The leader of the Danish People's Party is threatening Radical Party leader Venstre with a lawsuit over comments about immigrants.
According to DR, the city of Randers witnessed a heated election debate on Monday evening between the leader of the Danish People's Party, Morten Messerschmidt, and the leader of the Radical Party, Martin Lidegaard, a week before the municipal elections.
During the debate, Ledegord strongly criticized Messersmitt, saying:
“One wants to arrest and deport thousands of citizens simply because they have a different religion or a different skin color than most of the people in this room,” the source said.
direct legal threat
Messerschmidt responded angrily to this accusation, saying: “I am giving you 24 hours from now to deny this statement, otherwise a defamation lawsuit will be filed against you,” according to DR.
During the debate, he added: “It’s very simple, Martin. You know that’s a lie. It was a lie when you said a little while ago that I wanted to incarcerate people because of the color of their skin. I’m giving you 24 hours to retract that statement, or there will be a defamation case.” He continued, pointing his finger at Ledegord in front of the audience: “Either you retract what you said, or we’ll meet in court.” Ledegord, in turn, appeared hesitant and did not give a clear response, in a scene that surprised those present, according to the DR website.
The dispute revolves around previous statements.
The controversy between the two sides erupted because of an interview Messersmeet gave to the Weekendavisen newspaper two weeks ago, in which he discussed a possible new policy towards foreigners living on social assistance in Denmark. In the interview, he said:
“Around 40,000 foreigners live on early retirement pensions in Denmark, and this upsets me. There are many other benefits: social assistance, integration benefits, and others. I cannot give an exact number, but it ranges between 50,000 and 100,000 people.”
The newspaper asked him: “Does that mean they should leave the country?”
“If they cannot earn their own living, they should not remain in Denmark at the expense of society,” Messersmeit replied, according to DR.
A lock was placed on the door of Kirshovdgård
After the debate, Messersmeet explained in a statement to Danish broadcaster DR that Lidegaard had distorted his remarks, saying: “I find it very shocking that a political party leader would stand up and speak as if we wanted to create concentration camps for people because of the color of their skin. This is an absurd accusation. We are simply talking about correcting a mistake that has been going on for many years.”
Messersmeet emphasized that he is not proposing to detain people based on their backgrounds, but rather calling for stricter measures at the Kærshovedgård detention center, stating: “What I said on Weekendavisen is that there should be a lock on Kærshovedgård, and this is a widespread demand in the Blue Bloc. We cannot accept that people who are supposed not to be in Denmark can roam freely. In most cases, people will leave voluntarily, which is fine, but those who oppose the law and refuse to leave should be – for the time being, unfortunately – at Kærshovedgård, and we want the door locked.”
The Kirshofedgård center, located near the town of Ikast in the Midtjylland region, has been used since 2016 as temporary accommodation for foreigners whose asylum applications have been rejected or who cannot currently be deported. Residents are free to move around during the day, but Messerschmidt's proposal to lock the door would effectively turn it into a permanently closed detention center.
Ledegord's response after the debate
After the debate ended, Martin Lidegaard said he was not worried about Messerschmitt's threat, explaining:
“I’m taking it calmly. If Messerschmitt wants to meet in court, I have no problem with that.”
He added: “He says it’s about criminals or those who can’t make a living on their own, but who are these people in reality? They’re just those with a different skin color or a different ethnic background. He wants to target them specifically, and that’s clear discrimination.”
Messersmit stood by his position after the controversy and wrote on the X platform that he was proceeding with the lawsuit against Ledegord, asserting that his statements had been “deliberately distorted for political purposes.”
Broader political background
These statements come within a tense political context in which hardline rhetoric towards immigrants is increasing in Denmark, where it appears that the Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti) is seeking, through these positions, to regain its standing among right-wing parties, after losing a large part of its electoral base to more extreme parties such as the New Bourgeois (Nye Borgerlige). The leader of the Danish People's Party has already succeeded in improving the party's popularity, according to opinion polls, according to local media.
