Nearly half of Danes oppose US military presence ahead of key vote
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Danes are heavily opposed to a permanent stationing of US troops and military equipment in Denmark.
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Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen makes a comment on the US president's cancellation of his scheduled State Visit in Copenhagen on August 21, 2019. (AP)
Nearly half of Danes oppose a bill that would allow for the permanent stationing of US troops and military equipment in Denmark as part of a 2023 defense pact between the two nations, a new survey revealed Wednesday.
According to a study done by Epinion for the state news source DR, 43% of respondents opposed the bill, while 28% supported it. The remaining 29% were unsure.
The pact, which grants the US military free access to air bases at Karup, Skrydstrup, and Aalborg, is scheduled to last at least ten years and cannot be reversed, according to DR.
When the deal was signed, Joe Biden was the president of the United States. Concerns about American intentions, particularly in relation to Greenland, have strained Danish-US relations since President Donald Trump announced his intention to take over the world's largest island.
The first reading of the bill is scheduled for April 11, with the final passage likely before the summer break. Despite popular mistrust, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen maintains the pact is still critical for Denmark and Europe.
Poulsen expressed that he did not believe it was in the interest of Denmark to end the agreement, adding, "On the contrary, we must do what we can to maintain an American arrangement in Europe."
The Socialist People's Party (SF) now supports the bill, leaving just the Red-Green Alliance and the Alternative opposed. With the amount of votes in support of the government, the blll seems to be successful.
Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, has become a focal point in US-Denmark tensions as Trump pushes to annex the strategically important and resource-rich island, citing national security concerns.
“We do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies,” Rasmussen said in a video statement, responding to Vance’s criticism that Denmark has “underinvested” in Greenland’s security.
Greenland, home to 57,000 people—mostly Inuit—has been seeking greater autonomy from Denmark. However, while all Greenlandic political parties support eventual independence, none favor becoming part of the United States.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s newly appointed prime minister, accused the US of disrespecting Greenlandic sovereignty.
"President Trump says that the United States is getting Greenland. Let me be clear: The United States won't get that. We do not belong to anyone else. We determine our own future," Nielsen wrote on social media, calling on Greenlanders not to be afraid of Trump's rhetoric and treating it with calm and dignity.
