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5 - 13 April 2012 | Vol 15 Issue 14

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NEWS

Buying the freetown free: Christiania and state close in on historic purchase

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NEWS

Bike ‘superhighway’ opens Beginning this month, suburban commuters can ride into the city on newly-built cycle paths

6 BUSINESS

“Papers, please” Aarhus Airport accused of discriminating against non-Danes Dong scandal gets uglier and uglier, as former CEO is accused of disloyalty, and he threatens lawsuit

15 CULTURE

Islam debate takes centre stage in Aarhus PETER STANNERS

Republique reprieve The axe hasn’t fallen on Republique Theatre after all, as proposal to close international theatre gets rejected

Duelling debates between anti-Islam and pro-diversity groups brings international attention to Aarhus

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WO DEMONSTRATIONS faced off in Aarhus last week on Saturday. The European Counter-Jihad Meeting – organised

by British anti-Islam organisation the English Defence League (EDL) – was hailed as the start of a pan-European anti-Islam movement. In response, antifascist and pro-diversity groups staged a counter demonstration that snaked 9 771398 100009 through the city. The former had a couple of hundred attendees at its peak, the Price: 25 DKK latter over 4,000.

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ish domestic intelligence agency, PET, warned that members of violence-prone, right-wing groups from eastern Europe had promised to make the journey and show their support. Anticipating clashes between protesters, Danish police staged the largest security operation Aarhus had ever experienced.

The day started quietly on Mølleparken, the site of the European Counter-Jihad Meeting, with about 50 people milling about. Among them was Peter, who wore Arabic clothing while holding an Israeli flag and a sign stating, ‘Stop the Islamisation of Europe.’

“I’m protesting the ongoing Islamisation in Denmark,” he said. “Someday, we might all have to dress like this.”

A German couple, Gertrude and Christian Schmidt, had also made the journey. Unlike Peter, they looked like

an ordinary, white, middle-class couple.

“We think Europe is facing a great challenge. Muslims are bringing with them an old justice system, Sharia law, and it’s not good for women,” Gertrude said. “If you have read the Koran, you will see what is coming. It’s very dangerous.

Muslims have to do what’s in the Koran.

They are not allowed to be individuals.”

The meeting may have been subdued, but the message was controversial.

They argued that Islam is an undemocratic, misogynistic and violent ideology that leaves its followers with no capacity to make moral decisions of their own.

Islam seeks to spread across the globe, they argued, and migration from Islamic countries into Europe threatens the very fabric of Western culture. As a result, it has to be stopped.

One does not have to look far for

examples to confirm the Schmidts’ suspicions. From last month’s deadly shootings by a Muslim extremist in Toulouse, France, to the attempted assassination of Kurt Westergaard, the man behind the controversial ‘Mohammed cartoons’, the ongoing conflict between the West and the Islamic world is played out on multiple fronts, both at home and abroad.

Despite the police’s fears, violent neo-Nazis and members of racist, football-hooligan communities were conspicuously absent from the European Counter-Jihad Meeting. According to assistant professor Susi Meret from Aalborg University, an expert in Danish far-right groups, this was due to deliberate attempts by organisations such as the EDL to dissociate themselves from

Aarhus demo continues on page 5

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Week in review

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Derailed

THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK Anti-Islam rally disrupted by leftwing protests Police downplay concerns about right-wing rally Copenhagen is the best city at being a best city Illegal immigrants flocking to Denmark Grand-mama would be proud

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. Danish geographical researchers confirm the discovery of four new small islands near northeastern Greenland.

FIVE YEARS AGO. Denmark is named the global IT king in the World Economic Forum’s annual ranking for IT competitiveness.

A derailing near Nordhavn Station on Tuesday morning disrupted local and regional train traffic, causing headaches for those starting the Easter holiday a bit early. An S-train reportedly struck building materials that fell off a nearby crane. One passenger complained of minor injuries.

ninth grade. Members chosen for the fund’s ‘Boy’s Academy’ will start the school year with a summer camp designed to teach them self-confidence. Their progress will be monitored throughout the school year. The former PM stressed that the Løkkefonden is a private initiative that does not receive government support.

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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.

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Making stuff

Employment minister Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokraterne) is calling for Denmark to ramp up its manufacturing economy. Frederiksen, along with business leaders and other politicians, said that Denmark’s tendency to focus on knowledge-based businesses has diminished the country’s ability

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

to compete in the world marketplace. The director of Danish Industries, Lars Goldschmidt, said it will be hard for the country to get back the manufacturing jobs that have already moved elsewhere, adding that although manufacturing costs in Denmark have gone down in recent years, they are still too expensive.

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The former prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Venstre), has established a fund to help atrisk boys make it through high school. Løkke said his ‘LøkkeFonden’ (Løkke fund) will be created and supported via donations from the business community.

The plan is to support 25 boys each year as they navigate the

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Helping boys

ONE YEAR AGO. Codex Holmenensis c 37, the oldest version of the Jutland Law that dates back to 1280, returns home after 300-year stay in Sweden.

Still striking

Failing health has not deterred Danish citizen Abdulhadi al-Khawaja from continuing his hunger strike in Bahrain. AlKhawaja said that he will continue his now nearly 60-day-long hunger strike until he is either free or dead. His health has rapidly deteriorated and last week on Friday he was hospitalised. His

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kidneys showed signs of damage and his veins were so dry that nourishment could not be administered to him intravenously.

On Tuesday, he called his daughters to tell then to take good care of their mother. Al-Khawaja is serving a life sentence in Bahrain for demonstrating against the incumbent government.

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5 - 13 April 2012

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Justin Cremer

ment on a newly-adjusted total price of 85.4 million, though that too could change. Upwards of 30 million kroner can be deducted if Christiania renovates and repairs selected buildings on the land.

As Hulda Mader, a member of the recently-established Christiania Fund explained, the sheer scope of the purchase agreement means there is still a lot to wade through before July 1.

“Getting to July 1 is taking up all of our energy now,” Mader said. “This is the biggest single property purchase in Denmark in the last century or more. It’s 34 square hectares that are changing hands – something of this size has never been done before.”

It’s also probably safe to assume that no other purchase have ever been financed quite like this one. Fox said that the brisk sales of the Christiania Shares have been encouraging, even if it has left them far away from the total purchase price.

“I think that seven million in five months is quite good when we’ve had no big commercial campaigns or anything,” Fox said. “This is just people who love the idea of Christiania, who want to support it, and want to make sure Christiania remains in existence. In a small country like Denmark, I think it is quite good.”

She said that individuals from 26 countries have purchased shares, but that the real number could be even higher. ‘‘That’s just the registered ones who have purchased on-

With an extension on payment deadline and brisk sales of Christiania Shares, freetown closes in on buying land

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rom a small, nondescript office, Tanja Fox oversees a bristling business. Since September, nearly seven million kroner have passed through her hands.

In exchange for anything between 100 and 10,000 kroner, her customers are given a single piece of paper.

While that may sound like a raw deal, these aren’t just any old pieces of paper. They are shares in one of Denmark’s most valued – or despised, depending on who you ask – cultural attractions, Christiania.

Since striking a deal with the state last summer to purchase Christiania’s buildings and land, residents have been working to raise the requisite funds.

The original agreement valued the price of the land and buildings at 76.2 million kroner. An initial down payment of 43 million kroner was originally due on April 15, but last September’s national elections and a governmental restructuring resulted in changes to the agreement.

Now, according to Marija Theiden – the head consultant of the Christiania Group, which is part of the government’s buildings and property agency, Bygningsstyrelsen – Christiania faces a July 1 deadline to make an initial 51.8 million kroner pay-

Jimmy Fyfe

Christiania moves forward on historic purchase

After July 1, Christianites hope their flag will fly over their own land and they can move on to other things

line,” she said. “Just last week, a guy from Jordan popped into the office to buy a share. He was just a tourist who walked in and said: ‘Wow, I really want to support this – here’s 100 kroner’.”

The freetown is now in the process of launching a video campaign, which it hopes will spread awareness and help boost sales. Still, Fox and Mader acknowledged that it isn’t realistic that the sale of the shares will cover the purchase price, so they are prepared to go to the bank.

“We’ll take a loan, just like everybody else,” Fox said. “Nobody buys a home with cash anymore.”

This is the biggest single property purchase in Denmark in the last century or more While Christiania has decided to take a loan, it was a hesitant choice.

“We don’t want to own anything,” Fox said. “We don’t want to own the houses, we don’t want to own the land. It’s a little bit like the American Indians’ idea

that the land is for the next generation to own, it’s not ours. So the idea of owning it ourselves was really far out, but we were stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Like everything involved with the purchase, the details of a loan are complicated. Mader contended that they would be able to receive a 100 percent state guarantee, but Theiden at Bygningsstyrelsen said that there would be only an 80 percent guarantee, but that the terms were still under discussion.

Either way, the state guarantee would mean that while the Danish government would assure the lender it would cover

the loan if Christiania can’t pay, doing so would put the property in the state’s hands.

But raising money is one thing. Dealing with the government is another, and according to Mader, it’s slow going.

“They are very slow in getting us the papers,” Mader said.

“We are getting the final papers that we need to scrutinise as late as April 19, and that gives us a very short time to go through them if we have to be finished

by July 1. So, we’re not talking that much right now, just sitting and waiting.”

But, Mader and Fox expressed guarded optimism that with the new government in power, relations between Christiania and the state could improve. Mader said the climate minister, Martin Lidegaard, whose ministry now oversees Christiania, seemed “sympathetic enough” to the freetown.

Not surprising, then, that he has received a complimentary Christiania Share.

While they navigate finances and a relationship with a new government, Mader said they are already looking beyond the July 1 payment.

“We’re going to concentrate on making Christiania run,” she said. “We have to figure out how the foundation and Christiania can co-exist – how to make sure the foundation doesn’t interfere.

We hope that we get permission to build, renovate and innovate.

The former government completely laid us bare and sucked all of the life out of us, so we need to rejuvenate.”

Peter Stanners Ensuring a greater number of places for international students will enable Denmark to attract foreign workers, government and lobby groups argue

Colourbox

International schools growing after law change Illegal immigrants

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law change in 2010 has led to an increase in the number of places for international students in Denmark, according to research by Berlingske newspaper.

The law change allowed established international schools in Denmark to expand and create new off-site campuses. Copenhagen International School is one of the schools to have taken advantage of the change and has established a new high school campus in Østerbro, enabling the school to offer 25 percent more places.

“We managed to change the law after many years of lobbying,” Thomas Nielsen, an admissions officer at CIS, told Berlingske. “We have been fighting with a waiting list problem for many years. Many international families turn down jobs here if there is no space for their child at an

International families would turn down a job in Denmark if they were unable to secure a place at an international school for their children

international school.”

Last May, the Danish association of councils, KL, reported that Copenhagen was lacking 2,000 places for children at international schools and that this acted as a barrier for Danish businesses wanting to attract foreign employees.

While the law change has helped create more places, only one other school, the German Sankt Petri school, has used the opportunity to expand.

The government is taking action, however, and promised

when they were elected in September to increase the number of places available, as well as to take steps to allow ordinary Danish public schools to offer international departments.

“Our ambition is to increase the number of international school places in Denmark and the number of options available,” the education minister, Christine Antorini, told Berlingske. “It’s a shame that only private schools currently offer international school places when everyone agrees it is im-

portant to offer them. That is why we have started a study together with KL to take a look at the options for establishing international lines at Danish public schools. It is not possible today because the teaching language at Danish schools has to be Danish.”

Berlingske also reported that the Danish government has applied to the EU to open a free European School. Last December the business foundation, Industriens Fond, donated 32 million kroner for the project that would provide free international schooling for the children of European civil servants and international employees.

“It is essential for growth in the capital that there is an ambitious, internationally-accredited school so that the businesses can attract the necessary international work force, including Danish workers posted abroad who want to return home,” the CEO of Industriens Fond, Mads Lebech, wrote in a press release.

The current proposal would see the school, which would provide 100 to 150 places, merge with Skt Annæ Gymnasium in Valby.

flocking to Denmark Police and tax authorities encountering more illegal immigrants on a daily basis

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here are enough illegal immigrants in Denmark to populate a medium-sized town, and their numbers are growing, according to estimates from police.

Although pinpointing the exact number of illegal immigrants is difficult, the police approximate that the number is somewhere between 20,000 and 50,000, reports police union magazine Dansk Politi.

Assistant police commissioner Kjeld Farcinsen, who heads the immigration control group in Copenhagen, admitted to Berlingske newspaper that illegal immigration is a growing problem.

“It really doesn’t matter where we search, we always seem to find something,” Farcinsen said in reference to the random inspections the police undertake.

Officials from tax authority

Skat are also aware of a rise in illegal immigration, according to public broadcaster DR. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in cases, especially involving people from developing countries,” Skat spokesperson Christina Steinmetz told DR. “When we arrive they try and escape through windows and backdoors, obviously indicating that they do not want to talk to us.”

The lion’s share of the illegal immigrants are poor, attempting to eke out a living working in jobs such as newspaper deliverers or cleaners and living in shelters or hostels, according to immigration specialists.

Helle Stenum, of Roskilde University, said the police’s message should lead to increased attention to the problem of illegal immigration.

“There must be a reason why the police are focusing so heavily on this issue.”

