Ayee Macaraig
June 26th, 2020

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Lawyer and failed politician Rasmus Paludan (photo: YouTube screenshot)

Failed politician Rasmus Paludan will appeal a verdict handed to him yesterday that has sentenced him to three months in prison and barred the lawyer from pursuing criminal proceedings for the next three years, his lawyer has confirmed.

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A court in Naestved on Thursday found him guilty on 14 counts, which included charges of racism, defamation and dangerous driving, relating to events that took place in 2018 and 2019. One month of the punishment must be served immediately – whatever the result of the appeal.

Paludan is the leader of the anti-Islam political party Stram Kurs (Hard Line) that almost won a seat in Parliament in 2019. He is known for his burnings of the Koran, and his provocations have led to hours-long riots. He defends his actions by invoking freedom of expression.

Social media videos
The fresh racism charges against Paludan stemmed from videos posted on his party’s YouTube and Facebook channels that documented his remarks during a 2018 demonstration in Frederikssund.

“The Danes and Denmark are far too advanced to coexist with the very low-level Muslim cultural waste,” Paludan said in the video – among several racist statements he made.

Paludan argued during the trial that it was not him who made the videos and that he was merely out on the streets talking to people about politics.

Audi incident
In another incident in 2019, this time in Sorø, Paludan was charged with endangering another person’s life by gassing up his Audi as a man stood in front of his path before ending up on the bonnet of the vehicle.

The verdict has also barred Paludan from driving a car for one year.

This is not the first time Paludan has been convicted of racism. Last year, he was handed a 14-day suspended prison sentence for racist remarks.

The latest verdict does not affect Paludan’s ability to stand in elections, according to DR.