Angry at the system? Communists in Denmark invite to join them  

Just as cave art helps us understand who Neanderthals were and how they lived, urban visuals such as posters capture the identity of today’s society. The two biggest cities in Denmark – Aarhus and Copenhagen – are no different than other European countries: graffiti, tags, stickers and posters around the cities tell us about the people living there. However, it’s almost impossible to miss a particular type of poster that is hung all over them – communist ones. Their visibility makes one question the meaning of communism in Denmark.

A small island with big history

Communist symbolism and ideology are forbidden in several East European countries which experienced historical trauma when being occupied by the USSR. Even though in Denmark communism is not restricted, one of its islands called Bornholm, was occupied by the Soviets for 11 months right after the whole country celebrated liberation from the German troops. Bornholm’s geographic location is what makes this island vulnerable – placed in the Baltic Sea, this island is to the east of the mainland Denmark, north of Poland and south of Sweden.

It took me more than three hours from Copenhagen to reach Rønne – a city which was bombed by the Soviets along with Nexø on the 7th and 8th of May in 1945. Walking from the port to the museum of Bornholm – my main destination on the island – a different pace of living was noticeable in Rønne compared to the largest cities in Denmark. Cobble-stone streets were calm, with only a few Bornholmers passing by.

I met Dr. Jakob Seerup, the Curator of Modern History at the Museum of Bornholm, in order to gain knowledge on how the occupation looked like then.

“When you look at the general history of Europe, you will see that there were only three places that were liberated by the Soviets and then abandoned by the Soviets,” explains Dr. Seerup, having Austria, North of Norway and Bornholm in mind. “All other places that were liberated by Soviet troops would see Soviet occupation, presence until 1990 and 1991,” he adds that Bornholm got lucky.

Dr. Jakob Seerup is a curator of Modern History at the Museum of Bornholm. Photos by Austėja Tunaitytė

Prolonged stay in Bornholm

After World War II German troops did not leave Bornholm. As Dr. Seerup highlights, it was important for them to hold, because it was on the route towards the West, away from the advancing troops of Stalin's Red Army. Germany’s decision to not surrender Bornholm resulted in bombings from Soviet airplanes.

“To the majority of Bornholmers, the Soviet troops were seen as liberators,” Dr. Seerup describes the outlook on the occupiers. “The Soviets had been allied with the US and the UK, and so they were regarded as sort of legitimate liberators of Europe. In that respect, people were perhaps not as hostile to the Soviets as you might have expected,” he says.

However, 10 people died during the bombings, therefore those whose family members were killed had a different attitude towards the Soviets.

The prolonged stay in Bornholm eventually brought problems. “8,000 war traumatized soldiers suddenly arriving in this little calm spot, boring everyday routines, wanting to celebrate the victory – there was bound to be trouble,” paints the picture Dr. Seerup. 27 rapes committed by the Soviet troops were reported to the police but since the Soviet general had authority, no one was taken accountable.

The uncertainty about occupation length resulted in some Bornholmers leaving the island. Luckily, the Soviet troops left 11 months later: “This was the event not of the year but of the decade.”

Dr. Seerup highlights that the occupation of the Soviet troops was different from the occupation by the Germans before: there was no resistance movement, and it wasn’t a crime to collaborate with the Soviets. However, Bornholmers felt a relief when the military occupation ended. “The official line was that Denmark was grateful for all the help it had received, but there was no doubt that the vast majority of the population were very, very happy to see the end of this Soviet occupation”, explains historian.

After leaving the museum, I met a 65 year old Bornholmer Naja Krahl. She told me that her father was a small child when the bombing happened in Ronne. “It was not very nice,” concluded Krahl. Bornholmer says that there has always been an anti-Russia feeling in Bornholm and it has intensified after Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. “I’m including myself. I’m very pro-Ukraine and very anti-Russia,” she states.

Poul Lykke Nielsen – a 76 year old Bornholmer – told me how his family experienced the occupation. According to him, the Soviets stole and hurt people: “They didn’t treat people very well.”

“They began to be afraid that they would take Bornholm and use it as a military base in the Baltic sea,” Poul Nielsen shares his memories and says that they were very happy when the Soviet troops left their island.

Bornholmers Naja Krahl and Poul Lykke Nielsen. Photos by Austėja Tunaitytė

Communists' historical role in Denmark

My next destination after Bornholm was Odense – third biggest city in Denmark. There I met Thomas Wegener Friis who is a historian and the director of the Centre for Cold War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. I wanted to get to know the history of communism in the mainland of Denmark.

“Denmark has been left leaning for a long time,” describes Friis, “and the social democratic party was defining Danish politics. Either they were in government or they were so large of a force that they were the largest opposition party. “

He says that communism has always played an important role in Danish politics: it has been questioning political forces for almost a century. “The fiercest challenges, especially within the workers' movement and in the unions, were the most important challenge to social democratic power,” explains the historian. As he explains, communists were the only group that had a fixed package of a societal utopia.

Their promise of a better life still influences politics today. Friis highlights that from a world perspective, Danes are seen as happy and very wealthy, but there are still shortcomings in society. “The left-wing parties and the post-communist parties certainly are very good at pointing at them: this is not fair, we have to improve that,” he describes communists’ role.

Thomas Friis notices that even though the social movement has regained momentum today, communists do not represent an alternative society anymore. “They have suggestions about better earnings for the poor or maybe better pensions or slight changes to foreign policy, but it's all adjustments,” says Friis.

