Posted on 07/03/2005 10:14:23 PM PDT by CHARLITE
COPENHAGEN (AFP) -- Danish police are staging one of their biggest security operations ever for U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Copenhagen this week amid fears of angry protests over the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Some 50 activist organizations have announced large anti-Bush demonstrations in central areas of Copenhagen during the U.S. leader's two-day visit tomorrow and Wednesday, and police have vowed to adopt a hard line against unruly protestors.
A "Stop Bush" demonstration is scheduled for Wednesday in the capital when 20,000 activists from leftist, trade union, youth and Muslim protest groups are to assemble in a main square and march to the Christiania hippie settlement for anti-Bush festivities.
"We are unable to divulge what our strategy is but I can tell you that we are cooperating closely with the military, the Danish and American secret services and visiting U.S. security experts," Copenhagen police chief Per Larsen told reporters.
He would not reveal how many police would patrol the city, but an undisclosed number have had their summer holidays cancelled due to the visit.
Larsen said law enforcement officials were also investigating the plethora of "Death to Bush" and "Death to Imperialism" handbills and posters that have in recent days been distributed or posted around town.
"We want to find out who is behind these handbills, the language is totally inadmissible," he said.
Bush's visit, the fifth meeting between himself and Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen since 2002, is seen by commentators as a largely symbolic gesture to thank Denmark for its support in the war in Iraq.
While Rasmussen is a fierce Bush ally, the Danish public remains vehemently opposed to the war and has harshly criticized Washington's treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo base in Cuba.
According to an opinion poll conducted for the news agency Ritzau, nearly half of all Danes, 46 percent, consider Rasmussen's center-right government too positive in its foreign policy toward the United States.
Meanwhile, another poll conducted for Danish daily Politiken showed that 49 percent of those questioned view the U.S.' role in the world politics as generally negative, compared to only 13 percent who saw it as positive. When Bush was reelected U.S. president last November, only 12 percent of Danes said they would have voted for him.
In an interview on Danish television aired last week, Bush said his visit would be an opportunity to explain Washington's needs and intentions in the world political arena and show his friendship for the Danish people.
The visit is the first to Denmark by a sitting U.S. president since 1997, when Bill Clinton was warmly welcomed.
Road and air traffic will be heavily disrupted during Bush's stay.
Private and commercial aircraft will be banned from Danish and Swedish airspace around Copenhagen around the time of Bush's arrival tomorrow evening and departure on Wednesday afternoon.
Danish F-16 warplanes will also patrol Denmark's airspace at a height of six kilometers (20,000 feet), DR Radio News reported.
Bush and his wife Laura are to spend tomorrow night at the royal residence of Fredensborg Castle, a baroque castle in the woods north of Copenhagen.
On Wednesday, his 59th birthday, Bush will hold talks with Rasmussen, meet local parliamentarians and attend a luncheon hosted by Queen Margrethe before flying to Scotland to attend a G8 summit.
It is disgusting.
The MSM would have it no other way. They couldn't defeat Mr. Bush at the ballot box despite their editorials and non-stop publishing of abu-graib pictures. This gives them some satisfaction.
...the Danish public remains vehemently opposed to the war and has harshly criticized Washington's treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo base in Cuba.
THANK YOU TurbanDURBIN. You need to resign - NOW!!!
And .. I keep wondering how much this Danish viewpoint is filtering down to Aruba and the seeming reluctance to help solve the murder of Jennifer ..??
The hostility (with its bag of trash and slurs) towards right-government of conservatives, is a worldwide characteristic of all liberals and leftists. Surely these security operation will be paid by Americans too: thanks to liberal media and politicians... again.
Aruba is a Dutch possession, Denmark's only possession is the Anti-Aruba, Greenland.
Denmark has nothing to do with Aruba. Aruba is a possession of the Netherlands (Holland)
... nearly half of all Danes, 46 percent, consider Rasmussen's center-right government too positive in its foreign policy toward the United States.
Some obvious good news there then. 54% of Danes are NOT of this opinion
Where did I get "Denmark" .. Hmmmmm? Curious! Maybe I confused it with Dutch. Danish .. Dutch .. maybe that's what I did .. don't know. Thanks for correcting that.
Perhaps you did. You're welcome
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