According to the police union, the problem of illegal immigration is not only rising, but lacks the necessary attention in the political forum. (CW)

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COVER STORY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

Aarhus Airport accused of discrimination CHRISTIAN WENANDE The EU is looking into a discrimination case involving foreign travellers

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GROUP of foreign travellers flying through Aarhus Airport have complained to the European Union after being told that their EU passports were not sufficient.

Dimitris Xygalatas, a Greek national, was told that his EU passport was not enough to allow him on his flight and he was told that he had to show a second form of ID since he was not Danish.

“I was told I would not be allowed to travel if I did not have a second form of ID,” Xygalatas told The Copenhagen Post. “Honestly, I find this insulting and a clearly discriminatory practice that severely hurts Denmark’s international profile.”

Xygalatas, along with a group of other foreigners who live in Denmark and claim they have faced discrimination at Aarhus Airport, has filed an official complaint to the European Commission, which is currently investigating the claims.

Adriana Alcina, a Spaniard, said that she experienced a similar situation when she flew through Aarhus on Feburary 3. She said that she had flown through Copenhagen Airport numerous times and had never been asked for additional ID there.

An EU official and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs both confirmed that a Greek national’s passport should have been sufficient

“I was told that at Aarhus Airport authorities require a second f o r m of ID if you are not Danish,” she said. “I was told I would not be allowed to travel if I did not have other forms of ID on me. I also witnessed how they did the same with other foreigners travelling on the same flight.

They even looked suspicious at my ID because my hair was different from how it is now. Overall, it was very humiliating and they completely violated my European rights.”

Alcina has complained to her embassy in Copenhagen and as well as to the EU. She has also contacted the Ministry of Justice, but has received no response from them.

Panagiotis Mitkidis, a Greek citizen who has been living in Aarhus since 2008 and is working at Aarhus University as a researcher, reported that he was also asked to show additional ID. “I was flying from Aarhus to Lon-

don Stansted, on 15 January 2012 with Ryanair. At security, I was asked by an airport employee to present ‘a second form of photo ID’ other than my European Union passport, issued in Greece,” he said. “It is an obvious

Aarhus gives up its ‘city of refuge’ status PETER STANNERS Persecuted Zimbabwean writer feels it’s hypocritical to spend money on ‘European City of Culture’ status while at the same time taking away his protected status due to budget cuts

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UDGET cuts in Aarhus are being blamed for its decision not to renew its membership of a global network of cities that hosts persecuted writers and campaigns for freedom of speech.

Aarhus signed up to the International City of Refuge Network (ICORN) programme in 2009 in which ‘cities of refuge’ take on and support a persecuted writer as a symbol of their support for the freedom of expression.

Tendai Frank Tagarira from Zimbabwe was selected as Aarhus’s ICORN guest writer in June 2010. A writer critical of dictator Robert Mugabe, Tagarira fled Zimbabwe after the publication of his book ‘Trying to Make Sense of it All’

in 2009 led to death threats being made against him.

As a guest writer, Tagarira was given a temporary Danish passport and a permit to live in Denmark while the programme was in place. But upon hearing that the programme was set to end, and thus his right to stay in Denmark, Tagarira said he was angry.

“I asked them what was going to happen to me?” Tagarira told The Copenhagen Post. “I was in a very difficult position, but when I asked the politicians they couldn’t help me. I had to apply for asylum, but they wouldn’t give me any help of who to call or where to go.”

After discovering that the programme would not be renewed last year, Tagarira applied for and was granted political asylum due to the risks he would face returning to Zimbabwe, especially after his continued criticism of the Zimbabwean regime while in Aarhus.

Although he is relieved at being granted asylum, he said he felt Aarhus had abandoned its commitment to pro-

moting human rights in favour of balancing a budget.

“If you take a stand to protect a certain human right, that’s not an economical decision. They need to rethink their decision because they made a commitment. I know that Europe is going through a time of austerity, but is that an excuse to abandon the support of human rights?” Tagarira asked.

The decision to end Aarhus’s membership of ICORN by the head of Aarhus’s culture committee, Marc Perera Christensen (Konservative), was far from unanimous, however.

“It was great that Aarhus became a member of ICORN,” Aage RaisNordentoft (Socialdemokraterne) told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “But free speech is not a question of joining a club. The fight for free speech and democracy requires action.”

After similar criticisms from council members from Socialistisk Folkeparti, Marc Perera Christensen explained that it was his predecessor who found the funding for the project,

discriminatory and illegal case.”

Peter Niebuhr from the Foreign Ministry’s citizens’ service confirmed in an email to Xygalatas that “a foreign traveller may travel only on a valid passport,” but said the ministry was “not aware whether this rule is based on Danish law, or whether the airport staff in Aarhus were acting illegally”.

Niebuhr referred Xygalatas to the Justice Ministry. The Copenhagen Post attempted on several occasions to get a response from the Justice Ministry, but at the time of going to press, they had not responded.

The European Commission took up the debate on March 12 and EU spokesman Matthew Newman said that the case was being looked into and that it seemed to be an isolated incident involving only Aarhus Airport.

“The national authority of EU countries cannot oblige any EU citizen to present both a passport and a national ID card,” Newman said. “We have no further info about other incidents taking place in Denmark or elsewhere in the EU. We are following up, but we do not have a legal analysis, as we need to collect more info on the case.”

The national authority of EU countries cannot oblige any EU citizen to present both a passport and a national ID card Aarhus Airport general manager Ole Paaske told DR that although he is familiar with the situations involving the foreign travellers, he doesn’t think the airport is breaking any rules. He pointed specifically to cases involving flights to the United Kingdom.

“We have a responsibility to the English immigration services to make sure that the traveller has a valid travel document,” Paaske said. “A passport does suffice, but if there are further doubts, it can be necessary to ask for further identification.”

Paaske, who declined to comment to The Copenhagen Post, maintained to DR that the process also extends to Danes, but admitted that he was unaware that asking for extra ID is a breach in EU protocol. He added that he would speak with the British Embassy and the Danish Ministry of Justice about the issue.

Aarhus Airport saw nearly 600,000 passengers travel through its doors in 2011, up 5.3 percent from 2010.

critical to cut a programme promoting free speech, while also spending money in a bid to become a ‘European City of Culture’ in 2017.

“I like Aarhus. I think it’s great and the people make me feel at home,” he said.

“But is being a city of culture a Aarhus has decided to abandon its support of persecuted bigger priority Zimbabwean writer Tendai Tagarira because of budget cuts than freedom of speech? and that with the funding coming to How do you do that without freedom an end, so too would the project.

“The recent deep cuts mean I have of speech? How can culture express itnot found money to continue the ‘Free self without free speech?”

City’ work,” he explained to JyllandsPosten. “But I think it’s a great project and I hope Socialdemokraterne and Socialistisk Folkeparti can find the money to make it permanent.”

While Tagarira is pleased to be granted asylum, he argued that it was hypo-

The asylum experience Tendai Tagarira says that until he can return home to a free Zimbabwe, he will continue to fight from Denmark.

See page 8.

ONLINE THIS WEEK Beer really is an “essential service”

New EU deal will make it cheaper to roam

EU unemployment reaches new high

IN A RULING designed to prevent brewery workers from striking over pay and working conditions, lawyers representing the Danish brewery giant Carlsberg in Lithuania have managed to convince a court in that country to classify beer as an “essential service”. Workers classified as essential are banned by law from

A NEW EU regulation agreed to last week will lower the cost of mobile calls and data transfer for customers throughout Europe. The agreement drops the price of mobile calls from 3.26 kroner per minute to 2.70 kroner per minute. The price goes down to 1.77 kroner per minute in 2014. Sending and

UNEMPLOYMENT in the Eurozone reached its highest level for 15 years in February.

The latest figures from Eurostat show that the number of unemployed workers stands at 10.9 percent. That translates to just over 17 million people without

striking. The decision rendered the employees’ vote to strike invalid and made the cessation of work illegal. In an obvious play on Carlsberg’s “Probably the best beer in the world” slogan, a union leader representing the workers called the ruling “probably the most ridiculous decision in the world”.

receiving messages via SMS will also be less expensive. Prices for sending and receiving data are reduced from 20 kroner per megabyte to just over 6.5 kroner per megabyte. The business and growth minister, Ole Sohn (SF), called the deal a major achievement of Denmark’s EU presidency.

work. The countries with the lowest unemployment rates are Austria and the Netherlands, where unemployment is below five percent. Numbers from Statistics Denmark show the Danish unemployment rate hovering at just over six percent.

READ THE FULL STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

5

JENNIFER TSE

der to allow the Islamisation of Europe, Robinson claimed Muslim immigrants were responsible for turning the Swedish city of Malmö into the ‘rape capital’ of Europe. The insinuation is that any criminal act carried out by an individual who is a Muslim is done because of faith.

No other factors, such as education level or socio-economic background, is relevant. In Robinson’s view, immigrants in Sweden rape because they are Muslim.

Many Muslims would not agree with the EDL’s understanding of Islam.

Wisam Said Muhanna, a practicing Muslim, stood overlooking the park as police attempted to bus out attendees of the Counter-Jihad meeting. He said he had come to take a look and see what sort of people still held these views.

“They are against Muslims and foreigners, so we have come to see them. I think it is embarrassing to still have people like this in our society,” he said. Originally from Palestine, Muhanna moved to Denmark 20 years ago and currently works for the Ministry of Defence.

“Foreigners work in lots of jobs in

LASSE KOFOD

Østerbro

works at the police. Eighty-two people were arrested during the day.

But the vast majority of the over 4,000 people at the pro-diversity demonstration peacefully made their point.

Among them was Solveig Munk, who held a banner reading ‘Aarhus for mangfoldighed’ (Aarhus for diversity) at the head of the demonstration.

“Last time it was Jews; now it’s Muslims,” she said. “I’m a child of the war and I saw what happens when people don’t stand up to people with messages like these. Hate should not be allowed to grow.”

Many others on the pro-diversity march repeated this message. They argued that the EDL promotes a hateful ideology based on stereotypes that resulted in the victimisation of a minority group, similar to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews.

Listening to Robinson’s speech in Mølleparken, it was not hard to see how they arrived at the conclusion. Between allegations that European leaders had been bought by Saudi oil money in or-

LASSE KOFOD

openly anti-Semitic and racist groups.

“This is something I have observed in the past decade,” Meret said. “Since about 2005, some of the groups began distancing themselves from extreme and neo-Nazi environments.”

Meret added that, in Scandinavia, the anti-Islam message has crept into mainstream politics through parties such as Dansk Folkeparti, whose goal is the preservation of a homogeneous Denmark.

“They play on the fears of Islam and cultural diversity in socially-cohesive countries where being united is valued,” she said. “They see being the same as natural, and being diverse as unnatural, because multiculturalism is often difficult to get right. For many, it is just hard to come to terms with.”

While the EDL’s roots are found in the British football-hooligan environment, its attempts to become a legitimate political player were clear in Aarhus. Leader Tommy Robinson bore a t-shirt that stated, ‘EDL HATES NAZIS AND ISLAMISTS’ and repeatedly told the sea of journalists that the EDL was not a violent organisation.

“We’re not far-right; we’re normal people,” he said. “A lot of people have mistakenly been told by the media that we are racist or Nazis. We’re the complete opposite. I don’t care about the other people. We’re the ones who want to stand up for freedom and democracy; they are the ones who wish to end freedom and democracy.”

Robinson was referring to what he called the ‘violent people’ and the ‘farleft’ who had gathered to oppose the meeting at Mølleparken. A couple of hundred black-clad anti-fascists and about one hundred second-generation Danes successfully disrupted the meeting by throwing stones, bottles and fire-

Attendees at the counterdemonstration far outnumbered those who participated in the one organised by the EDL’s Tommy Robinson (right) and the Danish Defence League. Tensions were high during the afternoon, leading to arrests, near-arrests and the EDL’s bus having a window smashed on the way out of town.

LASSE KOFOD

continued from front page

LASSE KOFOD

TOP ROW: JENNIFER TSE

Aarhus demo

Denmark: the police, the council or at hospitals,” he said. “We just want to be accepted, and I think after seeing the demonstrations today, a majority of Danes agree with us.”

Most international media branded the Counter-Jihad Meeting as a flop due to the low turnout. But as a result of the media interest the meeting generated, Robinson achieved his goal of spreading the EDL’s message as far as possible.

“Every person in Denmark, by the end of the day, will have heard about the Danish Defence League. They will then join their ranks,” Robinson said during his speech.

Two groups demonstrated on Saturday to express their distinct fears. The

EDL’s meeting was based on a fear that Islam will creep into and take over Europe and thus should be repelled. Their opponents argued that targeting Muslims violates the West’s inclusive and democratic values and could justify genocide.

So will Robinson’s movement grow as people decide that marginalising a minority based on a narrow reading of their religious text is justifiable? Or will people oppose Robinson’s movement on the basis that stereotyping and victimisation of a minority group is the first step away from an enlightened and inclusive Western society? Time will tell.

Some names in the story have been changed per request.

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News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

5 - 13 April 2012

Family in shock after neighbour slays dog

cykelsuperstier.dk

6

Ray Weaver Law supports shooter who gave loose pet’s owners multiple warnings

Planners hope the new bike routes will be a fast track to getting more people to commute by bike

‘Superhighway’ to offer short and straight road for bikes Ray Weaver Suburban bike commuters will have a faster ride into the city this month

T

he first leg of Greater Copenhagen’s suburb-to-city cycle express lane is set to open to traffic on April 14. Officially known as the C99 Albertslundruten, the 17.5km route will offer cyclists a straight route from Albertslund through Glostrup, Rødovre and Frederiksberg before ending in Copenhagen.

