Danes donate to charity in record numbers, Løkke signals new Danish position on recognising Palestine, Institute for Human Rights publishes antisemitism survey and more news this Monday.
Danes donate record amount to charity
A total of 7.6 billion kroner was donated to charities in Denmark last year, a record amount.
The figure comes from Isobro, a collective organisation for fundraisers in Denmark. The previous record year was 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw Danes donate in large numbers.
The 7.6 million raised last year represents an 8.4 percent increase compared to 2023. Private donations went a long way to making a difference, Isobro’s general secretary Kenneth Kamp Butzbach said in a press statement.
“It shows how Danes support the issues that are important to them, even in times with rising food prices, inflation and uncertainty in the world around us,” he said.
Denmark to change stance on Palestinian statehood
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen says Denmark is set to take a “clear line” on Palestinian statehood, signalling a change in position is coming from the Danish government over the issue.
Denmark has, up to now, said it supports a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine in the long term but would not recognise Palestine in the short term.
Britain, Australia, Canada and Portugal on Sunday recognised a Palestinian state after nearly two years of Israel’s siege on Gaza, with France, Belgium and other countries poised to follow suit at the UN General Assembly.
“Up to now, we’ve de facto given Israel the right of veto on this question because we’ve said that a Danish recognition of Palestine will come when there’s a negotiated two-state solution,” Løkke said in a video posted on Instagram.
“And that is a far-off prospect when you look at what is happening – not just in Gaza, but also with the settlements in the West Bank and the Netanyahu government’s declared opposition to a two-state solution,” the Danish minister, who is also in New York for the UN General Assembly said.
“We therefore want to change our position so it is not in Israel’s hands, but in reality in the hands of the Palestinian people themselves to make the decisions and do the things needed for Denmark to recognise Palestine,” he said.
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Study reveals scale of antisemitism problem in Denmark
A survey from the Danish Institute for Human Rights has concluded that a large majority of Danish Jews experience insecurity and discrimination.
In the survey, which is based on responses from 465 Danish Jews and is the largest of its kind since 1973, some 96 percent said they had experienced antisemitism in recent years.
Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard described the issue as a “wall of hate and intolerance.”
“It comes from people who are either unable or unwilling to understand that a conflict in the Middle East must be separated from Jewish life in Denmark,” he said.
“We must do everything we possibly can to put an end to these threats, harassment and discrimination,” he said.
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Social Liberal party wants to lower voting age to 15
Members of the centre-left Social Liberal Party yesterday adopted a resolution at the party’s annual conference calling for the voting age to be lowered to 15.
Party leader Martin Lidegaard voted in favour of the motion, news wire Ritzau reports.
“This was a really, really difficult one, because there were strong arguments both for and against,” Lidegaard said to Ritzau.
“I chose to support it because I actually think that if you look at Danish politics during the 20 years I’ve been involved in it, very little consideration has been given to young people and their future,” he said.
Resolutions adopted at the party’s annual conference set policy positions for the next three years, although the parliamentary group is not obliged to follow it.