them himself, or with the help of the International Red Cross.

“Immigration law is very precise on this point,” Gammeltoft-Hansen wrote in a statement. “Children who arrive in Denmark alone must receive help to find their families and it must happen as soon as possible after their arrival.”

Children who arrive in denmark alone must receive help to find their families and it must happen as soon as possible after their arrival The Immigration Service argued that it believed, at the time, that it was sufficient to refer child refugees to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Following Gammeltoft-Hansen’s complaint, the former Immigration Service administrators acknowledged that they were at fault.

Earlier this month the new Social Democrat-led government dissolved the Immigration Ministry and the Immigration Service, which were both established by the Liberal-Conservative government in 2001.

The roles of the Immigration Ministry and former prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen in the stateless youth scandal are currently under independent investigation.

The parliamentary ombudsman is politically neutral and is not associated with either government. His role is to supervise the behaviour of public authorities and initiate disciplinary procedures if necessary. GammeltoftHansen has been the parliamentary ombudsman since 1987, through four different governments.

s the election results rolled in a month ago, it was clear that forming a new government was going to require a lot of compromise. The Social Democrats (S) and the Socialist People’s Party (SF) had hedged their bets and campaigned on a joint election manifesto, ‘A Fair Solution’.

But both parties’ decline in popularity – particularly SF plunging from 23 seats to 16 – on election day left them 30 seats short of the 90 seats needed to form a government.

To make up the numbers, S and SF turned to the far-left Red-Green Alliance (EL) and the centrist Social Liberal Party – parties whose policies did not align with ‘A Fair Solution’ on a number of key issues.

With it clear from the start that EL would not be a part of the government, the question became how many concessions would S and SF grant to the Social Libs in order to win their support?

So when the new government released its common policy after two weeks of secret deliberation, the national media scoured it for deviations from election promises – and there were plenty to be found.

Around 20 policies from ‘A Fair Solution’ did not make it into the common government policy. Among them were a flight tax, rolling back early retirement reform, a millionaire’s tax, free fertility treatment for childless couples, and a 24-child limit in the classroom.

These were branded the ‘broken promises’ and barely a day went by without a new broken promise being discussed in the nation’s media.

But S and SF defended their position, arguing that without a majority of 90 seats between them they were forced to negotiate with the Social Liberals and the Red-Green Alliance. In the process, some key policies had to be left behind.

“During the election campaign the Social Democrats and Socialist People’s Party said that if we got 90 seats we would push through the policies de-

The electoral success of Margrethe Vestager (right) and the social Liberals has stymied much

tailed in ‘A Fair Solution’,” the justice minister, Morten Bødskov, told Politiken newspaper earlier this month. “But we didn’t get 90 seats, so the common government policy shows some compromises.”

PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt also responded to criticism.

“There are no parties who can get everything they campaign for in an election,” she told Politiken. “You have to compromise after an election.”

The media focus on the broken promises stems from an interview this January in which Thorning-Schmidt stated that a Social Democrat-led

There are no parties who can get everything they campaign for in an election government would stick to a few key promises while also engaging in broad co-operation with other parties to form governmental policy. But as the election neared, the key election promises – a housing package, two teachers in

Minister wants shared air defence In a cost-cutting move, defence minister wants to make a deal on patrolling airspace

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F SOMETIME in the near future you look up in the sky and see a military plane festooned with German flags, don’t panic.

Denmark’s defence minister, nick Hækkerup, is looking to make a deal with neighbouring countries that would establish a shared air defence system and trim Denmark’s defence budget by between 10 and 15 percent.

“I’m not at all talking about eliminating the Air Force,” Hækkerup told Politiken newspaper. “But just like today we help the Baltic countries and Iceland take care of their airspace, in the future we can share defence tasks

with our neighbours.”

It is currently forbidden for foreign military aircraft to enter Danish airspace without explicit approval.

According to Politiken, Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised Hækkerup’s suggestion. The former prime minister and current secretary general of nato said the proposal was a model of smart defence and in sync with nato’s strategy for its members to reduce military expenses by sharing equipment one another.

But Hækkerup’s political opponents were not as open to the idea.

“The enforcement of sovereignty is crucial for the nation-state,” Troels Lund Poulsen, the Liberals defence spokesman, told Politiken. “I am against [the proposal], it goes too far.”

Former foreign minister Lene Es-

persen of the Conservatives agreed with Poulsen, saying that she could only imagine foreign aircraft flying over Denmark if it was part of a comprehensive nato agreement.

By 2018, Denmark must decide on the purchase of new fighter jets. This will come with a price tag of between 10 and 20 billion kroner.

According to Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, who heads the University of Copenhagen’s Centre for Military Studies, the proposal for joint air defence would make it cheaper to buy new aircraft.

“It allows us to buy fewer fighter jets but still maintain the possibility of sending them out on international missions, while norwegian and German aircraft take care of our airspace,” Rasmussen told Politken. (JC)

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21 - 27 October 2011

broken promises?

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We teach our children to keep their promises. But apparently this doesn’t apply any more in Christiansborg

of what Helle Thorning schmidt (left) and her social Dems campaigned on

the classroom and financial support for businesses – were slowly chipped away.

Of their key campaign promises, only the proposed congestion zone remained in the common government policy.

Now in opposition, the Liberal party has been quick to capitalise on the government’s apparent about-face, and have set about depicting the government as weak and devious. “[The new government] will be a dangerous voyage that has already borne witness to a string of broken promises from what the three parties campaigned for during the election,” Liberal MP Troels Lund Poulsen wrote in Jyllands-

Posten newspaper. “The new prime minister who, after giving a long list of clear guarantees during the election, is now running from them at a pace not seen before in Danish politics.”

While key policies have been abandoned by S and the SF to incorporate the Social Liberals into government while also maintaining the legislative support of EL, many have argued that they had little choice.

Anita Bay, Politiken’s culture editor, wrote in the newspaper that the ‘contract politics’ of the last ten years was an anomaly.

“Unlike the Liberal and Conserva-

tive government – who could promise anything due to the support of the Danish People’s Party who would tow the line as long as they were repaid in tightened immigration policy – we now have a situation where three government parties have to agree on everything. The common government policy therefore reflects the politics of all three parties.”

An editorial in the same newspaper argued that the new common government policy actually reflected the will of a majority of voters.

“Lacking anything better to criticise, the opposition have called the swing in policy ‘broken promises’. But it’s actually a sign of a healthy democracy that the new government is prepared to run a centrist policy that a majority of voters actually voted for, and which has the potential to kick-start the Danish economy again.”

Jyllands-Posten had a different view, however, arguing in an editorial last Thursday that the new government is untrustworthy.

“We teach our children to keep their promises. But apparently this doesn’t apply any more in Christiansborg. The Social Democrats and Socialist People’s Party have taken power and then turned their backs on the voters. And the results have been quick. Both parties have stooped to new lows.”

While the battle over the government’s broken promises rages in the press, the public seems to accept the new status quo. According to a YouGov/ metroXpress poll, 51 percent of Danes accepted that compromises had to be made to accommodate the Social Liberals. Only eight percent of S or SF voters think the broken promises made the parties untrustworthy.

But it’s not so sunny in Christiansborg. The latest polls suggest resurgent support for the Liberal led blue bloc, piling pressure on an untested coalition already weary of being referred to as the government of broken promises.

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denmark criticises Israeli settlements Justin cremer Foreign minister calls them “unacceptable” and detrimental to peace process

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OREiGN Minister Villy Søvndal on Monday criticised israel’s decision to construct new homes in East Jerusalem as “totally unacceptable”.

Last week’s announcement from israel that it planned to build the new homes in the Givat Hamatos district marks the first large-scale Jewish settlement in the occupied territories in 25 years. The settlement will include 2,600 new properties on 950 acres of land.

“The israeli decision last week to proceed with plans to build a new Jewish neighbourhood in the Palestinian part of Jerusalem is totally unacceptable,” Søvndal said in an official statement. “The same applies to the israeli decision to make smaller settlements in the Palestinian West Bank legal under israeli law. On the contrary, israel is obliged to remove those settlements.”

Søvndal added that israel’s plans for the settlement would significantly hinder the peace talks led by the socalled ‘Quartet’ – the UN, the US, the

EU and Russia. “i am extremely concerned that the Quartet’s request to return to the negotiating table will be in vain when israel makes such strong and detrimental decisions in direct conflict with the Quartet’s clear calls to refrain from provocative actions,” Søvndal said.

Søvndal’s statement joined a chorus of criticism that included other EU foreign ministries, the US State Department, and UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon who called the Givat Hamatos proposal “contrary to international law”.

For the newly-appointed Søvndal, it was his second foray into the israeliPalestinian conflict in recent days. Last week, he confirmed that the new coalition government would support Palestinian statehood on the condition that other member states of the European Union do so as well. “it doesn’t work having a people who aren’t recognised,” Søvndal said.

“Our position is that we want to recognise a Palestinian state. But Denmark isn’t going to take a go-it-alone approach.” if the member states cannot reach a full consensus, Søvndal said Denmark will be among those who opt to recognise a Palestinian state.

Middle east conflict finds forum in Copenhagen Jessica slicer Israeli and palestinian representatives discuss their hopes for an end to the conflict in the Middle east

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WO DiPLOMATS representing israel and the Palestinian Authority brought one of the world’s deepest conflicts to Copenhagen when they met last week on Wednesday for a debate hosted by the Copenhagen Union, a debating and philosophical society at the University of Copenhagen.

The debate at Studenterhuset addressed ways to restart the peace process and questioned how an ‘end-all’ agreement could be negotiated between the opposing sides. Students from the University of Copenhagen and Roskilde University were welcomed to participate by asking questions and providing their input.

Gregory Rockson, co-founder of the Copenhagen Union and debate mediator, said that despite the pessimistic outlook many share about the conflict, peace can be found with will, determination and – most importantly – faceto-face discussions.

Centring on the Palestinian Authority’s current petition for the West Bank and Gaza Strip territories to form the basis of a future Palestinian state, the debate shone light on tensions between the two sides. However, the deputy head of mission at the israeli Embassy, Dan Oryan, opened his speech by saying: “There is no reason in the world why we cannot come to an agreement if

we sit and talk.”

Oryan argued that although he may be young and optimistic he strongly believed that most israelis are ready for serious, even painful compromises with the end result being a two-state solution. He said an agreement could be reached by the end of the year only if Palestinian representatives agree to negotiate the terms of the agreement.

The deputy head of the Palestinian mission, Marie Antoinette Sedin, was not as confident about the prospects of a swift resolution and an outcome that will benefit Palestinians. She said that with each round of negotiations, the amount of territory under the control of the Palestinian Authority has shrunk. According to Sedin, the amount of land it controls in the West Bank has gone from 22.7 percent at the start of negotiations in 1967 to just over 13 percent today. “in a year, there will be nothing left to negotiate. israel is taking over the land,” Sedin stated.

Sedin believed the resolution should involve the creation of a single state with shared land between israelis and Palestinians and a functioning democratic system.

Theis Dencke, a political science student at the University of Copenhagen, said the debate was important to have in Denmark, where the conflicts in iraq and Afghanistan typically dominate the international news.

“We have lots of reports about conflict areas, and the Palestine-israel issues are covered in the news, but personally, i believe a fair bit of the coverage is biased to the israeli side,” Dencke said.

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21 - 27 October 2011

islamists seek to introduce ‘sharia zones’ ‘fez fez’ gets the boot colourbox

supreme Court rules to deport immigrant drug dealer

a majority of danish Muslims distance themselves from small group of extremists

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FUnDaMenTaLiST islamic group wants to set up zones in Copenhagen where islamic Sharia Law should be upheld.

The group, ‘The Call to islam’, belongs to a branch of islam called Salafism, whose followers in the Uk attempted to introduce similar Sharia zones in London earlier this summer. according to Jyllands-Posten newspaper, the group is led by the imam abu ahmed, who has taught several people subsequently linked to terrorist activities.

The Call to islam intends to start patrolling the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Tingbjerg before extending into nørrebro and eventually the whole of Denmark. Muslims found to be drinking and gambling would be reprimanded for breaking islamic code.

The Muslim Council (Muslimernes Fællesråd), an umbrella organisation representing over 40,000 Muslims from several organisations, has denounced the plans.

“We should definitely take them seriously and enter into dialogue with them,” spokesperson Mustafa gezen told Jyllands-Posten. “We should not ignore their extreme inclinations in our society. The problem is that many young people are susceptible to these beliefs. We need to start at the primary school level, to stress the importance of

Most Muslims in Denmark rejected the salafists’ call for sharia Law

The problem is that many young people are susceptible to these beliefs democracy.”

The deputy mayor for integration, anna Mee allerslev, told JyllandsPosten Tueday that she was previously aware of the group and their plans. “a while ago i asked our employees to head out and intensify their work to engage with them,” she said. “But it’s important that we don’t talk it up too

much because they are only a small group in Tingbjerg. But it’s important that we pay attention to the problem.” allerslev added that she had called a meeting with the islamic religious Communisty (islamic Trossamfund) and the Muslim Council to discuss how to prevent the radicalisation of islamic youth. She also stated that the City Council was in contact with the authorities in London who have many years’ experience dealing with similar groups. according to the City Council, there are nine Salafists patrolling Tingbjerg. The group has a core support of about 50 individuals in Copenhagen who are joined by several hundred additional supporters at study meetings.

who do danes trust? not Mps, spin doctors or journos Recent election probably did little to improve people’s trust

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oLiTiCianS, spin doctors and journalists are the three professions Danes trust least, according to a new credibility study of 17 different professions conducted by radius kommunikation.

