Denmark General Election: Right-wing extremists trigger debate over free speech

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02:48

In Denmark, Danes vote in a general election on Wednesday – after a campaign that has shaken the country and prompted a fierce debate about the limits of free speech. That's after an extreme right-wing politician launched a shock-tactic campaign that saw him surge in the polls. CGTN's Guy Henderson reports from Copenhagen.

When 10-year-old Medina Farooq became a target in this Danish election, she penned her response in a national newspaper.

"You should treat others as you would like to be treated."

Medina says she came home terrified one day after watching one of the campaign videos.

"I got angry and very sad when I watched," she says. "I was afraid that we'd have to leave."

This is what Medina saw, a man named Rasmus Paludan, an extreme right-wing politician calling for all Muslims to be deported. His shock-tactics, more than his message, for a time saw him surge in the polls.

GUY HENDERSON COPENHAGEN "Rasmus Paludan is a convicted racist who's campaign stunts include ripping up and sometimes burning the Quran. That has tested Denmark's long history of freedom of speech. And yet ultimately, he's still allowed to run."

Paludan doesn't respond well to criticism.

Guy – "should you be allowed to run given that you're a convicted racist?"

"I'm not a convicted racist but since you're a shithole [beeped out] journalist, you don't care about the truth, you just want to paint your story." Guy: "Ok, thanks – that's quite enough air time I think." Paludan: "Yeah, you don't have to touch me though."

Some of those following still want to try.

NADEEM FAROOQ ANTI-PALUDAN PROTESTER "I wanna be your friend – and give you a nice big hug," says this protester.

Critics have merged into a peaceful movement that follows him wherever he goes. As the opposition's galvanized, his Hard Line party's poll ratings have slumped. Most mainstream parties say they'll try and isolate it.

SOREN PAPE POULSEN CONSERVATIVE PEOPLE'S PARTY "He is a minority, a very small minority in this country. I'm not gonna sit in a government that has to rely on his party."

The center-left Social Democrats have been leading in the polls. Like their main center-right opponents, the Liberals, they believe their harder stance on migration may have also sapped Paludan's support.

NIELS BJERRUM SOCIAL DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE "Things, in general, are getting more extreme. But if you look at the numbers right now, the far right parties in Denmark are far smaller now than they were at the last election."

Polls suggest the momentum may be with Paludan's opponents now. They've been wrong before. GH, CGTN, Copenhagen.