Dubbed ‘cycle superhighways’, the routes are designed to be as direct as possible and have fewer stops and obstructions than traditional bike routes.

Planners hope that by giving cyclists smooth sailing over long distances, they can increase the number of people in Greater Copenhagen cycling to work

from the current 37 percent of commuters to 50 percent by 2015.

A main target group for the cycle superhighways is commuters cycling long distances to work, according to Maria Streuli, the manager of the Cykel Superstier project.

“Most bicycle commuters currently only cycle up to five kilometres,” she said. “We are reaching out to those who have further to go.”

Planners also hope new routes into Copenhagen will reduce two-wheeled traffic jams on busy streets like Nørrebrogade, which is used by as many as 40,000 bikes a day.

In all, more than 300 kilometres of new bike lanes are planned as part of the Cykel Superstier project. Existing bike lanes and routes will be connected to the new paths, and they will incorporate improvements such as wider paths, the regulation of traffic signals, better signage and permanent bike pumps.

The local councils involved also promise that the new bike routes will be a priority to be cleared in case of snow.

Cykel Superstier started in 2010 as a collaborative effort between 19 local authorities in the Greater Copenhagen area. In addition to funding from local and regional government, the project has received a grant from Cykelpuljen, a national fund to support cycling in Denmark.

A recent report from Copenhagen City Council found that the cycling industry was worth 1.3 billion kroner to the city and accounted for more than 650 full-time jobs.

More sections of the cycle superhighway are scheduled to open soon.

A route from Farum to Copenhagen and the Vestvoldruten – which includes Brøndby, Hvidovre and Rodøvre – will open later this year, while a fourth route from Ballerup to Copenhagen is scheduled to open in 2013.

Vily Søvndal: “I’m staying!”

Socialistisk Folkeparti leader guarantees he will remain party boss

A

fter a week of controversy within his party, Socialistisk Folkeparti (SF) chairman Vily Søvndal is working to squash speculation that he is thinking of relinquishing his leadership role.

“I would like to make it clear that SF’s leader is not decided by opinion polls,” said Søvndal. “I am not the type to leave when the going gets tough. I’m staying, if anyone should be in doubt.”

SF seemed at loose ends last week after party leaders appeared to disagree about just who they wanted to represent them. In an interview with JyllandsPosten newspaper, the tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen, said that if SF was truly to be the party that best spoke

for low-wage workers, they needed to turn bank directors, doctors, professors, lawyers and other professionals away from the party ranks.

The environmental minister, Ida Auken (SF), and the trade minister, Pia Olsen Dyhr (SF), told Politiken newspaper on Sunday that they disagreed with Pedersen and said that SF was not a special interest party and that they welcomed both professionals and workers.

Søvndal, the foreign minister, said that he found the whole debate confusing.

“I find it strange, to put it diplomatically, this whole debate about whether we should be a people’s party or a worker’s party. It is the strangest disagreement I have seen during my time in the party,” Søvndal told Politiken.

As party leader, Søvndal is feeling most of the heat for SF’s disarray. A recent Megafon poll conducted for Poli-

tiken and TV2 revealed that only two percent of the 1,000 people surveyed thought that he was the best of the three party leaders in the coalition government at representing his party’s interests.

Among SF voters, just ten percent said Søvndal has been able to make an impact on governmental policy and was doing a good job representing the views expressed by SF prior to the election.

Overall, 39 percent of those polled thought that Søvndal would actually do his party the most good by stepping down. SF voters gave him a higher rating, with 44 percent saying that he is still the best person for the leadership spot.

For his part, Søvndal – who turned 60 on April 4 – stressed that he is not going anywhere. “I am 100 percent sure that when you’re in the midst of a storm, it’s best not to waver. You have to fight,” said Søvndal. (RW)

T

he grieving owners of a dog shot and killed by their neighbour say they have been unable to work since the incident early last week.

Bjarne Juul Hansen, a teacher, and his wife, Lotte Toft, a psychiatric nurse, are recuperating from their loss at home.

On Monday, the couple’s neighbour, Johnny Pedersen, left the family a message stating: “I shot your dog. He is lying over here.” He then went to the police in the central Zealand town of Holbæk himself and told them that he had shot and killed the ten-year-old Labrador Retriever named Balder because the dog came onto his property.

Pedersen told Jyllands-Posten that he was only protecting his property.

“What I have done is protect my animals from a dog that was allowed to run free eight hours every day,” he said. Pedersen said he had taken Balder back to his neighbours at least 20 times after finding him in the forest around his property.

Police are investigating, but Pedersen may not be guilty of any crime because he wrote the family a letter less than a year ago warning them that he would shoot Balder if the white dog came onto his property again. When Hansen apparently forgot to lock a gate on Monday, Balder ran onto Pedersen’s property and Pedersen made good on his threat.

“This is my fault,” Hansen told the

It is indefensible that property owners think they can walk around wielding firearms like cowboys tabloid B.T. “I forgot to lock the gate.”

Hansen said he hasn’t slept since his dog was killed.

The family have received an outpouring of support from friends, neighbours and strangers, including flowers left on their doorstep and people offering to give them a new dog.

“A woman called and said her Labrador had just had puppies,” Toft told the tabloid Ekstra Bladet. “But we don’t dare get a new dog as long as Johnny Pedersen lives there.”

Hansen said he would not even consider a new pet until he had built a fence with a double-locking gate around his property.

Since the incident, several politicians have gone on record saying the law protecting those who shoot pets that wander onto their property should be changed.

Dennis Flydtkjær (Dansk Folkeparti) said in a statement that the current law resembled “a relic from the Wild West”.

“It is indefensible that property owners think they can walk around wielding firearms like cowboys,” he said.

Father in Rebild abuse case receives indefinite detention Verdict handed down in one of the worst child sex abuse cases in Danish history

A

56-year-old father was found guilty last week on Thursday of the long-term sexual abuse of nine children – seven of his own – in the socalled Rebild case (Rebild-sagen). It was also determined in court that the man repeatedly forced four of his sons to repeatedly abuse their sister – the man’s eldest daughter – who is now 15 years old. Besides his own children, the man also sexually abused two girls who were friends of one of his daughters.

The father was sentenced by an Aalborg court to indefinite detention – the punishment sought by Anette Abildgaard, the prosecutor in the case.

The man must also pay his victims a total of 915,000 kroner in compensation.

With the judgement, one of the largest child sex abuse cases in Danish history comes to a close. Over a 16-year period, the convicted man carried out the abuse on seven of his ten children.

The family moved repeatedly, primarily in northern Jutland, before settling down in recent years in Rebild. Rebild Council has been heavily criticised for its handling of the case.

Despite repeated alarm bells from concerned teachers and daycare providers, the council failed to forcibly remove the children from the home.

The father has appealed against the judgement, and the ban on publicly releasing the man’s name will be in place until the appeal is concluded. (J-P)

Online this week Supreme Court cuts pollution fine

Facebook no longer off limits to journos

Jeff’s got a job

The Supreme Court decided last week to slash the fine that cousins Henrik and Claus Prom must pay to environmental authority Miløstyrelsen for pollution caused by the factory they inherited from their fathers.

The pair had been fined over 130 million kroner in 2009 by the Eastern High Court after legal

The media watchdog organisation Pressenævnet has announced that it is acceptable to use material from Facebook if the individual has many ‘friends’ or ‘friends of friends’, including individuals that journalists have no personal connection to. The decision especially affects public figures such as politicians

Jeffrey Hunter, the American who two weeks ago said he was prepared to pay 10,000 kroner to anyone who helped him find employment, on Friday confirmed he had found the kind of job needed to qualify for indefinite residency in this

action concerning toxic waste left undisposed at a chemical plant, which they operated in southern Zealand from 1994 until it was closed by the authorities in 1997.

The judgement was appealed to the Supreme Court, which decided to reduce the fine to 534,000 kroner. The ruling brings to a close 12 years of legal wrangling.

who currently use Facebook as a tool to convey their political messages and ideology. The new guidelines come in the wake of several high-profile public figures who have faced criticism following Facebook updates.

The government ombudsman made a similar decision in November 2011.

country. Without a job, Hunter faced deportation on May 1. A two-word entry on his personal Facebook page at 14:22 was all his legion of followers needed to read to know he had been successful. It simply read: “Hired mother**kahhhh!!!!!”

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

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OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

In Islam debate, Aarhus From Zimbabwe to Sandholm and someday back again is the real Europe

D

ENMARK’S second city doesn’t often get much ink in this newspaper. So when it does, you can be sure that something important is going on.

This week, it turns out, we have not just one, but three articles, as well as a commentary, all dealing with Aarhus and some of our the hottest issues of our time – free speech, immigration and the clash between the West and Islam. Unfortunately, none of the stories gave the city anything to smile about.

In the case of this weekend’s anti-Islamic rally, you could say that while Aarhus escaped without physical damage, the city’s reputation was one of the biggest victims. Aarhus, according to the city’s slogan, is ‘Danish for progress’, but on Saturday it was ‘European for racism’ (if that, as has been pointed out in the comments on our website, is indeed the right term for someone who is prejudiced against members of a religion.)

In its defence, Aarhus did nothing to bring the anti-Islamists to the city, and few locals attended the rally. In addition, Aarhus officials, describing the rally as something they wanted to “distance themselves from”, allowed a counter-demonstration, organised by a local politician, to be held at the same time despite the likelihood that it would end in conflict.

European Defence League leader Tommy Robinson apparently settled on Aarhus for its symbolism as the home of Jyllands-Posten, the paper that published the Mohammed cartoons. But with Robinson preparing future rallies, it’s also worth noting that he says the group is considering holding them in provincial cities in other countries as well, such as Malmö.

Here in Copenhagen, it can be difficult for us to relate to what happens elsewhere in the country, be it Aarhus or Albertslund. As the capital, we’re more likely to pay attention to ourselves or to other countries than we are to the provinces. But this lack of national interest can be dangerous. In these areas – often economically and socially depressed – Muslims aren’t seen as people who can contribute something different to our culture. They are the stereotypical ‘other’ who steals jobs from the equally stereotypical average white guy, out of work and facing a lack of opportunities. And it is here – whether that’s Aarhus, Malmö, Bradford, Toulouse or similar cities – that people like Robinson look when seeking to recruit others for his conflict.

Here in the capital, we don’t often report about news from the provinces, unless there’s something big going on. The question this time around, though, is whether disaffection in the provinces is already so big that it’s already old news for everyone else but us.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

TENDAI TAGARIRA

O

N 6 September 2011, we were on our way to the security entrance of the infamous Centre Sandholm asylum camp outside of Copenhagen. Suddenly, the deafening sound of artillery filled our ears, shaking the ground beneath us. This was our grand welcome and a big contrast from the welcome I received upon my arrival on 14 June 2010 as Denmark’s first writer under the ICORN programme.

I am a political exile from Zimbabwe, hunted down by Mugabe’s henchmen for daring to write about the crisis there. The price for being daring is a life on the run. But fate gave me an unlikely destiny when the city of Aarhus invited me to live in its sanctuary.

Aarhus is where the infamous Mohammed cartoons originated, and the city decided to give me refuge to continue my civil-rights work against the Mugabe dictatorship. But there was a catch: this sanctuary and freedom would last for only two years. One might think that is a long time, but when you have lived under an 88-year-old dictator who seems to defy aging, time can often feel as brutal as the tyrant. Nevertheless, I was told: “You have freedom of speech in Denmark!”

Therefore, I began another bold campaign against the tyr-

Atomic scientist’s quantum leap

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

Your pieces on aspects of Danish life at the back of the newspaper are well worth reading. However, I must make a small correction to the caption under the photograph of Niels Bohr (issue No. 11) that he “saw out the latter years of his career in the US”. Following the war, he lived and worked in Copenhagen until the end of his life – with visits to the US and other countries, of course, but based here.

Rosemary Bohr By email Booze tax

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appointment. We left quite early, without knowing what we might experience at Sandholm. In the middle of nowhere, we finally saw a yellow building surrounded by a military-style fence. I was dreading this moment, but now I had to take the complex journey of applying for asylum in Denmark.

As we approached the building, we were met by the sound of gunshots from a military camp across from Sandholm. I imagined the poor asylum seekers from wartorn countries being subjected to the sounds of heavy artillery. This was a traumatising and dehumanising experience, and I wondered how the government could claim to be a champion of democracy when it was traumatising asylum seekers in its own backyard?

We entered the asylum camp after surrendering our identity documents and made our way to the block where an armed security guard and a stern woman were waiting for me. They called out my name and asked me to follow them. My girlfriend was asked to remain behind and my friend could only sit outside while I was fingerprinted like a criminal inside one of the offices.

They also took some mug shots, and I wondered whether I had committed a crime by daring to apply for asylum. Then I had to watch a five-part DVD that explained my rights during the asylum process. But before I was finished watching, the stern woman whisked me away to another interview where I had to explain how I had reached Denmark.

I explained everything in great detail, and they said they were only interested in my route to Denmark and my reasons for seeking asylum. My friend was sitting next to me as a witness, but he was not allowed to say anything. I could see in his eyes that he felt helpless and unnerved by the practices of his government. My alien’s passport, which had been given to me upon my arrival, was taken away. I pleaded with them to return it, as

it was the only identification I had since my original Zimbabwean passport was confiscated by Mugabe’s thugs in Africa. After making several phone calls to some authorities, the woman returned it with a stern condition.

