Denmark: New draft laws propose tougher penalties without court order for those who show support for Palestine
Three new draft laws have been submitted for consultation, which would grant police and courts greater powers to criminalize, monitor, and increase penalties for the growing solidarity movement with Palestine, according to the website. Puls48.
People who participate in demonstrations, meetings, or other events in which they express solidarity with Palestinians are at risk of further punishment up to 50% if they commit crimes related to religion, race, gender, or the like.
In addition, the National Police will be able to impose a stricter penalty period, which will be applied nationwide, where the same violations will result in a 50% higher penalty.
These proposals, which Justice Minister Peter Humlgaard has sent out for consultation, include stricter controls on freedom of expression online. In the future, the national police will be able to demand, without a court order, that platforms remove so-called “terrorism-related” content from their pages. This will affect everything from social media to news websites and media outlets.
The purpose of these bills is to implement the agreement on combating anti-Semitism, which was concluded by all parties in the Danish parliament in June.
The strictest penalties apply to hate crimes related to ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual activity, or gender identity.
The only concrete example cited by the Justice Department of a case in which the police would later be able to establish special penal zones and impose an additional 50% penalty on participants in demonstrations or meetings is the attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
“An example of an incident that will be covered is the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, after which the authorities conducted continuous monitoring of the crime scene development for anti-Semitic-motivated hate crimes.”.
The Justice Department anticipates a swift consultation process, giving organizations one month to submit their comments. The bill is expected to take effect on February 1, 2025, according to the source.
