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For Frihed ("For Freedom") da is a Danish organisation that supports
The organisation was founded in January 2015 as Pegida Denmark by Nicolai Sennels, a former parliamentary candidate for the
free speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...
, and opposes what it sees as Islamisation
The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...
and fundamentalist Islam
Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a revivalist and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. The term has been used interchangeably with similar terms such as Islamism, Islamic revivalism, Qutb ...
in Denmark. The organisation was originally part of the Pegida movement, and is part of the broader counter-jihad
Counter-jihad (also known as the counter-jihad movement) is a self-titled Islamophobia, anti-Muslim political movement loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, demonstrators, and other activists across the Western world. Proponents are ...
movement.
History and activities
The organisation was founded in January 2015 as Pegida Denmark by Nicolai Sennels, a former parliamentary candidate for the Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party (DPP; , DF) is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Denmark. It was formed in 1995 by former members of the Progress Party (FrP).
The party saw a period of significant growth after its founding a ...
. The group demonstrated in Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, initially with about 300 demonstrators, which later fell to about 50 in subsequent weekly demonstrations. In March the same year, the group changed its name to For Frihed.
Sennels, a Copenhagen psychologist who has claimed that "Islam and Muslim culture have certain mechanisms which damages people's development and increases criminal behaviour," stepped down as leader in December 2015 to reassume his membership in the Danish People's Party.
In January 2016 the organisation signed the "Prague Declaration" as part of the Fortress Europe
Fortress Europe () was a military propaganda term used by both sides of World War II which referred to the areas of Continental Europe occupied by Nazi Germany, as opposed to the United Kingdom across the Channel.
World War II defences
In ...
coalition alongside several international groups such as the German Pegida movement.
Also in January 2016, Tommy Robinson
Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (' Yaxley; born 27 November 1982), better known as Tommy Robinson, is a British anti-Islam sentiment, anti-Islam campaigner and one of the UK's most prominent far-right activists.
Robinson has been active in ...
, Paul Weston
Paul Weston (né Wetstein; March 12, 1912 – September 20, 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the Fathe ...
and Anne Marie Waters
Anne Marie Dorothy Waters (born 24 August 1977) is a far-right politician and activist in the United Kingdom. She founded and led the anti-Islam party For Britain until its dissolution in 2022. She is also the director of Sharia Watch UK, an o ...
of Pegida UK
Pegida UK was an anti-Islam group in the United Kingdom established by Tommy Robinson in 2016. It was named after the German group Pegida – .
History
Following one attempted "Pegida UK" march in London in summer 2015 by ex-English Defence ...
held speeches for the organisation. In February 2016, five counter-demonstrators were arrested at a demonstration, where Lars Hedegaard
Lars Hedegaard Jensen (born 19 September 1942) is a Danish author, historian, editor, journalist and critic of Islam. He established the International Free Press Society in 2009, an extension of the Danish Free Press Society founded in 2004, of ...
held a speech. In September 2016 several counter-demonstrators were arrested as they threw smoke-bombs against For Frihed demonstrators. A demonstration in December 2016 was also attacked, with three counter-demonstrators arrested. In January 2017, For Frihed demonstrators were also attacked by counter-demonstrators. Danish People's Party politician Søren Krarup
Søren Krarup (3 December 1937 – 8 November 2023) was a Danish pastor, writer and politician who served as a Member of the Folketing, member of the Folketing, Danish Parliament from 2001 to 2011 for the Danish People's Party.
Krarup was a sig ...
then held a speech at the demonstration. Other speakers at its demonstrations have included Gavin Boby and Tatjana Festerling.
For Frihed was represented by Rasmus Paludan
Rasmus Paludan (born 2 January 1982) is a Danish-Swedish politician and lawyer, who is the founder and leader of the Far-right politics, far-right Nationalism, nationalist Danish political party Stram Kurs. Paludan has become known for his extr ...
as lawyer in 2016. Paludan, who was also an active member of the group, in December 2016 had the windows of his office broken and white powder thrown in. After having held controversial speeches for the organisation in 2016 that some considered to incite violence against Muslims, Paludan founded a new anti-Islam group and political party called Stram Kurs
(), () is a far-right, nationalist, anti-Islam political party in Denmark and Sweden founded in 2017 by Danish-Swedish lawyer Rasmus Paludan. The party is almost exclusively associated with its founder and his anti-Islam activism and demonstra ...
in 2017.
See also
*Islam in Denmark
Islam in Denmark, being the country's largest minority religion, plays a role in shaping its social and religious landscape. According to a 2020 analysis by Danish researcher Brian Arly Jacobsen, an estimated 256,000 people in Denmark—4.4% ...
* Stop Islamisation of Denmark
References
External links
* {{Pegida 2015 establishments in Denmark Anti-Islam sentiment in Denmark Counter-jihad Organizations established in 2015 Pegida