Spin doctors – those special advisors hired to manage politicians’ communication – hit rock bottom with an average rating of 2.1 on a scale of 1 to 5, with five being most credible. Meanwhile, politicians and journalists took home a 2.4. That means that people have more faith in estate agents, taxi drivers and financial advisors.

Danes generally have the most faith in public employees, according to the poll. nurses and doctors shared first place with a score of 4 points. Police officers came in third at 3.9. Teachers were fourth with a rating of 3.7.

This is the third time that the study has been conducted, and the third time that politicians have finished close to

scanpix

Peter stanners

last. The result suggests a long-term crisis in faith in politicians, concluded nicolaj Taudorf andersen, the managing director of radius kommunikation.

“Danes want substance and clear answers from politicians,” andersen said. “For the past couple of years we’ve found ourselves in a political vacuum, in which the previous government experienced a serious loss of legitimacy.” andersen predicted that an election season he characterised as heavy on spin would do little to improve people’s trust in their elected officials.

This is the first time that ‘spin doctors’ have been included in the study as an independent professional group, and their low ranking, according to andersen, should serve as a sign to the new government that their proposal to assign two communications advisors to ministers doesn’t sit well with voters.

“This is clearly a repudiation of plans to give spin doctors a larger role in the daily political scene. it could prove problematic for the entire political system if consultants command a larger

fact file | who do you trust?

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Doctors nurses Police Teachers accountants nursery school teachers Lawyers Homecare assitants Bank advisors Pension advisors Tradesmen Lorry drivers Taxi drivers estate agents Journalists Politicians Spin doctors

4.0 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.1

role than they already do,” he said.

The polling organisation Userneeds carried out the online survey between September 22 and october 3. one thousand people between the ages of 18 and 65 were polled. (JW)

onviCTeD drug dealer and gang member Mahmoud khalil Salem, otherwise known as ‘Fez Fez’, has been expelled from Denmark by the Supreme Court. earlier this year, in an evenly split decision, the Western High Court ruled that the 41-year-old salem’s lawyer, Michael Juul eriksen, doesn’t from odense, who has lived in expect Lebanon or syria to accept his client Denmark for nearly 20 years and is currently serving a six-year prison sen- Lebanon in 1993, but is a stateless tence, could not be deported out of con- Palestinian. Since 2004 he has had sideration for his wife and eight children state disability status and collected disability welfare checks. Police diswho reside in Denmark.

The Supreme Court last week over- covered that he had, however, sent turned that lower court ruling, with six approximately 71,000 kroner to famjudges ruling for deportation and the ily members in both Lebanon and the seventh recommending a so-called ‘sus- Palestine territories. in addition, police documented that he was trying to buy pended deportation’.

The Supreme Court judges noted a flat in Damascus at the time of his that they had taken the well-being of arrest in 2009.

Fez Fez was cited by the Danish Fez Fez’s wife and eight children into consideration in their ruling. Fez Fez’s People’s Party (DF) earlier in the year wife has said that she and the children as a model example of why immigrant criminals ought to be deported. will remain in Denmark. now the Supreme Court has agreed, The Supreme Court also noted that Fez Fez had not simply broken the law but whether he can actually be deported once or twice, but is a hardened crimi- to Lebanon or Syria is still unknown. nal who made little or no effort to in- His lawyer, Michael Juul eriksen, does tegrate into Danish society and main- not expect that either country will take tained tight connections to family in him, and as he is a stateless Palestinian, neither country is obligated to do so.

Lebanon and Syria.

Fez Fez could therefore end up living He has had “a central and leading role in carrying out sustained, organised in Denmark’s asylum centre, Sandholm. eriksen said that he would now try and brutish drug crimes”, the judges to take the case to the european Court wrote in their remarks.

They noted that he speaks poor of Human rights in Strasbourg.

Two other cases to expel two Danish, although he has lived here for almost 20 years, and that the family only convicted immigrant criminals who speaks arabic at home, communicating moved to Denmark as children – an with and sending money to relatives in armenian and a Bosnian, both in their early 20s – are currently pending in the Lebanon and Syria on a regular basis.

Fez Fez moved to Denmark from Danish courts. (JB)

Man accused of sexually abusing nine children over 23 years 40-year-old faces 28 total charges spanning a 20-year period

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40-year-oLD man from the western Jutland city of esbjerg has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing nine children over a period of 23 years. according to public broadcaster Dr, the man faces 28 charges, including the abuse of his own daughter.

The first alleged sexual assault dates back to 1987, while the most recent is from 2010. The attacks between 1987 and 1992 are alleged to have happened in the western Copenhagen suburb of Taastrup and to have involved a victim who was only four years old when the first assault took place.

The man also allegedly committed sexual abuse in the western suburbs of Hvidore and greve before a long series of attacks in esbjerg. according to the indictment, at least one of the incidents is alleged to have occurred in the city’s public swimming facility, Sport & event Park esbjerg. according to Jyllands-Posten, esbjerg city officials denied any prior knowledge of the ongoing abuse, saying they first heard of the case when it surfaced in the media.

Dr news has reported that the suspect was arrested on 4 october 2010 and has been in police custody since.

The man denies his guilt and faces trial in esbjerg on 25 october.(JC)

Online This week Mild flu season forecasted DenMark can probably look forward to a relatively easy flu season, doctors say. “i don’t think we’re going to have a big outbreak. i’m hopeful we won’t see anybody get violently ill nor see any young people dying of it,”Lars Østergaard, the chief doctor at aarhus University Hospital, told public broad-

Roskilde considers going cash-free caster Dr. But while Østergaard was nearly certain that Denmark was in for a mild flu season this winter, he could not predict how many Danes would actually catch it. “a lot of people will still get vaccinated and will be wellprotected against the flu. among the rest i would guess that there will be a few thousand cases.”

THe roSkiLDe Festival is looking at ways to go cash-free in the future, adopting an approach increasingly used by other music festivals. Festival organisers have been working over the past three years on finding a solution that would allow roskilde to go cash-free. among the suggested solutions were tokens, a chip in-

serted in the festival’s trademark wristbands, or paying via smartphones. These have thus far been dismissed, however, due to the costs of mobile and chip payments and the threat of theft.

The proposal to go cash-free met resistance on roskilde’s Facebook page with fans saying it would be too much of a hassle.

Bikes on board buses Beginning on Sunday, Zealand commuters will be able to take their bicycles on to all local and regional buses. Catching a bus with your ‘iron horse’ will cost 12 kroner, but bikes will not be allowed during rush hour and bike tickets must be purchased

in advance via mobile phone or a paper ticket. Previously, only commuters using the bus lines 600S and 150S in the Copenhagen area were able to bring their bikes on board. Movia reports they received positive feedback on the trial runs.

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21 - 27 October 2011

City ready for new arena, proponents say Ray WeaveR

well as big-name concerts and Broadway-type shows. currently, Meanwhile in Jutland, officials event organisers are left choosing between the outdoor 55,000-seat worry what new Copenhagen parken football stadium, which facility will do to tourism can be too large and is unprotected from the elements, and the Upporters of the city’s numerous but less roomy proposed multi-purpose venues, that are inadequate for arena in the city’s Øres- the expected crowd numbers. tad district are pointing The new proposed arena will have to the success of the recent world a retractable roof. cycling championships as a signal “We want a design that enthat copenhagen needs – and courages organisers to choose can support – a new, world class copenhagen for prestigious sporting and concert facility. international events, and we Although efforts to build want to give both our citizens the so-called ‘copenhagen Are- and visitors new experiences,” na’ have been underway for 12 Jensen continued. years, politicians backing the The tourism bureau Wondernew facility only cleared the hur- ful copenhagen believes that the dles to begin the necessary ap- success of the cycling championproval process this past summer. ships shows that copenhagen is “copenhagen has just ex- ready for a top-notch facility. perienced the atmosphere and “Wonderful copenhagen energy that springs from hosting has pushed for a multi-arena in an event like the [Uci road] copenhagen for a long time,” World championship in cy- said the organisation’s managing cling,” said city mayor frank director Lars Bernhard Jørgensen.

Jensen. “our hope is that the “recent years show that copennew arena will attract other ma- hagen is a popular host city for jor sporting events as well as in- international events. With a multernational concerts.” ti-arena, copenhagen will have a The climax of the Uci road needed facility for major indoor World championships was re- events – sports as well as music portedly watched by 250,000 and culture – so we can expand spectators. copenhagen’s position as an inThe goal for the 15,000 ternational host city.” seat facility is to attract sportThe 35,000 sqm arena will ing events like major interna- have space for bars, restaurants tional handball tournaments, as and other facilities designed to

s

If acts such as the eagles chose to go to Copenhagen instead of coming here, tourism in Jutland would suffer integrate with the surrounding neighbourhood. The goal is for the area around the arena to stay busy, even on those days when no major event is scheduled inside the hall. A new skating rink and public school are also planned in the immediate area.

The price tag for the proposed arena is one billion kroner, three times higher than the cost of the similarly-sized Jyske Bank Boxen in herning, which opened last November. supporters of the new arena account for the higher cost by pointing to differences in architecture between the two facilities and the challenges presented by the relatively undeveloped area around the new arena site. in recent years, acts like Lady Gaga, U2 and Bon Jovi have chosen to appear at venues in Jutland rather than in Denmark’s capital city. some in Jutland believe a new arena in copenhagen would affect business in cities like hors-

ens and Aalborg. “if acts such as the eagles, who played in Aalborg this year, chose to go to copenhagen instead of coming here, tourism in Jutland would certainly suffer,” said Michael hollænder, a concert promoter and tour bus operator from Aalborg.

The city of horsens has also been a popular concert destination in recent years, and restaurant owner hans Nicolaisen said a new arena in copenhagen would definitely have a negative impact on his business – and his town.

“When i started my restaurant in horsens 13 years ago, the city had a bad reputation,” said Nicolaisen. “concerts by people like Bob Dylan and Bryan Adams brought horsens some muchneeded positive publicity. i can do as much business on the night of a big show as i can on 10 days of a normal month.” he said horsens is already losing shows to the new arena in herning, and things will get even tougher if copenhagen enters the mix.

But herning restaurateur Jan taulbjerg isn’t sure that a new arena in copenhagen will affect his business at all. “i don’t think it will have an effect on what happens in herning,” said taulbjerg. “some things are meant to be in copenhagen, and some are meant

Fact file | proposed arena The multi-purpose copenhagen Arena will seat 15,000. how does that stack up against other area arenas?

• • • • • •

parken 55,000 Malmö Arena 15,500 copenhagen Arena 15,000 Aalborg energi Nord Arena 13,797 cAsA Arena horsens 10,400 Aalborg: Gigantium 5,000

to be in herning.” construction of the arena will be managed by a partnership created by the city in collaboration with property investment fund realdania. each partner will pay 325.25 million kroner to the new company to build the arena on land owned by city development firm cph city & port. two companies, AeG and Live Nation, are in the running for the chance to operate the new arena. once the operator is chosen, an international architectural competition will be held to choose the designer.

Building work is scheduled to start next year, with completion slated for 2015.

Right on red?

Cyclists, go.

Cars, no

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f the city gets its way, cyclists will soon be allowed to make right turns at red lights and to ride aganst the flow of traffic on most one-way streets. The plan is part of the city’s ongoing campaign to encourage bicycling and raise the percentage of cyclist commuters from 35 to 50 percent by 2015.

As 75 percent of all bicyclists in copenhagen already make right turns at red lights, according to a study from the technical University of Denmark, the change will only legalise what the majority already do anyway.

“A lot of people already cycle against one-way traffic on the streets we are suggesting, and that’s much more dangerous,” Ayfer Baykal, the deputy mayor for technical and environmental affairs, said. ”We are thinking first and foremost about safety with this initiative.”

The city council is currently discussing the proposal with the police to ensure that it has its full agreement.

“There will be strict standards about how to cycle against traffic, so that it won’t be dangerous for anyone. Beyond that, the police have to approve the plan, so that we can be completely certain about it,” Baykal said. (JB)

new government to enhance green economic co-operation with China yang Jingzhong & DevapRiyo Das, Xinhua neWs denmark’s export ambassador to China is on week-long trip to the Land of the dragon

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he new government will push green economic cooperation with china, Denmark’s export ambassador to china, ritt Bjerregaard, said in advance of her week-long visit to china, which started on sunday.

The former city mayor, who is tasked with improving Denmark’s trade and investment co-operation with the world’s second-biggest economy, said she will champion investment and collaboration in clean technology during the visit. “i think energy and environment will be very, very high on the list of priorities,” Bjerregaard said of sino-Danish investment cooperation.

These sectors, according to Bjerregaard, are also a priority for Denmark’s new social Democrat-led coalition government. “it is absolutely clear to the new government that they need to pay a lot of attention to what we call sustainability: areas such as low-energy consumption, renewable energies, environment and waste treatment,” Bjerre-

gaard told china’s Xinhua News in an exclusive interview.

Danish companies have a history of innovation and market dominance in green technologies like wind turbines, temperature control systems, low-energy pumps, and water treatment and sanitation systems, and Bjerregaard’s visit coincides with a major wind power exhibition.

Bjerregaard, who served as mayor of copenhagen until 2009, herself has a good understanding of both environment and food safety policies as she previously served as the eU commissioner for the environment, and as a former Danish minister for food, agriculture and fisheries.

Bjerregaard has hosted a number of chinese trade delegations and companies in Denmark since being appointed export ambassador in June, and made her first official trip to china in August. Now she is keen to open up new joint ventures.

