Denmark

Over the weekend of 17-19 March, over 50 delegates met for the annual Congress of Revolutionære Socialister (RS), the Danish section of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT). At the congresses and other democratic structures of the IMT, no time is wasted discussing details or secondary questions. For us, the focus is firmly on political questions. The purpose of all discussions is always to collectively raise the political level.

On 5 February, the Danish Trade Union Confederation, consisting of 79 unions, organised a 50,000-strong demonstration in front of the Danish parliament in protest against the government’s plan to remove a public holiday. The newly-formed government – which consists of an alliance between the Social Democratic Party and two bourgeois parties – have planned to carry out major attacks on the Danish working class.

Revolutionære Socialister, the Danish section of the IMT, recently held its annual ‘Revolution Festival’. With more than 110 attendees from across Denmark, the festival was an unequivocal success. Comrades and guests left the festival with a higher level of understanding of Marxism and revolutionary theory, as well as a renewed will and energy to fight for the overthrow of the capitalist system.

The racist policy of the Social Democrats is worse than any of the right-wing parties in parliament. It is the result of the party’s inability to deliver on any of its promises of bettering the lives of the majority of Danes. However, as the protests last Wednesday hinted at, the government should expect massive opposition from the streets to their reactionary politics.

The results of the recent Greenlandic election reflect a rejection of the ruthless exploitation of Greenland’s natural resources by multinational corporations. A big drop in turnout, however, also reveals an underlying radicalisation and dissatisfaction with the whole system, the political elite, and Danish colonialism.

This article was written before the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lockdowns throughout the world, including Denmark. However, the points it raises about the co-option of the climate movement by the forces of the establishment remain unchanged – and are all the more relevant given the global health emergency posed by COVID-19.

The following is the perspectives document approved by the national congress of Revolutionære Socialister ("Revolutionary Socialists") in March 2019. It lays out the comrades’ analysis of the political situation in Denmark, and offers their predictions about where the class struggle in the country is heading.

On the weekend of 22-24 March, Revolutionary Socialists (RS) – the Danish section of the International Marxist Tendency – held their annual congress. It was held at a Scout hut in the countryside of Sealand. In the months leading up to the event, all of the comrades had focused heavily on ensuring the political, as well as the practical success of the congress. This work ensured that the 2019 congress was the best in the history of the organisation.

The solidarity campaign for Rawal Asad (who has been held in custody since February on the scandalous charge of sedition after attending a peaceful protest in Multan, Pakistan) shows no sign of slowing down. On 4 March, comrades and supporters of the International Marxist Tendency coordinated a day of pressure against the Pakistani state by picketing, protesting and telephoning Pakistan's embassies all over the world, so the regime knows the world is watching, and we will not stop until our comrade is released. 

An international solidarity campaign has been launched to demand the release of comrade Rawal Asad, who was arrested in Multan for the 'crime' of attending a protest. He faces a scandalous charge of sedition, which carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, and a judge has now officially denied his application for bail. In addition to demonstrations in Pakistan, comrades from all over the world have been protesting outside of Pakistani embassies, and sending pictures and messages of support calling

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Upwards of a trillion-and-a-half Danish kroner in “dirty money” (an amount that corresponds to about 60 percent of the Danish GDP) appears to have passed through the Danish financial giant Danske Bank. This case is just one in a long series of scandals, which show that the bourgeois rule of law is an illusion.

On 4 April, public sector workers in Denmark will be taking strike action in response to negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement. The government has reacted by threatening 440,000 public sector workers (of a total 825,000) with lockouts, which could take effect any time from 10 April. This could result in the biggest class conflict in 20 years. The impending confrontation bears major historical significance, because it marks the beginning of the end of 'class peace' and 'social partnership' in Denmark.

The 'old guard' of the left have celebrated the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution by distancing themselves from it. Perhaps to justify the defeat of their generation. But their it-can-never-be-achieved attitude should not discourage the youth of today from rebellion.

The International Marxist Tendency has been celebrating the centenary of the Russian Revolution all year, releasing articles, videos and reading guides to commemorate the occasion. Around the day of anniversary itself (7 November by the modern calendar), we hosted a series of meetings, parties and events throughout the world. We have already published reports from Mexico, ...

Immigrants, refugees and migrant workers are blamed in Danish politics for all kinds of misfortune. “The Danish Model” with its reasonable wages and working conditions, is often highlighted as something unique. But for a growing number of workers, reasonable wages and working conditions are a pipe dream. REVOLT has spoken with Imran, who is originally from Pakistan, about what it’s really like to be a foreign worker in Denmark.

On the surface it might seem as though nothing is happening in Denmark. And compared to many other countries that are experiencing one mass movement after the other, it is calm waters. But if we look beneath the surface things are also heating up here.

New Year: champagne in the glasses and celebration of the new year with its promises and hopes. But there is not much hope and optimism in the Danish media. The New Year started with the introduction of ID-control on the Danish-Swedish border. Not since 1954 has it been necessary to show identification between the two Scandinavian countries. For more than 60 years you could travel freely between them. This is extremely indicative of the situation at the dawn of 2016.

The Danish general elections on June 18th provided victory to the right wing. Venstre (the Liberal Party) is now forming a minority government which will count on the support of the racist and nationalist Dansk Folkeparti (the Danish People’s Party or DPP).

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