Vibe Klarup steps down as chairman of Folkemødet after four years. The association behind Folkemødet in Bornholm is facing a change in leadership as Vibe Klarup, who has been chairman for the past four years, is stepping down. Klarup, who is also the secretary-general of Amnesty International Denmark, took over the position in 2020 after Jann Sjursen. In a press release, she stated that this year’s folk meeting was the most successful ever with a record of 47,000 participants in a single day.
“We have fully achieved our goals, and therefore I feel it is time for me to say goodbye,” says Vibe Klarup.
However, Folkemødet has not been without controversy. The leadership was criticized for their proposal on how to handle pro-Palestinian activists, which led, among other things, to the Social Democratic Party’s spokesman on finance, Benny Engelbrecht, withdrawing from all debates and events, according to DR. Engelbrecht also called for the dismissal of Folkemødets (Folkemødet- the name of the event not translated) director, Peter Christiansen. However, the press release does not suggest that this criticism influenced Klarup’s decision to step down.
Despite the turmoil, Klarup states that this year’s folk meeting proceeded calmly and included more debates than ever before, with only one minor interruption. The board of the association praises the outgoing chairman for her efforts and concludes that Folkemødet is stronger than ever.
“Vibe deserves a large part of the credit for this strengthening,” says the board.
Now the board will have to find a new chairman, and in the meantime, the role has been shared between the current vice-chairmen, Søs Marie Serup and Carsten Grønning.