Denmark has a head start in the development of this technology and is encouraging the use of household waste, agricultural biomass, geo-thermal heat and other renewable energy sources to power district heating plants.

“What Denmark can compete on is the very high standard of its clean technology industry,”

Bjerregaard said. “for many products, we could also be a very good test case.” yet despite the head start, Danish companies could find themselves struggling to compete with the chinese, and other emerging markets, which already enjoy a competitive advantage in manufacturing, and are rapidly becoming better innovators as well. “i would say that it is very nice to see this development in china – from moving away from only being able to manufacture, to now having a very, very high standard of research and development,” Bjerregaard said.

Denmark recently appointed five export ambassadors responsible for expanding trade co-operation with the Bric nations – Brazil, russia, china and india – and other emerging markets such as indonesia, south Africa and turkey.

According to the foreign Ministry, exports to Bric countries contributed only five percent of Denmark’s overall exports, based on 2009 data.

Meanwhile, the confederation of Danish industry said the country’s total exports could rise 14 percent by 2030, with exports to china comprising nine percent of that figure, making it Denmark’s third-largest trade partner.

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OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Forward to the past

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HERE’S a big difference between the smiling, handshaking and ‘let’s all get along’ campaigning during the general election last month and the cut-throat reality in the halls of parliament.

For those who weren’t aware, Berlingske newspaper this week devoted a whole page to listing the 21 campaign promises the Social Democrats and Socialist People’s Party have had to scrap, postpone or otherwise significantly scale back now that they have come to power.

And that was just the outcome of their negotiations with their allies, the Social Liberals, in order to form the government.

With friends like that, who needs enemies?

In the Danish political system, the answer is: “The government does.” It seems that a lot of people have forgotten that fact after ten years of partisan politicking and iron-clad contracts with voters.

For those that need a refresher course on Danish politics pre2001, minority governments and broad-based coalitions have generally been the rule. That required governments to negotiate, which invariably required making concessions. Governments got their legislation passed, but not without it being influenced by someone with a different political agenda.

But from November 2001 until last month, politics was nicely summed up by the Liberal slogan that translates roughly as: “Vote Liberal – and you know what you’ll get.”

The slogan refers to the previous government’s pledge not to veer from the legislative agenda it set out in successive contracts with voters. And it was a reminder that with its lock on power, the government was all but guaranteed to get that agenda passed in its entirety.

Unambitious though it might have been, the concept sat well with the voters and the media. It was easy to understand, and if the government didn’t do what it said, they could be taken to task for breaking their promise. That same kind of rigid logic can’t be applied to a coalition, but unfortunately for the new government, many are still trying.

Of course, giving up on campaign pledges never plays well in the media, and not everyone walks away from compromises with an equal share of the victory, but it’s one thing to give ground, it’s another thing entirely to break a promise.

After ten years of one-sided legislation, it’s good to see a new government built on consensus and ready to reach beyond its immediate circle of allies to pass legislation – even if no-one quite remembers what that’s like.

21 - 27 October 2011

Not capable of being integrated?

ÅGE KRAMP

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INCE 2004, Denmark has rejected the family reunification applications of over 800 children with parents from outside the EU. The decisions were made on the grounds that the children would never be able to integrate. One of these cases, that of Ripa, a sevenyear-old girl from Bangladesh, was featured on the front page of The Copenhagen Post on September 30 The current immigration law for adults was to a large degree passed in 2002 by parliament, which was then led by the Liberal-Conservative government.

In 2004, the same government also restricted children’s right to immigrate to Denmark to join a parent living here. Two measures were used to achieve this. Firstly, the age limit was lowered from 18 to 15. Secondly, a rule was created stipulating that children who came to Denmark more than two years after their father or mother needed to be evaluated on the ba-

sis of their ability to integrate.

The bill was presented to parliament as a law against ‘reeducation trips’, in which children are deliberately sent out of Denmark or kept in their home country for the duration of their formative years so as not to be influenced by the Danish educational system, or the nation’s values or norms. Examples of such trips include sending a young person to Koran school in an Arabic country.

After a handful of critical articles in the press in early 2007, written guidelines were issued on 1 July 2007 that clarified what was meant by “capable of being integrated”. Among the criteria were: whether the child could understand Danish, had attended school in a parent’s home country, etc. But, at no point during the application review process, does someone from the Immigration Service meet with the child, or speak with the parents, the child’s school, after-school club or other people the child interacts with in order to find out whether the applicant is “capable of being integrated”. At no point in the process is a professional asked to evaluate the child. The decision is purely administrative.

Based on the 2007 rule, the risk group included children from the age of 10 and up. But in 2010, the Immigration Service began rejecting applications for children as young as two on the grounds they were not capable of being integrated – children

who were too young to have ever been in school. In many cases, including Ripa’s, the parents made the choice to bring their child to Denmark so they could have the benefit of attending a Danish school. Others sent their children to expensive private schools so they could learn English well enough to improve their chances of getting a good education when they moved to Denmark. These children, however, had their applications rejected.

The justice system hasn’t extended the protection of law to these children. The court has only been asked to consider the information that had been collected at the time the rejection was issued.

If immigration authorities never asked for the information that would have been necessary for making a well-founded decision, then there was never any legal reason to alter a decision.

Nevertheless, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Denmark, in two instances, violated the rights of children.

The most recent decision involved a girl named ‘Osman’, in which the court found that Denmark was in violation of international law by denying her entry to Denmark after returning from a ‘re-education trip’. According to the decision, Denmark was in effect punishing ‘Osman’ by not granting her family reunification.

In its new common policy, the government has expressed its intention to revise the rules for family reunification of children

The future looks bright for the hundreds of children living in Denmark illegally

in light of the fact that the rules in many cases have not worked as intended. An appeals board will also be established to hear complaints about family reunification decisions. This body will hopefully extend greater legal protection than the courts have been able to. Also up for consideration will be whether the law should be scrapped entirely in light of the most recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights.

No matter how you look at it, the future looks bright for the hundreds of children living in Denmark illegally, who have already learned Danish and are already fully-integrated in schooland after-school activities, and who simply wish to live a normal family life without the risk the police will come knocking on their door.

The author is an immigration lawyer and the sole practitioner at the law firm CityAdvokaterne.

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Great news. With Easyjet I can travel back and forth from the kontanthjælp in KBH to the unemployment office in France. I can get free dental care in France and a fat check in Denmark .I can screw both systems because it´s my own human right!!! Viva EU!!!! magic1964 By website I have lobbied for this law change for quite a few years with Tina from Switzerland so when the law passes in a few months there will be a party in Copenhagen!

Larryjf By website Fix on Wheels Why reward drug addicts? If you could convince me that these rooms make things safer for nonaddicts I might care. Call me heartless but addicts dying isn’t that bad a thing. It’s a good warning to others and killing themselves is arguably what they’re trying to do in the first place. Why stop them? Life is for those who want it. I do. Heroin addicts don’t.

Mafketis By website Think heartless is an understatement! What about other addicts, do you have the same opinion of them. For a start there will be few needles on the streets for your children to pick up and fall on a cleaner environment, less chances

of infections leading to complications, and hospital treatment saving your precious healthcare resources. Every life is important - they are just as important as you and I (maybe a little more important than you!). They are human beings who deserve help. Who are we to judge people, and if people can help them I certainly am all for it.

Rugratzz By website Mafketis, I hope you will get rewarded!! With just a little bit of wisdom! You obviously don’t know very much about addiction, and if you’re lucky, you will never learn. But try to think?? Do you have a sister? Or any family members you care about? What if??

Would you prefer they die on the streets? Or would you like them to have a chance to survive? It’s actually that simple! And again. I really hope you get rewarded.

APB By website New mother gets temporary deportation order In an immigration case brought to the British Supreme Court relating to age limits for marriage visas and the ECHR – a previous ruling required couples to be aged over 21 to apply for a marriage visa in Britain - the Supreme Court ruled that the age limit breached the rights of legally married cou-

ples aged 16-20 under article 8 of the ECHR (right to private and family life). The outcome was based on the same European law that Denmark has signed up to and if this Danish couple were unsuccessful in Denmark, the British case could be used as a precedent in an appeal to the European Courts. Based on that, it could be said that the “24 rule” is unlawful.

Also, even though the mother is not an EU citizen, it would also breach the UNCRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) to separate the child from its parents if the mother was to be deported.

Bydland By website Drive not fast or furious enough Silly woman ... been watching too much Ally McBeal!

Jeg er By website Get a life! As an American, I am embarrassed that someone from the US would waste time on this type of lawsuit. We have so many other important issues that need attention!!!

Flemingtona By website Seriously, in the US a ridiculous, frivolous lawsuit like this will never see the light of day in a courtroom or newspaper, but since this film has a Danish connection, we are going to hear about every little thing as if it were big news.

JFD By website

Who are you calling ghetto?

Saying vulnerable sounds like you’re a bit of weakling. I prefer ‘deprived’, which captures the state of the neighbourhood more accurately in my opinion (it is deprived of necessary infrastructure etc, suggesting the public authorities are primarily the ones that can solve the problem. But anything is better than ‘ghetto’!

Nebs By website As long as everyone is trying to be politically correct, the PC term used in the USA is ‘low income area’. If you want the street vernacular, it’s ‘da hood’. We don’t use ghetto either, and yes, you do have them in Denmark, Mr Hansen. tomnashdk By website A rose by another name would smell as sweet and a ghetto by any other name is still a ghetto. Sorry for the reality check. (By the way, personally I prefer ‘low income enriched area’).

Thorvaldsen By website Get your priorities right Frank, my commiserations. Only one mistake: you are attributing the lethal driving habits of Danes to some law or other. In fact they are lawless.

Oldjanus By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

21 - 27 October 2011

9

‘MacCarthy’s World’

BY CLARE MACCARTHY 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.

Make mine a double ILLUSTRATION BY AVIAJA BEBE NIELSEN

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IKE EVERY OTHER journalist in Denmark, the morning of 3 October found me speed-reading the 80-page coalition pact of the incoming centre-left government, trying to tease out the main themes, suss out the absences from the parties’ various election manifestos, and marshal some facts – and hopefully some sense – into a news story.

This is the stuff of routine, although the shift of power after a decade of the same crowd in office made the task rather more exciting than usual.

So I plodded through the pages, mentally ticking off boxes and jotting scribbles on my notepad. Until, that is, I hit the sentence that stopped me dead in my tracks: “Denmark is a modern society in an international world. Therefore, dual citizenship shall be permitted.”

Each and every other provision in the coalition agreement took a sharp exit stage right as I pondered the import of these few words. Of course, everything else in the document – on the economy, on unemployment, on education, health, welfare, foreign affairs, business – would also come to affect me (or at least impinge upon me) in some form or another in the months ahead.

But the sudden possibility of dual citizenship was viscerally personal. If the plans become translated into legislation (and given the new parliamentary majority there is nothing to suggest otherwise) several hundred thousand foreigners in Denmark will get a whole bunch of new rights. The same will apply to a great number of Danes who live abroad.

Allowing dual citizenship corrects an anomaly of Danish law that has put this country outside practices in most other European states and beyond the recommendations of a host of august interna-

Many will be drinking to the end of Denmark’s ‘all or nothing’ position on citizenship

tional bodies. Until now, the acquisition of Danish citizenship meant the compulsory renunciation of any other citizenship. Similarly, the acquisition of a foreign citizenship by a Dane obliged them to abandon their Danish nationality.

Prior to the announcement in the coalition document, various pressure groups and associations (notably Danes Worldwide and www.statsborger.dk) had lobbied doggedly for change. Their logic, bizarre case stories of inequity and unfairness at home and abroad, and the thousands of signatures they collected in petitions, fell on deaf ears.

Any plea to bring Denmark into

The sudden possibility of dual citizenship was viscerally personal line with the international norm was met with a blank Nej. Spurious arguments were trotted out to support the refusal to change.

The most important of these was the notion that dual citizenship necessarily implied split loyalties, that any-

body with a document attesting to citizenship of another country could never be a ‘real Dane’.

Balderdash, I say. This ‘all or nothing’ position is as indefensible as it is illogical.

For starters, the refusal of the previous government to open up for dual citizenship conveniently sidestepped the reality that several thousand Danes already enjoy it. I know this from my own household – my kids are dual citizens of Denmark and of Ireland.

This derives from a provision in law (which some would call a loophole but I call a right) that means that a non-

Danish citizenship automatically in effect at birth – as opposed to applied for at a later date – is no barrier to simultaneous Danish citizenship.

From their moment of birth my children inherited their Danish citizenship from their father and their Irish from me. And unlike several other categories of young dual citizens including foreignborn offspring of Danish fathers – they are not required to choose between one or the other on their 18th birthday.

Similarly, this country is home to many thousands of immigrants who, having satisfied the formalities for acquiring Danish citizenship, were unable to get their countries of birth to release them from their former citizenship. In such cases, letters of freedom are an impossibility, be it from constitutional restraints or the vagaries of dictatorships, so the Danish authorities just turn a blind eye and tolerate the duality.

The new law should mean no more heartbreaking choices for Danish children abroad on their 18th birthdays.

They will get the same rights as my kids already have.

For me personally, well, I’ll be first in the line to claim Danish citizenship.

I already satisfy the formal requirements as they stand: I’m fluent in Danish (though some quibble at my accent), solvent, have a clean criminal record, do not owe the state any money and – because of 25 years spent observing and writing about Danes and Denmark – should be able to pass the general knowledge test without much effort.

Most crucially, I’ll be able to vote.

