Denmark unveils new plan to combat antisemitism and hate crimes against Jews

The Danish government has presented a new action plan aimed at securing Jewish life in the country by combating antisemitism through 2030. It has earmarked 120 million DKK ($US18.7 million) for the plan, which includes 17 initiatives. The new framework will replace the current plan, which expires in 2025. Existing initiatives against Jew-hatred include research and information, safety and security, prevention of antisemitism, programs for children and young people, and efforts to combat hate crimes against Jews.

One of the new initiatives is a government-appointed antisemitism coordinator for the school and youth education sector, who will also support the creation of a new organization dedicated to fighting antisemitic hate crimes. The plan also expands upper secondary education programs focused on the Holocaust and antisemitism.

“Jews in Denmark should not feel persecuted, harassed, or receive death threats,” the Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said in a public statement. 

“Danish Jews are part of our common culture, history, and soul, and we as a society have a responsibility to surround our Jewish fellow citizens when antisemitism rears its ugly face,” the minister continued. 

“This must be done through information and prevention, as well as harsh consequences against those who spread antisemitism and hatred against Jews,” Hummelgaard pledged. 

Some 7,000 Jews live in Denmark, and the majority are not officially affiliated with the Jewish communities. In 2022, Denmark celebrated the 400th anniversary of the local Jewish community with Queen Margrethe II attending a special ceremony in Copenhagen’s main synagogue. 

Like in many countries worldwide, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents have increased dramatically in Denmark since the Oct. 7 attack, according to the Jewish Community’s Department for Mapping and Knowledge Sharing of Antisemitic Incidents (AKVAH). Like across much of the West, radicalized Muslims and far-left activists have played a disproportionate role in the spread of anti-Jewish sentiments. 

Denmark’s Church Affairs Minister Morten Dahlin welcomed the new combat plan against Jew-hatred, stressing that it is necessary so Danish Jews “can live free and safe lives in Denmark.” Looking ahead, the minister articulated cautious optimism that future generations of Jews in Denmark do not “have to live with an evil that should be parked in the dustbin of history.”

Denmark has a history of general tolerance towards Jews and most Danish Jews were safely evacuated to Sweden in October 1943 during the Nazi German occupation of Denmark. Denmark has also been traditionally more pro-Israel compared to its Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Norway. 

Denmark strongly condemned the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis. Following the Hamas atrocities, Queen Margrethe II, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and other top Danish officials attended a special event in the main synagogue in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people. 

In May 2024, the Danish Parliament overwhelmingly voted against a proposal to recognize a “Palestinian state.”

The Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen explained during a debate last year why Copenhagen has not joined other Western countries in unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state.

"We cannot recognize an independent Palestinian state, for the sole reason that the preconditions are not really there," Rasmussen said, referring to the fact that the Palestinian state does not fulfill the universal requirements for statehood including specified borders and a unified and effective government. 

“We cannot support this resolution, but we wish that there will come a day where we can,” he asserted.