Denmark contradicts Netanyahu, urges Jews to stay put despite terror attacks
Danish envoy to Israel vows Copenhagen 'will do all in our power so that the Jewish community in Denmark feels safe.'
By AVIRAM ZINO/MAARIV HASHAVUAJesper Vahr, Denmark's ambassador to Israel (photo credit: YOSSI ZWECKER)
The Jewish community is an integral part of Danish society and it ought to remain in the country despite this weekend’s terror attacks, Copenhagen’s envoy to Israel said on Sunday.“The solution for the Jews of Denmark is not to leave in the wake of the terror attacks in Copenhagen on Saturday,” the ambassador, Jesper Vahr, said on Sunday. “Our prime minister said that an attack on the Jewish community is an attack on all of Denmark’s citizens. I echo this sentiment. We will do everything in our power so that the Jewish community in Denmark feels safe.”Vahr made the statements in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s earlier entreaties for Danish Jews to relocate to Israel.The ambassador said that “this was a horrible day for both Denmark and Israel as well as for the values represented by Western culture: democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of worship, tolerance, all of which are the cornerstones of our society.”Vahr said that the Danish Jewish community has expressed concern for its safety immediately following last month’s Islamist-inspired assaults in Paris. He said that the Danish government has made security for the Jewish community a top priority, “and steps were taken to this end, though we cannot specify what they were.”“That is why we could see an increased police presence around the synagogue [that was targeted] yesterday,” he said.