“The big counter-narrative or the challenging narrative to our society is probably a rightist narrative, represented by the national parties in Western Europe or Trump or Putin,” the historian shares and explains that those forces are actually claiming they have a key for “a better tomorrow”: “that's tomorrow where with less multiculturalism, with less Europe, with less vagueness, a Europe where people are looking much more pale and there are not so many people coming from outside. That's a utopia – a rightist utopia.”

Communists and history of the 20th century

For many, communism is an inseparable part of the 20th century’s history. Lithuania – the country that I come from – had some terrible experiences when being part of the Soviet Union. Therefore, I wanted to understand how communists from Denmark see history attached to communism.

We had an interview with Lotte Rørtoft-Madsen – a chairwoman of the Communist Party in Denmark – in her party’s office in Copenhagen. A red wall with a yellow hammer and a sickle painted on it caught my attention immediately.

Madsen got attracted to communism when she was teenager after researching China and the Soviet Union. However, she does not link communism with powers of the past: “for a whole generation, or perhaps 2 generations of people, communism is solely linked with broken regimes. Whereas I see it as a very visionary word.”

The chairwoman of the Communist Party sees communist systems of the past as historical experiments: “They tried to build a new society which was different from capitalism.” While her party does not link its view with one regime, efforts in the past to make another society that is not capitalist are seen in a positive way.

Later that day I met a 24-year-old Copenhagener, Johan Urshkov-Bendixsen. He is a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party. In a room surrounded by books about Lenin, he told me that his party supports the planned economy that the Soviet Union was known for. Bendixsen highlights “the extremely big gains” that planned economy birthed: “for the Soviet citizens, the citizens who lived under the Tsarist totalitarian state, they saw huge progress. So many more doctors and scientists than ever before, a space program.”

However, the Revolutionary Communist Party does not advocate for the Stalinist and other leaders’ bureaucracy in the Soviet Union. “We do not support the leaders of the Soviet Union who came to power in what we would call the thermidorian reaction”, tells me the young communist.

Lotte Rørtoft-Madsen – a chairwoman of the Communist Party and Johan Urshkov-Bendixsen – a member of Revolutionary Communist Party. By Austėja Tunaitytė

Influence of the past

The history attached to communism influences how today’s communists are seen in Denmark.

 “People accuse you for anything: building the Berlin War, being like the Nazis, and things like that,” shares Rikke Galina Frydensbjerg Carlsson who is a chairwoman of the Danish Communist Party in Copenhagen. She calls it “normal propaganda against communists”. 

 Emil Boost – a member of Communist Party in Aarhus – has noticed that others might think of communists not being critical of the Soviet Union and China. “On social media or when we're on the streets handing out flyers, we get comments from people who try to agitate us by saying, oh, you are just a Putin puppet,” shares Boost.

 He says that naturally communists try to see things from historical point of view and thinks there are a lot of successes that people try to downplay or say didn't happen. 

Not so perfect Denmark

“We need to be careful about flaunting these ideas of, you know, oh, Denmark is the happiest country, or Denmark is the most labor-protected country in the world. These things aren't necessarily going to hold forever”, Emil Boost challenges the label that Denmark has in the world context as having a strong welfare state with equality and high trust. 

“I'm fully aware that in general the Danish economic economy is in what they call good shape”, says Madsen. However, she highlights that increased militarization in Denmark should be stopped. As she sees it, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created hysteria and those who are not in favor of militarization are seen as outlaws of the society. “They spend money on weapons and the military, whereas they starve the basic welfare services in our country,” believes the chairwoman of the Communist Party.

“When looking at this society, it's pretty clear that it is in decline, that poverty is becoming more frequent, inequality is exploding,” says Johan Urshkov-Bendixsen, “and in Denmark as well: this welfare state, which is talked so much about, is being cut to the bones more and more.” In his opinion, society is running within a capitalist framework which only profits the rich. 

Rikke Galina Frydensbjerg Carlsson thinks that Denmark is not fair to workers who are immigrants. As she sees it, society uses them by paying smaller salary. She thinks that it is a wrong way to treat people: “The milk and the meat cost the same as they do for us with a better salary.”

Symbolism reminding of the Soviet Union displaced in communists' offices. By Austėja Tunaitytė

Is there a place for communism in Danish politics?

The younger generation from Odense is much more open to inviting communists into Danish politics compared to Bornholmers.

“We are not very keen on Russians and communism,” tells me Naja Krahl.

“They have another view on human life,” says Poul Lykke Nielsen, “you can murder people like you see in the war.” 

Louis – a 21-year-old medicine student from University of Southern Denmark – thinks that it’s important to listen to everyone's perspectives and what they align with. From a student perspective, she thinks that socialist parties can attract younger people because they can have answers regarding housing situation and food prices which creates issues for students in Denmark.

“It’s a good thing to have diversity in the political system,” says Leonora who is studying Economics with a cultural perspective on Germany. She comes from Copenhagen and supports the leftist ideologies. “It’s important to me to have those kinds of parties because Denmark is one of the few countries in the world that is very close to being a socialistic-capitalistic country,” shares Leonora.

Even though communist parties in Denmark do not have political power in today’s politics, communists that I’ve talked with are still devoted to communism.

“Seeing a society on an international plan just destroying the potential of so many people, so many humans, who have to live in poverty, to be born and die in this system that just can't give them a future,” Johan Urshkov-Bendixsen describes his motives for being committed to communism. 

Lotte Rørtoft-Madsen had moments in her life when she was questioning being a communist, but she sees meaning in working with people for a common purpose which is wider than herself: “I like working for a cause that could change something.” 

Emil Boost says that his party gained a lot of positive responses from running in local elections that were held in November. He says that the progress is what keeps him committed to being a communist: “We are making results slowly but surely,” he says: