Morten Messerschmidt

Morten Messerschmidt (born 13 November 1980) is a Danish politician and current leader of the Danish People's Party. He was a elected Member of the Folketing at the 2019 Danish general election having previously served from 2005 to 2009.[1] At the 2014 European Parliament election, he was elected a Member of the European Parliament for Denmark with 465,758; the highest amount of personal votes ever cast at a Danish election.

Morten Messerschmidt
Messerschmidt in 2023
Member of the European Parliament
In office
1 July 2009 – 30 June 2019
ConstituencyDenmark
Member of the Folketing
Assumed office
5 June 2019
ConstituencyNorth Zealand
In office
8 February 2005 – 18 June 2009
ConstituencyEast Jutland (2007—2009)
Aarhus (2005—2007)
Leader of the Danish People's Party
Assumed office
23 January 2022
Personal details
Born (1980-11-13) 13 November 1980
Frederikssund, Denmark
Political partyDanish People's Party
SpouseDot Wessmann
Alma materUniversity of Copenhagen

Personal life

Morten Messerschmidt was born on 13 November 1980 in Frederikssund as the son of worker Carsten Christoffersen and municipal secretary Inge Messerschmidt.[2] He graduated from Sankt Annæ Gymnasium in 1999 and became a cand.jur (Master of Laws) from the University of Copenhagen in 2009.[2] He served as a church singer in Islebjerg Church from 1999-2005.[3] In 2003, Messerschmidt participated in the TV program Big Brother V.I.P. with i.a. Carl-Mar Møller, Helena Blach Lavrsen and Lise Lotte Lohmann.[4][5] The latter later introduced him to Bakkens Hvile singer Dot Wessman, with whom he became girlfriend and cohabitant with in 2007.[6] Together in 2008, they released a Christmas music CD titled Jul i Europa (Christmas in Europe) whereon they sang together.[7] On 9 June, 2015, Messerschmidt announced that they had separated[8] despite the couple annoncing their reunion on 1 July 2016.[9]

In November 2019, Messerschmidt's sister, Line Messerschmidt, was murdered in a double murder by Martin Christensen Degn.[10] In 2021, Messerschmidt became the legal guardian of his sister's children, after his sister was murdered.[11]

Messerschmidt describes himself religiously as a Christian.[12]

Political career

Early career

Messerschmidt was a member of the national committee of the Danish People's Party Youth 2000-2005. He was political deputy chairman of the youth party 2001-2005.[2] In 2002, he founded the association Kritiske Licensbetalere, of which he was also chairman.[13] Messerschmidt was convicted in 2002 for publishing material that attempted to link Islamic societies to rape, violence and forced marriages.[14]

Between 2003-2005 he was assistant to the Danish People's Party's European parliamentarian Mogens Camre. In the 2004 European Parliament elections, Messerschmidt himself was elected as second alternate to the EU Parliament.[2]

1st election to the Folketing

Before taking his seat in the European Parliament, Messerschmidt was a member of the Danish Parliament, the Folketing from 8 February 2005, having won his seat with 3,812 personal votes,[15] and was re-elected in 2007, this time getting 11,466 votes. For a short period of time in 2007, he left the Danish People's Party, due to accusations of Nazism, as he according to the tabloid newspaper B.T. had praised Adolf Hitler in Tivoli.[16] In 2009, Messerschmidt won the lawsuit against the former editor-in-chief of B.T. Arne Ullum and journalist Jacob Heinel Jensen which both were punished with 10 daily fines of 500 kr. each and had to pay compensation of 25,000 kr. for demamation, while Morten Messerschmidt was cleared of the charges.[17]

In the European Parliament

At the 2009 European Parliament election, Messerschmidt was elected to the European Parliament, winning his seat in a landslide election with 284,500 personal votes; the third highest number of personal votes ever received by a Danish politician.[18] Messerschmidt adopted particularly eurosceptic stances calling for the ablistion of the European Parliament and power to be returned to the nation states of the EU. In June 2013, he announced that he would re-run for the EU Parliament, and later that year a poll showed that he was the Danish MEP with the most influence. and in 2014 he was reelected with 465,758 personal votes.[19]

In the 2009 European Parliament elections, Messerschmidt received 284,500 personal votes being the third highest number of personal votes for a Danish politician ever. Messerschmidt has adopted a particularly EU-critical stance. He has called several times for the European Parliament to be abolished and power to be returned to the nation states of the EU. In June 2013, he announced that he would stand again for the EU Parliament, and later that year a poll showed that he was the Danish MEP with the most influence.

