A satire segment on Danish Radio has been the subject of much debate of late, with several individuals and politicians labelling it racist. According to IA's Aaja Chemnitz, the Danish Minister of Culture must take responsibility.
“State-sponsored racism”, “colonialist DR”, “ridiculing the worst of the worst”. These are some of the thousands of comments that have been made on a satire segment in the program "Tæt på sandheden" (“Close to the truth”) on DR, hosted by comedian Jonathan Spang.
The satirical segment is about a fictional documentary in which a researcher - with a face tattoo and wearing an anorak - investigates Denmark's profit from the controversial ice cream "Giant Eskimo". The segment is a parody of DR's highly controversial documentary 'Greenland's White Gold', which the public service media ended up de-publishing earlier this month after heated debate.
But now several people have reported DR to the police for racism. One of them is Henriette Berthelsen, who is originally from Qeqertarsuatsiaat but now lives in Denmark.
I felt really bad when I saw the segment. I got a stomachache and nausea. It was so degrading. All the feelings I have experienced over time with discriminatory jokes of that kind came back to me. It was a bad turn, she says.
Copenhagen Police confirm via KNR that they have received reports regarding the satirical segment.
Satire has also been on the political agenda.
IA's parliamentary politician, Aaja Chemnitz, has asked the Danish Minister of Culture, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, whether the minister believes that "it is challenging for the cooperation between Greenland and Denmark when a public service media with state support produces offensive content".
Satire is great for chastising those in power. We should also be able to tolerate that as politicians. But when you start chastising a minority, I think it crosses the line, says Aaja Chemnitz.
According to the politician, it is particularly objectionable that Inuit tattoos have been drawn on the actor in the satire segment. At the same time, she also criticizes that the segment is about the controversial ice cream 'Giant Eskimo'.
When we state that we do not want it to be called 'Eskimo ice cream' because our term for ourselves is Inuit, I really just think that we should respect that rather than chastise a minority.
The documentary 'Greenland's White Gold' has already created cracks in the relationship between Greenland and Denmark, believes Aaja Chemnitz. And the satire piece certainly does not make the gap smaller.
Therefore, the politician believes that the Minister of Culture must take action.
You have a responsibility when you pay state funds to Danmarks Radio. That you (DR, ed.) act as clumsily as you are currently doing does not contribute to the ongoing debate between Greenland and Denmark, says Aaja Chemnitz.
The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) also comes out with sharp criticism of DR. According to the organization, the satire piece disparages the filmmakers behind 'Greenland's White Gold'.
DR2's satire could have succeeded if they had addressed the way in which DR itself has made mistakes in the follow-up to the documentary (…). Instead, DR2 has chosen to produce a highly discriminatory, degrading and racist feature, and that is not acceptable. We want a dignified debate, not degradation, says ICC chairwoman Sara Olsvig in a press release.
The ICC calls for a joint statement from Greenland demanding more respect for Greenlanders.
KNR has submitted the criticism to DR. According to the news station, the purpose of the satire feature was to satirize DR and the way DR has acted in connection with 'Greenland's white gold'.
It was never intended to make fun of Greenland or the Greenlandic people. We think that is very clear.
'Close to the truth' is satire and generally attacks everything and everyone. This also means that not all jokes, sketches and jokes will be for everyone, and that they will also be perceived differently. That is the essence of satire. But again, the subject of the sequence in question was DR and the means used in the controversial documentary, and not Greenland and the Greenlandic people, says program director Anne Garlichs in a written response.
In the wake of the satirical segment, a peaceful demonstration has been announced for Thursday in Nuuk. The organizers behind the demonstration distance themselves from "the discriminatory tone from Danish politicians, the media and on social media," the description says.
"Denmark, here is the border!" is the title of the peaceful demonstration to be held this afternoon here in Nuuk at 4:30 PM.
According to Pernille Benjaminsen, co-organizer of the demonstration, it is about speaking out against the degrading treatment that Greenlanders experience from Denmark.
It is a widespread problem with prejudice, discrimination and racism in Danish society. We have experienced this for generations.
But recently, when there has been a lot of focus and debate about Greenland, both in the Danish media and on social media, it has been very clear that there is a negative and pessimistic view of Greenland. It is widespread that people have very crude and condescending rhetoric towards us. We would like to say this to them. We want to be treated equally, says Pernille Benjaminsen.
The organizers hope that the demonstration will be taken seriously by politicians, both here and in Denmark, and that someone will do something about it.
We can refrain from entering into negative dialogues. Refrain from responding in the same way that people write to us. But it must be a mutual effort. I think that there is an expectation, both among ourselves, but also from the Danish side, that we are the ones who should be the ones to reconcile, and we are the ones who should come up with the solutions on how we can move forward, says Pernille Benjaminsen.
The demonstration starts at the "Sassuma Arnaa" Mother of the Sea sculpture at 16:30 this afternoon, going towards the Ombudsman and to Inatsisartut.
Source:
DR-satireindslag i stormvejr: Når man begynder at revse en minoritet, går det over stregen / Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (in Danish)
"Danmark, her går grænsen!" Fredelig demonstration i Nuuk / Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (in Danish)
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