“You can have your passport back as long as you don’t travel outside of Denmark. In fact, you can’t leave Denmark until your asylum case has been processed.”

These were harsh words indeed.

Now I was practically a prisoner in the very land that had offered me temporary refuge. I could not even visit neighbouring countries where I was scheduled to speak about my fight for democracy in Zimbabwe.

Fortunately, the people of Denmark elected a new government that promised better and more just treatment for asylum seekers and foreigners. In January 2012, I was summoned to attend a final interview at Sandholm, and this time, the officials seemed gentler and less cruel. They asked me about my life and why I feared returning to Zimbabwe. The interview lasted the whole day – which was emotionally and mentally exhausting – but I felt it was a fair and professional process. At the end, I was informed that I would learn my fate within three weeks.

Those were the longest three weeks of my life. Every day, I went outside and checked my letter box for something from the immigration authorities. Finally, on January 24, I received a letter offering me political asylum. I couldn’t believe it, and it took several days for reality to sink in. So now, I continue my fight against the injustice in Zimbabwe, knowing that I have true refuge here in Denmark.

I look forward to going home to a free Zimbabwe someday, but today, I continue to fight for that freedom with my pen, paper and voice.

The author is a political refugee, and in 2010 became Denmark’s first ICORN Cities of Refuge author.

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anny back home. I campaigned vigorously against Mugabe. I gave endless TV, radio and press interviews. I felt a huge obligation to speak on behalf of the millions of my countrymen who live in constant fear.

Little did I realise I was making myself an even bigger target for the Mugabe regime’s wrath.

Even Mugabe’s spokesman had harsh words for me, saying I am a traitor being paid by the West to soil Mugabe’s image, and trying to rewrite the history of Zimbabwe.

In September 2011, I asked Aarhus what would happen when my temporary ‘alien’s passport’ expired. None of the city officials would tackle this question, which was deemed ‘political’. There I was, committing political suicide, protected by Danish officials who said I had freedom to express myself. Even the mayor wrote a speech telling Mugabe to go to hell, which he read during my official public welcome.

I soon realised that no city officials wanted to address the question of my fate because Denmark was being run by a fierce rightwing party at the time. That government disliked foreigners, particularly those from non-Western countries. At the helm of this toxic ship was the Dansk Folkeparti, led by an extremist who was bent on making it impossible to be a foreigner in Denmark.

I realised I had very few options, so I decided to start a fearsome process: on 24 August 2011, I applied for political asylum. I had heard stories about people who spent up to 15 years stuck in this process, and even reports of some who committed suicide from frustration. Aarhus offered no assistance. This was a ‘political’ road I had to walk alone.

I soon received a letter commanding me to appear at Sandholm on September 9 at 9:00am.

A dear Danish friend from Copenhagen invited me to stay at his house and offered to drive me and my girlfriend to Sandholm for the

Sin taxes are never solutions for behaviour problems. People will either pay more or find a way around (e.g. moonshine, smuggling, etc.). And you can expect an increase in illegal activity, stealing for money, gangs who control the illegal supply, etc.

Thorvaldsen By website

In American history, during the presidency of George Washington, there was a spirits tax and something called the “Whiskey Rebellion,” which was no laughing matter. However, Danes are too docile, cowardly and uncommitted at a personal level to ever react to a tax in the same manner; they will just pay and grumble about how happy they are to do so”.

SNCO By website Denmark has its first ‘saviour sibling’ I don’t see what the big deal is.

The parents love their child and they want to save his/her life. If giving birth to another child can do this, then what’s the harm? Just as long as they love the child after it has been used for its original function, I can see no harm in this. If they decide to chuck the baby afterwards though, that’s an entirely different matter. I also

don’t think that the second child will be haunted for the rest of his/ her life because his/her parents gave birth to him/her to save his/ her sibling’s life. It can actually be seen as a noble introduction into this world. Why do people have to be so judgmental without thinking about things from different angles?

Erikinohio By website Can a foreigner ever become a Dane?

Thank you for bringing up this question. Even though I’m Danish, I’m sure not proud of how the Danes in general treat either foreigners or second and third generation people. We constantly have to look at them in a negative way – but WHY????? If there is someone we can learn from, it’s you guys. We should welcome each one of you no matter where you’re from, we shouldn’t care AT ALL about skin colour. Every single

person is equal no matter where we are from. And no, Danes are not better than anybody else, even though it’s an unspoken word.

And yes, Pia Kjaersgaard has not made it better with her crazy racist attitude.

Janet Rolighed By website Second and third generation people? Why not just refer to them as DANISH citizens, since they were BORN here and have lived their entire lives here?

Nicole Grzeskowiak By website Danske Spil Imagine having bought an expensive cruise or the like for the family in those one and a half hours...

Hmm... However, the completely unrealistically high figure (for DK) makes me doubt whether anyone could seriously believe that they had won... Still Danske Spil needs to get their act together!

Martin Friis

By Facebook

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

9

Still Adjusting

BY JUSTIN CREMER 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, struggling with the Danish language and keeping up with the everchanging immigration rules. Follow him at twitter.com/justincph

The great green swindle ILLUSTRATION BY AVIAJA BEBE NIELSEN

J

UST DAYS after Denmark put through its much-heralded energy plan, resulting in plenty of backslapping among politicians and more than a fair amount of praise in the international press, Eurostat figures revealed that the average Dane produced 673 kilos of garbage in 2010, putting Denmark behind only Cyprus and Luxembourg when it comes to trash. The figures also revealed that a mere 23 percent of Danish household trash is recycled, about half as much as the Germans.

These numbers were not in the least bit surprising. Ever since my first visit to Denmark, I was struck by how hard it was to recycle, particularly plastic. I was so accustomed to recycling my plastic one gallon milk containers (that’s roughly 3.8 litres, my European friends) that I found it incredulous that milk here came in cardboard packages destined for the trash. Though, to be fair, I found it even more unbelievable that the said containers only hold one litre of milk, meaning a lifetime of going to the store every second day.

Like most of the outside world, I came here having bought into the notion that Denmark was a green paradise.

Why then, was I throwing things in the trash that back home were recycled?

“Bare rolig du,” I was told. In Denmark, everything is burnt and the energy is then used to heat homes. It’s a beautiful system, can’t you see that?

Actually, no. A study by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) last year revealed that Denmark’s carbon dioxide emissions were double what was originally thought and the nation was exceeding the carbon dioxide goals under the Kyoto Protocol. The culprit? That same rubbish incineration programme that had been praised to the heavens.

But, but, but, it’s not the incinera-

Windmills, yes, but also piles and piles of trash that should be recycled

tion that’s the problem, experts argued.

It’s that too much plastic gets burnt – that same plastic that is incredibly inconvenient to recycle.

Being a good, environmentallyconscious world citizen, I tried to do my small part. For months, I had been dutifully separating my plastic and cardboard, placing them in the requisite clear plastic sacks, and storing them in the shed until the infrequent storskrald (big trash) pick-up days.

Only when my wife happened to be

Dot your countryside and shorelines with enough wind turbines, you’ll convince the world that you’re ‘green’

outside on pick-up day and struck up a conversation with one of the collectors, did I come to realise that all of that was just burnt anyway. Yes, my plastic that had been rinsed and separated, my cardboard that had been neatly bundled.

Burnt. All of it. In incineration plants that, according to DTU’s numbers, produce some 700,000 more tonnes of carbon dioxide than previously thought.

Rather ironically, with the amount of emissions this incorrectly-labelled ‘green’ solution pumps into the atmosphere,

there sure are some particular rules about it. Just last week, the collectors refused to take my trash because there was loose kitty litter inside. Gosh, did I feel terrible that I hadn’t put it in an extra unnecessary plastic sack to put within the larger sack so that it all could be burnt and added to the air pollution. My bad, y’all.

Hopefully, though, the attitudes towards incineration and recycling are beginning to change. A year-long pilot programme in Amager revealed last summer that up to 30 percent of the household rubbish currently being burned is recyclable or unfit for burning. Based on that programme, Copenhagen’s technical and environmental department, Teknik- og Miljøforvaltningen (TMF), announced a new sortable recycling programme that it expects will reduce carbon emissions by 1,400 tonnes per year. The programme was due to begin this month, but a call to TMF last week revealed that it had been pushed back to sometime in the autumn.

Denmark has done an amazing job of presenting itself as an environmental leader. The strategy seems to be that if you dot your countryside and shorelines with enough wind turbines, you’ll convince the world that you’re ‘green’.

Largely, it’s worked. And with the newly-announced plan to wean Denmark off fossil fuels by 2050, the country will continue to be perceived as on the cutting edge of green technology. But when residents can’t conveniently recycle in their homes and instead pile up obscene amounts of trash that, once incinerated, produce an emissions-laden carbon bomb, it gives a whole new meaning to the line so proudly displayed on DSB’s trains: “It’s not a question of green, but how green.” And just how green can a country be when in the year 2012 it still hasn’t fully embraced recycling?

CPH POST VOICES

‘TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK’

‘MACCARTHY’S WORLD’

‘THE LYNCH REPORT’

‘PERNICKETY DICKY’

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

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

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

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.”

10 NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

Fooled ya! A wrap-up of the best April Fool’s Day stories CHRISTIAN WENANDE Did you fall hook, line and sinker for any of the April Fool’s pranks in the national newspapers?

A

S PER TRADITION on April 1, news outlets around the world launched ingenious and creative attempts to trick their more gullible readers into believing outrageous stories.

From toilet-less trains to EU-sanctioned sand dunes, here is a round-up of how the Danish newspapers attempted to deceive their readers.

In one of the more creative attempts, Berlingske newspaper wrote that the EU was demanding that the sand dunes of Råbjerg Mile in Jutland immediately stop expanding. The sand dunes move about 15 metres every year and Berlingske wrote that according to an EU report, the dunes will have completely left their designated natural enclosure 150 years from now.

The EU therefore threatened sanctions to stop the sandy migration, which would include

losing the right to be called a scenic sand dune. The EU also designated funds to halt the migration and opened the possibility of sending north African workers up to help due to their experience in sand movement.

EU regulations and imported African workers – needless to say, Pia Kjaersgaard was not impressed.

Ingeniøren newspaper wrote that a terrible financial situation and a lack of space for passengers have forced DSB to remove all toilets from their IC4 trains. The change would mean that travellers would be forced to hold their water for long distances, or wait until the trains stop at designated toilet stations, which would have 25 toilets on the platforms so that passengers could relieve themselves during three-minute stops.

B.T. newspaper claimed that former tennis “legend” and current broke reality star Frederik Fetterlein had taken up residence on the Oslo ferry in an attempt to avoid paying taxes. B.T. wrote that the DFDS Seaways ferry would no longer sail to Oslo but rather remain in

international waters so that Fetterlein can use it as his personal tax haven. The ship would be remodelled to suit Fetterlein’s lavish and unsustainable lifestyle, including luxury apartments, casinos and a helipad to fly in visitors.

Christiania Media released a press announcement saying that it had completely sold out to the capitalistic overlords.

In an attempt to save the freetown, Disney would become the majority stockholder and convert Christiania into an amusement park called ‘Hippie Dream World’.

MetroXpress newspaper got in on the act by writing that Danish stamps with Queen Margrethe would be replaced with special EU stamps. Jyske Vestkysten newspaper indicated that in an attempt to neutralise social cliques among pupils, uniforms would soon be mandatory at all Esbjerg schools.

Other noteworthy jokes included Politiken newspaper saying that a new smartphone application would allow you to eavesdrop on nearby phone conversations.

And finally, your very own

Copenhagen Post managed to get in not one but two April Fool’s stories (yes, it was a slow news week) and sadly, the booze-tax story was not among them. And although it shared a page with our April Fool’s stories, the utterly unbelievable Danske Spil snafu was, sadly, real.

If you hadn’t registered the cheeky, clandestine attempts that were slipped in our last edition, here is a brief rundown of them.

In keeping with the rich tradition of highlighting Copenhagen as a utopia, we decided to Although the third was also pretty unbelievable, only two of the stories on feed the hungry trolls … this page last week were April Fool’s pranks er, we mean readers, by declaring that the city had been declared the best at being scantily clad ladies here) but fell for the gags – a radio station a best city. While it was im- while dihydrogen monoxide in the US actually included our mediately called out as a gag, may sound like a poisonous water story as news. we did receive some admirable chemical, it is in fact the chemiThe best response from our responses, although most were cal makeup of water. Still, Den- readers in the comments secabout the scantily-clad young mark has taxed sugar and fat tion, typo and all, was by Thorlady perched upon a bicycle in and is now looking at beer, so valdsen: “and Copenhagen Post the photo. it may be a prophecy yet to be has been hearlded as the world’s The second story was per- fulfilled. best newspaper!” haps a little less graphic (no Touché, good sir, touché.

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OMA’S chef and co-owner Rene Redzepi has once again been short-listed for the Time 100, a list compiled by the magazine of the most influential people in the world. In 2011, he made the top 100, finishing in 95th place.

In his online bio, Time

credits the 34-year-old chef ’s concept of New Nordic cuisine with “giving Danes a sense of their gastronomic heritage and in the process forging an internationally embraced style of cooking that, through its reliance on locally foraged plants and indigenous meat and fish, conveys a strong sense of time and place”.

