2010-01-13
Many demonstrations and protests against Denmark, "says Foreign Ministry
Manifestations, demonstrations and protests have hit Danish consulates and embassies around Europe after the climate summit in December in Copenhagen, said the Foreign Ministry.
It is a direct result of police arrests of climate activists in connection with demonstrations during the summit and at least until the release of the four so-called gala activists from Greenpeace last week.
“There have been manifestations especially in front of the Danish embassies in Spain, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland,” said Klavs A. Holm, who is ambassador for public diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry.
“There have also been protests in Germany and Italy,” he said.
It has created a negative image
Last week, Denmark’s ambassador in Spain said that, Denmark’s reputation among ordinary Spaniards has declined sharply because of the prolonged detention of the leader of Spanish Greenpeace.
Same message comes from the ambassadors of other countries where the imprisoned Greenpeace activists come from, "said Foreign Ministry.
“It is the same message everywhere, that of course it has created a negative public perception of Denmark here and now,” said Klavs A. Holm.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has received protest emails from disgruntled supporters around the world.
But it will pass
It is not possible for the Foreign Ministry to put a figure on the numbers of protests or to compare them to the level of discontent following the Muhammad crisis.
“It has been a negative story that we would rather have been without. But if we take a step back, and evaluate it is not so serious, because all experience shows that the discontenc will pass, "say Klavs A. Holm.
“But it’s udesirable, and the intensity of discontent has remained at the high end of the scale.
Manifestations in Italy
Also, the continued imprisonment of the Italian astrophysicist Luca Tornatore has, according to the Italian climate organization ‘See you in Copenhagen’ led to organized protests against the Danish consulate in the Italian cities of Venice, Bari, San Remo, Naples and Genoa.
Luca Tornatore was arrested in Christiania on 14 December and is having his trial in the Municipal Court of Copenhagen on Wednesday.
He is accused of throwing bottles at police and for serious disturbance of public order, but claim not guilty.
They received 3000 letters
According to Greenpeace in Denmark, there have been daily protests against nine Danish consulates in Germany and the Danish Embassy in Berlin.
In front of each Danish representation there was lit candles for the imprisoned activists and displayed banners with the text:
»Denmark let the climate activists go!".
The nine consulates are located in Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hannover, Lübeck, Stuttgart, Kiel, Munich and Cologne.
The four detained Greenpeace activists received up to 3,000 letters during their imprisonment in Copenhagen.