Ben Hamilton
May 16th, 2019

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Outside the Forum − but in Frederiksberg 2019, not Rome 54 BC (Photo: Pixabay)

Of the 13 parties confirmed for the 2019 General Election on June 5, it’s fair to say that many are anti-immigrant, and that two of them – Strum Kurs and Nye Borgerlig – are overtly racist.

Some might argue this is a good thing, as the racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic voters might be spread so thinly, they will get a limited number of representatives in Parliament.

Defaced by racism
But try telling that to David Munis Zepernick, a Frederiksberg councillor for Radikale who is currently campaigning to be elected as a MEP on May 26, whose maternal grandfather is from Sierra Leone.

On his way to Copenhagen Airport on May 8, Zepernick paused to glance at one of his campaign posters near the Forum Metro station in his home district and was dismayed to see the word “Nigger-elsker” (nigger lover) had been scrawled next to his image.

Is this really 2019?
“This is Denmark 2019, and not the old South a 100 years ago – I honestly thought this particular wording went out of fashion decades ago,” he told CPH POST.

“Now it looks as if racism is showing its ugly face again and, a bit surprisingly, right here in my own quiet and peaceful municipality of Frederiksberg.”

Looks damning for ‘Dr Daterape’
Intriguingly the nationality of the defendant is undisclosed

A doctor is currently on trial at Copenhagen City Court, accused of raping two women in March and April 2018 at his flat.

The court has heard that the doctor, 32, conducted online searches for ‘daterape’ and ‘drugrape’ – allegedly in a bid to learn how to effectively dose women so they could not stop him raping them.

Met via Tinder
The doctor is believed to have met the first woman via Tinder and the second in a nightclub.

In the first of the cases he allegedly used the drug halcion, and in the second scopolamine, which he bought from Alibaba. Remnants of the drugs were found in the women’s urine after the alleged incidents.

Damning photos
The doctor, who has been in custody since his arrest last year on May 1, has denied all 15 charges bar one: taking four photos of one of the women while she slept naked, which were without her consent.

Although the nationality of the doctor has not been confirmed, court reporters reveal that while he speaks and understands Danish, he had an interpreter in court. 

Mayday! Mayday!
At least ten people were arrested during trouble on May 1. Violent clashes occurred at Israels Plads at midday as anti-fascist demonstrators fought members of Liberal Alliance and Venstre’s youth organisations. And then trouble erupted again at Fælledparken as Socialdemokratiet leader Mette Frederiksen took to the stage.

Explosion rocks Valby
A huge explosion at a warehouse belonging to the T Hansen vehicle dealership rocked Valby at around 02:30 on May 10. Police suspect the cause came from outside the premises. Meanwhile, a huge blaze engulfed four roof terraces in Islands Brygge on May 7. Nobody was injured in either incident.

Three local murders
A man was shot dead on Helgolandsgade in Vesterbro on May 7. Police suspect the culprit fled in a black Audi that was later found burnt out near Holbæk, where a young man was shot dead on April 28. A day later a 58-year-old woman was bludgeoned to death in her own home in Tisvildeleje in northwest Zealand.

Builder King honoured
A six metre-high statue of Christian IV, the ‘Builder King’ who oversaw the construction of most of the early 17th century buildings Copenhagen is famous for, has been erected in front of Børsen at Slotsholmen. Christian laid down the foundation stone of Børsen in 1620.

Elegant and expensive
Rentals search engine HomeToGo has ranked Copenhagen as having one of the 30 best nightlifes in Europe, but found it is the seventh most expensive. The capital is let down by having the third dearest taxis. Nightclub entry, on the other hand, was pretty cheap compared to rankings leaders Ibiza and Mykonos. Tbilisi, Bucharest and Belgrade, meanwhile, were the cheapest cities.

Daycare pledge
In line with trade union demands, and following parent demonstrations across Denmark, Frederiksberg Municipality has pledged to raise the number of its daycare pedagogues to one for every six kids in the kindergartens (børnehaver) and one for every three at the nurseries (vuggestuer). The proposal should take a year to implement.

Pavement overpayment
Some 4,000 landowners in the capital – mostly in the city centre, Nørrebro, Vesterbro and Christianshavn – overpaid 17.5 million kroner in 2016 and 2017 to a scheme to keep the city’s pavements clean, and now it has emerged that the municipal charges may have been erroneously calculated as far back as 2012.

Hospice bed shortage
Copenhagen hospices have to reject almost every third person because of a lack of beds. The situation is unchanged since 2017 when more funding was earmarked.