Time also commended Redzepi’s organisation of the annual MAD Food Camp and commitment to finding a sustainable future for food, and

this year simply described his occupation as “chef ”. Last year, he was the “patron chef who likes to pick flowers”.

Visitors to Time’s website have until Friday to cast their votes for a group of 200 plus “leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes” chosen by the magazine, which will then reveal its top 100 on April 17, just 13 days before Redzepi finds out whether Noma will continue to be known as the best restaurant in the world for a third successive year.

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

11

KPMG’s new platform for international whizz-kids to network and thrive

BY DAVE SMITH

The international accountancy firm KPMG held the inaugural meeting of its new Foreigners in Finance Network at its new offices in Frederiksberg near Flintholm Station on Friday March 23. It was a well-attended affair, with 75 professionals in attendance. The event included a presentation by Marisa Matarese from the Living Institute, entitled ‘Why the Danes are So Weird’, which was a light-hearted look at Danish characteristics and culture, and some seriously contested games of KPMG’s business dilemma game, which is based on the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. “Extremely positive feedback has been received following the event,” revealed KPMG’s Lauren Morrissey, the organiser of the event. “Including one happy customer who commented: ‘This is the best network event I have ever attended. You guys should win a prize’.” The next event is on June 8 – to find out more, email laurenmorrissey@kpmg.dk or join the group on LinkedIn.

Following the presentations, the attendees were divided into tables, and the fun began. Pictured here (left-right) are Michaela Gutsche (Continental Dæk), Amanda Cunningham (DK InterTrade), Philip Tees (DK InterTrade), Dale Treloggen (KPMG), Ainura Bizhanova (Dong Energy) and Paulo Monteiro (Damco).

The drinks before the presentation were a great opportunity to network ahead of the main event. Most attendees opted for the smart casual approach, although Bruce Burmeister (Maersk, centre) had more of a rock casual vibe going on.

“No, we’re the best table for one very good reason: your jumper.” It would appear that (left-right) Linda Zhou (KPMG), Tae Maki (KPMG), Wilso Zhu (HSH Debt Advisory), Jack Renteria (3XN Architects), and François Vachon (KPMG) were in complete agreement.

Luiza Jinaru (an international business graduate) and Mihaela Pisau (CBS) compare notes ahead of the presentations.

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COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

(UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)

Argentinian ambassador Raúl Alberto Ricardes held a reception at his residence last week on Thursday in honour of the departing Chilean ambassador Ricardo Concha. Pictured here (left-right) are the permanent secretary of state, Claus Grube, Concha, Jette Nordam, the chief of protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ricardes.

It was a well-attended event with ten ambassadors present to pay their regards, including (left-right) Egyptian ambassador Nabil Habashi, Jette Nordam, Japanese ambassador Toshio Sano, Portuguese ambassador João Pedro Silveira de Carvalho, French ambassador Veronique Bujon-Barre, Claus Grube, Ricardo Concha, Mexican ambassador Martha Bárcena, the ministry’s John Kierulf, Raúl Alberto Ricardes, Swiss ambassador Viktor Christen, Algerian ambassador Abdelhamid Boubazine, Greek ambassador Dimitrios Kontoumas, Spanish ambassador Diego Muñiz Lovelace, and Brazilian ambassador Goncalo de Barros Carvalho E Mello Mourao.

It was a lively affair last week on Thursday at the residence of Indian ambassador Ashok Kumar Attri, where a reception welcomed a delegation from India’s Amity University, in the region to attend the Model European Parliament Baltic Sea Region Session.

The American Chamber of Commerce’s Transatlantic Company of the Year for 2012 was Novozymes. Pictured here are AmCham executive director Stephen Brugger, IBM VP Kim Østrup, DTU chairman Sten Scheibye, Novozymes CEO Steen Riisgaard, and US ambassador Laurie S Fulton. Photo: Pamela Juhl

Meanwhile, AmCham last week hosted a board roundtable with the US ambassador to the EU, William Kennard. Pictured here (left-right) are Coloplast CFO Lene Skole, IBM VP Kim Østrup, Kennard and US ambassador Laurie S Fulton. Photo: Pamela Juhl

No, it’s not a late-comer to the St Patrick’s Day parade! Palm Sunday marked the start of Holy Week, proof that Easter is finally on its way.

COMING UP SOON

LIVING IN AN EXPAT WORLD Life is never dull at the national networking platform, Expat in Denmark.

From questions regarding complicated tax issues to ones about the Danish psyche, Craig Till has heard it all. Here he shares his insights about the issues that mean most to our community.

E

XPAT IN Denmark, in case you wondered, is a state-funded initiative that does its bit to facilitate social and professional contact between expats, and between expats and Danes. According to our member surveys, folk seem to appreciate and – whisper it – even like some of the events and web-based services we provide.

On the other hand, a cursory glance at some of the less-thancomplimentary missives in my inbox ensures that satisfaction is always some way out of reach.

You can’t please ‘em all, especially when the ‘all’ have such varied needs and desires.

Anyway, over the last week or so I have attended a number of the various working groups that come with the Expat in Denmark package. The Danish state – for those of you paying tax here, that means you – finances and supports a myriad of initiatives that seek to attract and retain/integrate non-Danes a bit more into the goings on of Danish everyday life. And who can blame them? We’re good

business. The list of genuinely interesting projects is impressive: using libraries as a conduit to informing and connecting expats, sports guides to introduce nonDanes to Danish sporting life, career counselling and coaching, supporting international students onto the labour market, support and advice for spouses and – most recently – cultural literature networks between Danes and expats.

On top of that, two of the five regions of Denmark (North and Mid) have spent over 60 million kroner on joint efforts to improve the welcome and services that expats receive in those regions. The capital region is on the cusp of launching a similar project of over 40 million. These are but an indicative idea of what goes on, and I guess you soon realise that we’re into the realm of serious money being spent. Moreover, and you’ll like this, there is no overview to date of what the overall spending has entailed in its various forms.

A more cynical observer would note “ever was it thus”

on these shores, but I would not (entirely) agree that such money is poorly spent. I do, however, worry how well it is communicated to the average José on the street, and I hope that everyone – us included – gets better at this, and fast.

I was wondering about this, and more interestingly the colossal elephant in the room not a million days ago. What would make the largest single difference to helping expats? How many projects, how many millions, are needed for getting their head around the state, the region, the commune ... the tax rules, the health service and your rights: everything from refuse collection to child benefit?

A web-savvy Dane heads to borger.dk and finds everything they could possibly need to know. An expat is left with a mish-mash of websites providing limited information – and that includes ours.

So: how about it? One project. One guide to everything you’ve paid for. One massive difference made.

Plan B: Breaking through to a better business model Hannes Snellman, Amaliegade 15, Cph K, April 19, 17:00; free adm; sign up at event@bccd.dk; www.bccd.dk If the founders of Google, PayPal or Starbucks had stuck to their original business plans, we’d probably never have heard of them. Instead, they made radical changes to their initial models, became household names, and delivered huge returns for investors. Professor John Mullin’s talk will explore new ways to think about and develop breakthrough business models.

Internet politics – a seminar on ACTA and public/private relations Copenhagen Business School, Porcelænshaven 18B, Frederiksberg, April 11; sign up at shk. ikl@cbs.dk; www.cbs.dk Recent months have been marked by heated debates about the extent to which the internet can and should be controlled and regulated. The European debate has largely focused on the international trade agreement, ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), which aims at establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement.

Wine & Grub Langebrogade 6 E, Cph K, April 11–15, 17:30 & 20:30; sign up at www.billetto.dk/winegrub Sommelier Rasmus Amdi Larsen will present a four-wine menu reflecting the lightness of the season, while chefs Mette Dahlgaard and Kamilla Seidler will create four tastes per course (totalling 16 tastes over the evening) to enhance the wine selection.

International book club Sankt Nikolaj Pub, Nikolajgade 18, Cph K, Thu April 12, 19:00; 10kr; sign up at www.meetup.com Read some good books, enjoy some lively discussions and meet some nice people. At this meetup, they will be discussing ‘The Swallows of Kabul’ by Yasmina Khadra.

Seminar: Addressing Climate Change and Conflict in Development Co-operation Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, Cph K; Thu April 12, 09:30; free adm; sign up at www.diis.dk The aim of this seminar is to inspire practitioners and researchers working on climate-related conflicts in the developing countries on how to address climaterelated conflicts in development co-operation.

Let’s go dancing: 30+ Nord Natklub, Axeltorv 5, Cph V; Sat April 7, 22:00; free adm before 23:00, 90kr after; www. nordnatklub.dk The average age of people in Denmark going to nightclubs is getting younger and younger.

Fortunately there is Klub Nord, where you can only get in when you’re over the age of 30. You can meet up with other expats at 22:00 outside the club. Check www.meetup.com for more information.

Trashion show Copenhagen International School, Hellerupvej 22-26, Hellerup; Sat April 14; 50kr; www.cis-edu.dk Students from the Copenhagen International School have been making a collection of high-end fashion from unwanted waste.

Old milk tops, wine corks, juice cartons, photographs, newspapers and even bicycle tyres are just a few of the items that have been used to transform everyday waste into wearable works of art.

Every krone will be donated to Roots and Shoots.

MIKE HOFMAN

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

13

Casting aside your holier-than-thou attitude to welcome spring BEN HAMILTON A new Indian association celebrated its inaugural event to mark Holi, the festival of colours

T

HE EUROPEANS just don’t celebrate the seasons enough, do they? Particularly in Scandinavia where you’d think we’d be grateful for the advent of spring after all those harsh winter months, although this year’s was pretty tropical compared to the previous two. But venture outside the continent, and spring’s a huge deal for many nationalities and religions. It’s a time for joy, colourful celebration, and reckless abandonment – and that’s just in the countries whose winters are milder than our summers.

One such festival is the Hindi spring festival of Holi, the festival of colours. Popular in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and anywhere with a large population of people from those countries, it is celebrated on the last full moon day of the lunar month of Phalguna.

On Holi, all castes are cast aside, along with social etiquette.

It’s a time for the rich and poor, old and young, and men and women, to mingle, creating an exciting atmosphere as celebrants do things they wouldn’t normally dream of doing in the rest of the year.

Along with the prayers and

The Indanes board members (left-right ) Anuradha Singh, ArchanaMaurya, Usha Vig, Susheel Vig, Swati Joshi, Rakesh Joshi, Sateja Bhalekar and Shrikant Bhalekar

praise, the air is filled with scented powder, perfume and the smell of bonfires – lit to commemorate the escape of Prahlad from a fire that he was taken into by the demoness Holika, who herself perished.

There are an estimated 6,500 Indians in Denmark and most of them are members of an expat association, whether it’s Indians in Denmark or Expat in Denmark.

Now they can add another group to the list: the Indian Danish Association (Indanes), which chose Holi to enjoyed its inaugural celebration on March 17 at Bellahøj Skole in Brønshøj.

Already with nearly 400 friends on Facebook, the Indanes celebration was well attended.

“We are pleased to inform you that the event was a tremendous success; approximately 200 people attended the event,” event organiser Shrikant Bhalekar told The Copenhagen Post.

“Very highly talented participants gave various cultural performances. This event was highly acclaimed by the audience and we were pleased to receive tonnes of positive feedback for this event, which can be seen by the comments posted by the audience on the Indanes Facebook site.”

There was no shortage of traditional costumes ... and dancing of course

Indanes has been founded with five major objectives: to promote cross-cultural activities between Danes and Indians; to establish networks among Indians living in Denmark to help them integrate into Danish society; to celebrate Indian festivals; to teach and keep the Indian children upto-date with their mother tongue; and to promote sports and dancing activities for children and adults. Additionally, there are plans to set up a ladies club.

To find out more about Indanes, join them on Facebook and register at www.indanes.com.

But these kids favoured traditional American clothing for their performance

The inspiration kids find in things everyday folks leave behind

At, CIS one man’s trash is another man’s fashion

BEN HAMILTON Trashion: they are the chic squad and they’re shaking it down – book your tickets for April 14 with the Copenhagen International School and enjoy the show

E

NVIRONMENTAL concerns have been around longer than many people think. Three years even before the foundation of Greenpeace

in 1971, a children’s TV series about the ‘Wombles’ – a community of furry creatures living in London’s Wimbledon Common, who collected and recycled rubbish – was busy inspiring a new generation. And in case the viewers didn’t get the point, their motto was ‘Make Good Use of Bad Rubbish’.

Over 40 years later, and the children of the Copenhagen International School in Hel-

Students’ designs incorporate everything from film strips to juice cartons

lerup are taking a leaf out of the ‘Wombling Guide to Foraging’ and presenting a fashion show with a difference. On April 14, from 16:00-18:00, the school will host a “high-end fashion show” of pieces made by children, aged five to 18, which are quite literally rubbish.

Old milk tops, wine corks, juice cartons, photographs, newspaper and even bicycle tyres are just a few of the items that

have been used to transform everyday waste into “wearable works of art”. The two-hour event will include a runway show, live music, and light snacks and drinks.

Tickets cost 50 kroner and it is recommended you purchased them in advance.

All the proceeds will be donated to Roots & Shoots, a worldwide initiative in which tens of thousands of young people in more than 120 countries

network with each other to make a difference – to people, to animals and to the environment – and on a local level, to identify problems in their communities and take action. However, despite its worldwide popularity, CIS is the first organisation in Denmark to get involved with Roots & Shoots.

“Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation,” explained the en-

vironmentalist and humanitarian Dr Jane Goodall in material supplied by CIS. “Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light, they can break open brick walls.