This, more than anything else, will give me a proper sense of belonging after a quarter of a century being an outsider on the inside. If anybody ever enquires as to my nationality I’ll answer: I’m Irish and Danish. And I’ll mean it.

CPH POST VOICES

‘SO SAYS CELIA’

‘PERNICKETY DICKY’

‘STILL ADJUSTING’

‘TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK’

Celia Thaysen is a British love refugee who landed on these shores six years ago. With below-par Danish, a tendency to tardiness, and a fondness for Marmite, she spends her time fumbling her way through unfamiliar territory as a working mother-of-two with a house in the ‘burbs.

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 to a Dane. Frank comes from a different time and a different culture – which values are the right ones today?

10 News

The COpenhagen pOsT CphpOsT.dk

21 - 27 October 2011

study: 50/50 custody works if parents co-operate Fewer choosing adoption Colourbox

jennifer buley new study reports outcome of 2007 ‘equal custody’ law

W

hile equal custody arrangements have become increasingly common in Denmark over the past decade, in 2007 they became the rule when a unanimous parliament passed the Parental Responsibility Act and made equally shared custody the default.

Unless the parents agree to a different custody arrangement, the state favours and enforces equal custody, known as the 7/7 solution, which see children spend alternating seven-day periods with each parent.

From the beginning it was controversial; parents and experts questioned whether having two homes was healthy for kids. Four years later the Danish National Centre for Social Research (SFi) has released the first report on how the arrangement is affecting the children, and the results are mixed. “it’s more difficult for children to have two homes than one. But that’s not tantamount to saying its distressing for all children,” Mai heide Ottosen, an SFi senior researcher, told Politiken newspaper. “if the parents are able to create continuity between the two different home

Getting along is the key to custody success, the report finds

situations, it can work well.”

By continuity, Ottosen means not only that they must agree to basic parenting rules, but that they should also live close to one another and be willing to switch days and co-ordinate pickups and drop-offs. in short, they should be able to co-operate with one another as well as, or better than, married couples.

SFi determined that equal custody arrangements are easier for small children to tolerate than for teenagers who want more control over their clothes, rooms, schedules and proximity to friends.

While most children could adapt happily to having two homes and living half time with each parent, the report concluded that 7/7 custody agreements primarily serve the interests of the parents, which is precisely what

critics have claimed for years. “in my experience, the adults [with equal custody agreements] are driven more by their own wishes than out of love and concern for the child,” Anja Cordes, the chairperson for Danske Familieadvokater, an association for family lawyers, told Politiken in 2008.

Børns Vilkår, a private advocacy group for children’s rights, also maintains that children do better when they have one primary home, not two. Børns Vilkår chairman Peter Albæk said forcing divorced couples who do not get along to share the children equally only exacerbates problems.

“We worry that if they need to get a divorce and they can’t get along, a 7/7 custody agreement is a terrible answer. having custody seven days out of every 14 requires very close co-operation,

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

Economics & competition - are they different in Denmark?

Svend Hylleberg, Dean of Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University Svend Hylleberg was mentioned in the 4th edition of Who’s Who in Economics, for good reason! He has held Professor and Visiting Professor of Economics posts at Aarhus University, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Cornell University, and Australia’s National University (ANU).

In 1998 he became Head of School of Economics and Management at Aarhus University. He has recently taken on a new role as Dean of the merged Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences. Svend’s research and teaching focuses on Economics and Econometrics. He is Chairman of the Board of Jyske Invest, and a member of the Board of Egenfonden. He is also Associate editor for Macroeconomic Dynamics.

Svend also has a blog at svendhylleberg.blogs.business.dk where he is not afraid to discuss controversial topics, for example: • • • • • •

Thoughtless monopolising What should we do with competition law?

Competition - what’s missing?

Mistaken leaders in the public sector Risk of jail sentencing would help prevent cartels Why is Denmark so expensive?

Event programme: 11.45 Registration & welcome drinks 12.00 Welcome & introduction by Mariano A. Davies, President, BCCD 12.05 Guest speaker - Svend Hylleberg 12.30 Questions & discussion 12.55 Announcements by Penny Schmith, Executive Director, BCCD 13.00 Buffet lunch & networking Date Friday, 28 October Venue: Conference Suite on 1st floor, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Hammerichsgade 1, Copenhagen K

Members are welcome to bring guests at a charge of DKK 300 inc moms. Non-members may attend for DKK 350 inc moms, on request to the secretariat. If you sign up & later need to cancel your attendance, then please let us know by Wednesday 26 October, otherwise you will still need to pay.

You can sign up via the website, send an email to event@bccd.dk or phone 31 18 75 58

• official media partner Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

and not everybody can do that,” Albæk told Politiken.

Not surprisingly, SFi’s study found that 7/7 custody sharing works best when parents freely choose it and plan it together.

Such agreement, planning and sharing is predicated on being able to co-operate and get along. however, not all divorced couples can do that. As The Copenhagen Post reported last month, problems arise when the state – and not the parents – chooses equal custody. Since 2007, that has increasingly been the case in Denmark.

The SFi found that 17 percent of all eleven-year-olds in divorced families lived with equal custody arrangements. in 1994 just four percent did. in another study, however, Skilsmisseraad. dk, an online resource for people contemplating or going through a divorce, reports that as many as one-third of all divorced families have 7/7 arrangements today. in a study involving eight families, Skilsmisseraad.dk found that 90 percent were satisfied with the situation, whilst ten percent of the children “often” felt stressed by the split custody situation. Some 25 percent of the children interviewed reported “sometimes” feeling stressed by the 7/7 lifestyle. half of the divorced parents in the Skilsmisseraad.dk study reported having trouble co-operating with one another.

as waiting times increase Waiting times of up to five years have would-be parents giving up plans to adopt, study finds

F

eWeR people in Denmark today adopt children from other countries, mirroring a general global trend. however, the downturn here is less dramatic than elsewhere, according to a new report by the National Board of Adoption.

Adoptions of foreign children by Danes fell by 20 percent between 2004 and 2010, but they dropped by 44 percent in the US, and by 26 percent in France in the same period, according to the study. in 2010, 419 foreign children were adopted by Danes, as opposed to 527 in 2004.

“From a global perspective the number of international adoptions grew in the period 1998-2004, but began to wane after 2004, when the volume of international adoptions reached its high point,” the adoption board reported.

Not only are fewer Danes adopting children internationally, but the ones who do are waiting longer. in 2010, adoptive parents in Denmark waited an average of two years and ten months from the time their applications were

approved until they brought their children home – eight months longer, on average, than in 2009.

Additionally, single applicants waited seven months longer on average than couples did in 2010.

Public broadcaster DR reports that waiting times for adopting children from particular countries are considerably longer.

Danes waiting to adopt children from Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech Republic and india typically wait three or four years today, while those applying for children from China wait an average of five years, according to DR’s sources.

By contrast, waiting times for Kenyan children are short, but few Danes pursue adoptions in Kenya because the Kenyan government requires foreign adoptive parents to live there for a minimum of six months.

The National Board of Adoption also found that both adopted children and their adoptive parents are getting older. Whereas in 2004, 31 percent of children adopted from another country were under the age of one when they were brought to Denmark, in 2010 only four percent were. The number of adoptive parents over the age of 45 has also risen in the past few years, the study found. (JB)

Denmark’s most effective Danish courses! www.kiss.dk

community

The COpenhagen pOsT CphpOsT.dk

21 - 27 October 2011

11

Malaysian community makes it a night to remember at joint celebration bash Photos: Clive thain & Words: Ben hamilton

The city’s Malaysian community and many more gathered for a joint celebration last Saturday at Restaurant Halvleg in Hvidovre to mark the country’s independence day and the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Malaysian Danish Association (visit www.md-a.dk to learn more). Close to 150 guests enjoyed performances, live cooking demos, a raffle, and a fantastic spread of Danish and Malaysian food.

MDA chairman Poo Chu Chua explains for There’s nothing like a buffet to get the heart racing, and the colourful and varied the uninitiated the background behind ‘nasi selection of Danish and Malaysian cuisines went down a treat with those in at- lemak’ – a rice-based dish cooked in coconut tendance. milk wrapped in banana leaves.

No celebration is complete without a cake ….

a four-piece band …

Among the guests were the Toh family – (left-right) Elizabeth, Prescott, Michelle and Kong Leong, – caught here singing along with other guests to the Malaysian national anthem, ‘Negaraku’ ...

Pictured here are the Malaysian Danish Association’s committee members: (left-right) Zie Scheibel (the treasurer), Peter Wee, Cassandra, Mona Lee-Wee, Poo Chu Chua (the chairman), Mikael, Jacob, Louise, Jan Ziska (the secretary) and Katrine.

MDA member Adilatul Salmiah Abdullah was at hand to help a young guest try his luck at preparing a traditional Malaysian lacy pan- A ‘Special Loyalty’ award was presented to Mary Rose and Poul Træholt (left) for being members of the MDA since its establishment on 11 November 2001. cake (‘roti jala’).

traditional costumes …

MDA treasurer Zie Scheibel (second right) with Kwan, Sandra, and Aden …

and, er, line dancing.

and last but not least, Mona, Julietta, Peter and Bjarne.

12

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

21 - 27 October 2011

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

Crown Princess Mary was presented with a bouquet by a young girl before entering the Consortium for Global Talent last week on Wednesday. The Crown Princess attended the consortium to offer her support to expanding the Danish talent pool through the attraction and retention of international talent. She said foreign skilled professionals are of paramount importance to Denmark. Photo: René Strandbygaard

Maersk CEO Niels Smedegaard addresses a crowd of CEOs and representatives from 15 major Danish companies with ties abroad. The consortium works to change Danish attitudes and behaviour towards foreigners. Smedegaard contended that people from around the world need to be welcomed to Denmark in order for the companies to conduct good business and be highly successful. Maersk, a company that employs workers from nearly 140 countries, was just one of the businesses to give its support to the effort. Photo: René Strandbygaard

City mayor Frank Jensen, the deputy mayor for the technical and environmental committee, Ayfer Baykal, and Henry Tvarnø from the AP Moller Foundation were invited to officially start work on the three new bridges across the harbour that will enable easier access to the Opera House and other locations in Holmen and Christianshavn from the city. The bridges have also been named, after three rather unimaginative entries were chosen from over 600 submissions from the public. They are Inderhavnsbroen (the ‘Inner Harbour Bridge’), Trangravsbroen (the ‘Trangraven Bridge’ - over Christianshavn Channel and Trangraven) and Proviantbroen (the ‘Supplies Bridge’ - over ProviantMagasinGraven).

Smedegaard (left), Crown Princess Mary (centre) and Tine Horwitz, director of the Consortium for Global Talent (right), joined forces at the consortium to speak about the importance of Danish businesses joining forces to improve the framework conditions for workers and their families so that more skilled foreign professionals will stay in Denmark - a challenging but obtainable goal, they say. Photo: René Strandbygaard

The Nordic Film Council welcomed royalty on Monday, ‘The Queen’ herself. British actress Helen Mirren (centre) was their star guest at the Danish Design Centre where she presented the Nordic Council Film Prize 2011 for the best Scandinavian film to Pernilla August (right), the director of Swedish entry ‘Svinalangorna’, and Lolita Ray (left), who co-wrote the script with August. The director retained her surname after a seven-year marriage to Danish director Bille August from 1991–1997.

Representing Iceland Air, these female flight attendants were one of several choirs who attended the Airline Sports and Cultural Association´s Music Gala and Sound of Music event at the SAS Airlines HQ in Amager. Other airlines represented were Finnair and SAS.

At work and at play Isabelle Valentine’s husband works at a video game company and gets to play at work. She also wanted to play for a living so she started the Montessori International Preschool. She moved to Frederiksberg in May 2008 where she lives with her young family.

I

Danish artist Nina Beier, who is based in Berlin, was in town to attend the unveiling of her exhibition at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, which consists of works made from second-hand clothing, including a Persian rug overlaid with dog hair. Here she is pictured with Mark Sladen, the director of the art institution.

Another new exhibition at Kunsthal Charlottenborg features the work of English artist Simon Starling, the winner of the Turner Prize in 2005, which consists of two pieces: a rather hair-raising installation about Japanese culture and nuclear energy (pictured), and a 25-minute puppet theatre piece, suitable for kids.

T WAS a few years ago when I had just moved here that I first heard the expression: ‘third culture kid’. I was surprised I had not heard it before.

Mind you, I heard it from an American woman whose husband is Greek and whose family was moving from Copenhagen to Sweden. Not the typical local crowd. So who qualifies as a third culture kid?

According to the official definition, it’s “someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time in one or more cultures other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture.”

Well, I certainly feel like one since my mother is from the Philippines, my father is French, I have lived in my parents’ home countries, and I also partly grew up in Canada where I was born.

But what does that make me now, with a British husband and living in Denmark? A fifth-culture adult? And how about my own children? They will indifferently have for breakfast a bowl of cereal or a croissant or a bowl of rice with soy sauce or some Marmite on

toast (which I would not touch with a ten-foot pole, but that’s another story).

My son goes to the French school and he is not unique in his multicultural upbringing. It is amazing that him and most of his friends are fluently bilingual and many are trilingual. He is only six years old. They easily switch languages without even realising it. This is a true advantage for all of them and I would love to know that this will become the norm in the future.

Language is more than knowing how to communicate with others, it’s about feeling the culture, understanding the particularities of the local ways and getting a grasp of the way people

think. I started my preschool with three little 2.5-year-old girls who could not speak or understand any English.

