Jesper Marquard Langballe (31 August 1939 – 15 March 2014) was a Danish
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
priest, author and politician who represented the
right-wing populist
Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establishm ...
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 ...
() in the Danish parliament,
Folketinget
The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral List of legislatures by country, national legislature (parliament) of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper to ...
, from 2001 to 2011. Langballe was elected in the Viborg constituency. His son
Christian Langballe
Christian Bernhard Langballe (17 January 1967 – 19 April 2025) was a Danish politician. He was a member of the Folketing for the Danish People's Party. He was elected into parliament at the 2011 Danish general election and then reelected in th ...
was elected to the Folketinget in 2011.
Biography
Langballe was born 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 ...
as the son of
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
Mogens Marquard Langballe and housewife Agnete Langballe, née Wolfhagen. He is the cousin of
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 ...
, another MP for Dansk Folkeparti.
He was educated as a
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
Ringkøbing Amts Dagblad
Ringkøbing (older spelling ''Ringkjøbing'') is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. It has a population of 9,830 (1 January 2025).Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs institute 1972–75. He worked as a journalist at
Jyllands-Posten
(; English: ''The Morning Newspaper "The Jutland Post"''), commonly shortened to or ''JP'', is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Aarhus C, Jutland, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies.Thorning-Grathe parish 1975–2007. He has since 1982 been a co-editor and writer at the
fundamentalist
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishin ...
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
Langballe has been spokesman on church affairs for the Danish People's Party in the last few years and has positioned himself as a strong proponent for the privileged status of the
Danish National Church
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church ( , or unofficially ; ), sometimes called the Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of ...
() and its close connection to the state, described in the
Danish constitution
The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark (), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution (, , ), is the constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, applying equally in the Realm of Denmark: Denma ...
.
In this context he has, for instance, stated as follows about the wishes of the
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church in Denmark to have its member contributions collected alongside state taxes, like the state Lutheran Church of Denmark:
''The tax collection is a part of the state backing, and it shall not be provided for other religious communities. If you start doing this, then what about other private associations? In this context we are talking about an association with a religious purpose. But it might as well be a handball club''.
Views on Islam and muslims
In January 2010, Jesper Langballe defended controversial statements by
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 ...
Berlingske Tidende
''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, 'Berling's Times'), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' is ...
stating that:
''Of course Lars Hedegaard should not have said that we see muslim fathers raping their daughters, when the reality rather seems to be that they simply kill them (the so called
honor killing
An honor killing (American English), ''honour killing'' (Commonwealth English), or ''shame killing'' is a type of murder in which a person, usually a woman or girl, is killed by or at the behest of male members of their family or their male ...
s) – and besides that turn a blind eye to uncles raping them.''
These controversial statements were later to be moderated by Langballe following pressure from party chairman
Pia Kjærsgaard
Pia Merete Kjærsgaard (; born 23 February 1947) is a Danish politician who was Speaker of the Danish Parliament from 2015 to 2019, and former leader of the Danish People's Party.
She is a co-founder of the Danish People's Party, and led th ...
, and he expressed his regrets about the phrasing - while he still supported the general message of the statement. During the general uproar following the statements, city council member in Viborg for the Danish People's Party, Rikke Cramer Christiansen, decided to leave the party in protest.
Fear of islamization and self-censorship
Islam and
islamization
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 ...
is seen by Jesper Langballe as an imminent threat to Denmark and Europe:
''Islam and Christianity cannot be reconciled. And they haven't been able to during the 1400 years that Islam has been in existence. I see the religion Islam as a threat to any society where it settles.''
''As a member of the Danish parliament I have eagerly contributed to integration work and I wish it all the best. But you shouldn't, trying to help integration, subject yourself to self-censorship and stop talking about real problems.''
''If islamization is allowed to go on unhindered in Denmark, there is definitely a risk that in a few years we are subjected to sharia. Of course there is.''
In his original piece in
Berlingske Tidende
''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, 'Berling's Times'), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' is ...
(mentioned above) Langballe explicitly referred to the book '' 1400-års krigen'' (The 1400 Year War), as well as referring to the book '' Mødom på mode'' (Fashionable Virginity) written by Danish author Kristina Aamand and her husband Asif Uddin.
'' 1400-års krigen'' is written by the above-mentioned
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 ...
along with Langballe's party fellow Mogens Camre. The summary of the book says (in English):
''Lars Hedegaard and Mogens Camre analyze, for the first time in Danish, the Islamic war theory, strategy and tactics in its full extent. Militarily, theologically, historically, psychologically.''
''The book shows how badly prepared the West is for the new
jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
, a
jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
far more sophisticated than earlier Islamic conquest attempts. If the EU and the West do not soon awake, it will ultimately mean the end of freedom.''
''The authors also show that even though Islam is a skillful and determined opponent, we still have the opportunity for action if we want to avoid the destiny that has fallen upon all other non-Muslim populations having come under the iron heel of Islam.''
*Contribution to the anthology ''Modstand og frihed'' (Resistance and Freedom), 1983.
*Contribution to the anthology ''Og give dig fred. Om Kristendom og fredsbevægelser'' (And grant you peace. About Christianity and Peace movements), 1984.
*''Niels Blicher - en 1700-tals præst'' (Niels Blicher - an 18th-century priest), 2000
*''Anlangendes et menneske: Blichers forfatterskab - selvopgør og tidsopgør'' (Regarding a Man: Blicher's Authorship - battling himself and battling the times), 2004.