Imagine that the brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on our planet. Hundreds of thousands of roots and shoots, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls. We CAN change the world.”

14

sport

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

5 - 13 April 2012

Little Miss Sunshine aiming to make it three in a row at home Move over

Thomas, (Thor) Bjørn’s in town

MICHAEL REGA/scanpix

Peter Streader The Farum tournament, the e-Boks Open, has assembled its most competitive ever field, with former world number one Jelena Jankovic among Wozniacki’s challengers

FRANCK FIFE/scanpix

F

christian wevande Danish golf talent keeps his nerve to win the Sicilian Open – his first European Tour victory

Wozniacki has never lost in a home-soil WTA tournament and doesn’t plan to break that habit this month

mention is the remarkable veteran Japanese ace, Kimiko Date Krumm. Aged 41, Date Krumm retired in 1996 only to return to the professional circuit in 2008.

Tennis fans will remember her epic threehour encounter against Venus Williams at Wimbledon last year, in which she lost the last set 6-8. If it is power tennis you are after then look no further than the hard-serving Estonian Kaia Kanepi, who regularly wallops her serve at speeds of 170 km per hour. Those with a keen eye for up-and-coming talent will be at the courtside to watch the exciting Timea Babos who, at 18, has just won the Monterrey Open. Union Jack-waving Brits will have the chance of cheering on Hackney-born Anne Keothavong, Britain’s number two, whilst the talented young Russian, Valeria Savinykh, is sure to attract the click of the camera lens.

Autograph hunters will not want to miss the chance to meet Wozniacki and the other players. Signing sessions take place at 14:30 on every day (bar Tuesday) from Saturday until Friday at 14:30, and then on the final weekend at 13:00 on both days. For those whose lack of enthusiasm or money does not permit the trip to Farum, you can either wave to the girls as they cruise by on Monday’s Copenhagen canal boat tour at 5:00, or gatecrash the official party at Club Zen on Monday evening from 10:00. Those with the right connections will, of course, be hob-nobbing in the tournament’s VIP lounge, drinking mixed doubles.

Parents wanting to retire early and live off their children’s talents may wish to sign their offspring up for the Caroline Wozniacki Tennis Academy. For 2,500 kroner, top trainers will fine-tune the backhands of the budding tennis stars

of the future, showing the youngsters exactly what it takes to get the top. The sessions are designed by Wozniacki, but the actual training is carried out by Davis Cup captain Kenneth Carlsen all day on 14 and 15 April at nearby Farum Tennis Club.

So, an enthralling week of top class singles and doubles tennis lie ahead in Farum – be sure to buy your tickets early.

Hopefully a Wozniacki win will prove to be the harbinger of greater things to come in 2012. e-Boks Open Farum Arena, Stavnsholtsvej 41, 3520 Farum; following weekend qualification, tournament officially starts Mon, ends Sun April 15, doors open at 11:00; tickets 170550kr, billetnet,dk; www.e-boksopen.com

Bob Wallace

resh from her exploits in Miami, the darling of Danish tennis, Caroline Wozniacki, is returning to the less sunnier climes of Farum on Monday April 9 to give tennis fans a chance to experience her smashes and volleys at close quarters in an international field of 24 tennis players from the WTA tour.

With room for 2,500 spectators, Farum Arena has staked its place as the home of indoor Danish tennis. As one of the WTA’s International Tournaments, the e-boks Open, with prize money of $220,000, has been serving up an attractive fixture on the tennis calendar since 2010. Wozniacki will be looking to use her home advantage to make it a hattrick of singles titles, following her victories in 2010 and 2011.

The star of the show is indisputably Denmark’s own Little Miss Sunshine.

Despite losing her number one ranking, Wozniacki is one of the most popular players on the tour, endearing herself to tennis fans across the globe with her quirky interviews and on-court macarena dancing. Her ‘love-all’ whirlwind romance with mop-topped Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has ensured plenty of column space in the gossip sections of newspapers. However, 2011 wasn’t quite the year when the current world number six made her grand slam breakthrough, but with the French Open and Wimbledon on the horizon, Farum may well prove the ideal warm-up. If everything goes according to plan, you can catch Caroline in the singles on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 4:15, and on Saturday and hopefully the final on Sunday at 2:30.

Clashing racquets with Wozniacki in the fun and games is an international field of 24 tennis players. This year, it is likely to be another former world number one, Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, who provides the toughest test. Seeded second, 27-year-old Jankovic shares with Wozniacki the unenviable distinction of reaching the top of the rankings and failing to win a grand slam – the closest either have ever come is finishing runner-up in the US Open.

The third seed is the ever-improving German Angelique Kerber, who has risen to 14 in the world rankings and made the semis at the US Open in 2012. She won her first WTA title in February in the GDF Suez Open in Paris, ousting number one seed Maria Sharapova on the way.

Among the other players worth a

Jelena Jankovic is among those aiming to stop Wozniacki this year

Factfile | WTA International Tournaments The Women’s Tennis Association’s International Tournaments (ITs) – which until 2009 were known as the WTA Tier III and Tier IV events – carry less prize money and ranking points than the Premier Tournaments (PTs), formerly the Tier I and II events. There are 32 ITs each year – 31 of which have a set purse of $220,000 – and 21 PTs, of which

four events have purses of $4.5 million and another five, $2 million.

Excluding qualifiers, the ITs are contested by 32 players over five rounds, while the PTs vary in size and can have as many as seven rounds, just like the grand slams. The winner of an IT wins only 280 ranking points compared to 470-1,000 for a PT, and 2,000 for a grand slam.

T

he ball had just trickled in at the 18th hole. Thorbjørn Olesen raised his hand, tipped his hat to the crowd, hugged his caddie and took it all in with pleasure. At the tender age of 22, he had just become the youngest ever Dane to win a tournament on the European tour.

Despite starting the final day with a three-stroke lead, Olesen appeared to be wavering after bogeying the first hole, and within a few holes he had been joined at the top of the leaderboard by Englishman Chris Wood, who was on his way to a blistering 64. But Olesen steadied himself and finished strongly, parring the final four holes to claim a hard-fought one-stroke victory.

In addition to the trophy, Olesen’s victory netted him the tidy sum of 1.24 million kroner.

Overall it was a good day for Danish golf as Søren Kjeldsen managed an impressive third place in the final standings in Sicily.

“I’m still in shock. After a bogey on the first hole, I had a long battle on my hands,” Olesen told Sporten.dk. “This victory means the world to me. My goal is to go all the way in this sport. It will be a challenge because there are so many excellent players, but this win is certainly a good start.”

The historic win has catapulted Olesen up the world rankings into the top 100, to exactly number 100 in fact, where he joins Thomas Bjørn (32) and Anders Hansen (40).

These two rankings are especially important to the Danes as the top 50 golfers are invited to the upcoming US Masters, which begins on Thursday – an event that many of Europe’s top players have been in the States preparing for, thereby weakening the field at the Sicilian Open.

Sports news and briefs Better from Woz After some poor performances in February and March, Caroline Wozniacki will take heart from an improved showing at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, where she eventually succumbed to Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals, losing 6-4, 2-6, 4-6. But while the result is a welcome rankings boost (in 2011 she bowed out in the last 16), she will be dis-

appointed to lose a match that ended in controversial fashion when the umpire over-ruled a call despite no appeal from Sharapova – a decision that led to Little Miss Sunshine refusing to shake his hand. In earlier rounds, Wozniacki performed well: her 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Serena Williams in the quarters was widely commended as her best of 2012.

Seeded to dominate

Riis keeps on coming back

You’ve been fingered

Viborg in contention

Heading into badminton’s biennial European Championship in Sweden on April 16, Danish players are top-seeded to win all five of the categories, four of which they are the defending champs. While Russia lifted the 2010 women’s doubles, Denmark last failed to win the women’s singles and mixed doubles in 2008, the men’s doubles in 1998 and the men’s singles in 1990.

Team Saxo Bank has retained its World Tour licence for 2012 by the narrowest of margins, sports media concur. Flemming Fjeldgaard, the sports editor of Berlingske, called the team’s captain Bjarne Riis a “yo-yo, a cork stopper and a bag of air in the mud”. “Despite the non-stop media pressure, every year he returns with his crooked smile to take on the world,” he added.

The sports world was not immune to April Fool’s with sporten.dk running a story that boxer Mikkel Kessler intends to have his troublesome finger amputated. The injury led to the eventual cancellation of Kessler’s planned title shot against Robert Stieglitz. However, the story has a precedent: Norwegian boxer Ole Klemetsen removed a troublesome finger in the 1990s.

Ladies handball team Viborg HK remain in contention in their European Cup Winners Cup semi-final after losing the first leg 29-30 to German outfit HC Leipzig away from home. The return leg is in Denmark on April 9. Meanwhile, KIF Vejen lost the first leg of their EHF Cup semi with Lada 16-21 – the return leg is in Denmark on April 8.

business

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

5 - 13 April 2012

15

Report: Dong’s ex-CEO acted ‘disloyally’ Sacked DSB boss gets

T

he former head of Dong Energy lost his job for irresponsible and disloyal behaviour, and as a result he is not entitled to his full severance package, according to a report by the law firm Norrbom Vinding on the behaviour of former CEO Anders Eldrup.

Of particular concern was the hiring of four individuals on extremely generous contracts that the company’s board only became aware of after a whistleblower stepped forward in February.

The report, released last week on Wednesday, found that the four hirings lay outside the company’s standard practice and constituted a breach of trust on behalf of Eldrup.

At a March 28 press conference, Fritz Schur, the chairman of the partially state-owned company, argued that the situation was so severe that Eldrup was given no warning and was instead urged to resign with immediate effect.

“You can give warnings to footballers and civil servants, but not after something as sensitive as a breach of trust between a board and a CEO,” Schur said.

“We had to admit that there had been a lack of judgement by Eldrup and that a point of no return had been reached, which we could not fix with a warning.”

The report found that Eldrup had removed references to extraordinary bonuses and severance deals for the four employees in memos about the hirings that were sent to the board.

“The sections described in general terms that these special-

Independent legal investigation clears Søren Eriksen of any wrongdoing in DSB downturn

F

Former Dong chief Anders Eldrup has said he will sue for his full severance package after it was cut following a report that found he had acted irresponsibly

ists were to receive extraordinary rewards,” the report stated.

“Instead he inserted a reference to general conditions of performance-based bonuses, but made no mention of the special agreements.”

The report added that if the passages would have been left in, it would have given the board reason to ask questions.

The contract for Jakob Baruël Poulsen, the company’s senior vice-president, particularly raised eyebrows, as he was entitled to a 20 million kroner severance package even if he decided to leave the position himself. The severance package was even larger than the 17 million kroner that Eldrup is technically entitled to.

Responding to the criticisms, Eldrup, in an interview with TV2 News, argued that the high salaries were necessary to secure the best talent when Dong set about expanding its fledgling wind energy arm.

A point of no return had been reached, which we could not fix with a warning “Three years ago we decided to invest in offshore wind,” Eldrup said. “It was only a small business for Dong at the time, but we wanted to focus our efforts and put our best minds on it. Today it’s a business with 1,000 employees and has already reaped a profit of 10 billion kroner for the business – it has incredible growth potential.”

Eldrup argued that the company’s results ultimately justified the hirings, since they helped build a company that now supports a growing wind energy industry in Denmark.

business news and briefs Recession, actually

Dankort problems

Eurogroup increases fund

Contrary to what was announced in February, Denmark did fall into recession in 2011 after all. According to revised figures from Statistics Denmark, the GDP actually decreased by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 – and this was the second fall in a row, which is the technical definition of a recession.

Three and a half million Dankorts expire in 2012, which will potentially create problems with automated payments. Many of these payments will stop when the credit card is changed, even though the account number stays the same. The card renewal will be an ongoing process throughout the year.

EUROPEAN leaders increased the size of European bailout funds at a meeting in Copenhagen last weekend, but consensus on a tax on financial transactions (FTT) is still a long way off. The finance ministers of the Eurozone countries stated that the current ceiling for ESM/EFSF lending will be raised to €700 billion.

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While Dong’s board announced that it was not going to pursue Eldrup for damages, the report’s conclusion means that he is only entitled to twelve months pay, or 6 million kroner, rather than his full severance pay of 33 months, or 17 million kroner.

After the findings were made public, Eldrup announced he would sue for his full severance package.

ormer DSB managing director Søren Eriksen did not breach No wonder he’s smiling: in addition to the his contract, and he windfall, Eriksen has also landed a new job is not legally responsible for the problems failing to report ongoing finanthe company encountered due to cial problems with DSBFirst to the relationship between DSB the board in a timely manner. and its Swedish subsidiary Anders Drejer, a professor at DSBFirst during his tenure. the Aalborg Institute of EconomThose are the conclusions ics and Management, said the inof an independent legal inves- vestigation has essentially cleared tigation instituted by DSB’s Eriksen of any wrongdoing. board after they fired the execu“They came up with nothtive last March. DSB also has ing serious after a year-long to pay Eriksen the four million investigation,” Drejer told Jylkroner he said he was still owed lands-Posten. after he was sacked. Eriksen was Drejer still believes that DSB dismissed after DSB’s 2010 an- was justified in firing Eriksen. nual report triggered an admin“If a company loses faith in istrative review of the troubled its chief executive, they have to relationship between DSB and let him go,” he said.

DSBFirst.