After two months, they can now understand everything that we ask of them and they can respond with simple English phrases. They also remember and sing lots of songs in English. I am absolutely amazed at how their little minds adapt so well to their environment and to the need to communicate and be understood.

These are true little third culture kids who will definitely shape the future and hopefully keep their open minds and flexibility in everything they do and experience.

Third culture kid: Someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time in one or more cultures other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture

CommuniTY

The COpenhagen pOsT CphpOsT.dk

21 - 27 October 2011

13

exiles’ grip on championship all but gone following narrow defeat

Powerhouse Anni madsen on her way to scoring against Frederiksberg

Julia Lopez went on to score a hat-trick against CBS

Margaret FulhaM Lyngby-based expats club will need a miracle to overhaul Frederiksberg and claim back-to-back titles

T

raditionally slow starters, the women’s side from the lyngby-based internationals club Exiles again made life difficult for themselves in their first match

against Frederiksberg, allowing the hosts to shoot ahead to a 14-0 lead with two quick tries in the first five minutes before gradually working their way into the game. Solid work by the Exiles forwards saw the visitors camped in Frederiksberg’s 22 for the rest of the half where their dominance in the rucks allowed anni Madsen to score following a turnover in possession. a late try for Sophie rosgaard then pulled the score back to 14-12

COMIng Up sOOn Talk: Small Acts of Resistance

Books & Company, Sofievej 1, Hellerup; Thu 27 Oct, 19:00-21:00; tickets 50kr; sign up by sending an e-mail to signup@booksandcompany.dk

Steve Crawshaw, director of advocacy for amnesty international, will be giving a speech on his recent book ‘Small acts of resistance’ – stories of more than 80 acts of resistance across the world and spanning two centuries. Make sure you sign up in good time because this is an evening you don’t want to miss! tK EiD: Expat Thursday

Copenhagen Marriott Hotel, Kalvebod Brygge 5, Cph V; Wed 26 Oct, 18:0020:00; sign up at www.expatindenmark.dk

Expat in denmark invites you to their Expat Thursday event (on a Wednesday) with guest speaker Camilla treschow Schrøder, a professional headhunter with 12 years of experience in the field. She will teach participants how to market themselves via popular website linkedin and personal branding. learn about ways to get yourself noticed by headhunters and recruiters on linkedin and how to make a brand for yourself to better propel your career. Moreover, once you land your dream job, learn skills on how to negotiate your salary. The presentation will be

followed by a networking session at the bar at the Marriott Hotel where you can meet fellow participants and ask Schrøder questions to the speaker. JS

Yul Anderson concert and after-party

Concert at the Queen’s Hall Concert Room, Black Diamond, Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1, Cph K; Sat 22 Oct at 19:30; 250kr for adults, 100kr for children; www.expatindenmark.com, www.YulAnderson.com

american-born artist yul anderson will be performing at the Black diamond. anderson creates a personal experience with music inspired by debussy, Bach and ravel with a little Jimi Hendrix thrown into the mix. Following the concert, there will be an after-concert reception at the Marriott Hotel where there will be time for socialising, drinks and another performance. later in the evening enjoy a relaxing atmosphere and background music of diverse genres. JS Photo Cph Studio Session

Roberto Photo Studio, Carl Jacobsens Vej 20, Valby; Sun Oct 23, 10:00; cost: 50kr per person; www.meetup.com/ photo-cph, www.robertophoto.dk

Join the largest photo meet-up group in Scandinavia for a day in the studio at an unbeatable price. Easy to locate with public

Becky Jensen looking to add to the ever-growing try tally against CBS

at half time with the Exiles in the ascendancy.

The second half was an exciting display of open, running rugby with play see-sawing from one end of the pitch to the other. Frederiksberg again scored first and with the conversion pulled away to a 21-12 lead.

Exiles hit back with another try from Madsen after a turnover 40 metres out. Then it was Frederiksberg’s turn again before Madsen completed her hat

trick-bursting through the defence from five metres to bring Exiles within two points of the lead. despite pressuring strongly in the final minutes of the game, Exiles were unable to convert their dominance into points with Frederiksberg defending desperately to hang on for a 2826 victory.

The result puts Frederiksberg five points clear at the top of the table with two matches

remaining. although mathematically possible, it is looking increasingly unlikely that Exiles will be able to claim back-toback titles.

The second match against CBS was a much more onesided affair. despite having improved markedly throughout the season, CBS were outplayed by an Exiles team that totally dominated in open play and ran in seven tries, including a hattrick by Julia lopez.

transportation, this spacious studio will give you room to work and practice your photography skills. The day’s agenda includes an introduction to the studio and equipment, a lesson on the basics of portrait photography followed by a do-it-yourself portrait shooting session with live models, and finally an end-ofthe-day wrap-up. advance your photography skills while meeting fellow photographers at all levels. JS

sionally ironic discussion afterwards. Themes will include the meanings of ‘home’ and ‘hygge’ to the danes, danish norms and values in the education system, the social and political mobility of refugees and immigrants in denmark, and social life in denmark: norms and values regarding how to behave socially. JS

more into crotchet, you are welcome as well. The next dates for the knitting club are 15 nov, and 29 nov. EK

Why are the Danes the way they are? Øster Farimagsgade 5 B, 2.1.30 (building 2), Cph K; five sessions every Wednesday, 17:15-19:00, ends 23 Nov; 400kr per person

What in the world does ‘hygge’ mean? Why do all danes seem so introverted? Find out the answers to all of your burning questions on danish values and behaviour at this presentation.

Hosted by two local anthropologists, anne Mia Steno and alexandra ryborg, the event will begin with a brief introduction to social anthropology and its methods focusing on the central aspects of danish culture and society. aimed to provide participants with tools to better understand danish social life, the course will actively involve the audience in a critical and occa-

Fish and Chip night

Fisk & Færdigt, HC Ørsteds Vej 37B, Frederiksberg; returning in November

due to a problem with the friers, it doesn’t look like this popular evening (traditionally the last Thursday of the month) will return until november. Fisk & Færdigt’s English owner Simon longhurst, fishmonger and chef extraordinaire, makes the best fish supper in the city – so watch this space for details. don’t forget that he also sells fantastic freerange turkeys as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas. BH Knitting Club

Bibliothekshuset, Rodosvej 4, Cph S; Tue 25 Oct, 15:30-17:00; free adm; www.bibbro@kff.kk.dk

at the knitting club you can swap gimmicks and experiences with like-minded people who share your passion for wool and yarn.

When your work is all tangled up, there is always a helping hand to sort out the knots. if you are

Bicycle Training

Hans Tavsen Park, Hans Tarvsens Gade 40, Cph N; ends 29 Oct, every Sat 10:00-13:00; free adm; contact: Cecilie Herløw 2291 5962, registration: ch@ drk.dk; www.dcf.dk

Every Saturday Cecilie Herlow offers free bicycle lessons for people with a non-danish background. if you can’t make it to nørrebro, please visit the bicycle club’s website to find out more about the lessons in amager, Vesterbro, Fredriksberg, Valby or tingbjerg. EK Storytime

Books & Company, Sofievej 1, Hellerup; every Tuesday 09:30-10:00; Free Adm; for more information check www.booksandcompany.dk/storytimeat-books-company

The popular story time is back after a summer break! tuesday mornings at the international book café are dedicated to inspiring and captivating the imagination of the little ones. The wonderful storyteller Sara albers, a teacher and a mother of two young boys, entertains the kids with stories, poems, finger plays and small projects. This is a fantastic way to start the day! tK

Fact file | exiles training times While Exiles’ season is due to finish next month, the women’s team welcomes players of all abilities to join them at their pre-season training sessions from december-april, meeting at the dtU in lyngby on tuesdays (18:00-20:00, indoors) and Saturdays (12:0014:00). remember, it takes all shapes and sizes to form a rugby team!

Chess for Kids and Teenagers

Skakforeningen AS04, Frejasgade 14, Cph N; every Thu, 18:00-19:00; www. as04.dk

Every Thursday the chess club in nørrebro offers lessons for kids and teenagers (6-16 years), including practical as well as theoretical instruction. learn more about opening variations, combination-techniques, basic chess principles and how to make notes on a chess game. Experienced chess instructors will show you the way to success. The first three lessons are free - after that membership at the chess club is 200kr for six months. EK Children’s Choir Kristkirke, Enghave Plads 18, Cph V; every Thu, children aged 5-7 years: 15:00-15:45, 8-11 years: 16:00-16:45; contact: metteskovmark@gmail.com, 2857 9407; www.kristkirke.dk after their summer break the children’s choirs at Kristkirke are resuming their practicing hours and welcoming new members. if you are between five and eleven years old and eager to sing, just contact singing teacher Mette Skovmark to get more information. after a little warming up, you will experience the dynamic of singing songs for several voices, a canon or whatever the group is up for. EK

14

SPORT

The COpenhagen pOsT CphpOsT.dk

21 - 27 October 2011

how touchy-feely rugby is slowly finding a home in scandinavia The danish game, buoyed by the Olympic inclusion of sevens, is back in the ascendancy again after nearly a decade in the doldrums

O

n Sunday morning, 18,000km away on the other side of the world, three men will put their arms around each other, while another two will rub their heads up against their posteriors, reach under their legs and grab them … just above the groin. no, the Village People aren’t reforming, this is the formation of a scrum and it will be the first of many in the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Thirteen years ago it didn’t look like a bum steer that denmark might one day take part in the competition. They were playing Italy, and two other 2011 WC participants, Russia and Georgia, for a place at the following year’s world cup. and while they lost all six of their qualifiers, three years later the national side celebrated an unbeaten year of rugby and reached a record-high world ranking of 36. Things were looking promising.

Today, however, they are languishing at number 69. They are playing in division 2C, Europe’s sixth tier of rugby for the teams ranked 29th to 33rd, and it feels like they’ve been there for some time. The last time denmark played an official international against an opponent that wasn’t one of Israel, austria, Hungary, norway or Slovenia was in april 2008. danish rugby is in a rut, and world cup qualification a distant dream.

“To be honest, the 15s team will never qualify for the World Cup – or at least not until it’s widely played, and the sport goes professional,” contended Inger Marie Godvin, the general secretary of the danish Rugby union (dRu). “and that’s not going to happen if it’s not available through the schools and you don’t see it on TV.” However, Godvin is optimistic that denmark can get promoted back to division 2B next year. On Saturday a 28-5 defeat of norway, the world number 91s, put denmark top of the table with three wins, one draw and a loss. They play Hungary away on October 29 and then entertain austria at home in april before a trip to Israel in May. Two wins will secure automatic promotion as group winners, and second place a play-off against the fourth-placed team in division 2B. Genetically, the danish people would appear to be a good fit for rugby.

The men are mostly tall and lean (the average height of 180.5cm is one of the world’s tallest) and with longer legs invariably comes pace – and when they’re not, they tend to be robust and heavy.

It isn’t surprising to learn that the only world-class male athletes to have grown up in denmark in recent years were both shot putters – in a parallel universe they might have made great prop forwards.

unfortunately, the heavier types in denmark tend to play handball, and to a lesser extent football (think Peter Schmeichel). Together the sports - which are easier to access (there are 30 times more handball clubs than rugby clubs, and being an indoor sport aids it tremendously) and more financially rewarding to excel at - account for the lion’s share of participants in team sports.

Still, danish rugby’s participation numbers continue to grow, particularly following the 2009 decision to introduce sevens rugby as an Olympic sport from 2016. “It’s great for us – the fact that it’s going to be on TV every four years is a huge boost,” enthused Godvin.

“We can certainly feel it – there’s been a lot more interest from the media, particularly as the IOC announcement was made in Copenhagen.

Following the 2012 Olympics, the sport’s governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), will start receiving funding from the Olympic movement – a slice of which the dRu will be eligible to receive, although the details haven’t been finalised yet. What is certain is that there will be no extra funding from the danish Olympic association. “It won’t make any difference,” said Godvin.

“That’s done in denmark according to the number of your members. So while some countries – like Germany for example – will receive lots of funding, we won’t.” nevertheless, danish sevens is moving in the right direction. denmark is ranked 19th in Europe, and Godvin is inspired by the performances of lesser rugby nations like Portugal, which earlier this year edged out England to win their eighth European championships, the 2011 Sevens Grand Prix Series; Fiji, which is the only country to win the sevens world cup twice despite never making it beyond the quarter-finals of the 15s version; and Kenya, Russia and the uSa, which have also emerged as worldbeaters in the game. and already several minor rugby-playing nations like Poland have switched their focus to sevens as they seek to develop the sport. While other unions, like Russia and China, are poised to take advantage of the vast funding from their national Olympic associations. denmark’s first aim must be to break into Europe’s top 12, which every year contest the GP Series. next summer, the danish team and fans will get a taste of the big time when Odense plays host to the GP Series finals from July 7-8 – an event that denmark will compete in and should further enhance the reputation of the sport, particularly as every Six nations country will be competing, with the possible exception of Ireland.

Meanwhile, Sweden is also embracing the sport and a new sevens league that started in 2010 is thriving. “already three new clubs have been set up to take part,” revealed Magnus Stangenberg, the technical director of the Swedish Rugby

scanpix

Ben Hamilton

Supporters never tire of watching New Zealand’s traditional performance of the haka - and Sunday’s World Cup final against France will be no different

union. “It’s much easier to put a team together for sevens than 15s.”

Stangenberg was realistic to know that qualification for the 2016 Olympics is a long shot – the men’s sevens side are ranked 14th in Europe. However, he believed the increased visibility will greatly benefit rugby’s development in Sweden.

