Xenophobia at inside Denmark

Most Danes remember it. Don't have a night out in another town than the one you are living in unless it is a town located less than than 20 kilometers from where you live. If you choose to do it anyway remember that you are as much a stranger as if you were from the other side of the world.

One of the biggest reality stars in Denmark Susan K made such a decision where she entered a club marked by a very hostile climate against strangers and very soon she found herself set up by the locals. She is now in jail until January 5, 2010 and the charges based on consequences of local xenophobia could mean 60 days in jail. Because she is the person coming from out of town it is very unlikely that she will be cleared of the charges.

The TV-station she currently has a job for acknowledge that she was more victim than perpetrator and have stalled shooting of a show she is part of. In fact the jail sentence can boost her career so she can continue to remain the rolemodel she has been for our youth so far.

But the case show that even Danes have to remain faithful to their local community when it comes to even such a simple thing like socializing in town.

Second it questions the TV-station's precautions when it comes to secure their stars. Surely she should have been warned against partying in an outside town or at least have been equipped with some bodyguards, so she could have avoided the trap the local set up for her. It is old news that a person from another city can be met with a generally evil atmosphere like Susan K saw at Social club in Aarhus.

If we take a case where a person from Aarhus visit Copenhagen, we could observe exactly the same pattern. Stig Tøfting - a soccer player was celebrating the result together with the rest of our national soccer team after the World Championship in 2002. The same hostile environment met him and he was also tricked into defending himself only to learn that the Danish laws for self-defense is basically non-existing. The conviction back then where he was sentenced to 4 month should be a stern warning that taking a night out in a town other than your own is unacceptable. Otherwise you risk falling into a trap.

It is not than uncommon that you are attacked when you are a celebrity like Susan K. In fact just a couple of weeks before the incident she herself was knocked down back in Copenhagen without any kind of warning simply due to her celebrity status. Denmark is the home for the Jante Law. Second based on the origin of the persons who assaulted her, her presence was a kind of provocation because women in their culture is supposed to remain at home leaving only men partying out in town. Maybe this unprovoked assault made her have her guards up when entering the hostile place in Aarhus. None know and because the court where the trial is located is away ground. she cannot expect to be cleared of the charges regardless of the testimonies.

She made a mistake by coming to Aarhus and choosing this nightclub to party in. The television company however made the biggest mistake by poor counseling and missing out on giving her a bodyguard.