Meanwhile, Eriksen has The study by the law firm been appointed as managing diBruun and Hjejle did not com- rector of Tele Greenland. He will pletely absolve the former ex- take over this summer. The Tele ecutive of blame in DSB’s down- Greenland board said they chose town, however. Investigators said Eriksen due to his excellent track that Eriksen’s principal error was record at DSB. (RW)

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

Plan B: Breaking through to a better business model John Mullins, Associate Professor of Management Practice in Entrepreneurship and Marketing at the London Business School is an award winning teacher and scholar, John brings to his teaching and research 20 years of executive experience in high-growth retailing firms eg. GAP, including two ventures he founded and one he took public.

If the founders of Google, PayPal, or Starbucks had stuck to their original business plans, we’d likely never have heard of them.

Instead, they made radical changes to their initial models, became household names, and delivered huge returns for investors. How did they get from their Plan A to a business model that worked? Why did they succeed when most new ventures crash and burn?

Drawing on examples from Apple to Zynga and more, Professor John Mullin’s talk will explore a new way to think about and develop breakthrough business models. In doing so, it debunks the “form-filling,” spreadsheet-driven mentaty that characterizes so much of today’s business planning, and offers founders and their companies – as well as larger ones – a systematic approach to developing business models that can revolutionize their industries.

We are pleased to be joining with the London Business School and Hannes Snellman to offer this opportunity to our members.

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Date: Thursday, 19 April 2012 Time: 17.30 - 19.00 Venue: Hannes Snellman, Amaliegade 15, 1256 Copenhagen K There will be refreshments and networking on arrival.

Non-members are very welcome. Please contact BCCD or go to www.bccd.dk for further information

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

Scanpix/Casper Christoffersen

Anders Eldrup was forced from his position as Dong Energy’s chief executive for hiding extravagant hirings from the board

four million kroner

Scanpix/Henning Bagger

Peter Stanners

If you would like to attend then please send us an email (event@bccd.dk) or call +45 31 18 75 58

Date: 3 April 2012

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

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IT EXPERIENCE: MS-Office (word, Excel, Power point, Visio), CFD (Mentor Graphics FloTHERM, FloVENT, Noesis OPTIMUS, Electrical CAD, Assembly Programming (PIC 16f77, 8086,8051), WireMOM, Telelogic SDL-99, C and VHDL. CONTACT: konerideepak@gmail.com, Tel: 71561151 SPOUSE: Victor Bosie-Boateng FROM: Ghana SEEKING WORK IN: All of Denmark QUALIFICATION: Master of social science (Development studies & International relations) from Aalborg University in Denmark EXPERIENCE: 5 years of wide experience working as a consultant to some NGO’s, a past JPO and intern at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Very organised and well abreast with project management, Good communication strategists, indepth study and understanding of climate change issues, Former teacher and teaching assistant at a university, well abreast with the use of the microsoft operating systems LOOKING FOR: Work as a consultant, assistant project officer, programme officer, development analysts, administrative officer. Also open to a position at an NGO, danida and other development oriented organisations LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), French (moderate), Dutch (moderate), Danish (Good) IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft word, excel, powerpoint, microsoft project and many more.

CONTACT: bosiem2001@yahoo.com Tel: 28746935, 53302445

SPOUSE: Clotilde IMBERT FROM: France SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen Qualification: Master of town planning and development and master of urban geography (Paris IVSorbonne) EXPERIENCE: 5 years in field of town planning and development: - Coordinator in urban project in a semi-public company: supervised a major urban project in Paris area (coordination of studies, acquisition of lands, worked with Planning Development of the Town Council, architects, developers to define the master plan and implement the project...); - Officer in research and consultancy firm (urban diagnosis, environmental impact assessments, inhabitants consultation...).

LOOKING FOR: A job in urban project field: planning department of Town Council or consultancy firm in town planning, environment and sustainable development, architecture firm, real estate development company.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: French (mother tongue), English (professional usage), Spanish (basic), Danish (In progress).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, Abode Illustrator, AutoCad (basic), PC and Mac. CONTACT: clotilde.imbert@gmail.com

THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE

PARTNERS:

SPOUSE: Simon Rigby FROM: United Kingdom (originally Scotland) SEEKING WORK IN: Jylland, Fyn or Sjælland (anywhere in Denmark).

QUALIFICATION: Secondary High School - 8 ‘Ordinary’ levels & 3 ‘Advanced’ levels achieved.

EXPERIENCE: Business Development, Sales & Marketing and Client Relationship Management specialist. 15+ years experience in securing ‘insurance and lifestyle benefits’ contracts with high volume and high consumer numbers within the Affinity Group Marketing sector from a wide variety of distribution channels including banks, financial institutions, large membership affinity groups and employers, credit card issuers and insurers. Highly accomplished and skilled at ‘low cost, high perceived value’ large scale marketing to B2B and B2C target audiences through both on-line and other direct marketing channels. Entire career spent in the banking, finance and insurance sectors the latter of which I have spent in the UK employment of 3 of the top 4 global insurance brokers.

A team player and a ‘people person’ with the skills and abilities to easily and comfortably interact with individuals at all levels. Natural problem solver who sees opportunities rather than obstacles.

Simplistic and structured approach to finding straightforward and practical solutions to problems.

LOOKING FOR: A job within an organisation (financial services or otherwise) where my Sales & Marketing and Key Account managerial skills and experience are fully utilised and where I can provide a sustainable and tangible long term contribution to my new employer as well as to my new country within which I have chosen to permanently live.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (mother tongue); German (very good); French (good); Danish (basic, but currently enrolled on a ‘Danskuddannelse 3’ language course).

IT EXPERIENCE: Word - Advanced user. Powerpoint - Proficient user. Excel - Basic.

CONTACT: simon040561@hotmail.co.uk Tel: +45 60 16 80 40.

SPOUSE: Chiara Stevanato FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: København or nearby areas QUALIFICATION: Bachelor degree in Physics.

EXPERIENCE: Now completing the Master’s degree in Physics at Københavns Universitet.

LOOKING FOR: Research in Physics. Research projects related to scientific areas.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Written and spoken Italian, written and spoken English, written and Spoken French, very basic written and spoken Danish (still attending a second level course).

IT EXPERIENCE: Operating systems: Windows, Linux. Programming languages: basic C, C++; Python.

CONTACT: chiarasteva@gmail.com. Tel: 41681741

SPOUSE: Debasmita Ghosh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmachemistry specialization).

EXPERIENCE: 4 years in Clinical Research (Pharmacovigilance/Safety and Medical Coding) in a leading CRO (Quintiles) and 6 months experience as a lecturer for bachelor degree students in Pharmacy College.

LOOKING FOR: Job in pharmaceutical industry, CRO or any vocation suitable per qualification and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent written and spoken), enrolled for Danish language classes, Indian Languages (Hindi, Bengali, Kannada).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office Applications i:e Microsoft office word, excel, outlook, power point and tools, lotus notes, medical and drug softwares like micromedex and ISIS draw. CDM systems like ds Navigator-Medical coding tool and AERS database.

CONTACT: ghoshdebasmita@gmail.com, Tel: +4571488438

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. Tel: +45 60668239

SPOUSE: Christina Koch FROM: Australia SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Drama, 1997 University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Experienced actor and voice coach for speakers, with parallel high level experience in written communications.

LOOKING FOR: Voice coaching for corporate presenters and speakers, Writing and Communications work, work in theatre organisations.

IT EXPERIENCE:Microsoft Office, Office for Mac. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English - Native speaker, excellent written and oral expression. German – good reading and listening skills. Spanish – fluent oral communication, good reading and listening skills. Danish – beginners level speaking and writing skills.

CONTACT: Tel: +45 52 77 30 93 Christina@hermionesvoice.com, www.hermionesvoice.com.

SPOUSE: Munawar Saleem FROM: Pakistan SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MBA logistics and supply chain management (Jonkoping University, Sweden) M.Sc. Computer Sciences (Punjab University, Lahore Pakistan).

EXPERIENCE: 4 years, Lecturer in computer sciences.

LOOKING FOR:Full time or part time job in Logistics and Supply.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), Urdu (mother tongue), Swedish (Basic).

IT EXPERIENCE: Proficient in MS Office (word, excel, power point etc.).

CONTACT: libravision3@gmail.com, Tel: 71412010

SPOUSE: Barbara Liengaard FROM: Germany SEEKING WORK IN: (Greater) Copenhagen and surroundings.

QUALIFICATION: Bachelor degree in Business Administration (Germany/France).

EXPERIENCE: Profound 10-years’ working experience in strategic and operational marketing, product/brand and project management from different big globally acting companies (automotive supplier, white goods and medical industry), working/cultural experience from different countries (Germany, France, Spain, U.S.A., U.K., China, Denmark), first working experience in Denmark.

LOOKING FOR: A challenging job opportunity in e.g. marketing, product/brand and/ or project management, import/export; preferably in an international-minded working environment or with particular need for German.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English (fluent), French (fluent), Danish (PD3 Prøvebevis), Spanish (good).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Outlook, Power Point, Excel, Word), SAP (CMD-AP).

CONTACT: babolz@yahoo.com

Østerbro

I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L

SPOUSE: Katarzyna Szkaradek FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Mental hospitals, voluntary(Ngo) organisations, kindergartens, nurseries, babysitting QUALIFICATION: Ma in Psychology (2008), post graduate studies in psychotherapy (4th year/ 5 year).

EXPERIENCE: I am a highly motivated and creative individual with excellent communication skills.

From January 2010 till August 2010 I worked independly in private practice. For the last 2 years (January ,2009 -October, 2010) I worked with children (also with special needs -Autism, Asperger, Down syndrome etc) and their families as a psychologist. My duties included organizing games, monitoring children’s development , consulting teachers and parents where appropriate and providing individual therapy. For the last 10 years I was member of NGO organisation and I was a volunteer in Israel, Italy, Portugal and Romania.

LOOKING FOR: Internship in mental hospitals, part – time or full time jobs in kindergartens, nurseries, job as a babysitter, voluntary job in hospitals.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English–advance level (C1), Danish – (module 3 /module 5), Polish-native speaker IT EXPERIENCE: MS Windows, basic MS Office, Internet.

CONTACT: szkasienka@gmail.com Tel: 50828802 SPOUSE: Megan Rothrock FROM: California-USA,Via SEEKING WORK IN: Toy Design, Games Design, or Photography (Syd Denmark Jutland).

QUALIFICATION: Associate Arts Degree: Corporate Communication, Design, and Commercial Illustration, with a background in animation.

EXPERIENCE: Former LEGO Product Designer, LEGO Universe: Level Designer, European Bureau Editor Brick Journal Magazine. I have a strong knowledge of Toy and Gaming Markets. I am driven, enjoy solving daily challenges and I’m a strong communicator wanting to join a creative team of colleagues.

LOOKING FOR: Part/Full time work in an innovative and creative .

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English: native- Dutch: Excellent- Danish (currently in): Danskuddannelse 3, modul 3.

IT EXPERIENCE: PC and Mac - Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dream Weaver, Director, Maya, 3D Studio Max, ML Cad, LD. CONTACT: megzter1@yahoo.com Tel: +4535140779

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. Remember to get it removed in case of new job.

Program Coordinator for the full-time mBa Program

Østerbro InternatIonal school Is lookIng for an MYP coordInator to joIn our aMazIng teaM of educators.

We are looking for a maternity cover for our Fulltime MBA team from 1 June 2012 to 1 June 2013. The position is 37 hours per week and covers a wide range of program administration and coordination.

The successful candidate will have a part time teaching schedule and will be responsible for guiding the staff and leading the middle school through the authorization process with the IBO. Personal characterIstIcs requIred for the PosItIon:

• A passion for education and working with students • • IB Middle Years Program training and experience • • A visionary leader who is willing to participate in the development of the school • • An excellent communicator • • An excellent level of written and spoken English • the followIng docuMents should be subMItted when aPPlYIng for the PosItIon:

• A letter of application, including why you consider yourself to be suitable to fulfill this role. • • Names, addresses, and contact information of at least 2 professional referees. • • A Curriculum Vitae. • Please send application documents by 13 april to: the headmaster (nedzat asanovski) by e-mail: - na@oeis.dk

www.oEIS.dka Østerbro International School • Præstøgade 17 • 2100 Copenhagen Ø • Tel.: +45 70 20 63 68 • E-mail: info@oeis.dk

The Full-time MBA program is a part of CBS’ continuing education portfolio. Each year, we attract more than 45 participants from the whole world to our Master of Business Administration.

A typical participant is in the early thirties and has 6-9 years of business experience. The program takes a year to complete and begins in September. The graduation is in August.

As our program coordinator, you will be part of a team consisting of 3 Full-time employees and a student assistant. We work closely together and some times across functions, which requires openness, flexibility and good cooperative skills.

We are looking for a committed colleague, who is interested in continuing education and who feels comfortable in an international environment with contact to our students and lecturers from Denmark and abroad on a daily basis.

You will need to be service-minded, quality-conscious, organised and able to work independently. Knowledge of the Danish language is a prerequisite.

We expect that you hold a bachelor or master’s degree.

We offer you a busy and exciting place of work in a dynamic and international study environment with committed, enthusiastic and welcoming colleagues.

The application deadline is 13 April 2012. Interviews will be held in week 16 and 17.

