Inger Støjberg

NationalismAnti MuslimAnti-ArabAnti-immigrantPopulism

Aug 14

**DOB:** 16 March 1973

**Nationality:** Danish

**Location:** Hadsund, Denmark
**Ideology/Affiliation:** Right-Wing/
Nationalism/
Anti-Immigrant/Anti-Muslim

**Type of Leader:** Political leader

Also spelt/other names: Inger Stoejberg

Current status: Leader of the Danish right-wing populist party Danmarks Demokraterne - Inger Støjberg (Denmark Democrats - Inger Støjberg), a former member of parliament, and businesswoman

Biography

Inger Støjberg is a Danish politician who held multiple government posts in the Danish Parliament. Støjberg was initially elected to politics as a member of the Viborg Municipality council, which she held from 1994 until 2002. From 1996 until 1999, she was the chairperson of the Liberal Oplysnings Forbund (LOF). She stood for parliament for the first time in 1999.

She was elected to parliament in 2001 after her party, then led by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, won an electoral win. Following Rasmussen’s move to NATO in 2009, Støjberg became the minister of employment and gender equality, succeeding Claus Hjort Frederiksen. After the restructuring of the ministries in 2010, Støjberg was appointed as the only minister for employment until the conservatives lost the election in 2011.

While in opposition, Støjberg was considered one of Venstre’s leading public voices and served as the party’s spokesperson between 2014 and 2015. Additionally, she served as the minister for immigration, integration, and housing from 2015 to 2019.

As the vice-chair of Venstre, Støjberg, resigned in December 2020 as a result of a request from the chair, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. Following her ministry’s 2016 order to separate couples in refugee camps, Venstre backed impeaching Støjberg. Ellemann-Jensen had asked Støjberg to resign after she said she didn’t endorse an impeachment process against herself. He even claimed she had previously betrayed the party. Eventually, Støjberg left the party in early 2021.

In June 2022, Støjberg founded the right-wing populist party Denmark Democrats - Inger Støjberg. According to Støjberg, her new movement would be a right-wing party with a strict immigration policy. It is a common belief among media commentators that the party has been linked to the right-wing Sweden Democrats in terms of its name and policy concepts. During the 2022 Danish general election, the party gained 8.1% of the vote, securing 14 seats in the Folketing (parliament), which placed them as the fifth-largest party alongside the Liberal Alliance.

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Inger

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Evidence of Hate Speech/Incitement:

December 2021: Støjberg was found guilty of unlawfully separating Syrian asylum-seeking couples with a partner under the age of 18. She was sentenced to 60 days in prison in a rare impeachment hearing. The former minister had “intentionally or through gross negligence” ignored her ministerial obligations, according to the court.

Additionally, Støjberg was also found guilty of submitting “incorrect or misleading information” on Syrian refugees to parliament, and the order was determined to be in violation of Danish law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

February 2021: Inger Støjberg was accused, by the Danish media, of inciting hatred and racism against her then-MP colleague, Sikandar Siddique (Danish-Pakistani). After being asked a couple of questions by Siddique, she refused to answer any of them and instead, she said: “What I would very, very much like to relate to, is that I honestly think it would suit Mr. Sikandar Siddique to adhere to the values we just live by in Denmark.” This statement sparked outrage in the Danish media - “she spoke as if she was civilised, and he [Siddique] was barbaric.” She was also accused of speaking to him as a “stranger and a threat to our values.”

May 2018: Støjberg’s remarks on Ramadan were widely rejected by the Danish public, after suggesting Muslims should take time off work during the holy month because of potential safety risks to the rest of society, claiming that fasting throughout the working day raised challenges for modern society. She mentioned possible dangers for bus drivers and hospitals, but those businesses were among the first to indicate Ramadan was never a concern for them.

Among many responses, Arriva, which operates a number of bus routes in Denmark, claimed there have never been any incidents involving fasting drivers - “so it’s not an issue for us,” said Pia Splittorff, spokeswoman of Arriva.

December 2015: During a press conference, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Integration, Inger Støjberg, clearly stated, in response to the immigration of the Syrian refugees to Denmark: “Refugees’ valuables such as jewelry and cash must be handed over to pay for their stay in Denmark.” This case was brought to life again in 2022, particularly after the Danish government welcomed Ukrainian refugees and offered them the privilege to stay in Denmark. As a result, the Danish government was accused of adopting double-standard policies, based on ethnicity, in dealing with refugees.

Extremist Individuals - Right Wing Extremists