 | |
| Formation | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Type | Anti-Islam |
| Location |
|
Key people | Nicolai Sennels (2015) Rasmus Paludan (2016–17) |
| Affiliations | Fortress Europe Pegida |
For Frihed ("For Freedom")da is a Danish organisation that supportsfree speech, and opposes what it sees asIslamisation andfundamentalist Islam in Denmark.[1] The organisation was originally part of thePegida movement, and is part of the broadercounter-jihad movement.[2]
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The organisation was founded in January 2015 asPegida Denmark byNicolai Sennels, a former parliamentary candidate for theDanish People's Party. The group demonstrated inCopenhagen, initially with about 300 demonstrators, which later fell to about 50 in subsequent weekly demonstrations. In March the same year, the group changed its name to For Frihed.[1]
Sennels, a Copenhagen psychologist who has claimed that "Islam and Muslim culture have certain mechanisms which damages people's development and increases criminal behaviour," stepped down as leader in December 2015 to reassume his membership in the Danish People's Party.[3]
In January 2016 the organisation signed the "Prague Declaration" as part of theFortress Europe coalition alongside several international groups such as the German Pegida movement.[4]
Also in January 2016,Tommy Robinson,Paul Weston andAnne Marie Waters ofPegida UK held speeches for the organisation.[5][6] In February 2016, five counter-demonstrators were arrested at a demonstration, whereLars Hedegaard held a speech.[7] In September 2016 several counter-demonstrators were arrested as they threw smoke-bombs against For Frihed demonstrators.[8] A demonstration in December 2016 was also attacked, with three counter-demonstrators arrested.[9] In January 2017, For Frihed demonstrators were also attacked by counter-demonstrators. Danish People's Party politicianSøren Krarup then held a speech at the demonstration.[10] Other speakers at its demonstrations have includedGavin Boby andTatjana Festerling.[11]
For Frihed was represented byRasmus Paludan as lawyer in 2016.[12] Paludan, who was also an active member of the group, in December 2016 had the windows of his office broken and white powder thrown in.[13] After having held controversial speeches for the organisation in 2016 that some considered to incite violence against Muslims, Paludan founded a new anti-Islam group and political party calledStram Kurs in 2017.[14][15]