For more information about the position, its contents and the application procedure, please see www.cbs.dk/jobs Copenhagen Business School Porcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksberg www.cbs.dk/ftmba

18

CULTURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

5 - 13 April 2012

MIKLOS SZABO

Reprieve for Republique as MPs debate Københavns Teater’s future Who is ...

MIKE HOFMAN State theatre’s organisational structure needs a change, politicians agree

R

EPUBLIQUE Theatre has been saved from the final curtain. The proposal to close the theatre and open a new one at Republique’s current base, Kanonhallen in Østerbro, to

provide a home for new independent performance groups, has been rejected.

The main criticism was that the number of the theatre’s own productions would have fallen from eight a year to three if the proposal was adopted. Republique’s chief executive/international director, Hans Christian Gimbel, had warned last month in Politiken that “there would have been no room for collaboration with international

partners and presenting international performances on stage”.

Culture minister Uffe Elbæk (Radikale) told the newspaper that the proposal submitted by the state-owned Københavns Teater, which is responsible for Republique, didn’t meet the minister’s requirements. “Therefore, we ask the theatre to come with a new proposal,” Elbæk said. “We want an open stage with its own identity. Secondly, the management structure

must be much more transparent.” Elbæk added that he wants Republique to continue with “what they are doing really well” – namely, bringing international contemporary theatre to the city.

In last Thursday’s parliamentary debate on Københavns Teater’s proposal to close Republique and open a new theatre, several politicians questioned whether Københavns Teater is the right organisation to oversee the running of the city’s five

BEN HAMILTON

SCANPIX/JONATHAN ERNST

Five of the Danish master’s paintings up for sale at Sotherby’s in June

WILHELM HAMMERSHØI

Award winner confirms Hammershøi under the hammer Odense trip itinerary

Isabel Allende will be in Odense in September

BEN HAMILTON Princess Mary to hand over HC Andersen prize to Chilean writer

I

T HAS been confirmed that Chilean author Isabel Allende will travel to Odense this September to receive the 2011 Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, a newly-established prize given to authors who best embody the spirit of the revered Danish children’s writer in their work.

The 69-year-old writer – whose 1982 novel ‘The House of The Spirits’ is particularly well known in this country after Danish director Billie August adapted it for a 1993 film star-

ring Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close – learned last June that she will join Harry Potter creator JK Rowling as the only ever recipients of the prize.

“I am happy and proud that Odense will yet again receive another great international author,” city councillor Steen Mooler told Chilean media.

“As a native citizen of this city, it is exciting to welcome an author whose magical universe shares so much with that of HC Andersen.”

Allende, whose other works include the trilogy ‘Memories of the Eagle and the Jaguar’ and ‘Portrait in Sepia’, will be presented with the prize, which comes with a 500,000 kroner purse, on September 30 by Princess Mary.

MALENE ØRSTED He is a Danish actor.

Where might I have seen him?

He’s in US medieval fantasy series ‘Game of Thrones’. It’s known as ‘The Sopranos in Middle Earth’ – HBO knows that audiences never tire of feuding families, violence, sex, carnage, deception, intrigue and the pursuit of power.

Who does he play?

The handsome but evil Ser Jaime Lannister. According to polls, he’s the most unpopular character in the show – not sure if that bodes well for his future career.

Was he typecast?

You could say so. When he was 15, he raided public buildings in a nationwide anti-government uprising in Næstved “to close down the doors of power”. He and a fellow rebel put silicone into the locks of all the important buildings.

Did it bring down the country?

It turned out that Coster-Waldau and his friend were the only two who went through with it. Later, he read that the damages had cost 150,000 kroner, but luckily for him, he was never caught.

T

HERE MUST have been a point in history when brilliant artists, whose genius is unappreciated by contemporary audiences, started realising that death is the ultimate career move. Maybe that’s why Vincent van Gogh shot himself.

So there’s a good chance the much maligned Danish master Vilhelm Hammershøi (18641916) wouldn’t be surprised to learn that British auction house Sotheby’s has confirmed that five of his paintings will headline its Scandinavian Sale on 11 June, and that the combined estimate is enough to buy his beloved Strandgade 30 several times over.

The interest in Hammershøi’s work shows no sign of dissipating. A retrospective at the Museum of Western Art in Tokyo in 2008 made him a mega-star in the Far East, and other exhibitions, like the one currently running at Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen that in June will move to the Hypo Cultural Foundation in Munich, demonstrate how popular he is in Europe.

“Public and private interest in the artist has grown considerably over the last 20 years, and particularly in Asia

Nikolaj CosterWaldau?

CARSTEN OVERBYE/DR

The rest is not silence! Republique has got the green light to continue making international collaborations like ‘The Tiger Lillies perform Hamlet’

major theatres: Betty Nansen, Folketeatret, Nørrebro Teater, Republique and Østre Gasværk.

Copenhagen’s culture mayor Pia Allerslev (Venstre) said the councils should be able to run the five theatres “better and cheaper”. Fellow party member Michael Aastrup Jensen added that in his six years as culture spokesman, he hasn’t met anyone impressed by Københavns Teater’s organisational structure.

“It seems more like a forced marriage than a marriage of convenience,” Jensen told Politiken.

Culture minister Elbæk remembered the debate a little differently. “I can certainly understand some of the points made during the debate; nevertheless, before Københavns Teater existed, there were major financial problems at each of the theatres,” she told the newspaper. “As recently as last summer, all of the theatre heads said that they still wanted Københavns Teater in charge.” However, she conceded that a better model is needed in the future.

“There are common challenges for the theatres in Copenhagen: the financial control and mutual co-ordination. I don’t want to suggest how we should do this now, so for the time being Københavns Teater continues to exist today. And also tomorrow.”

Until now, that is ...

Yes, maybe it wasn’t the smartest move to come clean about it in the American media.

Is he still a revolutionary?

No, today he favours a more suburban existence in Kongens Lyngby with his wife Nukâka Motzfeldt – a Greenlandic actress and former Miss Greenland – and their two young daughters.

“Ida! If you’re going to pose, you could have the decency to face me”

over the last five years,” Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, the head of Sotheby’s Denmark, told Artdaily.com.

Four of the five paintings are of the interior of Hammershøi’s home at Strandgade 30, three feature his wife Ida, and three are from private Danish collections. Together the combined estimate of the works is 12.0 million to 18.3 million kroner.

The Hammershøi record currently stands at £590,400 (today, 5.28 million kroner) for ‘Interior with Easel, Bredgade

25’, which was sold in June 2006, but according to Sotherby’s projections, ‘Ida Reading a Letter’ (£500,000-700,000) has a good chance of beating it.

However, it will need something approaching an auctionhouse miracle to beat the 15.6 million kroner record for a Danish painting, which was set in 2002 for a work by Asger Jorn that was sold by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.

For more details about the career and life of Vilhelm Hammershøi, see http://bit.ly/hammershoi.

What else has he been in?

Well, long before he went medieval on us, he appeared in the internationally acclaimed Danish thriller ‘Nattevagten’ (remade as ‘Nightwatch’ with Ewan McGregor). And you might have also seen him in the dappy ‘Wimbledon’ and the crappy Fox series ‘New Amsterdam’, which was so bad it only lasted one season.

How’s ‘Games of Thrones’ doing?

It’s popular at least. In the US last week on Sunday, its second series premiered – something Coster-Waldau isn’t used to.

5 - 13 April 2012

DENMARK THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

19

Axel rose to the challenge, dedicating his life to fighting for gay rights

ROYAL PRESS PHOTO

SCANPIX

ALEXIS KUNSAK

Denmark’s answer to Harvey Milk died last year aged 96, less than a year before the legalisation of gay marriages

T

HE INTERNATIONAL media converged on City Hall in Copenhagen on 1 October 1989 with boom mikes, cameras and translators. Amidst a crowd of hundreds of well-wishers throwing rice and confetti, eleven gay couples celebrated their civil unions simultaneously. Denmark had just become the first country to legalise same-sex partnerships after years of lobbying by many advocates, including one devoted couple in particular: Axel and Eigil Axgil.

Axel was born Axel Lundahl-Madsen in Braendekilde, a tiny town west of Odense on Funen, in 1915. In an interview in 2011 quoted in British newspaper The Independent, he recalled his youth, spending time in dancehalls in Odense looking for love. “Most of the men came to find a girl. But I discovered that if you waited, there was always someone left behind,” said Axel. “You introduced yourself, talked and sometimes went home with them.”

In 1948, he and Eigil (born Eigil Eskildsen), together with several friends, founded Denmark’s first gay rights organisation, Forbundet af 1948 (the association of 1948). By 1951, membership had grown to 1,339 and there were branches in Sweden and Norway.

The couple launched a magazine for supporters of their cause called Vennen (the friend).

“When I came out, I lost my job as a bookkeeper. And my landlord kicked me out of my apartment,” Axel said in a 2009 interview with Time magazine. In Den-

mark i n 1948, homosexual relations h i p s between adults over the ages of 18 had already been permitted for 15 years (in stark contrast to Britain, for example, where it was illegal until 1967, and even then only between over21s). Before 1933, the punishment for ‘omgængelse mod naturen’ (intercourse against nature) was labour in a correctional facility.

In the 1950s, both were sentenced to short prison terms on pornog-

But he did live long enough to enjoy recognition for his efforts from the likes of beautician to the stars Ole Henriksen and deputy mayor Pia Allerslev

Axel ended up living to a ripe old age, but not old enough to marry...

raphy charges for running a gay modelling agency that sold pictures of naked men. While in prison, they melded their first names into the shared surname Axgil as a public show of defiance. Their new

last name became a show of commitment to each other and to the future of gay rights.

In their book ‘Homofile kampår’ (homophiles fight) published in 1985, Axel Axgil and Helmer Fogedgaard, another founding member of the Forbundet af 1948, describe the events that prompted them to begin the long fight to attain the rights of other citizens: “The most meaningful thing that happened in advance of the founding of the homophile organisations in Scandinavia was the re-

lease of Professor Alfred Kinsey’s report on men’s sexual habits, which came out in the USA.” Knut Jokker, the editor of the daily paper of the Social Democratic party in

Copenhagen, Social-Demokraten, agreed, saying that Kinsey’s book “contained more dynamite than any other work since ‘The Origin of the Species’ by Darwin”.

“Ask an American what he thinks about the homosexual problem in the United States and he will awkwardly stammer that he had no idea that such a problem even existed in America,” wrote Jokker. “But the cold numbers in Kinsey’s report show that no less than 27 percent of young and unmarried men practice homosexuality to some degree, and among unmarried men between 36 and 40 years old, 39 percent are homosexual.”

Though reporters and editors of the time were equally sceptical that these figures could in any way be applicable in Denmark, Jokker did acknowledge the

possibility of a more-open future. “The report could get us to realise the necessity of a moral society, one that is less based on judgement and wishful-thinking than on truth. Moral concepts and laws can be revised, but nature forces us - even if conflicting - to accept it, as it is.”

Among his friends in Aalborg, Axel reported another reason for activism.

“The United Nations had just assembled a declaration of human rights, but you dared not talk about the fact that a group exists who also has a claim on these rights. The right to have our feelings be known.”

Tom Ahlberg was the deputy mayor of Copenhagen in 1989, and it was he that ‘married’ Axel and Eigil. He gave a short speech during the ceremony that made only one alteration to the

standard civil service: substituting the word ‘marriage’ with the phrase ‘registered partnership’. Each of the 11 couples, starting with Axel and Eigil, followed Ahlberg into a private side room, where they exchanged their vows.

Ove Carlsen is a psychologist who also married his partner that day. “It was totally wonderful,” he told Time in 2009. “There were musicians playing as we came down from the wedding room, and then we stepped out into the crowd, and everyone was cheering. At that moment, I knew we were writing history.”

Journalist Rex Wockner was at City Hall reporting the occasion. “I was so busy taking pictures and dealing with a translator that I didn’t get emotional until the next morning, when I saw Axel and Eigil on the front pages of the pa-

pers,” he wrote in an editorial.

In an interview before finally tying the knot, the then-67-year-old Eigil told him: “We just never could have dreamed we would get this far.” As far as advice for gays in other countries, Eigil said: “Be open. Come out. Keep fighting.

This is the only way to change anything.

If everyone comes out of the closet, then this will happen everywhere.”

Axel and Eigil continued to run their gay-friendly bed and breakfast in northern Denmark after their marriage.

However each man continued to refer to the other as his ‘friend’, unable to change the pattern that had lasted decades. In 1995, Eigil was in hospital after a heart attack that would eventually kill him. “A doctor saw I was always with him, and asked who I was,” Axel recalled in 2009, speaking to Time. “And Eigil looked at me and said: ‘Him? He’s my husband.’”

Axel passed away at the end of October 2011 at the age of 96 in a hospital in Copenhagen. He had lived through nearly a century of society’s changing relationship with homosexuality. His obituary appeared in

newspapers around the world honouring his achievements. But he did not manage to live to see the legalisation of gay marriage.

Really, it’s surprising it took so long.

Danish society in general had seemed fairly comfortable with the idea of same-sex partnerships. Since they were authorised in 1989, the country has witnessed some 4,700 gay and lesbian civil unions. And last year, homosexual couples in Denmark were also granted the right to adopt children, and this spring, the Lutheran Church of Denmark confirmed it would allow gay couples to get married in churches.

A recent poll had found that more than 60 percent of Danes were in favour of gay marriage. The church minister, Manu Sareen, said it had been a long time coming. And from June 15, gays and lesbians will be able to marry, less than a year after the passing of the pioneer to whom they owe everything.

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