“It’s a great tool for getting more people involved, and providing we have everything in place by 2016, we’ll enjoy the fruits of our efforts. Rugby has a bad press in this country – if an ice hockey game ends up in a fight, the media says it was more like a rugby game. 2016 will show the sport in a different light.”

Margaret Fulham, an australian player with Lyngby-based expats club Exiles, believed the same possibility exists in denmark, but did not believe that it should be done at the expense of 15s. “If all we are chasing is an Olympic medal, then I really think we are missing the point,” she said. “The Olympics is just one part of a broader picture. For me, sevens is a great introduction to the sport and fun to participate in, but it isn’t for everyone. a move to sevens would marginalise and exclude players, and the game here would lose its inclusiveness.”

Fulham instead recommended more emphasis on junior rugby. “What you ultimately want is a strong junior league so that even with the attrition rates in teenage sports you still end up with a healthy pipeline. Part of getting strong junior leagues requires things like role modelling, branding, the availability of rugby as an option for school sport, and pathway development. I think the dRu are doing a good job with the latter, but we really do need to be learning from handball and football for the others.”

Rugby in denmark reminds Fulham of football in australia in the 1960s and

70s, which benefited from an influx of immigrants from experienced nations.

“These were people who had grown up living and breathing it, imparting their experience, knowledge and best practices. If you look around the various clubs, that’s happening with rugby in denmark. It’s subtle and unassuming at times but it is definitely there.”

and some even end up representing denmark. according to IRB rules, immigrants are allowed to play for their adopted country once they have been a resident for three years.

So there would appear to be hope for denmark’s chances of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup … 40-50 years from today.

Fact file | danish rugby • •

•

• •

Rugby has been played in denmark since 1931.

The danish Rugby union was founded in 1950 and joined both the Sports Confederation of denmark and association of European Rugby in 1971, and the International Rugby Board in 1988. denmark haven’t beaten Sweden in an official international since 2001. up until that point, they had never lost to them. denmark’s highest ranking was 36, at the end of 2003. at this point Sweden were ranked 48.

However despite finishing 2005 above Sweden, an annus horribilis ensued in 2006 in which their rivals jumped 13 places to 41 while denmark fell eight to 60.

•

• •

•

In 2007 Sweden were promoted and denmark relegated from the same division, and they have not played in the same one since. denmark reached their lowest ever ranking of 73 in 2008.

The current Vikings Tri-nations champs are Sweden, following a 55-15 defeat of denmark in april, and a 18-7 win over norway in September. denmark’s most successful player was Michael Jeppesen, who played second row or flanker. He turned pro and played for the new Zealand side Wellington Hurricanes until a neck injury ended his career prematurely in the late 1990s, by which time he had only played 26 times for denmark.

Fact file | seven reasons to dig sevens • • • •

From 2016, it will become an Olympic sport.

The games are only 14 minutes in length and therefore conducive to providing upsets. a whole tournament can be played in one or two days. you don’t need freaks of nature - there are no line-outs for immensely tall players to dominate.

• • •

Every team has a chance - good tactics and speedy players can take you far.

It’s more fun, for both players and fans. With lots of running rugby, there are lots of tries.

There are none of the serious injuries caused by the oh-soboring collapsing scrum scenario.

Meat’s to blame

British betting invasion

seven out of seven

kessler fight postponed

no doubting Thomas

arch rivals to meet

CyCLIST Philip nielsen, who tested positive for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour of Mexico, has been cleared by the World antidoping agency (Wada) after it accepted that Mexican meat had been contaminated by the drug.

Wada had previously appealed following nielsen’s acquittal by a sports tribunal in denmark.

BRITISH online gaming group Sportingbet is buying danish rivals danbook and Scandic Bookmakers for 72 million kroner.

Sportingbet, which expects the deal to go through in early 2012, expressed interest in operating in regulated markets - from 2012, online betting will be subjected to a lower tax rate than at shops.

FRanK arnesen on Sunday oversaw a win for SV Hamburg as caretaker coach – only the second of their season. The club’s sporting director was filling in ahead of the arrival of Thorsten Fink. arnesen as a coach has never failed to win a game – previously winning six out of six as caretaker coach of PSV.

MIKKEL Kessler has postponed his super middleweight title fight against German world champion Robert Stieglitz at Parken on november 5, after suffering an injury to his right hand in training last week. The fight will be rescheduled for early next year - purchased tickets remain valid and refunds are available.

GOLFER Thomas Bjørn secured yet another top ten finish at the Portugal Open on Sunday. His recent good form, which included back-to-back wins two months ago, has seen him climb to number 27 in the world, four ahead of anders Hansen. Bjørn started the final round a shot off the pace, shooting a 71 to finish eighth equal.

dEnMaRK will play arch rivals Sweden in a friendly on november 11. The friendly will be the 102nd meeting between the nations, and denmark will be seeking to extend their winning run to three following two 1-0 wins in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Tickets are available at billetnet.dk and start at 125kr.

business

The COpenhagen pOsT CphpOsT.dk

21 - 27 October 2011

Jennifer Buley Bankers urge government to extend guarantees amidst broad signs of insecurity

J

ust days after the state absorbed the bad debts of the failed Max Bank, the country’s biggest banking association is asking the government to provide more help and extend the duration of its current loan guarantee agreement with nearly 50 banks.

“It would be really prudent if the politicians would leave the door open to prolonging the agreement so the banks can still get state guarantees after 2013,” Jan Kondrup, the managing director of the association of Local Banks, savings Banks and Cooperative Banks in denmark (LP), which represents 90 of the country’s 120 banks – told Politiken newspaper. under the terms of the current loan agreement, the state underwrote the loans of 49 different banks for a total of some 150 billion kroner to help them continue to borrow and lend during the recession. The state’s backing assured the banks’ lenders that taxpayers would pay off their loans should the banks themselves fail. Those

state guarantees are now beginning to lapse, with the majority due to expire in 2013. But LP’s bankers want the government – and taxpayers – to renew the coverage.

“If the current economic situation in Europe does not improve, it could mean the banks will run out of money to loan when the guarantees begin running out. If, for that reason, a number of banks can’t loan money to private and business customers, we’ll be stuck in a credit crunch that could lead to a national recession,” Kondrup said.

The Financial supervisory authority (Fsa) is also worried about what could happen when the guarantees lapse. The Fsa is currently analysing the banks’ plans for how they’ll secure their loans without taxpayers’ help.

“For some banks it will be a very big challenge,” the Fsa’s managing director, ulrik Nødgaard, told Politiken. “We see the guarantees running out as a big risk.”

Earlier this month, the Fsa announced that Max Bank was on the verge of failing, but managed to broker its acquisition by the more stable sparekassen sjælland. under the deal, the government assumed all of Max Bank’s ‘bad’

accounts – at an estimated cost of four billion kroner – while sparekassen sjælland only bought up the ‘good’ ones.

The deal was made possible by Bankpakke 4, the new bank security package signed into law by the last government just before the september election.

The new minister for business and industry, ole sohn, has not ruled out extending the state guarantees. he told Politiken that Bankpakke 4 allows failing banks that are acquired by, or merged with, healthier banks to get new state guarantees.

“In addition, discussions are now taking place about how to handle the European banking crisis. We’re awaiting the developments of these discussions,” sohn added.

This year alone the Fsa has warned that five particular banks – totalbanken, aarhus Lokalbank, andelskassen JaK slagelse, Basisbank, and spar salling sparekasse – have “limited solvency coverage”, reports Berlingske Business news.

Politiken newspaper also reports that FIh Erhvervsbank, alm Brand Bank, Østjydsk Bank, skjern Bank and Vestjysk Bank are especially dependent upon the government’s loan guarantees.

The Fsa is particularly

concerned about ensuring that banks have sufficient solvency coverage – or large enough cushions – relative to the risk levels of their portfolios.

“If you have a really solid loan portfolio, then it isn’t as dangerous to have limited solvency coverage compared to if you have a really risky loan portfolio,” the Fsa’s assistant general manager, Kristian Vie Madsen, told Berlingske Business. “Poor credit and limited solvency coverage isn’t a good sign. That’s obvious.”

In related news, financial daily Børsen reported that several danish banks are particularly vulnerable because struggling pig farmers make up significant parts of their loan portfolios. The pig farmers owe 239 billion kroner, and Børsen predicts that half of them will go out of business in the next ten years. Those farm failures could sink several banks, just as failing farms sunk the bank Fjordbank Mors in June.

Johannes Raaballe, an economics professor at aarhus university, believes many banks underestimate the risks of their farm loans.

“I am amazed that large depreciations haven’t been recorded and that we haven’t seen very many ownership changes for farm holdings,” Raabaalle told

colourbox

Banks appeal to state for additional help

15

Denmark’s largest banking association is asking the state for more help

Berlingske Business. “some banks are keeping weak farmers alive artificially to protect [the appearance] of their solvency.” sparekassen Bredebro, Vorbasse-hejnsvig sparekasse, and hunstrup-Østerild sparekasse are just three Jutland banks with more than 30 percent of their loan portfolios in farms, reports Børsen. to cap an unsettling week for the banking industry, the global ratings agency Fitch

placed denmark’s largest bank, danske Bank, on their warning list for a possible credit downgrade. danske Bank has had an a+ rating, but that could soon become a-, Fitch warned. seven other large international banks – including deutsche Bank, Barclays Bank, BNP Paribas, Credit suisse, Goldman sachs, and Morgan stanley – were also put on the warning list for possible credit downgrades.

Jennifer Buley 44 billion kroner deal would create mega outsourcing firm with over 1.1 million employees and annual revenues of 136 billion kroner

T

hE daNIsh-FouNdEd British security solutions company G4s announced on Monday it was buying the danish cleaning and catering solutions company Iss for over 44 billion kroner. Fifty percent of the purchase is to be in cash, with the rest in new stock shares.

Jeff Gravenhorst, the Iss chief operating officer, was named G4s’s new regional chief executive for Europe and chief operating officer for Europe.

Gravenhorst would also join G4s’s board of directors, it was announced. as a result of the buyout, Copenhagen-based Iss’s 525,000 employees would be added to G4s’s 625,000, making G4s the world’s largest supplier of integrated security, cleaning and catering solutions, a mega-company with over one million employees in 130 different countries and operations involving running prisons and training armies, as well as cleaning, feeding, and securing governments and private companies worldwide.

Both companies have had a strong focus on emerging markets like Brazil, India and Thailand.

together, 25 percent of the total business revenue – estimated at 136 billion kroner annually – will come from emerging markets, reports Jyllands-Posten.

Gravenhorst and G4s’s CEo Nick Buckles said Iss’s Copenhagen headquarters would be scaled down, but almost all of the two companies’ employees would keep their jobs. however, instead of giving G4s a boost, news of the dramatic deal sent share prices plummeting 22 percent on Monday. They bounced back by nine percent the following day, but the lacklustre reaction left the deal on shaky ground at the time this paper went to press.

The price tag for Iss was more than the value of G4s itself. at the close of trading on the London stock Exchange on Friday, G4s shares were valued at a total of 34 billion kroner. Three days later, G4s was purchasing Iss for 44.3 billion kroner. analysts said on Monday that Iss’s shareholders should be pleased with the deal.

“In the current business environment, it was very good to get 130 kroner per share. about a month ago I predicted about 40 billion kroner and now it’s ended up at 44 billion,” søren Løntoft hansen, a financial analyst at sydbank, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

Iss has had organic growth of four percent annually since it was delisted in 2005. For the

first quarter of 2011, growth was seven percent. But at 130 kroner each, G4s bought Iss’s shares for double their 2005 price.

That Iss would be sold had long been speculated, but no-one predicted a single buyer or such a price. Instead, a public offering was expected. That nearly happened this spring, but the plan was shelved amidst concerns that shares would not fetch a sufficient price in the uncertain financial market.

“If I was the venture capital funds, I would be quite happy considering the current market,” hansen added.

The swedish private equity firm EQt and Goldman sachs are the “happy” venture capital funds behind Iss. hansen called the deal “gigantic”, noting that G4s plus Iss would create a completely integrated supplier for security services, cleaning, catering, recycling and rubbish removal, and many more facilities services, all under a single umbrella.

“The world has become so complex, and security requirements have become so big, that you often cannot have different companies taking care of security, cleaning and catering. you need to have a single, combined supplier,” hansen said.

“In terms of security they can say: We stand for the whole deal, without any subcontractors. In that way, it really makes sense,” he added.

scanpix

British giant to buy danish ‘sister’

The Copenhagen headquarters of iss will be scaled down if ‘gigantic’ deal goes through

Less enthusiastic about the prospect were some of G4s’s own shareholders, Berlingske Business reports.

“It’s hard to understand the strategy behind the buyout. It’s especially puzzling that investors wouldn’t pay 100 kroner for an Iss share earlier this year, but now they cost 130 kroner, at a time when the market has fallen,” Carnegie asset Management portfolio manager Kim Korsgaard Nielsen said on Wednesday.

Nielsen and other analysts

suggested the buyout could weaken rather than strengthen G4s. “although G4s has in the past proved effective at integrating large acquisitions, this will double the size of the group and there are bound to be some transactional risks in the short term,” Kevin Lapwood, an analyst at seymour Pierce, told BBC News.

G4s and Iss both grew out of a single, small guard services company that began in Copenhagen in 1901. Kjøbenhavn-Frederiksberg Nattevagt (Copenha-

gen-Frederiksberg Night Watch) started as 20 ‘night watchmen’ with a head office in a little apartment on Ny Kongensgade street. over the decades, the company grew and was merged and sold internationally, eventually forming the danish company Iss and the British firm G4s. one hundred and ten years later, they are poised to become one company again, but only if 75 percent of G4s’s shareholders approve the deal. It goes to vote on November 2.

