Danish lawyer Rasmus Paludan is about as controversial as it can possibly get. He has been convicted of racism, accused of Nazi ties and has allegedly burned a copy of the Quran. He is also a member of a far-right political party that is gaining traction ahead of the June 5 election.
His party is forecast to win 2.3%, according to a recent poll published by Voxmeter, which would be enough to enter parliament.
As reported by Euronews online, his political movement — Stram Kurs (Hard Line) — calls itself the party for “ethnic Danes”, wants to ban Islam and deport all Muslims from Denmark.
“Hard Line’s only agenda is to be extremely tough on refugees, immigrants and Muslims in particular, and that attracts a small group of voters who think anti-immigration policies can always get harder and more radical,” said elections specialist and professor of political science at Copenhagen University, Kasper Møller Hansen.
Martin Krasnik, editor-in-chief of the Danish newspaper Weekendavisen, called Paludan a Nazi in a recent editorial. He said that Paludan is “clearly familiar with the Nuremberg laws” from Nazi-era Germany.
