I would have sworn that we never got into a situation where we closed the border, but we did damn well, tells Asser Amdisen.
Asser Amdisen historian and well-known for its fresh one-minute stories on the P3.
We have asked the popular historian to put the country's condition in the story's context.
Waves of diseases is nothing new. We know the way back from antiquity. It moves a little faster now, where we can fly instead of to travel on horseback, says Asser Amdisen.
But the closure of the border is yet surprisingly old.
Asser Amdisen put grænselukningen in historical context. Photo: Asser Amdisen
Community - 13. mar. 2020 - pm. 19:07 Coronavirus: The Danish borders closes
Denmark's occupation d. 9. april 1940. It is for the Asser Amdisen the last situation in Denmark, which can be immediately compared.
- It is a significant reduction of what we usually consider as being civil rights. We put military at the borders, and only people with 'anerkendelsesværdige purpose' should get into.
- When Stauning in his time closed southern borders to the fleeing jews in 1937-38, there was a little bit the same. But the massive state arsenal of tools to use now, that we have not seen.
For Amdisen it is game to say to the danes that we now have to stay at home, keep up with work and must not travel out of the country.
- It is freaky to listen to. It is hard not to compare with the border control in East germany. So, one can discuss how good reasons you have for it, and how important it is to stop. But it is at the level we are working.
Extra Magazine ask the historian what additional action there has been in history in similar situations.
- In the middle ages did it during the plague, that isolated whole towns and said to them, that are in there, they must fend for themselves. So the next step could be to isolate the people who you think are dangerous for the population, says Amdisen.
- We also have not seen a complete curfew. We have not seen military in the streets, patrolling in order to check if people are sick.
- We also have not seen a ban on criticism of the government's initiatives. The one could also imagine, that comes. That is, a uniformity of expression, and possibly also a the imprisonment of those who say something different than the accepted social position, he says, but the situation makes it difficult for the historian to assess what is realistic.
Had you asked me 14 days ago, if you could imagine a scenario where you close the borders, with travel bans, and which had closed the whole of the public sector, so had I not believed in it, he stresses.
Therefore, Amdisen careful not to come with too many predictions about the future.
See also: the Government will reject foreigners at the border in order to slow down the virussmitte
the Historian is pleasantly surprised at the danes ' response to the increasing curtailing of our rights.
- When you think about how much has happened – the public sector shuts borders closes – then it's actually some pretty limited reactions, which have been. Yes, it is perhaps harder to find lokumspapir and rye bread, but if you look at how the responses could otherwise have been, so it's not so wrong.
- It tends otherwise to end up with some scapegoats – it must be someone's fault. It is we, not reached yet. And it is also quite impressive that we have not fallen for this kind of thing.
- If it was Poul Schlüter in 1984, on the rostrum had said these things, would it be the same? I'm not sure.
Community - 13. mar. 2020 - pm. 21:41 Expert on grænselukning: - Completely pointless
the Danes have changed its position in relation to tolerance in relation to the interventions and prohibitions. And it is, according to Asser Amdisen not necessarily a bad thing.
- Maybe it's because we have become accustomed to being afraid of things. We have become accustomed to risk scenarios, they trigger some actions. We are better to accept it than we probably would have been before. But it is difficult to predict what happens. I don't know what our tolerance will be about three weeks.
What do you think of the reaction from them, which empties stores of goods?
- If we go back to the time during the war, where we saw the hamstringer, there went the state also entered and made the rationeringsmærker. It may well be the way to solve it. So we get maybe also a black market sales. If one were cynical, one could say, that history will be incredibly interesting to try this stuff again.
- When it is over, then there's a very long discussion, I think, about civil rights, and what we can actually put to page, and what considerations we need to take. That the government must be accountable for its decision, when we get to it.
