From calls for spiritual strength to sharp jabs at Trump, Constitution Day speeches this year were a reminder that democracy, both in Denmark and globally, is under pressure. Here’s what each party leader brought to the podium:
🧀 Venstre (Liberals): Stephanie Lose urged us to appreciate what works in Denmark instead of only spotting “holes in the cheese,” while also stressing the need for a strong European defense.
🌍 SF (Socialists): Pia Olsen Dyhr proposed a new global alliance of democracies, saying fewer countries stand up for freedom and the rule of law, and took aim at Trump’s authoritarian drift.
🕊️ Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats): Mette Frederiksen called for “spiritual mobilization” to strengthen Denmark’s democratic core and made it clear: “Greenland is not for sale.”
💀 Alternativet (Greens): Franciska Rosenkilde declared “America is dead” (with help from a Minds of 99 lyric) and proposed that nature’s rights be written into Denmark’s constitution.
🟦 Liberal Alliance (Liberal Conservative): Alex Vanopslagh joked about the “bourgeois family” (blue parties) but remained serious about his belief in a center-right government after the next election.
🗳️ Moderaterne (Social Liberals): Lars Løkke Rasmussen called for changing the constitution to give Danes abroad the right to vote, noting over 250,000 currently lose that right after two years.
📜 Konservative (Conservatives): Mona Juul warned of “dangerous shifts,” criticizing both “the Quran law” (which bans burning holy texts, including the Bible and Torah) and the PET surveillance bill as undermining Danish liberties.
🇪🇺 Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals): Martin Lidegaard said Denmark’s future no longer lies with the US but with the EU, predicting NATO’s traditional security guarantees will not return.
🧩 Dansk Folkeparti (Nationalist Conservative): Morten Messerschmidt praised Danish unity and warned that Sweden, Germany, and France lack the shared cultural glue that holds Danes together.
🪖 Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance): Pelle Dragsted accused the government of hypocrisy, condemning Russia’s war crimes while continuing arms exports to Israel during the Gaza war.
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