Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Thursday
Opposition parties move against restrictions on Quran burning, 97-year-old arrested for reckless driving near Great Belt Bridge, and flight from Northern England to Denmark closed. Here’s the news from Denmark on Thursday.
Opposition parties unite against plan to limit Quran burning
Several opposition parties on both the right and left wings have issued a joint statement in which they protest government plans to limit Quran burnings.
In the joint statement, the parties say “the aggressor’s veto must not decide and must not set the agenda for Danish politics and Danish democracy”.
“The government’s statements up to now open a gate which leads to Denmark-based Iranians being unable to burn a Quran in sympathy with the brave women in Iran, where Tibet sympathisers must be hidden during state visits from China,” they say.
The parties in question are the Socialist People’s Party (SF), Denmark Democrats, Liberal Alliance, Conservatives, Red-Green Alliance, Danish People’s Party and Nye Borgerlige. These parties have a combined total of 72 seats in parliament, which is not a majority.
The government says it solely wants to restrict Quran burnings at embassies, arguing they risk damaging Denmark’s international standing and trade, but critics say the proposal is the beginning of a ‘slippery slope’ to further free speech curbs.
Vocabulary: voldsmand – abuser / aggressor
READ ALSO: EXPLAINER: Can Denmark make it illegal to burn holy texts?
Police confiscate car from 97-year-old motorist who turned around on motorway
A 97-year-old driver has had his car confiscated and been charged with reckless driving after he drove in the wrong direction on the motorway near the Great Belt Bridge toll gate, news wire Ritzau reports.
The man stopped at the toll gate before turning around and driving back into oncoming motorway traffic, causing other cars to make several emergency evasions, according to the report. No one was hurt.
Police have not given any indication as to the man’s reason for changing direction.
Vocabulary: spøgelsesbilist – driver travelling in wrong direction on motorway
Driving instructor arrested for being intoxicated during lesson
A driving instructor was on Tuesday charged with driving while intoxicated during a lesson, Ritzau writes.
His vehicle was stopped by a police patrol car and he was breathalysed near the town of Randers in central Jutland. He was in the middle of giving a lesson at the time.
It is unclear why police decided to stop the car, given it can be assumed the instructor wasn’t actually behind the wheel himself.
Vocabulary: køretime – driving lesson
READ ALSO: How strict are the punishments for driving offences in Denmark?
Airline scraps route from northern England to Esbjerg
A flight route between Humberside Airport in the north of England and West Jutland city Esbjerg has been cancelled, less than eight months after its launch.
The route, operated by Eastern Airways, opened in December last year and initially offered three departures weekly between the two smaller-sized airports.
But Eastern Airways has decided to close the service inside its first year of operation, citing lack of demand related to the offshore construction sector.
Vocabulary: at lukke – to close
Comments
See Also
Opposition parties unite against plan to limit Quran burning
Several opposition parties on both the right and left wings have issued a joint statement in which they protest government plans to limit Quran burnings.
In the joint statement, the parties say “the aggressor’s veto must not decide and must not set the agenda for Danish politics and Danish democracy”.
“The government’s statements up to now open a gate which leads to Denmark-based Iranians being unable to burn a Quran in sympathy with the brave women in Iran, where Tibet sympathisers must be hidden during state visits from China,” they say.
The parties in question are the Socialist People’s Party (SF), Denmark Democrats, Liberal Alliance, Conservatives, Red-Green Alliance, Danish People’s Party and Nye Borgerlige. These parties have a combined total of 72 seats in parliament, which is not a majority.
The government says it solely wants to restrict Quran burnings at embassies, arguing they risk damaging Denmark’s international standing and trade, but critics say the proposal is the beginning of a ‘slippery slope’ to further free speech curbs.
Vocabulary: voldsmand – abuser / aggressor
READ ALSO: EXPLAINER: Can Denmark make it illegal to burn holy texts?
Police confiscate car from 97-year-old motorist who turned around on motorway
A 97-year-old driver has had his car confiscated and been charged with reckless driving after he drove in the wrong direction on the motorway near the Great Belt Bridge toll gate, news wire Ritzau reports.
The man stopped at the toll gate before turning around and driving back into oncoming motorway traffic, causing other cars to make several emergency evasions, according to the report. No one was hurt.
Police have not given any indication as to the man’s reason for changing direction.
Vocabulary: spøgelsesbilist – driver travelling in wrong direction on motorway
Driving instructor arrested for being intoxicated during lesson
A driving instructor was on Tuesday charged with driving while intoxicated during a lesson, Ritzau writes.
His vehicle was stopped by a police patrol car and he was breathalysed near the town of Randers in central Jutland. He was in the middle of giving a lesson at the time.
It is unclear why police decided to stop the car, given it can be assumed the instructor wasn’t actually behind the wheel himself.
Vocabulary: køretime – driving lesson
READ ALSO: How strict are the punishments for driving offences in Denmark?
Airline scraps route from northern England to Esbjerg
A flight route between Humberside Airport in the north of England and West Jutland city Esbjerg has been cancelled, less than eight months after its launch.
The route, operated by Eastern Airways, opened in December last year and initially offered three departures weekly between the two smaller-sized airports.
But Eastern Airways has decided to close the service inside its first year of operation, citing lack of demand related to the offshore construction sector.
Vocabulary: at lukke – to close
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.