The People’s Meeting changes course: Withdraws controversial announcement about pro-Palestinian demonstrators
There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the People’s Meeting (Folkemødet) after they announced last Friday how organizers should handle any pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The People’s Meeting originally recommended that organizers could invite demonstrators and activists onto the stage if they were to interrupt an event. This announcement has now prompted the People’s Meeting to withdraw the recommendation. In a press release issued on Sunday, as reported by Berlingske, the People’s Meeting stated: “Individuals and groups who deliberately disrupt debates and shut down others’ conversations are not welcome at the People’s Meeting.” The reaction to the original invitation has been massive and negative, especially among politicians and opinion makers. The leader of the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti), Morten Messerschmidt, described the recommendation as “shameful,” while Steffen Larsen from the Liberal Alliance called it “an antidemocratic stance.”
The press release from the People’s Meeting on Sunday also emphasizes that demonstrators seeking to force their way onto a stage or into an event are not welcome. The People’s Meeting now urges everyone to participate in the democratic debate within the agreed upon rules of the game. Updates to follow…