Yorkshire Miner left the comment below on one of today’s earlier posts. It deserves a post of its own; I have adjusted the spelling, punctuation, and paragraphing, but have otherwise left it intact.
It was addressed to the Danes in consideration of their pugnacious response to the latest Motoon crisis.
It was you the Danes that were attack, it was Dannebrog [the Danish flag] that was burnt. If that doesn’t get a Dane pissed off, I don’t know what will.
We have watched you over the last couple of years emerge dazed from the first Motoon attack. Many of us here are angry that our own governments didn’t support you.
That attack was planed and premeditated. They went for what they thought was the weakest link in the western European lands. They wanted to use you as an example to the rest of Europe the way farmers hang dead crows out in the field to frighten off the other crows.
They miscalculated because they hadn’t done their homework. They didn’t realize that the Danish economy was the least dependent on Middle Eastern oil, that Danish exports were not dependent on the Middle East market.
We have watched the way you have got your second wind. This last crisis was not instigated by the Muslims. It was instigated by the Danes saying we are going to do what we have always done, print what we like, and you can go to hell if you don’t like it.
We have watched how the Danish society — both on the left and the right — has drawn together, emphasizing that communal solidarity that for me is the hallmark of Denmark.
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I as a Brit have certainly enjoyed watching the Islamic faith society get a verbal hammering, and watching the other Muslim groups distance themselves from it. Many of us have watched with pleasure the huffing and puffing of Egypt, this time lodging a protest with the Danish Ambassador in Egypt instead of demanding a meeting with the Danish Prime Minister to watch him grovel.
A few of us have even raised a glass of Danish beer and toasted development minister Ulla Tørnæs, who has called the Sudan Ambassador in for a dressing down today, to explain the fiscal consequence if Sudan continues with its proposed boycott.
Not quite Vlad the Impaler, who sent a Turkish ambassador away from his court with his turban nailed to his skull, but it is good enough for now.
who sent a Turkish ambassador away from his court with his turban nailed to his skull
Dayum! Now why didn’t I think of that?
I applaud the author of this comment that I just read. So what if we draw a prophet. Allah is supposed to be more important. Not a human. It seems like imams are more revered then the lord of their faith.
Danes are renowned for their fine design. If they could manage to start exporting Danish spines and balls to the rest of the EU and North America, this would be a welcome development, better than Lego.
Danes have stopped playing defense, constantly appeasing escalating Muslim demands and have returned the ball to center field at least. Instead of never ending apologies to Muslims who have invaded their home and want to change everything about it, Danes are saying we like our home the way it is and you have not been invited as renovators.
Next they should go on offense and point out that Islamic ways and culture have achieved nothing as remotely successful as Denmark and Muslims are the last people to be instructing them on how to run their country.
Yorkshire Miner has a very good point about the flag. Danes are somewhat obsessed with Dannebrog.
At Christmas the tree will be decorated with the Danish flag (an example here).
We celebrate Christmas on the 24’th of December with family and close friends, with one of the traditions being holding hands and forming a circle around the tree, and then dance around it while singing a few songs.
One of the songs (sung in something like 99 percent of the homes) is “High from the green top of the Christmas tree.” One of the verses go like this: (Just a crude translation. I’ve made no attempt to make it rime.)
“This flag, new and good
I give it to Henrik;
You are strong and you have courage,
You shall be the Fændrik [the officer who carried the flag on the scene of battle.]
How cheerful he waves the banner!
Children, you owe him your respect.
Know it is an honor,
Dannebrog to carry.”
This is someting Danish children are brought up with: Respect the flag!
I once received a few friends in my cottage and in their honor I hoisted the flag. Regrettably I forgot to lower it at sundown (alright, I got so drunk I forgot, OK?) and in the morning I recieved a well deserved bollocking from my neighbor.
The footage on TV with the burning of Dannebrog have made the Danes angry. Very angry. Even the politicians have finally realized this, and they are now scrambling to try to get votes on this issue. However, note this: That Villy Søvndal, leader of the Socialist Peoples Party, is telling Hizb-ut-Tahrir to “Go to Hell” is just a free ride – who in their right minds would back the Hizb. That party have never, and will not ever vote for anything to stem the Muslim immigration. I’ll see it before I believe it!
Still, it’s a nice change from the previous head-in-the-sand approach from that part of the political spectrum.
Sorry, forgot to mention that the song is from 1848.
And perhaps “new and fine” would be a better translation instead of “new and good”.
Mikael, two lesser disagreements here:
I don’t think our liking of Dannebrog is an obsession. I think it’s natural.
And for the ‘free ride’ comment: Technically you’re right, but only strictly technically. While Villy’s comment was formally directed at HuT, it really addresses all caliphate proponents, and was widely percieved as such.
When JP had the statement “Go To Hell” in big type over a large picture of angry Muslims waving the Quran, the message came across quite differently. And many Muslims percieved it also in that way.
What he effectively does is that he cuts right on the line dividing moderate (as in truely democratic) and dedicated Muslims. That’s good, and we can use that in public debate from now on. Every now and then when some Muslim gets too stupid on a blog, someone comments “Hey – you could go home if you hate Denmark so much.”
There’s cause for some rejoicing. Not laziness, but that’s a different matter.
Henrik,
OK, perhaps “obsessive” is a rather strong word, but still, you must admit that Danes use the flag a lot more than most countries. Besides, I was being a bit ironic. (As you know, irony is deep-rooted in the souls of Danes.)
As for Villy Søvndal, I wasn’t trying to dis what he said, which is why I ended my original comment with Still, it’s a nice change from the previous head-in-the-sand approach from that part of the political spectrum.
I mean that. And I believe it’s a good thing that even the leftists are beginning to wake up. My point was, that I don’t think The Socialist Party will actually do anything out of fear of getting their hands dirty.
Still, it remains to be seen. So far, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Mikael, if you think a little deeper about what I said about our fondness for Dannebrog, I think you’ll find that I’m substantiating your statement significantly, not contradicting it 🙂
What’s strange is, even as the swedish government decries its own flag as racist, you can’t move for the things flying when you’re over there. Perhaps it’s not quite as pronounced as Denmark but many swedish houses have a little flagpole, and if you go to the massive summer-house villages (sommarstugeby?) that the Swedes seem to inhabit for two days out of every twelve you’ll see at least one flag on every house and several more dotted around the place…
That gives me hope, if nothing else. When people are proud of their flag you can be sure there’s some latent pride in their nation, however suppressed it might seem at any particular moment.