Danish PM blasted for Facebook page 'censorship'

COPENHAGEN: Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen came under fire Wednesday for removing entries from his Facebook page which were either disapproving or proposed solutions similar to those offered by the opposition.

According to national broadcaster Danmarks Radio, which monitored the site on Tuesday for 90 minutes, at least six critical postings were removed.

Copenhagen University Political Communication Professor Klaus Kjoeller told DR that sorting out critical postings was a bad signal to send to the electorate.

"Lars Loekke Rasmussen is signalling that he is afraid of facing criticism and tries to stifle criticism. Completely the wrong signal to send," Kjoeller said.

One removal in particular caught the eye of DR's monitors. It referred to a 2008 article in daily Politiken in which Loekke Rasmussen, who was finance minister at the time, said Denmark's economic challenges would
be solved if people worked one more hour per week -- or 12 additional minutes per day.

That suggestion is today included in the opposition coalition's proposed economic plan, which Loekke Rasmussen and Finance Minister Claus Hjrt Frederiksen have derided.

Liberal Party Secretary Jens Skipper Rasmussen defended the control of the Facebook page.

"We have a code on the prime minister's Facebook page which is what we administer from. That code says that you cannot post pure links as the political debate is the most important thing," he said.

Source: AFP