Election poster featuring Messerschmidt on Copenhagen Central Station, 2014. Meaning: More Denmark, less EU

At the 2014 European Parliament election, he received 465,758 personal votes being the highest number of personal votes ever recived in any Danish election. From 2014 to 2016, he was the group leader of the party, until his resignation in August 2016. In 2019, he was elected to the Folketing with 7,554 personal votes, and in 2020 became vice chairman of the DF, replacing Søren Espersen.[20]

Fraud scandal and acquittal
Danish People's Party's parliamentary group in February 2023 at Christiansbrog. L-R: Peter Kofoed, Pia Kjærsgaard, Mikkel Bjørn, Nick Zimmermann, Alex Ahrendtsen, Mette Thiesen and Morten Messerschmidt

In August 2016, Messerschmidt resigned as EU parliament group leader for the DPP, as a result of a scandal involving the related foundations FELD and MELD that he had managed. OLAF launched an investigation into misuse of EU funds, and Messerschmidt was reported to the police for identity theft by MEP Rikke Karlsson, who had left the DPP in 2015 in protest against Messerschmidt's alleged withholding of information about the foundations. Karlsson and then-fellow DPP MEP Jørn Dohrmann had been elected to the board of MELD without their knowledge. Ekstra Bladet was nominated for a European Press Prize for investigative reporting in 2017 for their coverage of the scandal.[21]

In 2021, he was charged with misuse of 98.000 DKK in EU funds.[22] On August 13, 2021, he was sentenced to 6 months of conditional prison, but The High Court of Eastern Denmark annulled the verdict in December 2021 due to the judge been deemed unable by the Independent Police Complaints Authority of Denmark.[23] On 21 December 2022 Messerschmidt was acquitted of all charges by the Court of Frederiksberg.[24]

Bibliography
  • Den kristne arv (2021)
  • Farvel til folkestyret: hvordan EU ødelægger frihed, folk og folkestyre - og hvad vi kan gøre ved det (2020)
  • Overlad det trygt til Bruxelles – Debat om EU (2015, co-author)
  • Dagbog fra EU. Om EU's spild af dine penge (2013)
  • Intet over og intet ved siden af ... ‒ EU-Domstolen og dens aktivisme (2013)

References
  1. "Morten Messerschmidt (DF)". Ft.dk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  2. "Morten Messerschmidt". Folketinget (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  3. "Messerschmidt: Politiker, kirkesanger og vinelsker". DR (in Danish). 2014-05-26. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  4. Sjöström, Af Af Ditte Giese og Louise (2003-05-09). "BB: Pigernes ven røg ud". ekstrabladet.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  5. Nyhedsbureau, Rikke Gjøl Mansø, Berlingske (2015-01-03). "Minister til Messerschmidt: »Er det ikke dig fra Big Brother?«". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  6. Karker, reas (2009-06-09). "Bakkesangerinde flytter med Messerschmidt til Bruxelles". www.bt.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  7. "Morten Messerschmidt udgiver jule-cd". Christiansborg (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  8. "Dot og Messerschmidt går fra hinanden: - Det er smertefuldt | GO'". web.archive.org. 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  9. Kragh, Julie (2016-07-01). "Dot og Messerschmidt afslører: Derfor er vi sammen igen". www.bt.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  10. Ruus, Af Mette Fleckner • Sune Fischer • Torsten (2019-11-15). "Søster til Morten Messerschmidt myrdet". ekstrabladet.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  11. "Morten Messerschmidt bliver værge til søsters børn: - Børnene varmer midt i tragedien". Nyheder.tv2.dk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  12. Skovhøj, Kirstine Thye (2013-03-11). "Messerschmidt: Min tro giver mig kraft". Kristeligt Dagblad (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  13. kritiskelicensbetalere.dk, arkiveret version
  14. Barker, Alex (4 June 2014). "MEPs with criminal records join Tories' eurosceptic group". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  15. "Afstemningsresultater FV-2005" (in Danish). Im.dk. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  16. "Hyldede Hitler i Tivoli". Bt.dk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  17. februar 2009, Torsdag d 26; artikel, kl 13 08 Del denne artikel Del denne (2009-02-26). "Messerschmidt vandt over B.T. i nazi-sag". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  18. "Personlige stemmer ved Europa-Parlamentsvalget 7. juni 2009" (PDF). Dst.dk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  19. "Messerschmidt alene var i 2014 større end DF i 2019" (in Danish). TV2. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  20. "Messerschmidt ny næstformand i Dansk Folkeparti". Dr.dk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  21. "European Press Prize 2017 nomination". European Press Prize. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  22. "Morten Messerschmidt bliver tiltalt af Bagmandspolitiet for dokumentfalsk". Dr.dk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  23. "Messerschmidt dømt for svig med EU-støtte - anker dommen på stedet". Nyheder.tv2.dk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  24. "Dom: Morten Messerschmidt frifindes for snyd med EU-midler". 21 December 2022.


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