Exchange Rates Australian Dollars AUD

Canada Dollars CAD

Euro EUR

Japan Yen JPY

Russia Rubles RUB

Sweden Kronor SEK

Switzerland Francs CHF

UK Pounds GBP

United States Dollars USD

Sell

5.33

5.16

7.34

0.07

0.16

0.79

5.88

8.38

5.28

Buy

5.82

5.58

7.57

0.07

0.18

0.83

6.08

8.70

5.53

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

Date: 19 October 2011

16

THE COPENHAGEN POST THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE

SPOUSE: Weihua Xiao FROM: China SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master in American Studies from University of Southern Denmark. Master in Education and B.A. In English. Diploma of Secretary. Certificate of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from East China Normal University.

EXPERIENCE: Work in the fields of education, training, translation, interpretation, administration, Chinese (business) culture consulting. 8 years of full-time English language teacher in China. Work for a global company in Shanghai and Copenhagen as Personal Assistant to General Manager/ Secretary for about 2 years from 2009 to 2010.

LOOKING FOR: Chinese Language teacher, translator, interpreter, administrative position.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese, English, basic Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: A good user of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel...).

CONTACT: weihua06@gmail.com +45 5048 9667 SPOUSE: Andrea Heilmann FROM: Germany (Marburg) SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Communications Manager & PR Consultant.

EXPERIENCE: I successfully work as Communications Consultant for a global company and have more than 10 years of experience with company communication and public relations as well as event management, executive assistance and project coordination. I also have a strong crosscultural understanding since I always worked with different cultures from all over the world.

LOOKING FOR: Communications, Public Relations or Event Management job.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), German (native).

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook; Lotus Notes; CMS; Acrobat Writer; PaintShop Pro. CONTACT: andrea_heilmann@web.de, cell phone +49 160 3534209 SPOUSE: Ieuan Jones FROM: United Kingdom SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen (Will travel if needed) QUALIFICATION: BA Hons and Professional Diploma, Town & Country Planning (Urban Design & 3rd World Development).

EXPERIENCE: Over 7 years experience working as a Development Manager for one of the UK’s leading health and socialcare infrastructure companies, developing new health and community buildings.

LOOKING FOR: Opportunities to transfer and develop my skills and knowledge in Denmark. Ideally a full time position but I remain realistic and my options are open. I am more than happy to take on a part time role or work placement while I continue with my Danish course.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (Mother Tongue), learning Danish at Studieskolen, Borgergade.

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), Promap.

CONTACT: ieuandhjones@gmail.com Tel: +45 52 40 07 85 SPOUSE: Dolon Roy FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Sjælland QUALIFICATION: Masters in Science(Chemistry), BEd. (Teacher training course).

EXPERIENCE: St. John Diocessan School February-May 2005, Kolkata, India. The Assembly of God Church School April-May 2006, Kolkata, India. Disari Public School June 2006-October 2007, India.

Research project work Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Copenhagen University, March-July 2009.

LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time work teaching in primary,secondary or higher school level (Chemistry, Mathematics, Science).

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, Bengali, Danish (modul 3/modul 5).

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft office.

CONTACT: dolonroy2005@yahoo.com. Mob: +45 60668239

PARTNERS:

21 - 27 October 2011 SPOUSE: Geet Shroff FROM: Bangalore, India SEEKING WORK IN: Midtjylland / Copenhagen / Odense QUALIFICATION: Bachelor’s degree in Communicative English from Bangalore University, India.

EXPERIENCE: 8+ years of experience as Senior Copy Writer, Assistant Manager – Marketing Communications, Executive – Customer Loyalty & Communication, Customer Service Associate respectively. Through these years, I have developed content, handled complete marketing communications, organized numerous corporate (internal & external customer), private and institutional events ranging from 50 to 1000 people and also handling special projects that have included training & internal communication campaigns.

LOOKING FOR: A Corporate or Marketing Communication (Internal or External) position or that of a Copy Writer at an advertising agency or a corporate house. Also open to a position at an event management company.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Danish (Beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS-Office, Adobe In Design CS3 (Basic).

CONTACT: geet_shroff@yahoo.co.in +4550834024 SPOUSE: Kaewkarn Kanchanavipu FROM: Thailand SEEKING WORK IN: Sales, marketing, project management, business processes, supply chain, HR and general management functions.

QUALIFICATION: M.Sc. International Business and Trade , School of Business Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Bachelor of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Certificate of Exchange Studies in Business Administration Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Austria; Certificate of Completion in STEPS, Saitama University, Japan.

EXPERIENCE: Three-year professional experience in sales, marketing, business development and project management. Proven record of achieving high performance in multiple markets: Norway, Sweden, Japan and Thailand in various industries. Able to devise and implement coherent organization strategies whilst improving internal process and procedures within a demanding environment, project deadlines and budgets. Area of expertise & experience: Operational management, sales, marketing, business development, project management, recruitment, customer service and administration.

LOOKING FOR: A challenging position that will utilize my skills and offer opportunities for future development as well as wish to make a significant contribution to the organization.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Japanese, Thai and novice Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office.

CONTACT: Tel: +45 50 398 555, Email: kaew.crystal@gmail.com SPOUSE: Lorenzo Albano FROM: Venezuela (with CPR number) SEEKING WORK IN: Greater København and Hovedstaden QUALIFICATION: PhD in Physics.

EXPERIENCE: I have wide experience as an university lecturer in physics, physics laboratory, mathematics and informatics. I have done research in theoretical quantum optics and quantum information. I have done research and development / programming of numerical methods applied to geophysical problems, such as tomographic inversion and wave propagation, independently and as part of multidisciplinary teams. I have participated in gravimetric and magnetometric geophysical surveys.

LOOKING FOR: Short and long term work in education in science and mathematics / research / scientific computing / oil exploration or other geophysical applications.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in Spanish (native), English and Italian. Basic Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: OS: MSDOS, Windows, Linux (Ubuntu), Solaris, incl. shell scripting. Programming Languages: BASIC, ANSI C, C++, FORTRAN. Web: HTML, CSS, Joomla!. Typography: LaTeX2E. Software: Mathematica 7, MS Office and OpenOffice suites, several Windows utilities.

CONTACT: lorenzoalbanof@gmail.com. Tel: +45 50 81 40 73

SPOUSE: Anisha Kanjhlia FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Arhus in Teaching/Training/Administration/Media/Public Relations QUALIFICATION: Post Graduate in Advertising & Communication.

EXPERIENCE: 6+ years of professional experience in Training, Customer Service, Promotions, Brand Marketing, Content Analysis and Team Management. Strong experience in planning and executing initiatives. Extensive training experience and influencing skills that will assist me in building a high potential, motivated and an effective team. Hands-on training in soft skills like crucial conversations and people management Branch Manager & Head of Training for Cosmo Aviation Training School in New Delhi, India. Proficient in analyzing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision making and formulating training strategies.

LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time in Aarhus.

IT EXPERIENCE: Comfortable with all the basic computer knowledge like Excel, Word, Power Point, Internet browsing.

CONTACT: anisha.feb@rediffmail.com, P: 4522305837 SPOUSE: Nina Chatelain FROM: Vancouver, BC, Canada SEEKING WORK IN: Midt- og syd jylland QUALIFICATION: BA courses in english and anthropology, certificate in desktop publishing and graphic design, internationally certified yoga teacher since 1999.

EXPERIENCE: Over 7 years experience as the assistant to the director (what would correspond to a direktionssekretær position) at an international university museum where i also was seconded to act as the program administrator – a project management internal communications role – for the museum’s major renovation project. I acted as the director’s right hand and the museum’s communications hub where i had daily contact with the visiting public, community stakeholders, volunteers and students. I have earlier worked as an editor and writer in various capacities, as well as a desktop publisher/graphic designer.

LOOKING FOR: An administrative role in a creative company that needs someone who can juggle a variety of projects and use excellent english writing and editing skills LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (mother tongue) and Danish (fluent comprehension-studieprøven / university entrance exam).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office Package, PC and Apple, have earlier worked with various desktop publishing software, quick to learn new software and systems.

CONTACT: nina.chatelain@gmail.com, Phone: +45 29707430

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE WHY: The Copenhagen Post wishes to help spouses looking for jobs in Denmark. We have on our own initiative started a weekly spouse job page in The Copenhagen Post, with the aim to show that there are already within Denmark many highly educated international candidates looking for jobs.

If you are a spouse to an international employee in Denmark looking for new career opportunities, you are welcome to send a profile to The Copenhagen Post at aviaja@cphpost.dk and we will post your profile on the spouse job page when possible.

Biotech Job Vacancies Novo Nordisk

Ferring

GLP Auditor, Global Quality Assurance

Leo Pharma

Head of Section, Spectroscopy & Physical Chemistry Head of Target Biology at LEO Pharma Experienced Regulatory Affairs Professional Market Research Manager

Lundbeck

Contract Manager, Business Support- Global Pharmacovigilance (GPV) Biostatistician at H. Lundbeck A/S

Novozymes

Research Scientist Research Scientist – Forest Products applications Customer Service & Logistics Coordinator QC Chemist

Assembly Engineer Scientist within autoimmunity and pharmacology Research Scientist Post Doctoral Research Fellowships International Medical Director Haemostasis Assay Scientist Temporary Non-clinical Safety Scientist / Toxicologist Metrology Technician IT Governance Portfolio Manager Experienced SAP Specialist IT Governance Portfolio Analyst Production Planner Research Information Scientist Global Medical Advisor Research Scientists for Biophysical and Structural Characterization Student assistant, R&D Business Support Experienced Statistician Global Pricing Manager Global Health Economics Manager Victoza Safety Surveillance Adviser Senior Safety Surveillance Adviser Microbiology expert

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

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

21 - 27 October 2011

17

Boost your sales career… … and use your language skills

Learn Danish Learn Danish fast anD efficientLy

focus on pronunciation anD oraL communication

professionaL anD reLiabLe teachers

Københavns Sprogcenter DANSK FOR UDLÆNDINGE

centraLLy LocateD (near centraL station)

Københavns Sprogcenter • Valdermarsgade 16, 1665 V • Tel: 33 21 31 31• Email: adm@kbh-sprogcenter.dk • www.kbh-sprogcenter.dk • Enroll today: 33 21 31 31

Looking for the perfect place to unfold your sales talents and your international language background right here in Copenhagen?

International Account Manager – are you our new deal chaser?

Based on your preferred international language, you will be assigned to a sales region and manage existing accounts. The sales potential is enormous. Now it’s up to you to boost our revenue and reap your reward. You identify cross-selling opportunities, renew deals and up-sell to customers.

Deadline: Monday 24 October Scan this QR code for more information

ASSIStANt PrOgrAMME MANAgEr International Media Support (IMS) is seeking an Assistant Programme Manager to support the programmatic, financial and administrative aspects of its media support activities in countries affected by conflict, humanitarian insecurity and political transition. The position lies within the Department for Asia, Africa and Latin America at IMS headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Competencies, skills and experience: • • • • • •

Strong experience in administration/ budgetary programmes and software, in cluding the Windows Office Package.

Good knowledge of project implementation, administration and financial control.

Interest in working with media support and development aid.

Interest in working in countries affected by conflict and humanitarian insecurity.

Relevant educational background.

Fluency in English. Knowledge of French and/or Spanish an asset.

International Sales Associate

– ready to hunt prospects worldwide?

You already know how to sell ice to an Eskimo. Just imagine what you can do when we arm you with the most powerful security software on the market. You will target your region of choice – e.g.

North America or Germany – and start reeling in new customers.

Deadline: Monday 24 October Scan this QR code for more information

For further information about IMS and the position, please visit www.i-m-s.dk or call Lis Jespersen, HR coordinator at +45 60127801 Application and CV in English should be sent to: Job Applications, International Media Support, Nørregade 18, 2nd Floor, DK-1165 Copenhagen K, Denmark or by e-mail to jobs@i-m-s.dk no later than 31 October 2011. Kindly mark the application ‘’APM AALA’’ in the subject header.

More than 140 ‘Secunians’ representing over 22 nationalities work at our Copenhagen headquarters. As a world leader in IT security, Secunia helps businesses and private individuals worldwide manage vulnerability threats.

International Media Support (IMS) is an international NGO based in Copenhagen. In more than 40 countries worldwide, IMS helps to strengthen professional journalism and ensure that media can operate in challenging circumstances.

IMS values pro-active colleagues who are able to operate in a flexible and dynamic working environment. IMS believes that personal commitment and the ability to build successful relationships with local partners is vital.

Learn more about life at Secunia:

secunia.com/careers

18

culture

The COpenhagen pOsT CphpOsT.dk

21 - 27 October 2011

emily mclean

Peter stanners Internet psychologist argues that criticism of the partnership is normal, but will not stop the music streaming service from building a user base in the country

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www.spoTify.com

Musketeers appearance takes One-eyed Mads’ tally of recent cyclopean movie roles to four

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e’S KNOWN in Denmark as the country’s sexiest man, a synonym for the Danish film industry, and a knighted member of the Danish arts community. But he’s known abroad as ‘One-eyed Mads’.

Poor Mads Mikkelsen. As a foreigner trying to stamp his mark in the tough world of Hollywood surely there must be an easier way to do it than sporting either a disfigured eye or an eye patch in every role?

