Source title in the reading translation: Tall tale from Venstre steals the spotlight from both Reunification Day and St

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Text version dated 4 Nov 2021

A tall tale from Venstre steals the spotlight from both Reunification Day and the Prime Minister’s visit. Can an undocumented attack on a local businessman really be more interesting than, for example, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s visit to Dybbøl Banke for the 100-year celebration of Reunification Day? Is there a difference between a threat and friendly guidance?

Can a Venstre politician behave so foolishly that JydskeVestkysten does not back him up? Find the answers to these questions below. There is a large leap from expressing negative personal opinions about a case or a person to wrongfully accusing someone of criminal conduct.

The latter crosses the line both ethically and legally, even for a local politician. Nonetheless, that was what Peter Hansen (V) did when he accused Skansegården’s owner of tax cheating. It is part of the story that Peter Hansen made the accusation after he had been voted down on the Skansegård case in Sønderborg’s municipal council – and was clearly somewhat resentful and frustrated.

Nevertheless, the claim was passed on uncritically by the heavily media-subsidised JydskeVestkysten – whose symbiotic partnership with Venstre is so well coordinated that it can sometimes be difficult to determine which of them is preparing the ammunition. Friendly legal guidance. In any event, lawyer Rene Offersen found it necessary to inform Peter Hansen that, legally speaking, he was on shaky ground.

It was friendly guidance, and the tone was in no way threatening. The lawyer diplomatically explained to Peter Hansen that his statements were “… defamatory, contrary to section 267 of the Danish Criminal Code, because they are capable of lowering my client in the esteem of his fellow citizens.” He also mentioned the possible consequences for Peter Hansen: “You must at least expect a defamation suit to be brought if you repeat the defamatory statements or make other criminally punishable defamatory statements.” When a child behaves unreasonably, you must explain that its behaviour is inappropriate and that failing to change may have consequences. That was precisely the guidance Rene Offersen gave: ordinary reassurance of a child who has lost its dummy.

Hold the front page! Peter Hansen asked his friends at JV for help, and his distress call was heard. Local editor Halldor Henriksen again showed he is always ready to lend the newspaper’s board member a hand, even at a small ethical cost.

That produced a front-page story in JydskeVestkysten Sønderborg, with the catchy headline “Skansegården threatens V figure with legal action.” It did not mention documentation from estate agents and tax experts rejecting Peter Hansen’s and JV’s fresh guesses. Most striking, however, was that the story appeared on Tuesday 16 June. The previous day, Monday 15 June, nationwide television channels and a huge gathering of journalists from across the country had been in Southern Jutland covering the 100-year celebration of Reunification Day.

As part of the celebrations, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had spoken at an event on Dybbøl Banke near Sønderborg. Yet a fairly insignificant story about the poor persecuted Venstre politician stole the front page, while the Prime Minister had to settle for coverage on page 3. The prioritisation says a great deal about how important the pursuit of Skansegården’s owner is – to both Venstre and JydskeVestkysten / Jysk Fynske Medier.

Did someone mention the words: A sense of proportion? You can read the JV article here: https://jv.dk/artikel/skanseg%C3%A5rd-ejer-truer-med-at-tr%C3%A6kke-peter-hansen-i-retten (The post has previously appeared on our Facebook page)

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Source title: Røverhistorie fra Venstre stjæler billedet fra både Genforeningsdagen og St

Text version dated 4 Nov 2021

Røverhistorie fra Venstre stjæler billedet fra både Genforeningsdagen og Statsministerens besøg Kan et udokumenteret angreb på en lokal erhvervsmand virkelig være mere interessant end eksempelvis Statsminister Mette Frederiksens besøg på Dybbøl Banke til 100-års fejringen af Genforeningsdagen? Er der forskel på en trussel og en venlig vejledning? Kan man som Venstrepolitiker opføre sig så dumt, at JydskeVestkysten ikke bakker en op?

Få svaret på disse spørgsmål herunder. Der er et stort spring fra at lufte negative personlige holdninger om en sag eller en person – til uretmæssigt at anklage nogen for kriminel adfærd. Det sidste er både etisk og juridisk at gå over stregen, selv for en lokalpolitiker.

Det var ikke desto mindre, hvad Peter Hansen (V) gjorde, da han anklagede Skansegårdens ejer for at udøve skattefusk. Det hører med til historien, at Peter Hansen kom med anklagen, efter at han var blevet nedstemt i Sønderborg Byråd i Skansegård-sagen – og tydeligvis var en smule indebrændt og frustreret. Alligevel blev påstanden kritikløst videreformidlet af det heftigt mediestøttede JydskeVestkysten – hvis symbiotiske parløb med Venstre er så velkoordineret, at det til tider kan være svært at afgøre hvem af dem, der støber kuglerne.

En venlig juridisk vejledning Under alle omstændigheder fandt advokat Rene Offersen det nødvendigt, at oplyse Peter Hansen om, at han rent juridisk bevægede sig på gyngende grund. Det var en venlig vejledning, og tonen var på ingen måde truende. Advokaten forklarede på diplomatisk vis Peter Hansen, at hans udtalelser var: ”...æreskrænkende i strid med Straffelovens § 267, da de egnede til at nedsætte min klient i sine medborgeres agtelse.” Han nævnte også de eventuelle følger for Peter Hansen: ”De må i al fald forvente, at injuriesag bliver anlagt, hvis De gentager æreskrænkelserne eller fremsætter andre strafbare æreskrænkelser.” Når et barn opfører sig urimeligt, er man nødt til at forklare det, at dets adfærd er uhensigtsmæssig – og at en manglende adfærdsændring kan få konsekvenser.

Det var lige præcis en sådan vejledning, Rene Offersen gav. Helt almindelig beroligelse af et barn, der har tabt sutten. Ryd forsiden!

Peter Hansen bad vennerne på JV om hjælp, og nødråbet blev hørt; Lokalredaktør Halldor Henriksen viste endnu engang, at han altid er klar til at give avisens bestyrelsesmedlem en hjælpende hånd – også selv om det koster en smule på det etiske barometer. Det førte til en forsidehistorie i JydskeVestkysten Sønderborg. Den fik den fængende overskrift: ”Skansegården truer V-profil med retssag.” Historien fortalte ikke, at der var dokumentation fra både ejendomsmæglere og skatteeksperter, der afviste Peter Hansen og JVs friske gætterier.

Det mest tankevækkende er dog, at historien blev bragt tirsdag den 16. juni. Dagen før (mandag den 15. juni) havde de landsdækkende TV-kanaler samt et kæmpe opbud af journalister fra hele landet været i Sønderjylland for at dække 100-års fejringen af Genforeningsdagen. Som en del af fejringen, havde Statsminister Mette Frederiksen været taler ved et arrangement på Dybbøl Banke ved Sønderborg.

Alligevel var det en ret ligegyldig historie om den stakkels forfulgte Venstre-politiker, der stjal forsiden, mens Statsministeren måtte se sig henvist til en omtale på side 3. Prioriteringen siger en del om, hvor vigtig forfølgelsen af Skansegårdens ejer er – både for Venstre og JydskeVestkysten / Jysk Fynske Medier. Var der nogen, der nævnte ordet: Proportionssans?

Du kan læse JV-artiklen her: https://jv.dk/artikel/skanseg%C3%A5rd-ejer-truer-med-at-tr%C3%A6kke-peter-hansen-i-retten (Opslaget har tidligere været bragt på vores Facebook side)

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Image material from the source. Original photo credits appear in the source text.
Image material for the source post: Tall tale from Venstre steals the spotlight from both Reunification Day and St
Image material from the source. Original photo credits appear in the source text.

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