Majority of Danes oppose war in Iraq

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Monday December 12, 2005 01:08

by Coilín Oscar ÓhAiseadha

Máigh Nuad, Co. Cill Dara

62% of Danish women oppose invasion

The right-wing parties’ decision for Denmark to participate in the Iraq war is not popular among the voters. And not at all among the women. The Danish People’s Party has a particular problem with the Danish forces in Iraq.

For the first time, an opinion poll from Gallup shows a majority opposed to Danish participation in the Iraq war. 52 percent of Danes do not think it was a correct decision, while 43 percent support participation.

This was reported in the Danish conservative daily, Berlingske Tidende, on Sunday.

Danish women are opposed to Iraq war
By Ole Damkjær
Sunday 11 December 2005

The right-wing parties’ decision that Denmark should participate in the Iraq war is not popular among the voters. And not at all among the women. The Danish People’s Party has a particular problem with the Danish forces in Iraq.

For the first time, an opinion poll from Gallup shows a majority opposed to Danish participation in the Iraq war. 52 percent of Danes do not think it was a correct decision, while 43 percent support participation. In July 2005, the figures were 50 percent for and 43 percent against, while in February 2004 the figures were 52 to 38.

And it is especially the women voters who are opponents of the war. A full 62 percent of the women who participated in Gallup’s poll for [Danish conservative daily paper] Berlingske Tidende are opposed to the decision to have Denmark participate in the invasion of Iraq. For the men, the figure is 42 percent.

The same applies to the question of the basis for the Iraq war. Here, no fewer than 61 percent reject the assertion that the basis is in order. Among the women, the figure is 68 percent. There are also significantly more among the women who would like the Danish soldiers to be withdrawn “instantaneously”.

In general, the opinion poll shows that the parties in the Danish parliament have support among their own voters for the various questions about the Iraq war. Even though the poll overall is a punch on the nose for the government and the Danish People’s Party, which supported the war effort and also supports the government’s line as regards the withdrawal of the Danish forces, a majority of both the [governing coalition] Liberals’ and Conservatives’ voters support the political course being followed.

The Danish People’s Party [Dansk Folkeparti, DF], on the other hand, has problems with the voters. A majority of those who vote for the party do not agree that the Danish soldiers should stay in Iraq until they are no longer needed. In fact, more than a third (37 percent) of voters would like to have the Danish forces home here and now, while 21 percent would like a deadline to be set. At the same time, half of DF’s voters declare that the basis for going to war against Iraq is not in order.

Out of Iraq in a year’s time
The Danish People’s Party’s foreign policy spokesperson, Søren Espersen, can well understand that the party’s voters are turning against the basis for the Iraq war.

“After all, many are of the perception that we decided to participate in the Iraq war on the basis of weapons of mass destruction. And it is incontrovertible that these weapons were not in Iraq. In any case, they are not there any longer,” says Søren Espersen, who does not think that his party is out of step with its voters. He refers to the fact that 42 percent of DF’s voters still want the Danish soldiers to remain in Iraq indefinitely, and that at the same time almost one in four are prepared to stay if a deadline for withdrawal is set.

“There is much to suggest that the Iraqis are beginning to be able to manage for themselves, and with a little luck, we can be out of Iraq by New Year’s next year. It is not unrealistic to believe this any more, but we still do not want to take part in setting a fixed date for withdrawal,” he says.

And that is precisely the point, the Social Liberal (Radikale) Party’s foreign policy spokesperson, Niels Helveg Petersen, points out: “The government and the Danish People’s Party are accusing us and others of playing the terrorists’ game because we are suggesting a date for withdrawal. But the voters actually think that this is quite feasible, and also in the US and UK people are now talking openly about withdrawing,” says Niels Helveg Petersen, who on the whole is not surprised by the results of the Gallup poll.

Confidence is being undermined
“It is precisely the same tendency we see in other countries and very markedly in the US. Here, support for the Iraq war was very great in the beginning, but it has been really waning over the last six months. Just like people in other countries, Danes can’t see either what the effort in Iraq will lead to. At the same time, the blood-letting goes on day in and day out, with very great losses – both among the American soldiers, but especially among civilian Iraqis. I think that really undermines confidence in the project in Iraq,” says Niels Helveg Petersen.

The Social Democrats’ foreign policy spokesperson, Jeppe Kofod, can also well understand the increasing scepticism towards the basis for the Iraq war and the decision for Denmark to participate.
“It is due to the revelations that there is no plan to win the peace in Iraq, and that the effort in Iraq has been marred by torture scandals and mistreatment of prisoners,” he says.

In the week just gone, the Social Democrats and Social Liberals presented a plan for the Danish withdrawal from Iraq. On 1 July next year, the 500-plus Danish soldiers should be brought home, and after this point, Denmark should contribute with 50 persons, who should participate in NATO’s training mission, support the training of Iraqi police personnel, and help with the reconstruction of the Iraqi legal system and administrative reforms.

Translated from the original:
Dansk kvinder er imod Irak-krigen
http://www.berlingske.dk/grid/indland/artikel:aid=668270

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Majority of Danes oppose war in Iraq