Now starring as the villain Rochefort in ‘The Three Musketeers’, this brings Mikkelsen’s tally of one-eyed roles up to four, following cyclopean credits in ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Valhalla Rising’ and ‘Clash of the Titans’. Maybe this is why Musketeers director Paul WS Anderson had some reservations about requesting Mikkelsen to patch up again.

“I was asking myself: does he want to be known as the actor with the messed-up eye?” Anderson told the Toronto Sun. In fact Anderson was so scared to ask him that he just hung the eye patch on a mirror in Mikkelsen’s dressing room. An hour later Mikkelsen emerged, telling Anderson: “Paul, I’ll try

it. But I’m probably not going to like it.”

At least this time the patch has an element of class to it. In ‘Casino Royale’ Mikkelsen endured a glazedover eye with a scar running through it.

Then when playing a Norse warrior named One-eye in ‘Valhalla Rising’, it’s not surprising his character featured a hideously gruesome excuse of an eye (or lack

of). And given the opportunity to play a greek warrior in ‘Clash of the Titans’, you’d think Mikkelsen would finally live up to his sexiest man title. Not so, as the director decided he should don yet another disfigured eye.

Mikkelsen once remarked: “I’d rather be voted the sexiest man in Denmark than the ugliest man in Denmark,” so it appears he

I’ll try it. But I’m probably not going to like it

Who is ... Linse kessler? victoria steffensen Her real name is Lenina Christiansen, and she is the owner of a strip club in Nyhavn and sister of the successful Danish boxer Mikkel Kessler.

Does being a sibling of someone famous qualify one to be in this column?

That depends on how desperate we are to find someone for the column. Anyway, in this case, the lady is fast becoming ‘famous’ in her own right How so?

She is currently featured in the reality show ‘Familien fra Bryggen’.

Oh, and in case it escaped your notice, Linse has a remarkably large pair of breasts.

Goodness, how big are they?

Well, you may be shocked to know, but they are not entirely natural. She has reportedly had an enormous 2,000 litres of silicon put in her breasts! I suppose she must find it difficult to shop for her underwear in H&M. Has she had other work done?

Are you joking!? She is 45 years old, and believe me, that face is not just due to drinking herbal teas and rubbing in aloe-vera.

She has been a long-term addict of cosmetic surgery.

Spotify founders Daniel elk and Marin lorentzon plan the next phase of their music industry domination

The name of Mikkelsen’s character in ‘Valhalla rising’ was One-eye - he didn’t have a hope

Thomas samsoe

He HIgHLY anticipated launch of Spotify took place last week in Denmark after the music streaming service and Koda, the Danish music rights management organisation, reached a deal. Users can sign up for free to access over 15 million songs online, which can also be listened to on smartphones for a monthly fee.

But there was a catch. New users could only sign up using a Facebook account. Facebook and Spotify announced their partnership in September, with Spotify’s CeO Daniel ek justifying the deal, according to music magazine gaffa, by saying that Spotify users connected to Facebook would listen to more music than those not connected.

Not all users agreed that the partnership was in their best interests however.

“I think Spotify is a great idea, but because it requires me to log in through Facebook, I won’t be a customer,” Troels Larsen from Nørresundby commented in an article on Politiken newspaper’s website. “Facebook already has enough information about me already and I don’t need [Facebook founder] Zuckerberg and Co also knowing my taste in music.” erwin Lansing from Copenhagen echoed Larsen’s sentiment. “As long as Spotify requires a Facebook account to log in I won’t use the service. It’s a major own goal.”

Previously Spotify customers could choose to opt-in and connect to Facebook to share music and playlists with their friends.

But the new set-up is a forced co-operation between the two platforms. The music Spotify users are listening to is automatically broadcasted to Facebook friends through an ‘activity feed’ – a news ticker, placed on the right hand side of the screen.

Spotify users can choose

to prevent the service from publishing what they might happen to be listening to on Facebook. But according to internet psychologist Anders Colding-Jørgensen, the co-operation between the two companies underlines Facebook’s new content sharing strategy.

“It’s part of a new tendency from Facebook where they have moved from the voluntary sharing of content, to automatically revealing everything you do when you visit applications,” he told The Copenhagen Post.

The negative reception to the integration of the platforms was normal, ColdingJørgensen said, and has already been seen in other cases where Facebook has changed privacy settings.

“People want to control what they share and are worried about how they appear.

An analogy is if a visitor came to your home and could see on your bookshelf every single thing you have ever read. There are things you don’t want people to know. “ Despite the complaints, Colding-Jørgensen points out that the platform integration is not much different from other websites that require google or Yahoo accounts to subscribe.

“But in this case the product is only free music; how much could it hurt if people knew that you listened to crappy music every once in a while,” he said. “If they’d have called it the Facebook music platform, no-one would have thought about it. It’s only a login with a Facebook account – it’s not exactly a new idea.”

And while people might complain now, according to Colding-Jørgensen, statistics show that there is a discrepancy between what people say and do – that while they might initially complain about the service, many do end up joining in.

“Resistance to such login procedures is hard to maintain – especially if the content is attractive. By Christmas time, noone will probably even remember it.”

Spotify is already available in Norway and Sweden and has over 10 million global subscribers.

valhalla rising

spotify’s partnership with how Mads has become the master of the monocular Facebook irritates users

She looks good for her age.

Yes, although that might be a

takes his good looks with a grain of salt.

However, his ‘down-eysing’ isn’t just restricted to the big screen. Danish viewers will remember the TV crime series ‘Rejseholdet’ (Unit One) in which Mikkelsen starred as ‘Allan Fisher’.

Needless to say his eye was damaged in the series finale.

And Mikkelsen will soon be at it again – taking on another fiendish role in ‘The Nazi Officer’s Wife’ as Werner Vetter. He’ll be suave, broody, unpredictable, dark and … you guessed it, one eyed.

text 31 The Copenhagen Post Quick Crossword No 368 No 368

matter of opinion. And she’s had quite a rough past, having been behind bars a few times - serving seven years in total.

What for?

Various things, including unlawful weapons possession, violence, smuggling hash, threatening witnesses, and breaking and entering. She even once attempted a jailbreak.

Who was the victim?

Often a parking attendant. None of us particularly love the species, but she has hit a couple and has even tried to run some down in her car. These days she merely shouts at them, but tries to resist physical violence. I can hear the collective sigh of thousands of parking attendants.

Has she got any children?

She’s got a 21-year-old daughter, Stephanie who would like to be a veterinarian, but is following a rather unusual route to that end, having trained as a pole dance instructor.

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Assigns (9) Nothing (3) Wasteful (11) Increase (7) Trunk (5) Slovenly (6) Circuitous route (6) Wrongly (5) Fruit-grove (7) Clear (11) Mineral (3) Relations (9)

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Post Quick Crossword No 367 Across: 7 Enable; 8 Quaint; 10 Deserve; 11 Taint; 12 Cuff; 13 Gruff; 17 Quash; 18 Ache; 22 Enemy; 23 Mixture; 24 Throng; 25 Scarce.

Down: 1 Verdict; 2 Falsify; 3 Glory; 4 Justify; 5 Vivid; 6 State; 9 Wearisome; 14 Buoyant; 15 Acquire; 16 Referee; 19 Petty; 20 Yearn; 21 Exact.

21 - 27 October 2011

DENMARK THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

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JF Struensee, lover of the Danish queen, was this country’s answer to Rasputin Who said language was a barrier: how a German doctor wormed his way into the affections of the mad king, Christian VII, kept his bridal bed warm and ruled the country – all without learning the lingo

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to believe the child was anyone’s but the doctor’s.

The growing resentment towards Struensee reached boiling point in January 1772. A secret conspiracy was hatched between the king’s mother, Juliana Maria, and the elites whose toes Struensee had trodden on in his jostle for power. The doctor, Brandt and Queen Caroline Mathilde were all arrested on the morning of 17 January.

Struensee was charged with usurping royal authority and of crimes against the crown. Meanwhile, the city rejoiced at the return of the king, who was paraded around Copenhagen in a gold carriage.

Struensee and Brandt’s sentences were carried out on 28 April. It was a gory affair. Their right hands were first chopped off. They were then beheaded and their bodies were finally drawn and quartered. The queen went into exile in France, and Juliana Maria and her son ran the court for the next decade.

Struensee has since remained a controversial and polarising figure in Danish history. Notably, King Christian continued to admire and respect Struensee after his death. Inscribed in German on a drawing the king made in 1775 is “Ich hätte gern beide gerettet,” which means “I would have liked to have saved them both.”

The doctor’s execution was adjudged joyous enough to be committed to the canvas WWW.DKKS.DK

SCANPIX ZENTROPA

IFE IS stranger than fiction, or so the saying goes. If you happened to be an onlooker at the royal court between 1770 and 1772, you might certainly agree with this sentiment. It was a curious time in Danish history when a cunning German doctor, a mad Danish king, and a young British princess collided in an explosive scandal of sex, death and political intrigue.

The peculiar figure at the centre of the tale is Johann Friedrich Struensee, a provincial German doctor who would eventually rise to the peak of Danish political power. Born in Halle in 1737 to a respectable middle class family, Struensee’s theologian-minister father would later become superintendent-general of Schleswig-Holstein.

However, the bold young Struensee would abandon the religiosity of his pious father during his time at university, becoming a proponent of atheism and the principles of the age of enlightenment.

After settling down to practice in Altona, Struensee’s sharp intellect and controversial political treatises began to impress several aristocrats who had been rejected from the court in Copenhagen. His fledgling relationship with Danish politics intensified in the summer of 1767 when Struensee began treating King Christian VII of Denmark - a psychotic and violent young royal with a voracious sexual appetite. His treatment was effective and he gained the king’s affections, becoming his travelling physician on a foreign tour to Paris and London. The pair developed a close relationship during the trip and the king began to trust Struensee absolutely. Pleased with the doctor’s positive influence, powerful courtiers supported Struensee’s permanent appointment as the king’s personal physician upon their return to Copenhagen.

Now Johann Struensee was not only a clever doctor but also an astute and ambitious man. He saw the potential to manipulate the ailing king in order to experiment with the Danish state. Struensee calculated that he should also win over the young queen to consolidate his influence at court.

However, the king’s wife was at best indifferent to her husband’s new pal.

Queen Caroline Mathilde – the sister of George III, the king of Britain - was in an unfortunate position.

Having been forced to leave her home and move to Denmark at the age of 15 to marry her cousin, she was now neglected by Christian VII. His affections for his young wife were lukewarm, to put it mildly. It is reported that despite being a regular at the city’s brothels, he had to be persuaded to consummate their marriage for the sake of the suc-

cession.

Spurned by her husband and her subjects, Caroline Mathilde eventually fell into the well-placed arms of Struensee, who provided the attention and affection that she craved. Her capitulation was helped by the doctor’s successful inoculation of Crown Prince Frederick VI, saving the child’s life as smallpox ravaged Copenhagen.

By spring 1770, the pair had become lovers.

In May, Struensee was named royal advisor. He continued to play puppeteer to the ailing king and pressed for cabinet changes. In September, he wormed his way into the position of privy counsellor, consolidating his power. He also managed to get several of his disreputable friends appointed to the court – one of which was Enevold Brandt, a rogue whose acquaintance he had made in Altona.

By early 1771, Christian VII was unfit to rule and Struensee seized the opportunity. He abolished all the heads of departments and the Norwegian stadholderships (province governors). Henceforth, his cabinet became the supreme authority in the state.

He made a raft of liberal changes: the limiting of the death penalty, the establishment of foundling hospitals, the abolition of torture in the judicial process, and the increased freedom of the press, to name a few. From a modern perspective, Struensee’s reforms were a precursor to the liberal Danish welfare state. Albeit 100 years too early.

From March 1771 to January 1772, Struensee virtually ruled Denmark and Norway. In this time, the doctor issued no fewer than 1,069 cabinet orders – more than three a day.

He was maniacal about reform and resolutely focused on his enlightenment agenda. He changed laws at a whim with little regard for the customs and history of his adopted kingdom.

For a time it seemed that middle class opinion was generally favourable towards Struensee. Yet his callous behaviour soon began to attract the scorn of the population. He hypocritically reduced the staffs and salaries of public departments, while continuing to spend extravagantly. He cut a rude and patronising figure, speaking from a place of self-assumed superiority; often he came across as deliberately offensive. Indeed, such was his contempt for the citizenry that he apparently did not care whether they approved or disapproved of his reforms. The German did not bother to learn Danish and barked his orders in his native tongue.

Intoxicated with power, it seems that Struensee was simply playing god.

What perhaps incensed the population most was the growing feeling that the king was not actually mad and instead imprisoned by the domineering Struensee and his sidekick, Brandt.

Moreover, Struensee’s relationship with the queen was not looked upon kindly. A baby arrived in the summer of 1771 and despite the official celebrations, no-one was foolish enough

SCANPIX

KEVIN PONNIAH

Does he remind you of Mads Mikkelsen, because Denmark’s top actor plays the dastardly doctor in Zentropa’s forthcoming film ‘En Kongelig Affære’ ( ‘A Royal Affair’), which is due out in 2012

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

P perfor uppet ma Sunda nce every y at 1 4.00 Free a dmiss childre ion for n and accom panyin g adu lts

Charlottenborg is the largest and most beautiful venue for contemporary art in Copenhagen, and is situated directly off Kongens Nytorv. The autumn programme has just started and includes major exhibitions by Simon Starling – whose project features an amazing puppet theatre – and Nina Beier.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg Nyhavn 2, 1051 Copenhagen K Tue to Sun 11am to 5pm (Wed till 8pm) www.kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk Photo: Anders Sune Berg