Danish Right Riles Germany With Expansionist Ambitions, 'Territorial Claims'

Danish People's Party Deputy Chairman Søren Espersen revived dreams of Greater Denmark by venturing that Denmark could "one day" reclaim its historic possessions in Schleswig and claiming that this ambition was shared by the speakers of Danish in northern Germany.

"We would like a Denmark to the Eider. This is a hope and a dream at the same time," the party's deputy chairman said in a TV interview, claiming that this also must be the ambition of Germany's Danish minority.

After this claim predictably raised eyebrows, as the story was picked up in German media, Espersen backtracked, stressing that he had only been partly serious, which allegedly was obvious due to "the telltale twinkle" in his eye.

In a subsequent interview with Danish TV, however, Espersen salted the Danish wound further by arguing that Denmark had notoriously missed a golden opportunity to recover its lost province at the end of World War II.

"After 1945, however, we would have been able to get back the whole of Schleswig had we barely lifted a finger," Søren Espersen said, as quoted by the Danish newspaper BT. "The English and the French were ready to do it, because they wanted to smash Germany as much as possible, but we Danes said 'no' to a border change."

Indeed, Espersen touched upon a sensitive subject, which modern-day politicians on both side of the Danish-German border would like to avoid.

Schleswig was a part of Denmark during the Viking Age; after becoming a Danish duchy in the 12th century, it was under Danish rule until 1864, when Denmark was forced to cede the area to Prussia and Austria. Yet the Schleswig issue remained a touchy one for both Denmark and Germany even in later decades. After World War I, a Schleswig Plebiscite was held in accordance with the Versailles treaty. The referendum ended with Northern Schleswig becoming part of Denmark and Southern Schleswig staying in Germany.

​In his interview, Espersen notoriously stated that the border was not finally settled, even if it might take fifteen generations to see a change.

"Nothing in history is static," Espersen said.

Remarkably, Espersen's dream of Greater Denmark was not shared by German Danes, who fall under his "Denmark to the Eider" vision. According to the Southern Schleswig Association (SSF), the revival of the discussion on the Danish-German border, which for decades has been quiet, can damage Danes abroad (such as in Southern Schleswig, which is home to a Danish minority of roughly 50,000 people).

"Let us put it very clearly: such statements do not benefit the Danish minority, as they endanger the good relationship that Danes and Germans have built up in the borderland," SSF President Jon Hardon Hansen said, as quoted by the Danish newspaper Børsen.

The President of the German minority in Denmark, Hinrich Jürgensen, called Espersen's statement provocative, since the border has remained stable for nearly a century, Danish Radio reported.

Nevertheless, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen ensured his compatriots and Germans that the border remains unaltered.

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