Rohde story about cartoonists' families being harrassed is exaggerated

Jens Rohde, the political spokesperson of the Danish Liberal Party, Venstre, in parliament is now being criticised for utilizing the cartoonists to promote his own politics. It’s the leader of the Danish Journalists’ Union Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard who voices this criticism on behalf of the 12 cartoonists, who are members of the Journalists’ Union. Bjerregaard accuses Rohde of publishing confidential information he has received from the cartoonists, and of distorting and exaggerating information, for instance about a cartoonist’s daughter being sought out by 12 muslim men at her school.

“This “school story” is actually 4 weeks old. It is the feather turned into 5 hens”, Bjerregaard tell Danish paper Politiken today. He continues: “One of the factual errors is the image of the 12 muslim men. It is completely distorted and out of proportion.”
He calls it immoral of Jens Rohde to abuse the cartoonists’ and their families’ personal security for the promotion of his own political argumentation. He risks damaging and deteriorating the cartoonists’ situation. Bjerregaard sees it as his task to protect the cartoonists from the many contacts they get from the media.

The Danish Journalists' Union has published an announcement about the case on its website. It is translated here:


INDECENT ROHDE SWINDLES ON THE CARTOONISTS’ EXPENSE
March 3rd 2006

Jens Rohde abuses the cartoonists and swindles with the serious situation the cartoonists are in; it is an integral part of his political agenda.

It is a fact that Jens Rohde in a confidential conversation has been briefed about the cartoonists and the situation they are in. In that connection he has been kept up to date several times on the day-to-day situation, included a story from a school that is several weeks old. It is this feather that has been turned into five hens by means of Jens Rohde’s fabrications”, says Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard, chairman of the Danish Union of Journalists. He speaks on behalf of the 12 cartoonists.

“One of the factual errors is – among others – the depiction of 12 muslim men; it is completely distorted and out of proportion, Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard says.

“It is blatantly immoral of Jens Rohde to use the cartoonists, and their families’ personal safety to promote his own political argumentation in a doubtful issue”, Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard says.

“With his bogey images Jens Rohde is digging ditches still deeper in Danish society”, Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard says, and he continues: “It is indecent that a highly profiled Member of Parliament uses his allotted time in the media to proclaim that kind of stories from the housetops, which can aggravate the situation for the cartoonists and their families”. In the Danish Union of Journalists we do our utmost to protect the cartoonists and alleviate the pressure on them that the many addresses they get from the media; in that situation it is objectionable that Jens Rohde uses the cartoonists in his spin to set his own political agenda”, Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard says.

I shall encourage everybody to calm down so that peace and quiet will settle, for the cartoonists and for the sake of their safety”, Blicher Bjerregaard finishes his words.