Ten years ago, during the very early days of this blog, Dymphna posted several times about a book written by Queen Margrethe of Denmark. The queen’s opinions on immigration and Islam were forthright, refreshing, and politically incorrect.
Those early pieces on Denmark were the beginning of our interest in the Islamization of Europe. There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then, but Queen Margrethe is still forthright, still refreshing, and still politically incorrect.
Many thanks to Liberty DK for translating this interview from Berlingske:
The Queen says about immigrants: “We must be welcoming, but we must also let them know what we expect”
By Lisbeth Knudsen and Thomas Larsen — April 11, 2015
In an interview with the Danish newspaper Berlingske, Danish Queen Margrethe states firmly that it is important not to let ourselves be cowed when terror hits Danish society, and that it is important to protect the values that Denmark stands for.
Queen Margrethe urges Danes not to let themselves be cowed by the kind of terror that has not only hit Denmark but also a number of other European countries.
During the weekend of the 14th-15th February, when the gang member Omar El-Hussein killed Finn Nørgaard and Dan Uzan and wounded several police officers before he was shot, it was an assault on both freedom of expression and the Jewish community.
In the interview with Berlingske on the occasion of her 75th birthday on 16 April, Queen Margrethe does not hide the fact that the assassinations confronted Danes with a new reality, and that it raises the question of how free and open societies need to respond to terrorists who want to destroy them. According to the Queen, Denmark was put under pressure by the assassination.
“It would be absurd to say that we are not under pressure. There is pressure, but what is important is how we tackle it,” said the Queen.
The Danish ‘reaction was what the ruler had thought and expected.
“It came as no surprise to me that people took it calmly. That much I know about my fellow citizens. I have confidence in how they tackle events, especially when it’s the really big things. We can get excited about small things; they do not matter so much. What is important is that we keep a cool head when the big things happen,” she says.
Seen through the queen’s eyes, an important part of our response to terror is to stand firm regarding the core freedoms upon which Denmark is founded — including freedom of expression — which makes it possible to speak, write and express our opinions freely.
“I know there are some who say that we must be careful, and of course we need to think about that, but we must certainly also say things the way we think they are. We must not keep it inside or hold back. If you hold things back, they become worse,” said the Queen.
Fear should never be allowed to dominate, even though the terrorists are prepared to use violence.
“First and foremost they have to know that we are not afraid. They want to scare us, but we must not be intimidated. This is essential. The old expression that we should not let ourselves be cowed or let ourselves be scared, is important and I think it is in the spirit of the Danes not to let themselves be suppressed or cowed,” says the Queen.
The Queen has updated her earlier opinion
That Denmark is confronted with a new reality where terrorist groups have the nation high on their list of targets for terror, is a fact.
The Queen has also observed how individual groups with foreign background turn their backs on Danish society.
This development has caused the Queen to change some of her earlier opinions.
Throughout the years, she has urged everyone to take good care of refugees and immigrants, and she has several times even chastised the Danish people. Today she still believes that everybody has a duty to welcome the people who come to Denmark, but in this there is now a new nuance to her message.
“Yes, we must still be welcoming but we also need to let them know what we expect, because it is our society they arrive in. We must make room for them, but they need to understand what part of the world they have arrived in. One country is not the same as another country in this world. We are an ancient society that likes to take care of the people who need taking care of, but we also want them to understand where they have arrived. That, I think, is very important.”
Shocked over harassment against Jews
The Queen stresses that there are rules that must be observed.
“We want to make room, but they have come to our society, and therefore they cannot expect that their old model of society can be continued in this country. They should be able to attend mosques when they wish — of course they do — but when they start doing things that are inconsistent with the larger pattern of Danish society, they have to realize that that is not acceptable,” said the Queen.
The terrorist assassination has exposed the existence of a fierce anger against Israel and Jews amongst groups of refugees and immigrants in Denmark.
For the Queen, it has been painful to follow the harassment and persecution of the Danish Jews, and she is shocked that yet again, Jews have become — in a completely unacceptable manner — a persecuted people.
“That the Jews today should suddenly find themselves so disliked, pressured and threatened, is shocking — because they ARE threatened. They wear it with great dignity, as they have always done, but it is shocking to witness.”
And how wonderful it is to find a woman who speaks the truth!
She’s one of a kind. I really got to admire her when I studied what I could of her autobiography- written on the occasion of her 65th birthday iirc. If all monarchs were but like her…
I wonder if this has anything to do with the dream I had about the Danish guy who gets paid to sit in a room all day to answer questions about a book that nobody has read for people who never arrive to ask.
I’ll always remember how Denmark saved Jewish lives in world war 2. It doesn’t surprise me that they could be among the first European countries to officially step in and help them. It’ll be interesting to see if they take any measures soon or if this just more talk.
Speaking the truth and stating reasons and logical ideas in books are useless and comes from desperation . Many reasonable truthful books are available in the west like those of Susan Lindauer: Extreme prejudice. Books and the cowardly media don`t set right any wrong in the west. It is The executive branch of government that matters.
And the executive branch of governments in the west is a runaway train. They act like absolute kings , nay, even worse.
Maybe the Danes should offer the Swedes all of the Muslim “refugees” in Denmark in exchange for Sweden’s Jews, since the Swedes seem so hellbent on committing national and cultural suicide.
“Yes, we still must be welcoming…”
WHY? Why must Danes and other Europeans welcome followers of a Satanic cult into their homes? And when most of these invaders leach their social systems dry, then they will take over what little remains.
And then they will look West.
Why must Danes be welcoming? Because Danes *are* and the Queen doesn’t want to surrender that part of their heritage.
Once there was a heritage of “southern hospitality” but it exists now only in pockets. And it was practiced by newcomers after the first generation…Unfortunately the dictates of political correctness has destroyed nearly all of that, and such was the intention in the concerted efforts to rub out regional differences.
Southern hospitality. So true. It was still extant when I lived in Atlanta during college.
For visitors to Atlanta, may I *strongly* recommend the Mary Mac’s Tea Room on Ponce de Leon Avenue. The owner, servers, and others have labored for decades to welcome first-timers and long-time loyal diners in the traditional, warm, Southern way. Mary Mac’s was the first place in Atlanta to serve blacks and whites equally in the ’60s, according to the local lore still available when I was there.
More sadness from the exile in California….
With due respect, I have to disagree with you Dymphna. The hospitality of the Danes can be compared to that of a household. How many people would you, as a welcoming and compassionate person, welcome to your own home? Would you, at a certain point, say that that’s enough or your family and you are destroyed, gone, dead. Would you welcome everybody even if you had found out and realized that they were the kind of people whose values were incompatible with yours, who had no respect for you and your household rules, who meant you harm, who wanted to destroy the life that you had built for yourself and your family and even to kill you? And, how would you in those circumstances demand compliance from them? Don’t you think it might be impossible in those circumstances? How long would you keep reminding them that what they are doing is unacceptable to hear only laughter and more aggression from them in response? Your words would just sound more and more like a whimper of a foolish dying person? Do you think it’s honorable and right to let those who you identify as your enemies (and let’s call them what they are) take advantage of your hospitality and ultimately destroy you? I think the Danish Queen, as refreshing as she sounds against other European leaders, is still a weakling. We are at war, and we are losing it.
Yes, she is a weakling, because like other constitutional monarchs she is powerless, and she knows it. What makes her different from others in her position is that she is willing to address at least parts of the truth.
Her Majesty Margarethe’s words are a refreshing breath of fresh air. However, I also see a Denmark where any vital Christianity seems to have evaporated from the official Lutheran Church; and most of the political class seems less concerned with free speech and freedom of expression than the monarch on whose powers they are supposed to exercise of constitutional check and balance.
Yes you are right that vital Christianity seems to have disappeared from most of the official Lutheran (State) Church. I am told, however, (I am an expatriate Dane) that there are pockets of evangelical Christian churches, and there are still Lutheran pastors who speak up and carry the torch of true Christianity. Claus Thomas Nielsen, occasional contributor here, is one of the shining examples. Look him up on Facebook. Queen Margrethe is also a deeply believing Christian. I have faith that my native country will stand the test of time. Maybe it is time for Holger Danske to wake up!